USA Track and Field
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
USA Track and Field (USATF) is the national governing body for the sport of track and field (or athletics) in the United States. Based in Indianapolis, Indiana, USATF is a non-profit organization with a membership of approximately 100,000. The organization is led by President Bill Roe and CEO Craig A. Masback.
History
The Amateur Sports Act (95-606) of 1978 distinguished governing bodies of sports by decreeing the Amateur Athletics Union (AAU) could not hold international franchises for more than one sport. Thus, in 1979, officials created their own National Governing Body for approval under the Amateur Sports Act, with their first meetings held in Las Vegas, Nevada and with official by-laws instituted in 1980 at a convention in Dallas, Texas. The group became The Athletics Congress/USA (TAC), the new official member from the United States for the International Amateur Athletics Federation. TAC began taking over sanctioning of all events in the sport formerly sanctioned by the AAU.
In 1992, the organisation changed its name to USA Track and Field for the sole purpose of increasing recognition of the sport and organisation in the United States.
USA Track & Field
USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the #1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States.
Led by President Bill Roe and CEO Craig Masback, USATF is a volunteer-driven, not-for-profit organization with a staff of professional program administrators at the National Office in Indianapolis. The mission of USATF is to lead the sport of Athletics in the United States and maintain the primacy of USA Track & Field in global athletics.
A Sport for Everyone ... For Life!
When we say that USATF is a "Sport for Everyone ... For Life," we mean exactly that. Just a few of the ways we serve our sport include:
Establishing grassroots programs, such as the Junior Olympics, to help develop future stars who will follow in the footsteps of Justin Gatlin, Allyson Felix, Jeremy Wariner, Lauryn Williams, Bryan Clay, Adam Nelson, Deena Kastor and Meb Keflezighi.
Developing, selecting and leading Team USA - the World's #1 team - at the Olympics, World Championships and more than 12 other international events each year. Roughly 700 athletes of all ages wear a Team USA uniform in any given year.
Promoting programs of training and competition for men and women and boys and girls of all ages.
Establishing and enforcing the rules and regulations of our sport.
Sanctioning more than 4,000 events each year.
Providing insurance to sanctioned events, member clubs and member-athletes.
Certifying race courses for accuracy and validating records.
Nearly 100,000 Americans are members of USATF. Our member organizations include the U.S. Olympic Committee, NCAA, NAIA, Road Runners Club of America, Running USA and the National Federation of State High School Associations. Fifty-seven USATF Associations oversee the sport and its 2,500 clubs at the local level.
Pushing Ahead
Although our sport traces its roots back to ancient Greece, USATF is on a mission to put track and field at the cutting edge of the 21st-century sports scene. In 1999, USATF began a series of elite competitions that gives American athletes what they've requested for years - to compete at home, to receive increased television and other media coverage, and to be paid significant prize money based on performance. The Visa Championship Series is now an incredible success with athletes and fans alike.
A loyal partner of USATF since 1988, Visa in 2004 renewed its commitment to USATF and the World's #1 Track and Field Team through 2008. Using innovative meet formats, the Visa Championship Series helps to repackage the sport, drawing new fans and new sponsors alike and providing increased financial incentives for USATF athletes. The Indoor Visa Championship Series typically averages more than 10,000 fans per meet, while Outdoor Visa Championship Series meets are standing-room only. Athletes compete for prize money at each meet, and the top athletes share in a bonus pool of $100,000, to help them on their Olympic journey to 2008.
From an organizational perspective, USATF has been one of the greatest financial success stories in sport, more than doubling its overall revenues since 1997. The organization currently has an impressive line-up of sponsors that includes Visa, Nike, AT&T, The Hershey Company, 24 Hour Fitness and Gleukos, and suppliers that include Gill Athletics and Sport Court.
This surge in revenue has coincided with a hefty increase in the number of track meets broadcast on television and TV ratings. Our sport has upwards of 40 national TV broadcasts in any given year, and average Nielsen ratings for track and field broadcasts are higher than those of the NHL, the WNBA and Major League Soccer. In addition to securing national TV coverage of the Visa Championship Series, USA Track & Field has worked with ESPN, Fox Sports Net, and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) to bring same-day, prime-time coverage of major international events to the American airwaves throughout the summer season.
Reaching Out
USA Track & Field and our partners also reach out to the community. In 2003, USATF launched its ZERO TOLERANCE policy, featuring a comprehensive anti-drug messaging plan that calls for lifetime bans of steroid cheats. One of its main tenants is to educate athletes, coaches and officials on all levels about the dangers of drug use, and to spread the message that drug use is morally wrong - and cheaters will be caught.
To help deliver that message, beginning in 2004 USATF joined with the American College of Sports Medicine to launch the "Be a Champion" program. At each Visa Championship Series stop, and at other events around the country, USATF's star athletes speak with local schools about the importance of fitness, a healthy lifestyle, living with integrity - including a drug-free life - and setting goals. To date, thousands of children have been reached in person through "Be A Champion," with more than a million being exposed to "Be A Champion" through television messaging. "Be A Champion" has been enthusiastically embraced by USATF athletes and the students to whom they speak and is a key component of the rich history of voluntarism displayed by Team USA.
Education
USATF conducts instructional programs such as Coaching Education courses, designed to elevate and standardize the level of coaching across the country. More than 14,000 coaches have been educated under USATF programs. Athlete clinics are held nationwide, covering a wide range of disciplines, from race walking to pole vault. Activities such as Cultural Exchange trips and Association Workshops allow our members opportunities to share ideas and information.
Beginning in 1998, USA Track & Field teamed up with the National PAL Clubs to introduce more youth to the sport with "Track-In-A-Box" starter kits and instructional manuals. It's one more way that we're ensuring our future is as bright as our present and past.
USATF Annual Meeting
Traditionally held the week following Thanksgiving, our Annual Meeting brings together more than 1,300 of the sport's officials, coaches, administrators, athletes and supporters. The yearly gathering serves as a forum to chart the future of our sport by considering policy changes, selecting national team staffs and Championship meet sites, and electing national officers. It is a forum where the individual's voice can be heard.
But it is not all business. The Annual Meeting also gives us the opportunity to recognize the achievements of our sport's volunteers and athletes. Each year, USATF inducts a new class into the National Track & Field Hall of Fame and makes presentations for year-end award winners, including the Jesse Owens Award for the top American athletes.
Members attending the Annual Meeting have the opportunity to meet the sport's top stars, and USATF offers various social and recreational opportunities for attendees throughout the five-day event.
USATF's Expo Show at the Annual Meeting offers national sponsors, equipment suppliers, book and magazine publishers, committees, travel bureaus, local sports commissions and other groups the opportunity to showcase their organizations and products in front of the country's largest gathering of track and field conventioneers.
The 2006 USATF Annual Meeting takes place in Indianapolis, Ind.
Membership
"Card-carrying" members of USATF receive an array of Member Benefits, including insurance benefits, discounts on subscriptions to track and field and fitness-related magazines, and reduced prices on a variety of other items.
Members also receive USATF membership publications and can access the "Members Only" section of our Web site. The site offers information on every aspect of our sport, including elite athlete and Hall of Fame biographies, event information and results, late-breaking news and other topics of interest, in addition to vital membership details and contact information.
Perhaps most importantly, all of USATF's membership categories offer individuals the opportunity to show their support for our sport in the United States and to be actively involved with the programs and activities that keep us dominant throughout the world.
More Information
For more information about USA Track & Field, visit www.usatf.org; write the National Office at USA Track & Field, One RCA Dome, Suite 140, Indianapolis, IN 46225; or call the National Office at (317) 261-0500.
