Masters Track & Field
Chair Report - April 2006

George Mathews

Boston Steps Up Again
 
    Many of you have probably heard that The Armory in New  York City has
backed out of their successful bid for the 2007 National Masters Indoor
Championships. We are very disappointed in this development and are
taking steps to prevent this in the future. Maybe we could force the
issue, but we surely don't want have a Championships where are not
wanted. 

    There were several situations which prompted their withdrawal. Their
official statement was "that the cost to stage a meet of this
complexity here in New York City could not be met through the entry
fees of the athletes". They also claimed not enough admission fees from
spectators and the current rates for hotels in NYC as reasons for their
withdrawal. Another reason I believe was that the two people from the
Armory who made the bid are no longer there. That's the bad news.
 
    The good news is that Boston as once again stepped up and has taken on
the meet in 2007. As second bidder we gave them the right of first
refusal. Thank you, President Gary Snyder, Masters Chair Lee Hess and
Event Manager Steve Vaitones for stepping up and taking this important
meet on. This is the second time they have done this for us. The first
time was in the late 90's when the University of Missouri backed out
when there were personnel changes. Thanks again, Boston.
 
    One of the biggest issues we face in big cities such as Boston and New
York is hotels. Lodging can be a very big expense in these cities. One
of the biggest mistakes that New York made was not blocking rooms. If
you don't do that at the time of the bid, you are subject to market
conditions at the time of the meet. In most cases the rates are going
up except when you have a catastrophe such as 9/11. Hopefully that
won't happen again. The rooms in New  York would have cost $175-200 per
night if they had gone through with the meet.
 
    Those of you are participating in this year's meet Boston realize what
a good deal their blocked rates were. They will be working hard to find
us reasonable rates for 2007.
 
    It was interesting to me the input from athletes from around the
country on alternative sites. I must say how much I appreciate that
information. Hopefully, most have recognized how complicated it is to
put on these meets. It is a lot more than just a venue, which are few
and far between. Most are owned by colleges and universities which have
them scheduled up most of the time. The costs are another
consideration. These facilities cost a lot of money to operate and in
many cases are multi-use. Many are 300-meter flat tracks.
 
    Besides the venue, there has to be a local organizing committee that
can deal with all the details that are involved with running these
meets. We particularly like to see strong support and involvement by
the local association. Convention and Visitors Bureaus, officials,
track coaches, and a significant volunteer base are all very important.
Without most of these entities, there is a strong chance of failure.
 
    That being said, I encourage all interested Associations to bid for
2009 next December. Ken Weinbel, our Championship Site Chair, is
willing and able to help all interested parties in preparing their
bids.  We have learned from this experience!
 
Please be advised that by addendum to the 2006 USATF Rules of
Competition,  the 80+ men will start using the 3k shot and hammer as of
May 1, 2006.