As I take a look at the state of professionalism in the sport of track and field it comes to my attention that the coaches may be the ones to lead the way. In talking with various individuals regarding the current state of the sport I’ve received information on the development of a coaches association.<\/p>\n
Discussing the ability of the US to garner 30 medals in a major championship, I was surprised to learn that the coaches of our medal winners do not receive stipends from USATF – a situation that should be rectified in my opinion as prior to the change to the Logan administration stipends WERE paid to coaches. Coaches were paid upwards of $2,000 if their athletes won medals at the Games – lesser amounts if they coached athletes ranked in the Top 10. While it is discretionary, it would seem to be a logical move to provide assistance to those most responsible for the development and performances of our athletes. Something that I would hope the current administration would reconsider.<\/p>\n
Further discussion, however, lead to the disclosure that there is a group of coaches, the Elite Athletes Coaches Association, that is in the process of obtaining non profit status for their group. <\/p>\n
The Elite Athletes Coaches Association will be comprised of a majority of the coaches of medal winning athletes in the United States, as well as a sampling from overseas. Their mission: to vigorously advocate on behalf of the privileges, status and rights of coaches of athletes at the elite level. Among their goals:<\/p>\n
1. To develop a matrix or template for coaches compensation.<\/p>\n
2. To undertake projects and programs that work directly towards eliminating drugs and illegal performance enhancing substances from the sport.<\/p>\n
3. To develop clinics and conferences to develop and exchange ideas for better coaching strategies and techniques.<\/p>\n
4. To seek recognition and membership status from:
a. IAAF
b. USOC
c. USATF<\/p>\n
5. To seek sanctioning and censure power in regard to agents and managers that represent elite athletes.<\/p>\n
6. To see sanctioning and censure power in regard to competition and competition directors.<\/p>\n
7. To provide support and be protective of those things that allow for superior performances by elite athletes.<\/p>\n
Among the coaches that I’ve heard have signed on for this association is a group of some of the most productive coaches in this country:<\/p>\n
\u2022 John Smith
\u2022 Bobby Kersee
\u2022 Clyde Hart
\u2022 Joe Vigil
\u2022 Brooks Johnson
\u2022 Bob Larsen
\u2022 Jon Drummond
\u2022 Carol Smith
\u2022 Don Babbitt
\u2022 Tony Lest (UK)
\u2022 Lloyd Cowan (UK)<\/p>\n
This is the kind of organization that the sport needs here in the US – leadership from those who bear the ultimate responsibility for performance. If we are not getting the leadership necessary from “the head office” we can still effect change if we get some leadership from “middle management”! <\/p>\n
What would be nice now is to see the development of something similar for the elite athletes themselves. A move that most certainly would lead ultimately to a restructuring of the sport itself. Until then, its good to see that the coaches are taking a leadership role and that one of their stated goals lies in the elimination of performance enhancers in the sport!<\/p>\n
I wish them luck as they attempt to use their considerable influence to improve the elite level of the sport in this country.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As I take a look at the state of professionalism in the sport of track and field it comes to my attention that the coaches may be the ones to lead the way. In talking with various individuals regarding the current state of the sport I’ve received information on the development of a coaches association. Discussing the ability of the US to garner 30 medals in a major championship, I was surprised to learn that the coaches of our medal winners do not receive stipends from USATF – a situation that should be rectified in my opinion as prior to the change to the Logan administration stipends WERE paid to coaches. Coaches were paid upwards of $2,000 if their athletes won medals at the Games – lesser amounts if they coached athletes ranked in the Top 10. While it is discretionary, it would seem to be a logical move to provide assistance to those most responsible for the development and performances of our athletes. Something that I would hope the current administration would reconsider. Further discussion, however, lead to the disclosure that there is a group of coaches, the Elite Athletes Coaches Association, that is in the process of obtaining non profit status for their group. The Elite Athletes Coaches Association will be comprised of a majority of the coaches of medal winning athletes in the United States, as well as a sampling from overseas. Their mission: to vigorously advocate on behalf of the privileges, status and rights of coaches of athletes at the elite level. Among their goals: 1. To develop a matrix or template for coaches compensation. 2. To undertake projects and programs that work directly towards eliminating drugs and illegal performance enhancing substances from the sport. 3. To develop clinics and conferences to develop and exchange ideas for better coaching strategies and techniques. 4. To seek recognition and membership status from: a. IAAF b. USOC c. USATF 5. To seek sanctioning and censure power in regard to agents and managers that represent elite athletes. 6. To see sanctioning and censure power in regard to competition and competition directors. 7. To provide support and be protective of those things that allow for superior performances by elite athletes. Among the coaches that I’ve heard have signed on for this association is a group of some of the most productive coaches in this country: \u2022 John Smith\u2022 Bobby Kersee\u2022 Clyde Hart\u2022 Joe Vigil\u2022 Brooks Johnson\u2022 Bob Larsen\u2022 Jon Drummond\u2022 Carol Smith\u2022 Don Babbitt\u2022 Tony Lest (UK)\u2022 Lloyd Cowan (UK) This is the kind of organization that the sport needs here in the US – leadership from those who bear the ultimate responsibility for performance. If we are not getting the leadership necessary from “the head office” we can still effect change if we get some leadership from “middle management”! What would be nice now is to see the development of something similar for the elite athletes themselves. A move that most certainly would lead ultimately to a restructuring of the sport itself. Until then, its good to see that the coaches are taking a leadership role and that one of their stated goals lies in the elimination of performance enhancers in the sport! I wish them luck as they attempt to use their considerable influence to improve the elite level of the sport in this country.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-244","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa3DCY-3W","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":164,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=164","url_meta":{"origin":244,"position":0},"title":"To Improve Performance","author":"CHill","date":"May 27, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"USA Track and Field filled its position of Chief of Sports Performance by hiring former hurdler Benita Fitzgerald Moseley last week. Fitzgerald Moseley will be responsible for overseeing USATF's High Performance and Sports Science Programs, and the person that will ultimately be responsible for seeing that CEO Doug Logan's goal\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":465,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=465","url_meta":{"origin":244,"position":1},"title":"Should Collegiate Athletes Be Paid?","author":"CHill","date":"March 31, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"That\u2019s the question that has been placed on the table this week, and one that has been bantered around now for decades. After all, while \u201cstudent athletes\u201d are expected to live a completely \u201camateur\u201d lifestyle \u2013 i.e. accept nothing from anyone \u2013 several of the sports they participate in are\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":110,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=110","url_meta":{"origin":244,"position":2},"title":"The USATF Task Force Report","author":"CHill","date":"February 12, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"USATF CEO Doug Logan recently released the Task Force Report on the state of Track and Field in the United States. This report was created by a nine member task force that included former athlete Carl Lewis, current athlete Deena Kastor, and longtime coach Mel Rosen, among others, and had\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":345,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=345","url_meta":{"origin":244,"position":3},"title":"Coaches Registry Latest Misstep of USATF Leadership","author":"CHill","date":"June 16, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"When discussing \u201cLeadership\u201d from a management perspective, it is often defined as the ability to motivate a group of people towards a common goal. Once again USATF management has shown that it is sorely lacking in this skill set. The latest drama emanating from the head office is the \u201c\u2019Coaches\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 1 comment","block_context":{"text":"With 1 comment","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=345#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":242,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=242","url_meta":{"origin":244,"position":4},"title":"How Are They Selecting Coaches These Days?","author":"CHill","date":"October 18, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Recently I talked about the elite level of the sport and the effect that money has had as the sport has attempted to grow from an amateur sport into a professional one. The \"growing pains\" that have stressed the sport on the money front has seemingly spilled over to the\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"Day in the Life of Allyson Felix - Day 3","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cdn.picapp.com\/ftp\/Images\/8\/3\/f\/4\/Day_in_the_d935.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":582,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=582","url_meta":{"origin":244,"position":5},"title":"I Want to Maximize Our Potential","author":"CHill","date":"September 19, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Brussels effectively closed out a very interesting 2011 season \u2013 a season that for me opened up as many questions as it provided answers. So there are lots of things I want to discuss and look at over the course of the down time between now and the indoor season.\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 2 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 2 comments","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=582#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"image","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lh6.ggpht.com\/-b-3bPn65Un0\/TndfCfH9odI\/AAAAAAAAAfc\/8rSYJf6tAE0\/image_thumb.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=244"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=244"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=244"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=244"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}