If you think the sport needed outside help....

[gh]

... you get your wish. In spades.

http://www.usatf.org/about/leadership/ShinSplintsBlog/


two swimmers, one taekwondo and three former track athletes from long ago.

[MJR]

If it will get the ball rolling and the cronies out of power, then so be it. All of the areas he touched upon are ruled by a mish-mash of different procedures that ensure the good ol' boys & girls get all the cake instead of making sure that the athletes are taken care of & developed properly.

GO DOUG!! 8-) 8-)

[Smoke]

Outside help defined as USOC power grab!!!!! Look at the oversight committee real close. 7 people, 3 of which are USOC allocation officers. I am not seeing anything remotely related to fixing a so called problem. I see an internal fight finally going public. HP is the face of USA track and field. Money is based on their performances.
I was less than enthused by the concept and now seeing the make up of the committee I am highly concerned. I have little faith that HP will survive this audit.
Many cheered Brooks stepping down, well someone tell me what do you replace HP with and who?
Carl Lewis???? Sorry, this man has been about himself for 28 years now. In 1996 he shunned the relay until he won his event and then campaigned to get on it, since that time he has cried sour grapes and talked bad about every sprinter to come after him. He has run down USATF time and again, but now we are to ambrace his participation and adhere to his opinion? Based on what? His gold medals? What does that have to do with the job of this committee?
I also have concerns with only the HP personnel being excluded from inclusion on the committee. The perceived conflict of interest would include USOC and USATF participants also, since that is the underlying suggestion.

[TrackCEO]

Ralph Mann is The Man. He'll bring a scientist's eye to the process. He was a fair hurdler in his day.

K E N

[Vault-emort]

Beware.

Athletics Australia employed former achievers from Swimming Australia (as well as Australian Rules Football/media CEOs) on its board in the last ten years. And the sport is in a worse shape than possibly ever with no major sponsor (and in light of current world economy this is unlikely to change).

Australian Swimming and AFL are probably the highest achieving Olympic and non-Olympic sports, but even some of the corporate gurus behind these successes were unable to assist AA. Some would say the AFL (football) person helped sell out the home of track and field in Melbourne (Olympic Park) to his own football team.....

I like the way the charter of the panel was written. It gives a directive to the panel to examine, and give subsequent recommendations, in many key areas that must be addressed.

The personalities involved may not be the best....so, who would you want on the panel?

I personally would want a wide array of people, and even get people living in the US that competed on other national teams that have had successful track record. But they should be track people. We need specific answers to specific questions.

So, here would be my panel (sorry if I mispelled any names)

1. Lance Harter, University of Arkansas
2. Billy Mills, 10k gold medalist
3. Meg Richie, University of Arizona (UK Olympian)
4. Ron Mann, Louisville
5. James Li, University of Arizona
6. Dwight Stones, Olympic medalist
7. Greg Hull, thee pole vault coach
8. Joe Vigil, distance coach
9. John McDonnell, U. of Arkansas (retired)
10. Jackie Joyner-Kersee
11. Jim Ryan
12. Kip Keino (his boys ran here in America).