The following editorial tells it like it is. USATF is not
and never will be about coaches or coaching. They epitomize the mushroom
system – Keep them in the dark and shovel shit on them. I think it time the USOC
take a long hard look at USATF. It is the USOC that sanctions USATF as the governing body.

 

Editorial: Has USATF Declared War On U.S. Coaches?

by James Dunaway
& Larry Eder

First came the appointment of a USATF "Director of Coaching." Who
knew  
we needed one?

Then came the gutting of the Coaches Education program — a program  
created and run entirely by coaches without any help from USATF for  
most of its 25 years – a program which educated more than 20,000  
American high school and college coaches – a program which visibly  
raised the level of U.S. track and field coaching, and U.S.  
performances – in short, the most successful initiative in USATF's  
history.

Earlier this year, most of the distinguished coaches who led Coaching  
Ed for the past decade suddenly resigned because of changes which were  
being made in Indianapolis. Said USATF, "We'll get new  
coach-instructors who will be just as good." We're still waiting to be
 
told who they are.

Now comes USATF's Coaches Registry, which more than one well-known  
coach has called, "Blackmail." That's not our word, but it was spoken
 
by coaches known and respected in our sport.

Blackmail, because if you don't sign up, you can't get a coach  
accreditation for USATF Championships. Which means you can't get into  
the practice and warmup areas to work with your athletes in the  
important days and hours before they compete. No matter how good a  
coach you are.

One well-known coach, a former Olympic medalist and world champion,  
said, "I don't like it at all, but I signed up because my athletes  
need me and expect me to be there."

There are several other important "privileges" not available to
 
non-registered coaches, but the issue of greatest concern is the coach  
accreditation for the Championships.

Sam Seemes, who leads the U.S. Track and Cross-Country Coaches of  
America, reports that most of the comments he has received about  
Coaches Registry were unfavorable. The day after USATF announced the  
program, Seemes and USTFCCCA president Curtis Frye sent a message to  
members which included the following:

"USTFCCCA Members should know that the USTFCCCA neither supports the
 
Coaches Registry program, nor did we develop the program. We are  
disappointed that USATF implied in their press release that the  
USTFCCCA was supportive of the Coaches Registry program they have  
established.  Furthermore, we disagree with the statement that the  
USATF Coaches Registry 'will identify and acknowledge the coaches who  
represent the profession's highest standards.' "
USATF CEO Doug Logan said, "No group is more important to the  
development of our athletes than coaches." He certainly has a strange
 
way of showing it. One wonders why USTFCCA wasn't informed of Coaches  
Registry before it was announced, and why USTFCCA wasn't asked to  
participate in developing a program specifically involving its  
membership?

Just as bad was USATF's timing. Here is a new program, affecting the  
professional lives and status of more than 30,000 coaches, and USATF  
announces it at the most important time of the year, when coaches at  
every level are deeply involved in championship-level competition, and  
USATF gives them five weeks to decide. That may be legal, but it is  
certainly not fair to the coaches.

In politics, that's called an ultimatum. And it is usually followed by a war.

James Dunaway/Executive Editor and Larry Eder/Group Publisher
American Track & Field, www.american-trackandfield.com