Dysfunction Run Amuck
Part I: USA Track & Field and the Need for Change
Posted November 20th, 2008 at 2:00 PM by Adam Jacobs
Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics
The upcoming presidential election for the sport’s national governing body, U.S.A. Track & Field (USATF), comes at a critical juncture in the history of the organization. Recently appointed CEO Doug Logan has shown both a strong commitment to continue reforming the anti-doping measures that were begun by his predecessor Craig Masback as well as a passion for challenging the status quo. His success in tackling these issues as well as the tough marketing challenges that lie ahead will need to be complimented by a streamlined board of directors in order to ensure the future of the American track federation.
The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) has levied demands for change at USATF, including serious threats of reduced funding or even de-certification if they fail to comply. Although the restructuring process has already begun for USATF, the process itself faces some tough challenges of its own. USATF national secretary Lynn Cannon has leveled some strong accusations of financial mismanagement that have already reverberated throughout the United States track & field and running community. They have resulted in denials and/or finger pointing from within the board.
TheFinalSprint.com’s investigation into this matter uncovered disturbing accusations and issues of dysfunction, including infighting, power struggles, racial tension, lack of oversight, and conflicts of interest within the board of directors. While the allegations may not rise to the level of criminality, they do threaten to undermine the organization at a time that it desperately needs cohesiveness and efficiency.
With the belief that sunlight is the best disinfectant, TheFinalSprint.com will provide an inside look at USATF and its current situation over the next six installments to be published between now and USATF’s annual meeting in Reno, NV. The topics to be covered in each segment and the date that it will be available can be found below:
- 11/20 - Introduction
- 11/21 - How Did We Get Here?
- 11/25 - USOC Mandates / A Question of Authority
- 11/28 - Cannon’s Allegations / Financial Mismanagement
- 11/29 - ‘Jets vs. Sharks’ Dynamic / Racial Tensions
- 12/02 - Overstepping / Conflicts of Interest
- 12/03 - Pres. Election / Logan / Restructuring
CREDITS:
Segment Title:
“Part I: Introduction”
Series Title:
Dysfunction Run Amuck:
USA Track & Field and the Need for Change
Author: Adam Jacobs, Editor-in-Chief of TheFinalSprint.com and CEO/President of the TFS Media Network. Jacobs also serves on the Board of Advisers for Giving Athletics, Inc and is a co-founder and the current Executive Producer of the Running Film Festival (RFF).
Additional reporting by: Jimmie R. Markham, associate editor and podcast co-host at TheFinalSprint.com. Markham is also the founder of 400meteroval.com.
Special Thanks To:
James Dunaway: A senior editor at Track & Field News for four decades, Dunaway writes for the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) and is the editor of American Track & Field and Athletes Only! He has covered fourteen consecutive Summer Olympic Games, twice served as president of the Track and Field Writers of America (TAFWA), and written stories for newspapers around the country, including The New York Times and Austin American-Statesman.
— — —
TheFinalSprint.com is the flagship publication of the TFS Media Network. (c) 2008 The Final Sprint, LLC. All rights reserved.
Please direct all inquiries, including requests to reproduce or republish this article, to Adam Jacobs: adam(at)thefinalsprint(dot)com
Related Stories:
- Dysfunction Run Amuck
Part VII: USATF Presidential Elections, Doug Logan and Restructuring - Dysfunction Run Amuck
Part VI: Overstepping by USATF Board Members and Conflicts of Interest - Dysfunction Run Amuck
Part IV: Cannon’s Allegations & Financial ‘Mismanagement’ - Dysfunction Run Amuck
Part III: USOC Mandates and
A Question of Authority - Dysfunction Run Amuck
Part II: How Did We Get Here?
Tags: bill roe, board of directors, brooks johnson, craig macback, dee jensen, doug logan, douglas logan, dysfunction run amuck, glenn latimer, high performance program, jill geer, jim elias, john chaplin, lynn cannon, News & Results, olympics, running, sandra farmer patrick, Stephanie Hightower, Track & Field, track and field, United States Olympic Committee, USA Track & Field, usatf, usatf board of directors, USOC
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The Final Sprint
I look forward to reading the series of articles. It promises to be informative and enlightening. Kudos to the finalsprint.com for their investigative and editorial drive to deliver the news as it happens.
November 20th, 2008 at 6:22 pmThese were the events happening in Colorado in voting for a new Colorado USATF president and other positions after headquarters found major problems within the Colorado USATF administrators. USATF Higher ups from Indianapolis were there in attendance doing nothing. Ben Whisenton was elected President and then abruptly resigned a month later. Here is the account of the meeting and situation from this past summer. /////On May 21, grievance figure Deb Conley sent out this appeal:
This is a heads up or plea to get this communication out to the running world of Colorado.
Bill Roe, USATF President and current CEO of USATF, was present to view the (May 20) election required as a result of the NABR decision. This was not advertised that he would be present, but he showed up to “view as a bystander the election.”
He is still in town, and most likely will to stay for Bolder Boulder.
It was a very hostile event . . . (with) an unfortunate result — hopefully, for only the next few months, until the general election is held in September.
Get the (story) from Bill Roe himself on how this impacts the development of our sport in Colorado. Wouldn’t it be a lot simpler for Pete Julian to bid on the (cross-country) worlds with active help from the association that he hope to have the race in?
THINGS WILL NOT CHANGE IN USATF (COLORADO) UNLESS PEOPLE GET OUT AND CAST THEIR VOTE!!!!
It’s that simple.
I asked Deb to share details of who was elected in the latest Colorado USATF vote, and she sent a long note. She wrote, in part:
There were less than 100 eligible members who showed up to vote. The Colorado bylaws are so lacking in their description of the voting process and other areas that there is no clear definition . . . as to how the votes are distributed except that athletes get at least 20 percent (20 of 100) votes.
How (were) these bylaws . . . ever passed at National? Clearly, the person or persons who accepted these at the National level was not even slightly reading what was before them.
Anyway, I invited (USATF) Organizational Services in to run the election.
From Andy Martin on the subject, April 26, 2008: “It was my understanding that you requested the USATF Organizational Services committee to handle the elections.
“At this point it is unclear to me as to what additional information would be needed to post on the website or be sent to the members that was not included in the election notice or can be clarified by the Organizational Services group prior to the elections on May 20.
“Yes, there are some gaps in the Colorado bylaws in some areas, but the group that comes in will be prepared to handle those gaps in a diplomatic, professional and legal manner.”
I talked directly to Andy, stating that the Colorado members need to know what these gaps are and how significant they really are. I said if it takes me going to the state high school track neet and the Big 12 track meet on the weekend of May 17-18 and distributing flyers about this gap and how it impacts the voting process, I would do it.
From Andy Martin, April 27: “I am assuming they don’t know about the gaps, but I think promoting the gaps far and wide will cause more problems on May 20th than is necessary. The bylaws may not be perfect, but the goal should be to conduct and election in the best possible manner using the bylaws that are in place. As I said in my previous email, the group that we have coming in will be able to do that but sending out messages that highlight the gaps may cause their job to be more difficult than necessary.”
Walter High and two other representatives from Organizational Services came to authenticate the identities of the voters and the categories and hold the election. . . . Bill Roe showed (up) unannounced.
Remarks from the “voters” from Youth side began immediately: “Why are we here? This is just about money.” They (the “youth” side) . . . began demanding reasons (why) this election was called. Walter High said: “We are not here to discuss this. We are here to hold an election.” This went on for awhile. I stepped up and asked if I could address this issue in a few minutes of time. Since the other side had used time in this matter, I was granted the time.
I stated the reasons in less than 2 minutes. Hate and hostility was directed at me from opposition. . . .
Anyway, Creigh Kelley was defeated running for president. Ben Whisenton was elected by 5 votes. (Read the grievance stated on the issues of Ben.)
Dan Pierce was defeated running for vice president. Steve Rex won.
Elaine Keel was nominated, also Shirley Clemmons, for secretary. Elaine just resigned from the position weeks before. Anyway Shirley did win.
Treasurer:Terry Femmer by acclamation.
Membership: I was nominated and someone else from the “youth” side was nominated.
Ben Whisenton shouted comments as I approached the microphone: “What’s she doing here? We’ve heard enough of her,” and (he) instigated comments from his side.
Organizational Services, from my point of view, DID NOT control or put people in their place for speaking out of turn. Bill Roe made a few comments, but few to keep them in line.
The hatred and hostility from the comments made me visibly shake while speaking. I had to stand behind the podium for balance. . . . I used three minutes describing (the) background. Left two minutes for questions.
The other nominated person stated: “Well, I think I can do a good job” and that was about it for her 5 minutes. She used less then one minute to state her position.
The other person won for membership. My close friends actually voted against me so I wouldn’t be left for prey. I had no intentions of running for office, but once Ben was elected, I could tell where we were headed. I asked a friend to nominate (me) for membership, so at least I could have 5 minutes at the podium.
These people are in office till September.
Yesterday, still shaken over the election, Deb wrote me:
The entire Executive Board was listed on the grievance, and findings were made that EVERY allegation was true. How then can the National USATF allow these people to run for office? Let me note: Two items in the grievance were to be paid within 10 days of the decision. Of course, they were not. I had to press Andy Martin to take action.
Andy Martin said I would have to file another grievance (since) enforcing a decision was a whole other legal matter. They (Andy Martin) said he did not have the legal authority to enforce the decision.
I called National (and) asked for Lamont Jones; he was out. Asked for Kimberly Hicks; she was out. I said: “Get Andy Martin on the phone; I will hold.” I bluntly told him this was bullshit. Why can’t you enforce the decision? . . . . Several days went by (regarding) freezing accounts, etc. But Andy said they can’t do that.
I told him it is unbelievable that you have individuals who will not comply with the NABR decision, and you still allow them to be members? Talk about spit in (the) face of the organization that they supposedly want to take part in! I said you have no backbone.
Andy then said he would put pressure on Chris Turner to cut the check. I think four more weeks passed until a check was written to Colorado Runner. I asked for proof that the LDR funds were transfered back (part of the decision to be done within 10 days); no proof was given. Andy never pressed for proof this has been done.
These people are then allowed to run for executive office and hold sport committee chairs? In my mind, these people should have been given lifetime suspensions. Andy said that’s another issue, and we’re not talking about that — keep the conversation on the issue at hand.
In my mind, Colorado has no ethics and National has no backbone to enforce anything. Where is the leadership at the National level?
USATF in fact does have a detailed Code of Ethics, which applies at the association level as well as the national level.
To whit:
USATF associations are expected to comply with both the letter and spirit of this Code. Each association should adopt a similar Code of Conduct. Violation of an association’s code should be addressed by the officers of that association. However, any association may seek the assistance of USATF’s Ethics Committee in any situation that they feel necessary.
BTW, I suggested to Deb that she get hold of the email addresses of USATF Colorado members, and simply announce the fact that an election of officers would be held in September. She replied: “USATF will not release the email addresses of the members.”
I guess news of an election is disseminated on a need-to-know basis.
November 21st, 2008 at 3:57 amInterestingly Stephanie Hightower’s election cast is missing from related stories?
November 21st, 2008 at 5:58 pmThanks for commenting, M, and for reading TheFinalSprint.com.
Let me point out that the “Related Stories” section is an automated feature on this website. It searches for related stories based on keywords in the article. We certainly had no intention of trying to avoid promoting any of our podcasts, including the one we did with Ms. Hightower.
I’m glad you mentioned the TFS Electioncasts. TFS readers can find the TFS Electioncast interviews with all three USATF presidential candidates by clicking on this link.
November 21st, 2008 at 6:43 pm[…] Adam Jacobs from The Final Sprint has written a very interesting article about USA Track & Field. Titled Disfunction Run Amuck: USA Track & Field and the Need for Change, this article is a great read for those interested in investigative journalism and corruption at one of the highest levels of the sport. Hopefully this series will bring the much-needed change that Adam highlights. […]
November 22nd, 2008 at 10:45 am[…] Below is the revised publication schedule for TheFinalSprint.com’s seven-part series, entitled “Dysfunction Run Amuck”: […]
November 28th, 2008 at 2:57 pm[…] One, USATF’s history in recent years is far too laden with petty personal politics of the sort that used to bedevil the U.S. Olympic Committee until the USOC reorganized its governance structure in 2003. A lengthy recitation of some USATF issues can be found in http://www.thefinalsprint.com/2008/11/dysfunction-run-amuck-on-usatf-board” target=”_new”>this online series keyed by the word “dysfunction.” […]
December 3rd, 2008 at 2:21 am