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Stephanie Hightower Elected USA Track & Field President
Posted December 5th, 2008 at 11:30 PM by Adam Jacobs
Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics
USATF Release: Women’s Track & Field Committee Chair Stephanie Hightower was elected to a four-year term as USA Track & Field’s president Friday at the 2008 USATF Annual Meeting at the Silver Legacy Resort in Reno, Nevada.
A former-world class hurdler, Hightower succeeds two-term incumbent Bill Roe, whose eight years as USA Track & Field’s President will come to an end on Sunday, the final day of the Annual Meeting.
Hightower led the way after the first round of voting with 304 votes, with USATF Vice President Dee Jensen in second place with 263 votes and former USATF Vice President Bob Bowman in third place with 58 votes, which caused him to be eliminated.
In the afternoon runoff election, Hightower was the victor with 328 votes, with Jensen tallying 300 votes.
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USATF Enacts Board Restructuring Plan
Posted December 5th, 2008 at 11:30 AM by David Monti
Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics
Members of United States Track & Field attending the annual convention in Reno, N.V., this week overwhelmingly voted to approve a set of bylaw changes that will significantly alter the size and makeup of its board of directors. The organization said that the changes, which would slice the number of board members in half from 31 to 15, would increase the accountability and professionalism of the Indianapolis-based governing body for athletics in the United States. The changes were approved by a voice vote on Wednesday.
“This was a historic vote, culminating reorganization efforts that had their roots as far back as the mid-1980s” said outgoing USATF president Bill Roe through a media release. “It is about improving the organization. Our own board, the group that will be remade by this legislation –the group that will remove most of itself with these changes– recognized this fact. They put their own self-interest aside to act in the interest of the sport. I congratulate our membership on making these extraordinary changes final.”
The restructuring is a big victory for chief executive officer Doug Logan who took the reigns of the organization only last summer. Previous CEO Craig Masback left in January after a ten-year term and now works for Nike outside of the athletics realm.
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USATF Enacts Restructuring Measures
Posted December 4th, 2008 at 4:05 AM by Adam Jacobs
Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics
The membership of USA Track & Field on Wednesday night overwhelmingly voted to approve a set of bylaw changes that will significantly alter the size and makeup of its board of directors, while increasing the accountability and professionalism of the organization.
Unanimously approved by the USATF Board of Directors at its October meeting in Indianapolis, the bylaw changes were formally presented to membership for a vote at Wednesday evening’s Opening General Session of USATF’s 2008 Annual Meeting. The changes were approved by a voice vote of membership in which “ayes” heavily outweighed a handful of “nays”, more than providing the necessary two-thirds majority to approve.
“This was a historic vote, culminating reorganization efforts that had their roots as far back as the mid-1980s” said USATF Bill Roe. “It is about improving the organization. Our own board, the group that will be remade by this legislation - the group that will remove most of itself with these changes - recognized this fact. They put their own self-interest aside to act in the interest of the sport. I congratulate our membership on making these extraordinary changes final.”
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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
TFS ElectionCast 2008: Interviews With All 3 USATF Presidential Candidates
Posted October 4th, 2008 at 12:43 PM by Jimmie R. Markham
Section: News & Results, Marathons, Cross Country, Track & Field, Olympics, Special Features, Interviews, Podcasts, Drugs In Sports, Trail / Ultra, Masters, Road Racing
TheFinalSprint.com is set to release a new series of podcasts called TFS ElectionCast 2008: Interviews With The USATF Presidential Candidates. This series will introduce you to the candidates for president of the governing body of track & field in the United States: USA Track & Field (USATF). These podcasts will be published one per day on consecutive days this week (Tuesday - Thursday) and will feature our interviews with the three candidates, who are Bob Bowman, Dee Jensen and Stephanie Hightower.
We will ask all three candidates a series of questions, the intent of which is to allow USATF members and the running/track & field community at large to become better acquainted with the candidates and to help you make an informed decision as you prepare to vote for the next president. With the USOC’s demands for a restructuring of the USATF’s leadership and the decline in popularity of our sport in recent years, we are perhaps at the most critical juncture in the history of USA Track & Field. All three candidates will be asked the same questions and the interviews will be 100% non-partisan. This is all in keeping with our goal of making TheFinalSprint.com the premier destination for track & field, marathon, and road running enthusiasts.
Doug Logan Named CEO of USA Track & Field
Posted July 18th, 2008 at 9:00 AM by Adam Jacobs
Section: News & Results, Track & Field
The USA Track & Field Board of Directors on Thursday approved top sports executive Doug Logan, the former Commissioner, President and CEO of Major League Soccer, as its next CEO. A bilingual sports and entertainment leader with a proven track record of generating long-term sponsor partnerships, television outreach and high fan attendance, Logan and MLS in 1996 were named Sports Industrialist of the Year by Sports Business Daily.
Logan led MLS during its enormously successful 1995 start-up through 1999. He orchestrated the launch of the league’s inaugural season, averaging attendances of over 17,000 per game, highlighted by two single-game attendance figures over 85,000. With an annual budget of $90 million, MLS under Logan’s leadership generated $120 million in multiple-year sponsorship commitments from Nike, AT&T, adidas, Puma, Umbro, Honda, MasterCard, PepsiCo, Anheuser-Busch and Bic.
Considered the country’s highest-ranking Hispanic-American in sports management, Logan transformed MLS television contracts from a time-buy to co-ventures, negotiating five-year broadcasting agreements with ABC, ESPN and Univision that more than doubled the number of national MLS games on the air. He also directed the expansion of the league in 1998, increasing the asset value of the league from $5 million per team to $20 million per team.
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USATF To Combine Offices with Other Olympic Sports
Posted April 3rd, 2008 at 10:15 AM by David Monti
Section: News & Results
The yet-to-be-selected CEO to replace Craig Masback at USA Track & Field will be treated to new office space as the U.S. governing body for athletics will be moving out of their offices at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis in advance of its demolition this summer. Moreover, USATF will share space with the U.S. Olympic governing bodies for diving, gymnastics, and synchronized swimming which are also based in Indianapolis. The four organizations will share 32,000 square feet of space at 132 East Washington Street.
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Masback to leave USATF after 10 years of service, will join Nike in Global Business Affairs
Posted January 9th, 2008 at 7:00 PM by Adam Jacobs
Section: News & Results, Track & Field
USA Track & Field CEO Craig A. Masback is departing USATF after leading the organization for more than 10 years, USATF President Bill Roe announced Wednesday. Masback will become Director of Business Affairs for Nike’s Global Sports Marketing Division and will transition to his new position over coming weeks and months.
In his decade of service as CEO of USATF, Masback has helped oversee the rebirth of the organization. Shortly after taking over as CEO, Masback and USATF established the nationally televised Visa Championship Series and began an Elite Athlete Services Department that revolutionized governing body/athlete relations.
Masback also worked with the organization’s Board of Directors to institute one of the sporting world’s first “Zero Tolerance” anti-doping policies, and vastly expanded the grass-roots services provided by the National Office. Since 1997, Team USA also has steadily seen its medal tally at World Championships and Olympic Games grow from an average of 17-19 to 25 medals or more at the last Olympics and last two World Championships.
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USATF Convention Opens on an Optimistic Note
Posted November 29th, 2007 at 10:11 PM by David Monti
Section: News & Results, Track & Field
With his books in the black and 26 medals (14 gold) won at last August’s IAAF World Championships in Athletics, USATF CEO Craig Masback was riding high as he strode the podium to give his State of the Sport address at the opening session of the USATF annual convention here.
Reminding the 800+ attendees that their organization was $3,000,000 in debt back in 1997 when he took charge of the Indianapolis-based governing body, Masback said today that his organization was sitting on a significant reserve fund and was “poised to use our power to make a difference.”
Indeed, under Masback’s guidance the United States has minted global stars like Allyson Felix and Tyson Gay, Jeremy Wariner and Sanya Richards, Bernard Lagat and Alan Webb and Deena Kastor and Meb Keflezighi. He called athletics “the world’s best sport,” and thanked the federation’s members for their hard work and support to make the United States the world’s #1 track team.
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Who was America's most-valuable male runner in 2008?
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