Doug Logan in Beijing

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"Shin Splints"
A Blog by Doug Logan

July 29, 2008

When I became CEO of USA Track & Field on July 17, I had several concrete plans for my first several weeks on the job. One is that I would be a sponge, listening to anybody and everybody in the sport in order to learn as much as I can about it. Another was to start a blog.

Writing a blog is relatively easy, but naming it is more difficult. About one week into the job, it hit me: Shin Splints. They are a slight irritant. They don't kill you, but they make you sit down and think about what you're doing and how you're doing it. Both are things to which all blogs should aspire. So aspire I shall.

My first week plus on the job gave me plenty to think about. I had my first interaction with USA Track & Field's Board of Directors, a dedicated group of diverse volunteers devoted to their sport. We are working together as our organization's governance is restructured. Although that restructuring will be accompanied by some level of discomfort, we are looking to the future.

A few days later, word of Marion Jones' appeal to President Bush hit the news. My letter to the President, which we released to the press, apparently irritated some people, based on the names I was called in some of their e-mails to me. But far more people supported the themes of my letter. What a wonderful welcome to USATF, to read letters from parents lauding the organization for standing up in the fight against drugs. I was impressed to read about girls who had turned away from their hero when they learned she cheated. It is these young girls, and their male counterparts, who are the future of the sport. As one parent put it:

"The day Marion Jones admitted her drug use, my daughter walked in the house, up to her room and literally tore her posters off the walls and into shreds.  She took permanent markers and blacked out every possible reminder of Marion Jones.

"What do you think she has learned from this?  First it was: be clean and determined and it really is possible to reach your goals. Then it was, if you are deceitful and cheat and lie you will eventually get caught, and now there could be a possibility that she will learn if you lie and cheat, if you talk to the right people there will be no consequences for your actions. THAT IS NOT THE MESSAGE I WANT SENT TO MY DAUGHTER!"

Last week I also made my first trip to the USATF National Office in Indianapolis, where I had a chance to get to know the staff I will be working with, and they got to know a bit about me. I didn't get hit by any spitballs, which is a good sign, as I laid out my management style and goals for the office. We need to be lean, efficient and customer-oriented. With the talented people we have on board, I am looking forward to the office being my second home.

Next, it was off on a whirlwind tour out West as I made visits to the U.S. Olympic Committee and met with various sponsors, movers and shakers in the sport. This is largely where I was in "sponge" mode, but it also gave me a chance to let some of the most important people in our sphere of the sports world know a bit about me, my goals and my plans for the future. It also gave me a chance to experience the joys of weather-related travel delays. For those of you out there who might think being the CEO of USATF is a cushy job, filled with perks and first-class travel, remind me to tell you sometime about the motel (that's motel, with an "m") I found myself staying in, more than 45 minutes from the airport.

The next few weeks will be critical for me as I head to China, meeting our Olympic Team at Training Camp in Dalian and then heading to Beijing for the Games. Nothing will immerse me more quickly and thoroughly into our world of international track and field, and I am embracing the trip as a great education and a great springboard.

In the future, look for me to tackle topics that are irritants for this sport. Controversy is not something I shy away from. The only way to conquer a problem is to address it directly, especially if the problem is an irritating case of shin splints.

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Doug Logan is the Chief Executive Officer of USA Track & Field (USATF), the national governing body for track and field, long distance running, and race walking. Headquartered in Indianapolis, the organization has more than 90,000 members throughout the country. Logan is responsible for overseeing programs ranging from youth track and field, to selecting teams to represent the United States at the Olympic Games and World Championships, to administering programs for age 40+ masters runners.