= &nb= sp; = 2009 MIDWEST REGION REPORT
To: &= nbsp; USATF Masters Membership
From: &= nbsp; Stephen B. Cohen
Midwest Region Coordinator=
Date: &= nbsp; September 29, 2009
Thank you for again having confidence in me as your Midwest Region Coordinator. As most of you know, I am still wo= rking full time, but make every effort to provide a Region program for the Wiscon= sin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Lake Erie and West Virginia Associations. Except for the = West Virginia Association, which has had no communication with me, I have receiv= ed feedback from all of our Associations and most of these Associations have an active Masters’ program. I am attempting to solicit more information from each Association relative to the success of their Indoor and Outdoor Association Championships. For instance, Illinois has committ= ed to run a separate Masters and Open Indoor Championship event in 2010 for the f= irst time in many years and, we are in negotiation with the Illinois Association about funding an Outdoor Masters and Open Championship.
Based upon my observation, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio have the most successful Masters’ progra= ms in the Midwest. I believe this success can be attributed to the interest in Masters shown by the President and Masters’ Chair of these Associatio= ns and the willingness of the Associations to have a Masters budget. In addition, the Masters Chair in = each of these Associations is pro-active and experienced.
With respect to Region Championships, the Midwest Region is proud of its record. We continue to hold our Indoor Championship in combination with the National Heptatholon Championships directed by Jeff Watry of Gill Athletics.&= nbsp; The current “permanent” site of the Midwest Indoor Championships is Carthage College. This venue is both friendly and well maintained. The coaching staff at Carthage Col= lege has been extremely cooperative and has made the entire experience very posi= tive for the athletes. In 2009, we= gave out 81 first place medals at the Indoor Championships (a total of 69 regist= ered competitors). The 2010 Indoor Midwest Region Masters Championship event is again being scheduled at Carth= age College and is currently on the calendar for January 31, 2010.
The Midwest Region Masters = Outdoor Championships have continued to grow over the past three years. In 2007, I was able to piggy-back = the Championships with another meet in Naperville, Illinois. In 2008, at the suggestion of Neil Shuster and Stan Druckrey, I met with Shawn Thielirtz who is the Head Coach= of Track and Cross Country at Carroll University. Shawn welcomed our Masters program= at his University’s new facility and encouraged us to hold a competition= on short notice (less than 30 days from announcement to completion!). The 2008 competition, while only attended by 30 Masters athletes, some doing as many as eight events, was fu= n, competitive and rewarding to all who attended. The Midwest Region Championships a= t Carroll University grew to seventy-one (71) registered athletes in 2009, included electronic timing from PT Timing, and was officiated by a great group of, primarily, Wisconsin officials.
One significant addition to= the 2009 Midwest Region Championships was a clinic attended, at no extra cost, = by a large number of the competitors. The principal speakers were Craig White from the Institute for Human Performance (IHP) in Deerfield, Illinois and Dr. Bob Schuldt, a very highly regarded Kniesiologist and owner of Schuldt Performance Group in Highland P= ark, IL. I have attached some of t= he literature from the clinic. A= fter the formal part of the program, the track coaches at Carroll University were available to provide assistance to any athlete seeking their advise or instruction. I hope to have a= nother clinic in conjunction with the meet in 2010.
The 2010 Midwest Region Out= door Championships meet has already been placed on the Carroll University event schedule for July 11, 2010 and we are hoping for at least 100 entrants in 2= 010.
Now that our programs have = started to attract more competitors, there has been a ground swell in Illinois to promote more Masters meets at an accessible site without the high costs attributable to large cities and universities. While our current Masters budget m= ay not permit electronic timing at these events, an ambitious program will give our members the opportunity to compete and prepare for Nationals or provide mee= ts where there are gaps in the Midwest Masters schedule. Therefore, I am preparing to unvei= l, as soon as conflicts in scheduling can be eliminated or minimized, to announce= an Indoor series entitled “Midwest Masters Return to Sterling, IL” which will include four (4) meets between January and April. We are also considering a similar = Summer series in Sterling and possibly, Deerfield, Illinois. Without the help of Masters athlet= es like Greg Theologes and Barb Lauft, these new meets would not be possible.<= /p>
While I may have missed men= tioning many of those who have assisted in making our programs a success, I would be remiss in not giving special credit to Pat Pretty of the Wisconsin Associat= ion, who not only has held successful Association championships and has been instrumental in backing our Midwest program, but was the real spark behind the movement to locate and secure the 2009 Masters Outdoor National Championships at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
In conclusion, I want to th= ank the coaches and athletes at Carroll University, my clinic participants and all = the Masters who have offered their suggestions to me over the past three years. I also appreciate the Michigan website help provided to me initially by Jan Burch of the Michigan Association and then by Sherry Quack of the National office. In addition, I= owe special thanks to Jeff Watry and coach Brett Witt of Carthage College for sponsoring and running the Midwest Indoor Masters Championships.