Athlete Selection Procedures

Revised June 8, 2007

I. SELECTION SYSTEM

1. The minimum eligibility requirements for an athlete to be considered for nomination to the Team:
   1. Citizenship:

      Athletes must be eligible to represent the U.S. in International competition and be a U.S. citizen prior to the 2007 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. In addition, athletes must present a valid U.S Passport to USATF by June 24th, 2007.

   2. Minimum IF standards for participation (if any):

      Per PASO entry requirement, one competitor per individual event even if he/she has not achieved the minimum standard performance may be entered. To enter a second competitor, both athletes must have achieved the minimum standard performance.

      This minimum standard performance shall be achieved at an official competition recognized by the respective National Federation, from January 1st, 2006 until, Monday midnight (Brazil local time), July 9th, 2007.

      To be eligible for the Pan American Games Team, athletes must meet the following age requirements. Male athletes competing in the Marathon and in the 50km Race Walking must be at least 18 years old on December 31, 2007 (born in 1989).

      Female athletes competing in the Marathon must be at least 18 years old on December 31, 2007 (born in 1989).

      For other events, competitors must be at least 16 years old on December 31, 2007 (born in 1991).

   3. Other requirements:

      Athletes must be a USA Track & Field member in good standing at the time of the selection competition.

      Nominated athletes are required to sign a USA Track & Field Statement of Conditions for participation. USATF reserves the right to amend the Statement of Conditions subject to USOC approval (See Attachment A).

      In order to qualify for nomination to the 2007 U.S. Pan American Team, athletes must compete in the 2007 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championship event except for relay team participation or qualification (See Section II Discretionary Selection)

2. Provide a brief summary outlining how an athlete is selected as a nominee to the Team (include maximum team size).

   The philosophy of USATF is to send the maximum number of athlete allowed by IAAF rules. The maximum team size is 94 athletes. USATF selection system is designed to have athletes select themselves in individual events. As it relates to relay events, the selection process provides Pan Am coaches with the discretion necessary to select the best possible relay team.

3. Tryout Events:
   1. Provide the event names, dates and location of all trials, events and/or camps to be used as part of the selection process.
      1. Track & Field Events:

         2007 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships
         Indianapolis, IN, June 21-24, 2007

   2. Provide event names, dates, locations and description of how athletes qualify for any "preliminary or qualifying" events or procedures that are prerequisites to attend any of the events listed above in C.1 (if any).

      The trials for selection to the 2007 U.S. Pan American Team will be the 2007 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships held in Indianapolis, IN June 21st - 24th, 2007.

      Track & Field Events: To qualify to participate in the 2007 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, an athlete must have achieved a qualifying mark established by USATF in a national or international meet which is sanctioned or recognized by either USATF or the IAAF and is conducted under the rules of same. Such a qualifying mark must be achieved during the time period starting June 22th, 2006 through June 17th, 2007 except for the Combined Events, Race Walk and 10,000m which have from January 7, 2006 - June 17, 2007.

4. Provide a comprehensive, step-by-step description of the method that explains how athletes will go through the selection process to become team nominees.

   The following criteria will be used to nominate athletes to the 2007 U.S. Pan American Team in individual events: 1) an athlete's rank order of finish in a designated event at the 2007 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships; 2) The highest rank order finisher in each individual event who declares his/her intent to compete in the Pan American Games and meets the age requirements will be nominated to the 2007 Pan American Team.

   1. Rank Order of Finish: All athletes competing in a 2007 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships event will be assigned a rank based upon the order of finish for that event. An athlete must compete in each event in which s/he is entered in order to be assigned a rank. Rank order of finish for an individual event will be established as follows:
      • Running events: 1) Athletes participating in the final round of competition will be assigned a rank based upon their place finish in the final of that event: 2) Athletes that did not qualify for the finals will establish their rank order position based on the fastest time achieved in the semi-final round; and 3) Athletes that did not qualify for the semi-finals will establish their rank order position based on the fastest time achieved in the preliminary rounds. An athlete's final ranking will be based upon the highest round completed by an athlete. For relays see Section II.
      • Field events: 1) Athletes participating in the final round of competition will be assigned a rank based upon their place-finish in the finals; 2) Athletes that did not qualify for the finals will establish their rank order position based on the athlete's best mark achieved in the qualifying round. An athlete's ranking will be based upon the highest round completed by an athlete. If there is a tie in a field event, excluding the high jump and pole vault, the tie will be broken by selecting the athlete with the best second mark in that round of competition. Ties in the high jump and pole vault will be broken by a jump off, to the extent that it is necessary to nominate a team member in that particular event.
5. Provide the names of all committees/groups who oversee the selection process, including the name(s) and role(s) of their members.

   (See Section XI)

II. DISCRETIONARY SELECTION (if applicable)

1. Provide rationale for utilizing discretionary selection (if any):

   Relay Team members are the only athletes who will be selected utilizing discretionary selection. PASO allows countries to send two (2) relay pool participants to the Pan American Games for the 4x100m and 4x400m relays.

   PASO also requires that the other four (4) relay participants be the four (4) sprinters that are entered in the 100 meters and the 400m meters respectively at the Pan American Games.

   This requires USATF to select two (2) athletes to fill out the remaining relay pool slots. Depending on who the four (4) sprinters in the relay pool are, it is imperative that the remaining two (2) discretionary slots are filled by athletes who have the ability and skills that complement the other relay pool members.

2. List the discretionary criteria and explain how it will be used:

   The decision to place the two athletes in the relay pool will be based on the Relay Coach(es)' judgment of that athlete's ability to contribute to the success of the relay team. The Relay Coach(es) will also take the following into consideration: 1) the athlete's ability to pass and receive the baton with either hand; 2) the athlete's ability to run the turn and/or straight leg; and 3) the athlete's availability and willingness to attend relay camps and practices 4) athlete's times run at the appropriate distances 5) the athletes World Championship, Olympic and Pan American Games relay experience.

   In order to qualify for nomination to the 2007 Pan American Games Relay Pool (remaining 2 slots), athletes must compete in the 2007 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships unless excused for unforeseen circumstances prior to the 2007 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships by the chair of the appropriate sports committee. This provision should only be utilized in extreme cases and such athlete should have demonstrated Pan Am, Olympic and or World Championship medal performances.

3. Discretionary Selection Committee

   The Head Coach, Relay Coach, the High Performance Director and the AAC Chair (or his/her designee) will make the final selection of the remaining two relay pool athletes. If the AAC chair chooses to use a designee that designee must meet the definition of an athlete as defined by the USOC.

II. REMOVAL OF ATHLETES

1. Prior to acceptance of nomination by the USOC, USA Track & Field has jurisdiction over potential nominees.

   An athlete who is to be nominated to the Team by USA Track & Field may be removed from the Nominations for any of the following reasons, as determined by USA Track & Field.

   • Voluntary withdrawal. Athlete must submit a written letter to USA Track & Field CEO.
   • Injury or illness as certified by an NGB physician (or medical staff). If an athlete refuses verification of their illness or injury by an NGB physician (or medical staff), their injury will be assumed to be disabling and they may be removed.
   • § Violation of USA Track & Field's Statement of Conditions. - (See Attachment A)

   An athlete who may be removed from the Team pursuant to this provision has the right to a hearing per USA Track & Field's Bylaws Article 19 and Regulation 11 or USOC Bylaws, Article 9.

2. After acceptance of nomination by the USOC, the USOC has jurisdiction over The Team under the USOC Code of Conduct and Grievance Procedures. This occurs no earlier than 45 days and no later than 30 days prior to the Opening Ceremonies of the Games (unless expressly waived by the USOC).

   A USOC approved team member is subject to the USOC Code of Conduct and Grievance Procedures.

3. An athlete may be removed from Nomination or from the Team at any time for violation of PASO, WADA, IAAF, USADA and/or USOC anti-doping protocol, policies and procedures. In such instances, the adjudication process will be managed through the United States Anti-Doping Agency.

IV. REPLACEMENT OF ATHLETES

1. Describe the process by which the replacement pool of athletes will be identified:

   The replacement pool of athletes will consist of athletes who competed in the 2007 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships unless for relays where s/he has previously received a wavier excusing them from participation in the 2007 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

2. Describe how the replacement athlete(s) will be selected should a vacancy occur:

   An athlete who withdraws from the team due to illness, injury or for any other reason, or fails to abide by the USOC Code of Conduct, after the final entry date will be replaced by the next eligible athlete who has achieved the Pan American Games qualifying standard, in rank order finish from the selection competition (2007 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships). The replacement athlete will be required to sign a Statement of Conditions for participation. (See Attachment A)

3. Identify the group or committee that will be responsible for making athlete replacement determinations:

   N/A

V. SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS

USA Track & Field will retain all supporting documents, including scouting or evaluation forms, etc., and data from the selection process for six month past the date of the Closing Ceremonies of the Games.

VI. REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

The following documents are required to be signed by an athlete as a condition of nomination to the Pan American Team and are included as attachments.

The Statement of Conditions will be signed by nominated athletes. (See Attachment A.)

VII. PUBLICITY/DISTRIBUTION OF PROCEDURES

The USOC approved Selection Procedures (complete and unaltered) will be posted/published by USA Track & Field in the following locations and will include the USOC approval date:

1. USA Track & Field website: www.usatf.org/elite
   The website information will be posted as soon as possible, but not more than 5 business days following notice of approval by the USOC.
2. USA Track & Field Official Publication: Elite Beat magazine, distributed to more than 1,000 athletes
3. Other:
   • E-mail: direct e-mail to athletes; more than 1000 athlete e-mail addresses on file
   • E-mail: direct e-mail to USATF certified athlete representatives
   • Entry Booklet: selection procedures will be clearly defined in the selection competition entry booklet which will be published in January 2007

VIII. DATE OF NOMINATION

Nomination of Athletes form, including replacements, will be submitted to the USOC after the completion of the 2007 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

IX. MANDATORY TRAINING AND/OR COMPETITION

All athletes will be notified (via USATF's web site) at least 45 days prior to the 2007 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships if there are any mandatory training scheduled to take place prior to the 2007 Pan American Games. For security purposes USATF will not post any training camp location information on the USATF's web site.

X. ANTI-DOPING REQUIREMENTS

Athletes must adhere to all PASO, WADA, IAAF, USADA and USOC anti-doping protocols, policies and procedures. This includes participation in out-of- competition testing as required by the PASO, WADA, IAAF, USADA and USOC Rules.

XI. DEVELOPMENT OF SELECTION PROCEDURES

The following committee/group was responsible for creating these selection procedures:

The selection and nomination process to the U.S. Pan American Track & Field Team will be overseen by the High Performance Chair and the Men's and Women's Track & Field Executive Committees.

Men's Track & Field Executive Committee
Chair: John Chaplin
Vice Chair: Harry Groves
Secretary: Alan Kolling (non-voting)
USTCA: David Harris
Rules: Ed Gorman
Standards: Bob Podkaminer
L&L: Alan Kolling
Officials: Joe Gentry
Development: (was Brad Hackett)
High Schools: John Hemmer
Jr. Colleges: Al Hobbs
Associations: Tim Baker
Clubs: Skip Stolley

Meet Directors: Tracy Sundlun
Agents: John Cook
At large: Terry Crawford

Athletes
Teddy Mitchell
Jamie Nieto
Jarred Rome
Gary Morgan
Antonio Pettigrew

Women's Track & Field Executive Committee
Chair: Stephanie Hightower
Secretary: Rich Torrellas
Officials: Carol Coram
USATC: Terry Crawford
USOC: Evie Dennis
NCAA: Karen Dennis
LDR: Julia Emmons
Development: Sue Humphrey
IAAF: Dee Jensen
High Performance: Brooks Johnson
Rules: Bert Lyle

Heptathlon: Craig Poole
NCAA: Connie Price-Smith
Juniors: Rita Somerlot
Cross Country: Anne Timmons
Clubs: Cedric Walker
L & L: Cliff Wiley
Sports Science: Danny Williams

Athletes appointed by the AAC Chair:
Stephanie Brown
Stacy Dragila
Delisa Floyd
Tongula Givens
Marsha Horan
Latanya Sheffield
Sasha Spencer
Angie Taylor

XII. NGB BYLAWS AND GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES

The USA Track & Field Bylaws and Grievance Procedures can be found at www.usatf.org/about/governance/.

XIII. INTERNATIONAL DISCLAIMER

These procedures are based on PASO and/or IAAF rules and regulations as presently known and understood. Any change in the selection procedures caused by a change in PASO and/or IAAF rules and regulations will be distributed to the affected athletes immediately. The selection criteria are based on the latest information available to USA Track & Field. However, the selections are always subject to unforeseen, intervening circumstances, and realistically may not have accounted for every possible contingency.

XIV. ATHLETE OMBUDSMAN

Athletes who have questions regarding their opportunity to compete that are not answered by USA Track & Field may contact the USOC Athlete Ombudsman: John W. Ruger by:

• Toll free telephone at (888) ATHLETE
• E-mail at john.ruger@usoc.org
• www.888athlete.org