While it doesn\u2019t always seem like it, the US still boasts the largest and strongest track and field team on the planet. As such I\u2019m sure that many are waiting with anticipation to see who becomes the next CEO of USATF. I\u2019m sure that given what\u2019s taken place over the last two years, that athletes, coaches, agents, other federations, and potential endorsers are all waiting to see who becomes the next head of USA Track and Field. <\/p>\n
Which is why the Board of Directors needs to get this right!<\/p>\n
After doing my homework on the matter this week, I\u2019d like to give my support to former javelin thrower Bill Schmidt. Schmidt has the kind of diverse background that I think would be well suited to running USA Track and Field.<\/p>\n
For starters, as a former elite athlete he has an understanding of the sport from the perspective of the athlete. And from my perspective the athletes are our #1 commodity. Whoever gets the job needs to have an understanding of the sport and the athletes if they have any hope of being able to build the sport in this country. And this sport desperately needs a make over here in the US. <\/p>\n
Not only has Schmidt performed as an athlete, but he was Vice President of Sports for the 1984 Olympics and served as the Vice President of World Wide Sports for Gatorade from 1984 to 1999. Currently he\u2019s President of Pegasus Sports Marketing. So he has experience at the top levels of both athletics and Corporate America. A unique skill set for a position that is in desperate need of someone that will need to both understand the inner workings of the sport while he works at selling the sport to the business community.<\/p>\n
Outside of the corporate community, Schmidt earned his Master\u2019s Degree in Business Education from the University of Tennessee; once taught at Central High School in Knoxville TN; and coached high school track and cross country. Throw in his own career as a javelin thrower \u2013 which included a Bronze medal at the Munich games and being named the US \u201cThrower of the Decade\u201d for the \u201870\u2019s by Track and Field News \u2013 and Schmidt has experienced this sport at every level. <\/p>\n
The Board of Directors will be hard pressed to find many individuals that fit the bill throughout the spectrum of needs that this position requires! Schmidt does.<\/p>\n
Which is why after careful consideration, I am suggesting that the Board should hire Bill Schmidt to try to right this ship! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
While it doesn\u2019t always seem like it, the US still boasts the largest and strongest track and field team on the planet. As such I\u2019m sure that many are waiting with anticipation to see who becomes the next CEO of USATF. I\u2019m sure that given what\u2019s taken place over the last two years, that athletes, coaches, agents, other federations, and potential endorsers are all waiting to see who becomes the next head of USA Track and Field. Which is why the Board of Directors needs to get this right! After doing my homework on the matter this week, I\u2019d like to give my support to former javelin thrower Bill Schmidt. Schmidt has the kind of diverse background that I think would be well suited to running USA Track and Field. For starters, as a former elite athlete he has an understanding of the sport from the perspective of the athlete. And from my perspective the athletes are our #1 commodity. Whoever gets the job needs to have an understanding of the sport and the athletes if they have any hope of being able to build the sport in this country. And this sport desperately needs a make over here in the US. Not only has Schmidt performed as an athlete, but he was Vice President of Sports for the 1984 Olympics and served as the Vice President of World Wide Sports for Gatorade from 1984 to 1999. Currently he\u2019s President of Pegasus Sports Marketing. So he has experience at the top levels of both athletics and Corporate America. A unique skill set for a position that is in desperate need of someone that will need to both understand the inner workings of the sport while he works at selling the sport to the business community. Outside of the corporate community, Schmidt earned his Master\u2019s Degree in Business Education from the University of Tennessee; once taught at Central High School in Knoxville TN; and coached high school track and cross country. Throw in his own career as a javelin thrower \u2013 which included a Bronze medal at the Munich games and being named the US \u201cThrower of the Decade\u201d for the \u201870\u2019s by Track and Field News \u2013 and Schmidt has experienced this sport at every level. The Board of Directors will be hard pressed to find many individuals that fit the bill throughout the spectrum of needs that this position requires! Schmidt does. Which is why after careful consideration, I am suggesting that the Board should hire Bill Schmidt to try to right this ship!<\/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-405","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa3DCY-6x","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":590,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=590","url_meta":{"origin":405,"position":0},"title":"USA Track and Field Needs a TEAM Not a Superman","author":"CHill","date":"October 3, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"As I noted in my previous post, we lack a leadership presence from our former star athletes within the political structure of American track and field. Whereas other countries have former stars that are active within their federations and\/or the IAAF, we have yet to capture any of that talent\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Lananna\"","block_context":{"text":"Lananna","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?tag=lananna"},"img":{"alt_text":"image","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lh3.ggpht.com\/-dGL7GlzhZ54\/TonhD2N6FOI\/AAAAAAAAAhk\/Lh9YGn7WOd4\/image_thumb.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":490,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=490","url_meta":{"origin":405,"position":1},"title":"USATF CEO Search \u2013 Another Bobble","author":"CHill","date":"May 26, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"USATF \u2013 USA Track and Field. The governing body of the sport in the United States of America. Outside of the IAAF, the body that should be the most powerful in the sport \u2013 in charge of the deepest strongest team on the planet. We produced Carl Lewis, Michael Johnson,\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 3 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 3 comments","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=490#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"image","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lh3.ggpht.com\/-Nn2Pr7HPF1A\/Td5aCP6IOsI\/AAAAAAAAAL4\/LhU-ejS8swk\/image_thumb.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2010,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=2010","url_meta":{"origin":405,"position":2},"title":"USATF Should Be Split","author":"CHill","date":"January 15, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"As the year ended I reflected on the sport as I see it. I continue to look at a sport that many say is dying, and continue to see a sport that I feel just needs tweaking.\u00a0 Not the sport itself. The full slate of events should be contested -\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 2 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 2 comments","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=2010#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"Placeholder","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trackchill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Placeholder_thumb.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":589,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=589","url_meta":{"origin":405,"position":3},"title":"Where is Our Legendary Leadership?","author":"CHill","date":"October 1, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Recently the conversation has resurfaced regarding the CEO position at USATF \u2013 specifically the fact that the position is STILL unfilled, and the difficulty that the organization has had with respect to the process. As I read the various comments that have been made, I wonder what has happened to\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 2 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 2 comments","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=589#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"image","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lh4.ggpht.com\/-HjkLk2Z_OSc\/Toc37jGaz0I\/AAAAAAAAAhc\/GtLZHjrxiqs\/image_thumb%25255B5%25255D.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":370,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=370","url_meta":{"origin":405,"position":4},"title":"Does USA Track & Field Need a New CEO?","author":"CHill","date":"July 27, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"That seems to be the question on the table amid reports that two years into the position, USATF CEO Doug Logan is being evaluated and is possibly facing dismissal pending improvement by mid August. The word that he is being evaluated doesn\u2019t come as a surprise as most employees within\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 3 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 3 comments","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=370#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"Jun 26, 2010; Des Moines, IA, USA; USA Track & Field chief executive officer Doug Logan at the USA Track & Field Championships at Drake Stadium. Photo by Image of Sport Photo via Newscom","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/view4.picapp.com\/pictures.photo\/image\/9256290\/track-and-field-usa-track\/track-and-field-usa-track.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":312,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=312","url_meta":{"origin":405,"position":5},"title":"Not Another Mistake !","author":"CHill","date":"April 22, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Once again we get the report of another positive drug test. This time it\u2019s Lashawn Merritt who according to his press release inadvertently used a product that contained DHEA. While it depresses me that, yet again, we have an individual testing positive in this sport it\u2019s more depressing that this\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 2 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 2 comments","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=312#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/405","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=405"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/405\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=405"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=405"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}