Elite Clubs?

[tafnut]

The USATF announced the naming of 17 clubs as 'Elite Development Clubs' with the intent of providing more support for post-graduate athletes. Not to be cynical here, but I didn't see any mention of $$$, so is this just lip service to say we are doing 'something'?

http://www.usatf.org/news/view.aspx?DUi ... 8_15_21_13

[wineturtle]

Re: Elite Clubs?

I'd love to see these clubs put together a set of relay teams(over all distances) and take a run at the American/World records at a few sites around the country. This could be done A la Penn Relays'Us vrs World and tied to an all comers meet or some such...I'm sure the Sprint,Distance medlay records are a bit soft as they usually only get attention at college level. That might be a way to create a bit of Drawing Power to mid-size meets. This could be locally supported($) the way the Roadracers/runners do it with comercial sponsors.

[EPelle]

Re: Elite Clubs?

WR/AR chase should be secondary to the development of post-grad athletes. Elite club sponsorship will hopefully have the continued resources needed to develop and sponsor any initial athletes, plus the addition of the new crop of grads every year - year in, and year out. I appreciate the Can-Am series idea, but I hope the elite club scene does not turn out to be something along the same line -- an organized entity which competes on North American soil. There are A-minus meets all around Europe - meets which have athletes who record great performances on an almost yearly basis. If the elite clubs can send athletes here to compete against our elite clubs, your athletes could gain a great European athletics education (without having to either get dragged along in a meaningless time-trial, or getting spanked in a league outside of their ticket fare), and ours would have a great chance to compete on a higher level as well; your NCAA sprinters are faster than many of our EU elite sprinters.

Tafnut, you are right ... no USD figure given, so I hope the figure is so great that leadership can't say just yet how high it is.

[gh]

Re: Elite Clubs?

<<I'm sure the Sprint,Distance medlay records are
a bit soft as they usually only get attention at college level.>>

Unfortunately, they're not.

Santa Monica TC has run the fastest SM ever:
Carl Lewis 20.3, Ferran Tyler 20.1, Benny Hollis 47.1, Johnny Gray 1:43.3

DM belongs to Arkansas:
Reuben Reina 2:53.9, Charles Williams 46.4, Robert Bradley 1:46.0, Joe Falcon 3:53.8

Unfortunately, an all-star team made up from all the elite clubs couldn't come within sniffing distance of either of these records.

[EPelle]

Re: Elite Clubs?

>DM belongs to Arkansas:
Reuben Reina 2:53.9, Charles Williams 46.4, Robert Bradley 1:46.0, Joe Falcon 3:53.8

Unfortunately, an all-star team made up from all the elite clubs couldn't come within sniffing distance of either of these records.


I differ on this opinion, GH:

Team comprising some Stanford All-stars and a Baylor kid, or Georgetown all-stars with any number of 44-low types could conceivably go:

2.52,1 -44,4 -1.46,6 -3.55,8 (9.18,9).

Was not Falcon's run aided by a strong Kenyan anchor leg for MSM (9.20,10 - 9.21,44)? Moreover, a strong DM chase two years prior, in 1987, saw Villanova (9.21,03) and MSM (9.21,67) go under Arkansas CR.

Two, three teams in the thick of things in an early May meet can possibly produce the theoretical 9.19 above. ... DM just a month outside of USA nationals - or whatever the championships qualifier is for USA in June.

[wineturtle]

Re: Elite Clubs?

OF course the record chase should be a sidelight,Getting fans into seats is a goal that all meets must look toward no matter the size. I suspect the reason we see So many Texas H.S. teams on the lists is because the Football guys run on them and they drag the Football fans to see the local rivals nd it becomes "braggin Rights " thing. So to extend that The Local Elite Teams.build up a fan base and maybe get some press.Since the main stream sports press tends to only cover Drugs first and World Records next and nothing after thatgive them a WR Chase to write about.

[gh]

Re: Elite Clubs?

<<I differ on this opinion, GH:

Team comprising some
>Stanford All-stars and a Baylor kid, or Georgetown all-stars with any number of
>44-low types could conceivably go:

2.52,1 -44,4 -1.46,6 -3.55,8 (9.18,9)>>

I think you're missing the point, which was that the people have to come from the 17 elite clubs named in the release. Anybody capable of running the splits you mention will almost certainly be branded as an adidas or Nike athlete and will not be found on any of those clubs, which are for second-tier athletes who haven't been able to cash in on a real shoe contract.

[EPelle]

Re: Elite Clubs?

I am not missing the point.

If I were a USA athlete, and could have access to better training, and more people in my talent range with which to train, AND be on the cusp of USA elite status (3.38-3.40), I could put out a 2.52 split in a deep relay; my teammate, a 45-second quarter miler could split 44-mid in a heated race; my training partner, the 1.47 guy who can:t get into Europe and has limited gear money from Nike, adidas or whichever club it may be, can split 1.45-low on a good day -- 1.44-something on a lifetime achievement day; someone like Sorensen, in his prime - when he ran 3.38,65 and had nothing but pocket change from his sponsors - could have run 3.55+ in a DM -- his best game was chasing; he was an unbelievably effective chaser (with 48,2-second 400m speed).

Your point is that elites are snatched up by shoe sponsors. My point is that not everyone may want a shoe sponsor as the primary source of sponsorship -- depending on the +/- offered to them. Those awaiting NCAA-type athletes train with 1-2-3 guys, or like some Stanford athletes, even alone. I would much rather be a second slower, have a promising income source, and train with more people in my category. The 5-8 of us could improve vastly, and make a great relay squad.

Here is a side question: Does the NFT run DMRs? If so, apparently not faster than 9.20. I hold fast to this: NFT athletes, if they were completely sponsored as "future elite-level athletes" - with all their working days put on hold for the chance to train fully, would break 9.15 in a DMR.

[gh]

Re: Elite Clubs?

I'm talking about the people who are on the teams as they exist today. The top-end personnel simply isn't there.

[EPelle]

Re: Elite Clubs?

I stated above:

"Elite club sponsorship will hopefully have the continued resources needed to develop and sponsor any initial athletes, plus the addition of the new crop of grads every year - year in, and year out."

From the sound of it, there are no depths of elite-level athletes.

[Boston XC]

Re: Elite Clubs?

At this point, it's more the "doing something".
I may not be entirely on top of all the specifics, but here's what the plan is.

Dave Oja (Syracuse Chargers) took on the task of getting this moving two years ago, and I think Mike Scott had some input as well, getting together with the start of a "club council" this past summer.
The working group looked at ongoing club entities that are really clubs, i.e., not simply a sponsored group of individuals, and then whittled things down to those clubs that were working to really develop the sport, had coaches, worked toward fielding quality teams during the year in many disciplines. Participation in team based events and the summer club championships or the fall cross country championships was a factor as well. Not sure what discussion might have gone on with club representatives on their plans and interest. That came down to the initial list posted.

A few positives with establishing the program at this point
- It provides to the club a designation from USATF which they can use to better market themselves and help secure sponsorships/supporters
- It allows USATF to look for funding (internally via the budget and external via sponsors) to provide financial and/or equipment support for these clubs.
- It will also address a recurring concern, access to facilities indoors and outdoors; a national designation may push the door open a bit in some locations.

So there is a first step, something that there hasn't been before. Hopefully things will be fleshed out more at December's convention.

Steve Vaitones

>The USATF announced the naming of 17 clubs as 'Elite Development Clubs' with
>the intent of providing more support for post-graduate athletes. Not to be
>cynical here, but I didn't see any mention of $$$, so is this just lip service
>to say we are doing
>'something'?

[gh]

Re: Elite Clubs?

USATF has amended its original post, relative to member teams, which are 19, not 17:

<<The list of the USATF Elite Development Clubs from the press release distributed on October 28 should have included Hansons-Brooks (Michigan) and Team USA Minnesota (Minnesota).>>

[tafnut]

Re: Elite Clubs?

Thank you, Steve - you have allayed some of my fears by pointing out that this may be a foundation upon which USATF and the Elite Clubs may build some sponsorship affiliations that will attract financial and logistical support. It makes more sense in the context you presented. Too bad USATF's own release wasn't as informed (no bash intended).

[doug0914]

Re: Elite Clubs?

hsi is probably the top elite club in southern california.