Houston Texas’s Jamerican Flyers

 

Jamerican Flyer Troi wrote me the other day and asked where the pictures of her team where…I had to think, “Where were they”?? So many pictures so many athletes every single one special. As you see I have found them and here they are Troi…Enjoy

Want to see you special athletes pictures here? Forward them to TrackMom1@gmail.com and I will put them up just like little Troi’s and her team mates .

 

Are We Out Of Balance With Youth Sports Pursuit?

Is Youth Sports Out Of Balance?

Do we as a society and individuals over value high achievement in sports,covet the  sports college scholarship more than the education it allows the athletes to have?  Have we completely lost the meaning and purpose of sports and sports play? Is the abilty to just have fun impossible for most youth athletes in todays society?

 

Mark Hyman  featured an article on a recently on his blog” Youth Sports Parent“  and I ,like him was struck by the clarity in which this young man describes sports today. Look what high school student Gabriel Weiss,  had to say on the matter.

“The games have been played the same since my grandfather’s era, but a different mentality has taken over. The motivation beneath the helmets of football players and other competitive athletes is heavily influenced by scholarships and intense pressure from coaches and parents. The emphasis put on lengthy practices, which begin long before the season, transforms many high school sports into an almost full-time job. Can this high-stakes, pressure-infused way of playing possibly enhance the game, or is this tainting the true meaning of sports?”

Mark Hyman commented on  Gabriel’s article with this statment: 

“The adults (myself included) may think we’ve disguised our ambitions and expectations for our kids in competitive sports. As Gabriel points out so well, most of us haven’t.”

Dr.Kwame Brown at Kwame M. Brown: Move Therory weighs in:

“I have come to recognize that many of the issues we face today stem from the Human’s penchant for elitism.  Those of you that have dealt with me know that I am all about root causes.  So let’s delve a little deeper.  

“Let’s take an issue that I’ve been working on for the past few years:  Youth Inactivity (some misguidedly call it the youth obesity problem).  How do we think this all happened?  Do we think this just happened because kids are lazy?  Sorry, Charlie.  That would be way too simple, now wouldn’t it? ”

Here’s what I believed happened:

Overestimating the importance of Lebron James

We began to overvalue high achievement in athletics and the potential riches involved; so much so that we skewed the whole environment of youth sports toward getting a college scholarship and making it to the pros.  Don’t believe me?  Search on the internet for athletic performance institutes, training camps,programs and training camps.  Look at the way they advertise.  Sure some are doing it the right way (more and more because of the IYCA), but most are promising improvements in vertical leap or 40 yard dash times. 

Why is all this important?  Well, the other kids that don’t show promise toward the pros can see that they are left out once they get to high school, and in some areas, junior high school.  They weren’t interested in signing 8 month travel contracts for their chosen sport.  They just wanted to play.   They got left out and became disillusioned”. 

While the number of boys and girls (ages 6 to 12) participating in youth sports programs is greater than ever, the drop-out rate by age 13 is growing significantly.  nytimes.com, Ken Reed, 02/01/04

Read the entire article here

 

 Until Next Time,

 

 

 

 

 

 

Planning For Success

 

 Planning For Success….

Coach Rashad Ahmad

 
As young people what are some of the things you do everyday that you plan for?
When you think about those things, what is important to you?

Are family, friends, being popular, sports, are those some of the things that are important?
Looking at track & field and looking at what you need to do to be successful at this, what are the things you  do to help you become successful?.
 
Do you just wake up each day and hope to be successful, do you have a plan, but not just any plan? You need to have a plan for success or a plan of success. Don’t hope for it, don’t guess or wish upon a star for it, plan on it. Just like a teacher will have a lesson plan, so should you have a plan, a plan for success.  There is an old saying ” If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail”…what this means is, if you don’t have a plan in place to guide you, then you are planning to fail.
 
Part of your plan for success, is having those people in your life you can trust, you can count on. Have people who believe in you and your dreams, hopes, aspirations. Surround yourself with these kind of people, it doesn’t have to be alot of people, but again they have to support you. If it is alot of people who support you, then you have more support.
 
We all know that there are people in the world who don’t want you to succeed, who won’t support you, those are the one’s who are not part of your circle, your support group. How do you know who these people are, well just keep your eyes and ears open, they will let you know who they are, when they do, you must distance yourself from them.
 
I will continue in part two of this article about how important it is to have people on your side, in your corner, to help you become the success you are trying to be in track & field. and also in life.
 

To Your Success,
 
Coach Rashad

Coach Rashad is the head track coach for Illinois Oak Park Road Runners. A USATF Certified II, CSCS. He has undeniable passion and  expertise for Track and Field. In addition he runs a sucessful speed camp and finds time to train and compete at the Master Level  as well.

Please feel free to drop him a message right here at the comment box and for more infomation go to:

Illinois Park Road Runners

Speedy

Be of good cheer, keep the faith, be steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as you know, your labor is not in vain, in the Lord..1 Cor. 15:58.

Time To Renew Those National Membership Cards! Or Is It?

 Membership Renewal: Make Those Dues Speak for You  

 

 USATF

  USA Track and  Field   USATF tells us that a membership purchased before November 1, 2008 will expire at the stroke of midnight on December 31, 2008.

 Does that mean you should go ahead and  send your dues to Indianapolis on November 1? NO! Before our track family sends any more dues to  USATF  we need  to have a nice, long track family discussion about the future of USATF youth programs under soccer guy Doug Logan. ( Have his investigators learned that sprinters are not supposed to kick a relay baton?)    

                       

                                                          Amateur Athletic Union

Every week we get a couple more urgent e-mail reminders from our friends in Orlando that we need to hurry up and renew. Well, yes if your kid is running during cross- country season.

But otherwise? Your clout in the marketplace AAU would like to start earning interest on your money, so your power grows every day you wait. Considering that Jeff Hammer, co-Chairman of the AAU Finance Committee, was senior managing director of Bear, Stearns Asset Management, I think I’ll keep my money in the coffee can for now. In case you’re not keeping up with the global financial crisis, the hyper-bullish Bear collapsed after gorging on subprime mortgages and effervescent real estate deals.

Wall Street rival JP  Morgan resuscitated the stricken  Bear for ten cents on the dollar maintains the troubled company on life support. Seize the moment  . Here’s how you can make the financial crisis work for your kids: You have fourteen dollars (per kid.) AAU wants your fourteen dollars like never before.

 

 Advantage:Parents

Think of those fourteen dollars as your vote, your chance to speak to the leaders of AAU, to stand up for your child’s happiness, health, and future. (And keep the same thought in mind regarding your USATF dues . We’re considering AAU first because its renewal date and  conventon come first on the calendar.)                                                                                

 Money talks  

 Are you thinking, “They won’t listen for a measly fourteen bucks”? With a reported national budget of $15 million, probably not…if yours is the only voice. But if a hundred parents, temporarily unshackled from the  AAU Codebook, raise our voices together, we will get the attention of the AAU leaders. If  $1400 is not material in the AAU budget, why was the Junior Olympics so stingy with hip numbers? 

If  the parents of only a thousand kids  speak up–just one tenth of those of the crowd that spent a small fortune travelling to Detroit for the AAU Junior Olympics– we might see some real progress. $14,000 is  real money, even to the poo-bahsof AAU.  President and CEO Robert Walker Dodd considers $16,000 a good payday. That’s how much he  was paid by nation AAU for appearing in his home town of Memphis at a  tournament (boys’ basketball of course) hosted by his own club, the Youth of Memphis Competitors ‘ Association, Inc. (YOMCA), according to  best-selling critique of youth sports, by ESPN investigative reporter Tom Farrey  (See Tom Farrey: Game On! : The All- American Race to Make Champions of Our Children. Chapter 8)                          

 The  Customer is King    

Mr Dodd likes to throw around business terms, referring to youth sports as an “industry,” implying that we “consumers” are anonymous victims  of  impersonal forces in the “marketplace.”  (What’s all this business talk from the “volunteer” leader of  a tax-exempt charitable organization?) Sorry, Mr Bobby Dodd. If you insist on calling me and my family ”consumers” I’ll have to remind you that in America, customers hold the ultimate power in the marketplace. In other words, Mr Bobby, you work for me and my kids.
                                                                           

 Free to Choose  

Track parents, if you send  your money to AAU right away, without comment, Mr Bobby Dodd and the AAU brass  can safely assume  that you are either  completely satisfied or completely powerless. Either way, your silence signals the AAU leaders to stay on course.
What changes would you like to see in the national AAU? I’ve already hinted at a couple, and I’ll be share some more in the coming days. A president who doesn’t demand an appearance fee to show up at the world’s largest  youth track meet would be a nice start.             

 

     Visit Trackmom.com for my “virtual” coverage of the AAU convention in Cancun. 

Now it’s your turn. I want to hear your fourteen dollars’ worth.   

Write me soon  here at TrackMom.com comments  or via e-mail trackmom1@gmail.com

 

Until Next Time

Track Moms Make Sure You Take Time For Your Health

 

One of my sweetest friends every, Stephanie Darden passed away a few years ago due to Breast Cancer.She was the first person I have known so personally and loved so much to have succumbed to this terrible disease.

I am sure many women think  that breast cancer  will happen to someone else,some one else’s friend,someone else’s mom etc. The fact is you and I could just as well be the someone else.  One of my greatest fears is not being around to raise Lauren to full maturity. To experience joy and pain of life. It’s not rational,but it’s feels real to me. I daily have so much fun, joy and heart felt love with her.couldn’ t imagine it being cut short. My friend Steph was a great Mom, she loved track and field.  A good athlete in her own right. We often talked about running again one day. Just cause we love track so much.

If she were here now ,I am sure come to a few track meets help cheer Lauren on and chatting me up

in between races. In the spirit of my great friend Steph please take the time to care  and honor yourself, for yourself and your children,those you love and need to be around to love and support.

 

Educate Yourself

Women who are educated on breast health and trained in self-examination play an active and critical role in promoting their own health and minimizing affects from breast cancer through the earliest possible detection. Knowing what to look for and performing thorough self-examinations on a regular basis literally saves lives.

 

Susan G. Komen for the Cure® recommends that you :

1. Know your risk

• Talk to your family to learn about your family health history
• Talk to your doctor about your personal risk of breast cancer

2. Get screened

• Ask your doctor which screening tests are right for you if you are at higher risk
• Have a mammogram every year starting at age 40 if you are at average risk
• Have a clinical breast exam at least every 3 years starting at 20, and every year starting at 40

3. Know what is normal for you and see your health care provider right away if you notice any of these breast changes:

• Lump, hard knot or thickening
• Swelling, warmth, redness or darkening
• Change in the size or shape of the breast
• Dimpling or puckering of the skin
• Itchy, scaly sore or rash on the nipple
• Pulling in of your nipple or other parts of the breast
• Nipple discharge that starts suddenly
• New pain in one spot that doesn’t go away

4. Make healthy lifestyle choices

Breast Cancer - Possible Early Signs

Generally, some degree of lumpiness can develop in women’s breasts that is not harmful. In fact, only a small percentage of lumps are malignant. So, how do you know what to look for when performing self-examinations?

The following list provides some possible early signs of breast cancer as identified by the National Breast Cancer Foundation:

• A lump is detected, which is usually single, firm, and most often painless
• A portion of the skin on the breast or underarm swells and has an unusual appearance
• Veins on the skin surface become more prominent on one breast
• The breast nipple becomes inverted, develops a rash, changes in skin texture, or has a discharge other than breast milk
• A depression is found in an area of the breast surface

 

Share With Your Youth Teen Girl Athletes 

 

Breast Health Guide for Teens: 

Breast Development	Breast Cancer Risks
What’s Normal	Buying a Bra
Lumps & Bumps	Measuring for a Bra

 

For More Information Go To:

Young Womens Health

Facts About Breast Cancer

 Until Next Time

Bryan Clay Signs Wheaties Box This Week

Brain Ojima at KHNL Honolulu,Hawaii reported on 10.22.08 “Several hundred fans lined up at Long’s Drugs at the Kahala Mall to get free autographs on the new limited edition Wheaties box, that features Olympic gold medalist, Bryan Clay. The Castle High School alum has been referred to as “the world’s greatest all-around athlete” after winning the gold medal in the decathalon.”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWIaFbRsU4c&eurl=http://www.vaultingpoletips.com/vaulting-pole/bryan-clay-has-become-the-newest-wheaties-box-athlete]

 

“Having your picture on the Wheaties box is something all athletes strive for,” Clay says. “It’s a mark of distinction that says you’ve reached the pinnacle of your career. This is a very special honor for me” 

“You can acomplish your dreams“ 

Former Decathlon winner and Wheaties Spokesperson, Bruce Jenner stated, “Bryan’s performance in Beijing is certainly worthy of the Wheaties box. He’s a great athlete and a great competitor. I’m proud to welcome both Bryan and Nastia into the ‘Breakfast of Champions’ family.”

 

What did Wheaties themselves have to say ? “There were many outstanding performances by American athletes over the past few weeks, and we applaud them for their efforts,” said Wheaties Marketing Manager Joe Driscoll. “Both Nastia and Bryan bring such dedication and commitment to their sports, and we’re so happy to welcome them both into the Wheaties family. They’re both terrific role models and represent the very best of the championship ideals that have made Wheaties ‘The Breakfast of Champions’ for more than 80 years.”

Until Next Time

AAU Narrows Choices for 2013-2022 Junior Olympic Games

 

AAU isn’t wasting any time.recently,National Chairman of Youth Sports Paul R. Campbell was in Houston for a site visit as well as in  San Antonio.

 The Amateur Athletic Union has narrowed the cities it is considering to host its AAU Junior Olympic  from 2013 to 2022. Seven cities, including Houston and San Antonio, made the cut and a decision could come by the end of the month according to , for the AAU.

Other cites under consideration are Detroit, New Orleans, Des Moines, Iowa, Hampton Roads, Virginia, and Dayton, Ohio.

   
Campbell states ”When you have every major city vying for these big type events, you always try to be cautiously optimistic, but we are pleased to be one of the seven cities left, in the finals,”  

The AAU event will bring 15,000 athletes, three to four thousand coaches,  over 20,000 spectators and an economic impact of $50 million according to Campbell, who noted San Antonio made a great impression when that city hosted the AAU Junior Olympic Games in 1989.
 
Campbell said cities that make the cut will host the AAU event at least one time during the time period of 2013 to 2022. Cities that make a great impression could get the chance to host the event again five years later.
The cities that  didn’t make the  cut were Pittsburgh, Charlotte, and Cleveland.

The AAU event was held in Detroit this year and will be in Des Moines, Iowa next year.

Until Next Time

Tomorrows Olympians….. How Does USATF Nurture Them Today?

 

Runners  Take Your Mark….. Tomorrows Olympians 

Peter Thamel of the New York Times wrote an article entitled “Leaders From All Levels Agree to Focus on Youth Game”  It’s about the  youth basketball scene and how in recent past the decline in USA Basketball’s performances at the international level. Just not playing over the past few years as good as they had been expected, and what at all levels of Basketball youth through the pros should do to support better performances. He writes:

 ”As a result, a working group was assigned to identify needs in the sport from the youth level on up. The discussions between Amateur Athletic Union, high school, college, professional and USA Basketball coaches and officials were also meant to address issues beyond the quality of play.”

“The prevailing thought is that the United States’ struggles at the top levels of basketball can be traced to its lack of organization at the lower levels. It is the focus of this group to try to make youth basketball teams more cohesive on the court and to make basketball more of an entryway into a better life off the court”.  Read More here

 

What About Track & Field ?

 Even though the article was on basketball the core issues are exactly the same more attention needs to be paid to our youth track athletes by USATF as they are the heirs of a great legacy that needs a lot of nurturing to provide more support and success in the future.  One only had to watch the 2008  Olympic trials and Olympic Games to know we are not quite doing Track  the way it should be done. Our problems may be a few at the youth level but clearly it’s a Top Down Job in T&F’s  case that needs some real attention.

 

 A few question I would ask if I had a chance as a parent of a track athlete are:

1. How do you identify and nurture systematically the talent that is coming up  over the next few years?

2. How  does  this differ, if any from previous years ?

3. What can I do as a parent to help enrich this experience?

4. What mechanism does USATF have  (if any) for athletes that have financial hardships( practically all newly graduated athletes) to continue to develop their elite talent ie: coaching,housing,health care benefits etc.

 5. Why should any parent promote and encourage a youth athlete over many years when to most it appears there is no national grass roots support for elite athletes uniformly?

6. What is USATF doing to create an image that is positive and progressive in 2008 for Track and Field in the furture?

7.How many potential track athletes have we lost just in the last 3 years due to lack of support after a stellar college career ?

8. How can the public be educated about track and make it more public friendly, so as not to be the sport we  have come to be , a somewhat elitist sport?

9. How does USATF plan on nurturing it’s youth  divisional segment more positively to help enhance it’s elite segment in the future?

10. Can I as a parent expect change in the next 5 years for the positive?

*******************************************

If you want to get involved and learn things of interest pertaing to youth athletes in track  and Field ,think about registering for the USATF Annual meeting which will be held in Reno, Nevada, December 3 - 7, 2008. (note :must be a USATF member)

This is where Track & Field’s most influencial get to together in an effort to allow all voices of U.S. T&F be heard on the topics that mean the most to us.

For more information go to USATF   Read more on the sign of the times

 

Until Next time,

Moms Can Make Youth Sports Safer

How Mothers Can Make Youth Sports Safer and More Fun

A Sports Mom’s Intuition

By Brooke de Lench

Recently I received a call from a mother seeking advice. While attending a youth football game in which her son’s team was getting crushed, she overheard another mom repeatedly express frustration that her own son wasn’t playing. As the opposing team scored again, this upset mom lost it: she stormed down from the bleachers and marched around the field to where the teams were standing, arriving just as her son went into the game and was promptly pulled back out again. She grabbed her son and dragged him away so quickly that the coaches didn’t even notice.

The mom who called me recounted her husband’s observation at that point: “That’s such a mom thing to do,” he said. And this mom thought to herself, “What’s wrong with that? What’s wrong with a ‘mom thing to do’?”

On the one hand, she wondered, are moms supposed to just stand by while their kids suffer exclusion or other negative aspects of competitive youth sports? On the other hand, she wondered, what kind of message does a mom send by taking her kid off the field in the middle of a game.

“Mothers do get like mama bears,” I told her. “We really do get very protective of our children.” But while I recognized this mother’s frustration with her son’s lack of playing time, I couldn’t endorse her actions.

Yet, I told her, a mother’s protectiveness is not a bad thing. In fact, what serves mothers so well as sports parents is their natural protectiveness, along with their nurturing instinct, emotional openness, and their belief in the importance of fair play, cooperation, connectedness, inclusiveness and the value of doing one’s best over winning and competition.

All of these traits give moms the potential to change the highly competitive culture of youth sports today in a profound way. Here’s how using your special gifts as a mother can help your child - and all children - have the best possible sports experience:

Trust your “mother’s intuition.”

This is the single biggest key to being a good sports parent. You know your child better than anyone. You are your child’s own expert. Are you trying to decide whether and when to let your child start playing sports, try out for a competitive travel team or begin specializing in a single sport? Or, even more serious, are you considering pulling your child off a team because you sense the coach is likely to abuse your child? Trusting your intuition in these cases is always the right choice.

Have the courage to say “no.”
As a mother, you know when to say no: to candy right before meals, to staying up way past bedtime, to a new video game that isn’t really needed. The same should be true for sports. Don’t be intimidated into saying “yes” to letting your child play on two or three different teams during a single season, or paying $1,400 for that tournament at a fancy resort, simply because you worry that your child will suffer if you don’t.

Make time for free, unstructured play and for family activities.
As a mother, you know intuitively how important downtime and family time are to your child’s healthy development. And yet, today’s parents are under enormous pressure to help their kids succeed and to keep up with other sports parents. Avoid getting sucked into unhealthy peer pressure from other parents to push your child into more and more activities. Set aside time just for the family, and stick to it. Research shows that teens who eat dinner with their parents at least five nights a week are the least likely to be taking drugs, suffering from depression or in trouble with the law; they’re the most likely to be doing well in school and have a supportive circle of friends.

Set limits on sports participation that work for your child and your family.
For some, one sport and one team per season may be right. Other kids may thrive on more intense involvement. But you also need to consider the time you’ll need to spend getting your child to and from practices and games. Set limits on how much participation your family can handle. It’s best to work with your child on this; if you simply impose limits unilaterally, your child won’t learn to structure her own schedule and to find the right balance between activities and free time.

Balance winning with having fun and skill development.
In general, women tend to be more process-oriented, while men seem more result-oriented. Thus, moms are more likely to reject the common supposition that, for better or worse, competition must consist of winning, losing and displays of power, dominance and control. Whether as a coach or as a parent, teach your child to define a successful competition as one in which everyone contributes and the most is gotten from everyone’s individual efforts. Emphasize the journey, not the results; the effort not the outcome.

Protect your child from abuse.
Since the dawn of time, mothers have been the primary caretakers protecting their children from harm. Don’t abdicate this critical duty by turning a blind eye to the physical, emotional or psychological abuse that can occur at the hands of coaches, spectators or teammates. Abuse shouldn’t be the price your child has to pay to be able to play competitive sports. Learn about the different forms that abuse can take in the sports environment and be proactive in preventing it:

• Model appropriate behavior and attitudes. Teach your child that violence - whether physical or emotional - is not the way to solve personal problems.
   
• Limit training, whether in practices, games, at home or with a private coach, to reduce the risk of potentially permanent overuse injuries to your child’s growing bones, joints and muscles. Experts generally agree that a child under age 18 is far less likely to suffer an overuse injury when he or she takes three months off from organized sports spread out through the year.
   
• Refuse to let your child play with an injury.
   
• Make sure he or she gets enough rest and is adequately hydrated before, during and after sports.
   
• Insist that your child’s club or league conduct background checks on all adults who work with youth athletes.
   
• Insist that a two-adult rule be instituted for practices and overnight trips.
   
• Speak up if you hear abusive language or see abusive conduct, whether from a coach, player or parent.
   
• Get to know your child’s coach by attending practices and games to see how he or she interacts with the athletes (private or closed practices are a red flag for abuse).
• Educate your kids about the forms of abuse and create a safe, nurturing environment in which they will feel comfortable letting you know whenever abuse, in any of its forms, has occurred.

Become a coach.
While fathers still coach most youth sports teams, more and more mothers are becoming coaches. Here are just some of the reasons why moms can make excellent youth sports coaches. In general:

• Women are natural teachers.
   
• Women tend to lead by consensus, a leadership style that even boys often prefer, rather than a more authoritarian form of leadership.
   
• Mothers are instinctive protectors of children - careful and cautious about children’s safety.
   
• A mother’s instinct is to be a calming influence and peacemaker and to emphasize how we’re all the same inside. Mothers tend to care about all children, not just their own.
   
• A woman’s emotional openness, communication skills and ability to detect mood from facial expression, body posture and gestures help her relate well to players and motivate them to do their best.

Reclaim your natural role as guardian of children at play.
While mothers have always overseen children at play, that role has been compromised by a youth sports system dominated by men and male values. It’s time for moms to shed the label of “soccer mom” and to take a more active role in shaping their children’s sports experiences. If we do, we can go a long way toward creating a balance in youth sports between feminine and masculine, between female and male values, between winning and having fun, and between competition and cooperation.

 

Brooke de Lench is a mother of three sons and the founder and editor in chief of MomsTeam.com, an online resource for parents raising children who are active in youth sports. She’s also author of Home Team Advantage: The Critical Role of Mothers in Youth Sports (HarperCollins, 2006).

All That Fine Print

All that Fine Print

 

‘Tis the Season for Membership Renewal and Conventions , Know the Rules, Know Your Rights

Unless you’ re on the Cross-Country circuit we’re in the doldrums of the off-season, and it’s a good time to bone up on the rules and get to know the leaders who make them. Even if you are at a Cross-Country meet–especially– at a Cross-country meet– you can find the time to stay informed. 

 The biggest competitions affecting most track parents this fall won’t happen in stadiums, but in convention halls, banquet rooms, and maybe even plush suites like this one: Smoke filled rooms aren’t what they used to be!

Just imagine the lavish suite in Cancun that will be enjoyed by AAU President Bobby Dodd.  Pretty nice for an unsalaried volunteer, huh? Well, as long as he’s using it for the greater good of AAU. Can you say “executive session?” I figure the whole AAU Board of Directors can fit cozily inside if they need some privacy. Maybe they’ll have enough room to shoot some hoops. In future posts I will explain why AAU the higher-ups are especially fond of basketball.

 But after all, AAU is a multi-sport organization, and wherever–high school, college, you name it– two or more sports are assembled, track always takes the back seat, right?

 Track is the Priorty

 At least our sport–if not our youth athletes– is always uppermost in the minds of the USATF. No wonder that USATF recently hired as its new top man..a soccer guy? I am withholding judgment on the fitness of Mr. Doug Logan to lead our sport’s governing body. Many have a lot of questions,(not judgement) about this hire, and I’m sure you do, too. In the coming weeks we’ll be taking a look at where USATF has been, and where it’s headed. He will set the stage for OUR youth athletes in the coming years.
Who makes the rules our kids play by, and what rules govern them ? What changes do the conventioneers have in store for our kids? What do you need to know to protect your young athlete at the track and your family in a competitive, largely unregulated marketplace?

Trackmom says if you want to make the most of the coming season, you’d better get start on your your homework now! 

Link to:

AAU

2009 Athletics (Trackand Field) Handbook

 AAU Codebook  (Constitution, Bylaws, and National Policy)

 

USATF 
2008 USATF Governance Manual
USATF Competition Rules
 

 Next in this series: Trackmom takes a look at membership cards.

Until Next Time,

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