USATF officer alleges financial misconduct by board

[TrackCEO]

Lynn Cannon, the USATF national secretary, has accused unnamed fellow board members of serious financial mismanagement. She gave a talk Saturday at a USATF Associations workshop in Indy spelling out her concerns.

The talk was posted on the USATF Association listserve, and I copied it for my blog:
http://masterstrack.com/blog/002756.html

Bottom line is that a housecleaning may be in order.

But I'm not sure who deserves to get the boot.

K E N

[MJR]

3/4 of the HP Committee are the ones who she refuses to name. A hint: It wasn't Vince Peters.

[TrackCEO]

3/4 of the HP Committee are the ones who she refuses to name. A hint: It wasn't Vince Peters.

Yes, I saw your post (and added it as a comment to my blog).

These folks are the ones fingered as perps:

USATF - Board of Directors - High Performance Division
Division Chair: Brooks Johnson - 407-758-0755
Men's Track & Field Chair: John Chaplin - 509-332-1994
Women's Track & Field Chair: Stephanie Hightower - 614-253-0886

K E N

[26mi235]

Boy, housecleaning desired by some could result from taking out the 3/4s. From what I have heard (and from some of what I have seen), I would vote for that.

put pressure on them--contact your congress reps--maybe they will investigate.

Maybe these clowns need it spelled out to them, like our Bibs.

[malmo]

3/4 of the HP Committee are the ones who she refuses to name. A hint: It wasn't Vince Peters.

Yes, I saw your post (and added it as a comment to my blog).

These folks are the ones fingered as perps:

USATF - Board of Directors - High Performance Division
Division Chair: Brooks Johnson - 407-758-0755
Men's Track & Field Chair: John Chaplin - 509-332-1994
Women's Track & Field Chair: Stephanie Hightower - 614-253-0886

K E N

The same three people have been complaining about for years. Imagine that?

What kind of environment within the USATF offices would allow such misconduct to fester? Only one of fear and dependency.

[TrackCEO]

MJR, in response to questions on how the USOC-mandated restructuring would affect the USATF Board of Directors, posted this note today on the USATF Associations listserve:

The question is not so much what we are going to do, or what structure we are going to have. The proposal as I have read and understood it, is a pretty decent compromise.

The real issue is the leaders who will fill these seats. Right now, our leaders, the ones who call the shots in regard to how money is spend & who gets to spend it, are corrupt & incomptent. this is nothing new. It has been going on for over 30 years now. You can pretty much follow the trail of bad leadership right to the beginnings of the AAU. Same old song & dance, only the names have changed.

If we are to become a great organization, we need great leaders at every level. This means getting rid of everyone who stinks up the joint. We need selfless leaders who do the right things for the right reasons. Currently, we have very few of these people in positions of any real importance.

You can twist this restructuring any which way you choose. Until we excise the cancerous leaders from USATF there is exactly ZERO chance that we will ever be more than the mediocre organization that we are today. We will never field the teams we can. We will never be a top tier sport in the eyes of the public &/or the media. We will continue to fight these same stupid battles every year. We will continue to flounder for sponsorships, facility access, volunteers & officials, post collegiate athletes, etc.

Until the majority of the voting delegates, who are from associations, youth, masters, ldr & officials, pull their freaking heads out of the sand and actually get together to end this shell game by collectively expressing their will to those who think they reside on Mt Olympus, we will remain an ineffective joke of an organization that frustrates the people who care most about this sport to the point where they same "F this crap" and quit, never to return.

This message is for every member of this listserve who read these messages, never replies, and takes even less action in affecting change. This is your last chance before the sport is completely out of your hands. The proposal is a good one. The "leaders" who are tyring to remain in control are not. If you allow them to remain in charge, you have written the USATF eulogy "Died Because Of Apathy", as you will never again have any chance to direct the future of this sport. You will never again see the local support you need, nor will you have the ability to ask for it.

If real leaders are not put into place, kiss it all goodbye.

Michael

I'm hoping to learn who the change candidates are.

K E N

Here are details of the restructuring proposal:
http://www.usatfofficials.com/chairman.html

[gh]

bump

[Smoke]

there is a theme to this.

more of the same.

they fight to keep the status quo which is exactly what is not needed.

lynn has her own agenda but i do not see any of you spelling that out as you comment on the ALLEGATIONS that have yet to bear any fruit.

give me details, i need information, not personal opinions and biases. we can do that all day i have a few of my own. but for this, and the venom i have read on various boards, i am still seeking details.
I find it telling that it was not Ms. Cannon that stated names. I also find the hatred exhibited by many towards, the Big Three, oddly disproportionate.

me thinks the lady doeth protest too much, comes to mind.

Reno shall be interesting, and I believe a few things will come to pass as asked, but the end result will not be what is expected.

what is not said in all i have read, this is a money issue, a budgetary issue, an allocation issue. there is also a sprint/hurdle v. the rest issue, which should NOT be the driving force behind this.

Our sport has been simple for a long time, the events that put butts in seats wield the power. 100, 1500 and shot put are the main stays. outside of that it is a matter of personality and performance. NOT funding and support or a perceived lack of support.
unfortunately our societal structure has gone the way of instant gratification, which pushes sprints higher because it is more common to see an American sprinter pop up than an American distance runner. sad but true, and I am watching this play out politically now.

I welcome the coming post, i ask that we all try to inform each other. I am gathering information, so we go forward, See you in Reno...

[donley2]

Our sport has been simple for a long time, the events that put butts in seats wield the power. 100, 1500 and shot put are the main stays.

I have only been a fan in the USA for around 25 years or so. But when did the shot put ever belong in the same sentence with the 100 and 1500/mile when it came to fan appeal. (of course this is mostly off topic)

Smoke is correct in that the details of the allegations need to be spelled out.

Then, the evidence for the allegations need to be disclosed (in a court of law, it is called "discovery").

I have mostly worked at the high school leve, with several years in administration including that of an athletic director. With school finances, they are public knowledge, very transparent, and I was constantly in the business manager's office because the coach brought back incomplete and incorrect receipts.

I also know that I have been approached about working USATF meets. But, it would bankrupt me. I went to one meet and paid my airfare, paid for my motel, paid for car rental, almost had to pay general admission at the gate, and worst of all had to pay parking. Of course, I got zero in compensation. I got a lot of attitude from a prima donna athlete that didn't understand that a scratch is a scratch--in high school she would have been ejected. The referee didn't have the coconuts to do that.

So, when the USATF people get to fly around in coorporate jets and live high on the hog, I for one get resentful.

[tandfman]

So, when the USATF people get to fly around in coorporate jets and live high on the hog, I for one get resentful.

Corporate jets? Is this a new allegation or did I miss it somewhere?

[gh]

The corporate jets comment is in the same league as the Ollan Cassell assassination piece that went around in the late '80s (I think) that said he rode around Indianapolis in a Rolls Royce purchased w/ USATF money.

[gm]

"Corporate jets" inasmuch as they are owned by major airline corporations such as United, Continental, American...

"High on the hog", as in barbecued ribs and pork rinds...

It is the same old allegations, I guess.

I just want to know what perks they are getting, what salaries, what extra stuff they are getting, etc.

I would like to see their expense reports. I would like to see their tax records.

Maybe I am asking too much? How about their Swiss bank accounts :wink: