byRBR Admin
USATF Prepares for New Heights in Dynamic Olympiad
Perspectives from Four USATF Committee Chairs Plus Top Administrators
Part 1: Conversation with Sue Humphrey, USATF High Performance Division
(Part 1 in a multi-part series)
by Mark Winitz
During his two-plus years as CEO of USA Track and Field, Doug Logan set a goal of 30 Olympic medals for the U.S. at the London Games. The U.S. hadn’t achieved this medal count on the track in a non-boycotted Olympics since the 31 medals in 1956, and had won only 23 gold, silver, and bronzes at the 2008 Games in Beijing — about average.
And after Logan was fired in 2010, Max Siegel, who became USATF’s new CEO in April, 2012 after a 16-month search, didn’t back down, “We’ve said 30 medals, and we’re sticking by the 30 medals.”
USATF President Stephanie Hightower echoed Siegel’s vow as scores of USATF’s administrators and volunteer leaders–despite a lingering sentiment of skepticism in some ranks–rallied around the task.
“The opportunity to take the lead in USA Track & Field’s efforts to win 30 medals in London, and to maximize our athletes’ potential across all event groups, was something I could not pass up,” said 1984 Olympic gold medalist (100m hurdles) Benita Fitzgerald Mosley who serves as USATF’s Chief of Sport Performance.
The result: Team USA brought home 29 medals from London–more than any other nation and just one medal shy of the goal Logan set four years earlier.
What are USATF’s goals in the new Olympiad? For this five-part series American Track & Field decided to seek out several of USATF’s key committee chairs–all of whom serve as volunteers within the organization–for their views. After all, volunteers are the life blood of the federation who carry out numerous daily nuts-and-bolts tasks with little or no recognition. Of course, we’ll also touch base with several of USAF’s top hired brass and learn their priorities and objectives for the organization over the next four years.
Sue Humphrey
We spoke with Sue Humphrey who serves as Chair of USATF’s Women’s Track & Field Committee and was the Head Women’s Coach for the 2004 U.S. Olympic track and field team.
The Women’s Track & Field Committee is part of USATF’s High Performance Division which also includes the federation’s Men’s Track & Field and Race Walking sport committees plus the organization’s Joint Development Group (which shares development responsibilities with USATF’s Long Distance Running Division). Together with management in USATF’s National office, the volunteers who serve in this division have responsibility for developing USATF’s High Performance Plan.
Sue, where does the funding come from for USATF’s high performance programs which are charged with developing our Olympic podium prospects of the future?
It comes via grants from the U.S. Olympic Committee. This funding typically dips the year after an Olympic Games and peaks as the Games approach. We did get decent funding for 2013, and some areas actually went up, which was, I’m sure, based on our success in London.
(Editor’s Note: USATF’s $19.4 million operating budget for 2013 shows a $2.9 million sponsorship grant from the USOC, identical to its grant in 2012. In 2013, USATF plans to spend $3.1 million on high- performance/development and other elite programs–only slightly down from $3.4 million spent on these programs in the 2012 Olympic year.)
How does the High Performance Division establish and prioritize its high-performance programs?
We have a four-to-six-year High Performance Plan. We’re already looking down the road to 2020. So, we don’t look at performance annually, even though we need to turn in an annual high performance plan (to the USOC). And, we look beyond the current quadrennium because we realize that some of our athletes who are college freshmen and sophomores now are going to be our high performers in 2020. And, athletes are now staying in the sport longer, so we can have viable medalists in their late 20s and early 30s. Ten or 20 years ago that wasn’t the case.
Q: Let’s discuss the strategies and programs described in USATF’s most current High Performance Plan leading up to the London Games so our readers can understand the kinds of efforts involved. Please briefly talk about each of the five strategies in the plan…
High Performance Strategy #1: Work with and support the best coaches and their facilities to build specialized high performance centers nationwide.
We fund four to five high performance centers each year. Annual funding for each center varies from $15,000 to $30,000 depending on the needs and the quality of each center. Our (annual) budget for these centers is only $100, 000, yet all the centers produced medalists in London or Olympic finalists who had the potential to medal.
The centers we fund are selected by an application process, and we’ve done this for the past three years. We fund training enclaves throughout the country that are already in place. To receive funding, each center must have at least five elite level athletes–rated among, I think, the top 40 in the world in their events–and one podium level coach. We plan on continuing the training center program in the current quadrennium.
High Performance Strategy #2: Establish consistent access to cutting-edge sport science, medicine, and technology that is fully integrated and utilized.
For the past three years, instead of bringing groups of athletes to sport science summits, which we did previously, we’ve had a traveling group of sports scientists and psychologists go to them. These sports science programs take place year-around–at meets, summits, via conference calls, and sometimes right at the athlete’s training site. The scientists travel to areas of the country such as southern Florida, Texas A&M, and Los Angeles that are rich with Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 athletes…
Tiered athletes?
Yes, USATF now has a four-tier system which, depending upon performance levels, qualifies athletes for specific USATF and USOC benefits such as funding opportunities, etc. For example, athletes who have medaled in the most recent World Track & Field Championships or Olympic Games, or have achieved a top-10 world ranking in their event in 2012, or top five in 2011, are classified as Tier 1 and qualify for all USATF and USOC benefits.
Thanks for explaining that. Tell me more about the sports science programs.
This group of traveling sports scientists films athletes, conducts functional body assessments, and makes recommendations for technical corrections. This program has been very successful. It’s a proactive program, rather than a wait-until-you’re-hurt reactive strategy. We film at training camps, at Games and Championships, and the films are available for viewing by the athletes and their coaches via a password-protected computer application.
How are coaches involved in these analyses?
We used to have the coaches involved in these analyses with sports scientists all the time. Then, money got cut back, and just the athletes met with the scientists. Now everybody seems to be realizing that having the athletes there with the coach is needed so the coach is better prepared to implement the sports scientists’ recommendations. The coach can put these recommendations into ”coach speak” for the athlete. It’s important to keep the scientist, coach, and athlete on the same page, and involved together. Sometimes, when you tell an athlete something it doesn’t always ge
t back to the coach in the same way.
Do you have priorities, or refinements, in store for this sport science program during the current Olympiad?
The main priority is to keep our athletes healthy. It allows athletes to make technical corrections before they get hurt,. It does us no good to have an athlete–even a world record holder–make the team and then be hurt at the Games. In addition, the technical refinements you make in your event increase the likelihood that you’ll be successful. The same holds true for proper mental focus and techniques.
Absolutely. High Performance Strategy #3: Focus on systematically identifying, recruiting, retaining and developing the highest-potential athletes in our sport.
This is an area that we really have to keep working on because the U.S. Olympic Committee is only interested in the top-level athlete. If you’re not already a top-level athlete, they (USOC) really don’t have programs for you. So it’s necessary for the National Governing Body of our sport to provide these developmental programs. Unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of development money through the USATF budget. We’ve been trying to create more funding and ways to bring in our immediate post-collegiate athletes into some of these athlete support programs that we’ve already set up. That way, they can rub shoulders with our Tier 1 athletes and get the benefits of these programs by osmosis, so to speak.
In particular, we are trying to identify promising athletes in the events that we’ve traditionally been weak in–women’s triple jump, javelin, etc. We’re working with the coaches and event experts in these events to create some new developmental strategies.
Also, retaining our high performers is an issue. It usually boils down to finances. The love of the sport and the will to compete are usually there, but sometimes the finances aren’t. For example, how do we keep some of our promising jumpers in track when they’re offered six-figure contracts in volleyball and basketball?
That’s an excellent question. What is USATF doing to address this?
This is where the USATF Foundation has been helpful with grants. The number of athletes making a lot of money in track and field is deceptive. People think that just because you win a gold medal that you’re rich. You might get a one time, big payday, but that doesn’t get you through four years.
Road racing is a little different because you have a more steady stream of potential prize earnings throughout the year. In track and field — particularly in the field events — we don’t have that. So, maybe, one percent of these athletes have decent shoe or club contracts and/or prize money situations. The rest are on their own. These are the athletes that we’re trying to help with grants through the USATF Foundation. We also have developmental programs that assist athletes with funding to get to domestic meets where they can get head-to-head competition, see where they stand, and get qualifying standards.
Yes, I’d like you to say more about our domestic competitive opportunities in a moment. First, tell me about High Performance Strategy #4: Establish and maintain clear, high standards of behavior for coaches, athletes, agents, service providers, administrators and affiliates.
Yes, we have our Coaches Registry (started in 2010) which requires all coaches to adhere to a code of conduct, and coaches and volunteers of youth clubs to complete a criminal background check. If coaches want the benefits of passes for national championships and things like this, they must join this registry.
The need for this registry came out of the USOC because coaches in some of the other sports, i.e. swimming and gymnastics, were taking advantage of some of their younger athletes. The USOC pushed to us and told us we needed to quickly come up with a plan. In fact, USATF already had coaches registry and background check programs already in the works.
The benefits of being a registered coach include admittance into USATF high performance coaches symposiums for a reduced fee, admittance to various coaches clinics, and getting coaches passes for national meets. And, it gives you a stamp of approval that you’re a good, upstanding citizen.
Our registered coaches, registered agents, and athletes who make U.S. teams all have codes of ethics and behavior standards. Our intent is to have all these groups acting professionally.
High Performance Strategy #5 appears to be the bottom line: Keep people/events on the podium and get finalists onto the podium.
The amount of pressure put on athletes and coaches–by the U.S. Olympic Committee and/or the general public–to perform every four years is tremendous. I was pleasantly surprised and very pleased that some of our athletes who were competing in London at their first Games really rose to the occasion and were able do defuse this pressure. Over the years we’ve been trying to help them psychologically and physically prepare for these major meets. The programs we’re trying to develop go hand-in-hand with creating and developing a new base of athletes who have the potential to become our future elite.
Coaches, of course, are essential in this effort. We want the coaches involved in the federation. It’s unfortunate that a lot of college coaches have felt the need to pull away from USATF. They’re an important pipeline for us. We trying to talk and pipeline with them to get them back in the fold. Plus, our high school coaches are our pipeline for the college and USATF/s Junior programs, and the college coaches are our pipeline for our post-collegiate and Olympic programs. So, without the high school and college programs, we wouldn’t have the successes we’ve enjoyed. We want coaches as an essential part of USATF. It’s not an us versus them mentality by any stretch.
What is the High Performance Division’s vision and focus regarding our key domestic meets and championships over the next several years? And, what do you think about the Drake Relays exciting new half million dollar sponsorship arrangement with Hi-Vee supermarkets this year?
Our domestic meet opportunities have definitely decreased. We’ve been trying to figure out how to get new sponsors involved with these meets, just as Drake has done. Drake has an excellent organizing committee, the meet is in the center of the country (Des Moines, IA) so it’s a good situation from a travel standpoint. We’re looking forward to going back to Des Moines for this year’s USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, and we’re working with them to increase attendance.
Creating new outdoor domestic opportunities is crucial. If we can offer decent prize money at these meets, our athletes would much rather compete domestically than travel overseas. Also, there are limitations to events overseas since getting lanes for our athletes in big meets has gradually become more difficult. So, USATF is working to dovetail with U.S. meets to assist our athletes, especially our immediate post-collegians who don’t get their way paid to compete in Europe.
Right now, there are few competitive opportunities for immediate post collegians in May or early June before nationals. We’re trying to work creatively, such as creating mini meets which are more spectator friendly. For example, we’ve had throw meets in Tucson where we’ve created a “big international meet” type of schedule where preliminary rounds are on one day and then finals within the next several days.
Every event area, based on the time of the year, has different needs, For example, early in the season, many of our top sprinters don’t want to compete in their individual events, but are more than happy to run relays. So, we’ve dove-tailed into some of our major relay meets, in some instances letting the athletes put together relay competitions where competitors receive travel expense support, but that’s it.
What are some of the othe
r priorities for the High Performance Division and the Women’s Track and Field Committee over the next four years?
We have to remember that every gold medalist started somewhere at the bottom. I’m concerned that we don’t have the development funds we need to support our immediate post collegians who haven’t reached the performance level to be eligible for funding from the USOC. We’ve been working to help these immediate post collegians achieve the competitive standards the USOC requires for funding. We can’t forget the group that’s just coming out of college at the expense of focusing on just the medalists. Folks need to remember that the Olympics are every four years, but we need to keep working at supporting our athletes throughout the four years.
MARK WINITZ is a longtime writer for AMERICAN TRACK & FIELD. He sits on USATF’s national Men’s Long Distance Running Executive Committee and Law & Legislation Committee. He also sits on Pacific Association/USATF’s Board of Athletics and is a Certified USATF Master Level Official/Referee.
