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USATF Annual Youth Coaches Meeting Notes

December, 2008

 

This is in random order:

 

  • International Simultaneous Marathon
    • Association competes against Association based on time zone (each run race at same time; races must be video taped)
    • Only for 11 year olds
    • 16 boys and 16 girls
    • Each child runs a 200m then passes baton to next child until all 32 have ran then cycle again … each child runs a total of 6-7 200m’s
    • Goal is to race against Associations and other countries and to break the men’s and women’s marathon record
    • Competition is held in October each year
  • Bidding for upcoming Youth Championships completed
    • 2009
      • Youth Nationals = Detroit, MI (last week of June)
      • USATF T&F JO Nationals = Greensboro, NC (last week of July)
      • USATF XC JO Nationals = Reno, NV (2nd week of December)
      • Jr. Nationals = Eugene, OR (June 24-28)
    • 2010
      • Youth Nationals = Lisle, IL (last week of June)
      • USATF T&F JO Nationals = Sacramento, CA (last week of July)
      • USATF XC JO Nationals = Hoover, AL (2nd week of December)
  • Separate meetings
    • John Mansoor / Jerry Colman (Friday)
      • Youth Operating Procedures need to be updated to reflect…
        • Ensure correct verbiage for JO XC championship assignment of meets
        • $ left over in youth budget from proceeds collected at youth championship meets will be applied in 2009 to JO nationals advancement fees
        • Ensure minutes from Youth BOA and PA Youth Committee (PAYC) need to be posted on PA/USATF website
        • Ensure Youth Operating Procedures are posted on PA/USATF website
          • Ensure Youth BOA has it written into the bylaws that they can enact changes in-between PAYC meetings
        • ACTION:  Maura to e-mail John Mansoor about how to update PA/USATF club membership listings to identify if an adult has Live Scan background clearance
        • ACTION:  Maura to e-mail Cynci Calvin about updating PA/USATF club membership listings to include birth certificate validation fields
        • John validated that only a Live Scan coach can pick up a team packet at a youth meet
    • John Mansoor / Jerry Colman / Andy Martin
      • GOAL:  Present request from PA to be the first youth group to pilot an electronic advancement process (eliminating the total paper advancement process) from Top 8 to Top 3 to JO Nationals
      • Andy’s response
        • He has resources to hire back the USATF webmaster to write script to make this work
        • Will require that we will need to stop using Club Manager (Charlie’s program) and use the USATF registration process
        • Will incur a 3% transaction fee per total charge; this fee will be absorbed by the PA Youth Budget
        • Registration is online and will require computer access and either a credit card or check account #
        • USATF memberships and birth certificates must be updated on national USATF membership database before registration can occur for an athlete
        • Suggested process:
          • Primary registration (1st round) must be submitted 10 days in advance (electronic)
          • After meet is over it will take up to 24 hours to upload results of who can advance back into the national registration database
          • Once the 24-hour period is over … then coaches have 48-hours to go online and advance their athletes to the second round of JOs
          • Process repeats itself to qualify for the JO National meet
        • ACTION:  Henry McCallum (sp?) is driving this as well so we need to connect up with him
    • Irene Herman
      • Youth Membership Chair role
      • Outline changes in the membership process
      • Irene documented and will send out minutes
    • Executive Youth Committee
      • Review and update Operating Procedures that need to be approved in Jan/Feb 2009 Youth Committee meeting
      • Add Turbo Javelin as a regularly contested event for Sub-Bantams for our spring seasonal meets
      • Add link to 2009 T&F schedule to other meets not hosted by our association but hosted by neighbor associations that have invited our association athletes to participate in (Oregon Classic, LA Jets)
    • Susan Johnson
      • Region 14 XC championships
        • ACTION:  Propose that the meet is run at normally scheduled US wide time (pre-CIF State XC race) … allow non-team (less than 5 competing in age group) to waiver through as unattached; allow clubs to race other athletes in the place of club athletes to compete as team
  • Drug testing
    • Will be implemented for the 2009 JO Championship season
    • Only for Intermediate and Young age groups (this year)
    • Don’t allow youth athletes to drink Energy Drinks as they can test positive; a list is on the USATF national website  of all the questionable substances that shouldn’t be taken
    • We need to clearly articulate to our coaches and unattached athletes how the process works, how to get medical consent forms, how to involve parents or others in the review of actually taking the urine test
      • TUE (Theraputic Use Exemption) are available
    • Lots of education needed here!!!!!  We need to start right away as this goes into effect January 2009
    • Need to figure out how to reach out to all our high school athletes who don’t run club until HS season is over … this doesn’t give them much time to align to the new testing process
  • IAAF considering a “No False Start” rule that could be rolled into USATF
  • West Zone Indoor JO meet moved from Washington to Arizona
    • ACTION:  write up article and post to youth PA website
  • Youth Olympic Games
    • Will be held in Singapore
    • US T&F will be given ~10-12 spots on the national team
    • Age group:  15-18 year olds
    • Every participant must stay for the full 2-weeks
    • Will contest a 1000m (instead of a 800m & 1600m)
    • It will be an educational / cultural / athletic training experience
    • Qualification by continent; North & South America = 1 continent; but to make the team qualifications will be divided into four geographical areas:  (1) South America; (2) Carifta (includes Caribbean); (3) Central American & Islands; (4) US & Canada (qualification meet is set for April 12)
      • Best mark / time from these 4 groups will be selected to represent our continent
    • Event will be held Easter weekend 2010 (very odd … but not our rule)
      • USATF is working with CIF to obtain exemptions for HS athletes competing for their school teams to attend these tryouts
  • Cross country fee increase for JO qualifier meet … goes into effect in 2009
    • $10 for Association meet
    • $15 for Regional meet
    • $20 for National meet
      • NOTE:  the first two increases are optional for our association but the national price we can’t negotiate as that amount must be sent to the USATF office with each advancement form
  • Rule changes that were approved
    • Hy-Tek will be required for all Associations
    • Rule 81 – Residency rule; athlete under no circumstances can compete for another Association other than the one they live in
    • Rule 82 – uniform code; passed on Thursday meeting; revoked by legal in Friday meeting
  • JO T&F Nationals
    • Pole vault poles must be brought on Day 1 for weigh in
  • USATF Level 1 Coach’s Clinic
    • Propose that all youth clubs should have at least one coach who is a certified USATF Level 1 coach
      • ACTION:  Add this to youth operating procedures
  • USATF Level 2 Coach’s Clinic
    • Coach’s Association is trying to set it up with a youth focus and not hold during the week of JO T&F nationals which is what they do now
  • Disabled athletes
    • 2009 USATF JO Nationals will include 2 events (800m) one race for ambulatory and one for non-ambulatory
    • 2009 championship meet – bring in one or two running events for ambulatory athletes
      • ACTION:  Maura to work with Charlie to located athletes and define events
    • Before a wheelchair can be placed on a track the facilities have to approve; legally it has to be accepted because the wheels are considered ‘feet’ by ADA … but it can be an issue so it has to be worked out in advance
  •  Background checks
    • All Associations except California must comply with the new background screening process; California sticks with the one they have in place today
  • Diane Williams wrote a book about her experience at the age of 18 when she had qualified for the Olympics and moved to California and her new club coach “Nature Right” started giving her ‘vitamins’ which were really steroids.  This is her life story and available at Amazon.com and the book is titled “True To Me” … we should all read it!  Bottom line, she had no idea her coach was giving her steroids … her book is about how important it is for us as youth coaches to be honest and always be doing what is right for our youth kids
  • New Youth Committee has been created that includes these 5 groups
    • National Sports Alliance Foundation
    • National High School Federation
    • AAU
    • Two more but we didn’t get their names
      • Focus is to figure out how we can work together since we all support athletes in the same sport focus
  • Developmental Junior Commission
    • Team will be based in Oregon
    • 14-20 year olds
  • Jr. Elite Coaches & Athletes summer camp
    • Top 5 athletes and their coaches in the US will be invited to attend
  • Passports
    • If you have an elite athlete in your club then you need to ensure they have a passport so that if they qualify for a competition they are able to go

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