January 2023 MTF Newsletter

Report on 2022 USATF Annual Meeting

The 2022 USATF Annual Meeting took place in Orlando, Florida in early December. A number of important decisions were reached and announcements made during the course of the three days of meetings. Full minutes of the Masters Track & Field Committee meetings can be accessed here.

Among the most significant outcomes were:

1. Gately Track & Field Center in Chicago, Illinois was selected as the site for the 2024 USATF Masters Indoor Championships, which will be held March 14-17, 2024; note that this is a four-day meet, a departure from the current practice of three-day indoor championships
2. Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, California was selected as the site for the 2025 USAT Masters Outdoor Championships. The dates for that meet have not yet been determined, but will likely be in mid-late July
3. Colleen Barney was re-elected by acclamation to a new two-year term as the Active Athlete Representative on the MTF Executive Committee
4. Colleen Barney was appointed to a four-year term as one of the MTF delegates to the WMA and NCCMA General Assemblies. Carroll DeWeese and Roman Marenin were appointed as alternates, also for four-year terms.
5. Tina Klein was re-elected to a new four-year term by acclamation as MTF’s Women’s Delegate for WMA and NCCMA. Euleen Josiah-Tanner and Kelly Reblin were elected as alternates.
6. Chris Pasko, who represents the General Competition Division on the USATF Board of Directors, was re-elected by acclamation to a second four-year term by MTF and the Associations Committee (the two components of the Division).
7. The MTF Operating Procedures were amended to officially include the new Marketing Subcommittee that was tentatively approved in 2022 and define its scope. They were also amended to take care of some internal contradictions resulting from the new method of selecting the WMA delegates adopted in 2022.
8. A Code of Conduct was adopted for athletes and their accompanying persons at national and international competitions. It can be viewed here, and will be included in the documents athletes agree to before they enter national meets and have their entries verified for international competitions.
9. A number of Rules were changed; most of those related to MTF were editorial in nature or to ensure USATF Rules do not conflict with WMA Rules. In clarification, if someone who qualifies for a final at a National Championship does not check-in for the final, they can now be replaced by the next highest finisher in the preliminary round.
10. The MTF Hall of Fame Class of 2022 was announced and can be seen here. They are Harvey Lewellen, Bill Murray, Derek Pye, Robert Thomas, and Doug Torbert. They will be inducted at the Awards Banquet during the 2023 Masters Outdoor Championships in Greensboro, NC, in July.
11. The 2022 MTF Award Winners were announced and can be seen here. They will receive their awards at the Awards Banquet during the 2023 Masters Outdoor Championships in Greensboro, NC, in July.
12. Flo Meiler was recognized as the MTF Athlete of the Year during the Night of Legends celebration where all the major USATF awards were presented. Bill Murray was honored as winner of the David Pain Award for contributions to Masters track & field at the Awards Breakfast on Saturday morning.
13. Two MTF administrators were recognized with major awards. MTF Chair Jerry Bookin-Weiner received one of ten President’s Awards from USATF President Vin Lananna at the Opening Session, and former MTF Treasurer Carroll DeWeese received the Para Athletics Committee’s Official of the Year Award from Richard Robert, Chair of the USATF Para Athletics Committee, during one of the MTF Committee Sessions.

2023 National Masters Indoor Heptathlon Championships

January 21 – 22, 2023 – Kenosha, Wisconsin

The 2023 National Masters Indoor Heptathlon Championships will take place at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin, January 21 – 22, 2023. Detailed information, including online entries, are available here. On-time entries close on Friday, January 13.

Masters Exhibition Event at USATF Indoor Championships

February 17, 2023

The Masters Exhibition Event at the USATF Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico will be the 60m for both men and women. In both cases, the age groups will be 55-64. The top eight (8) men and top eight (8) women who apply will be selected to participate.
The event will take place on Friday, February 17, 2023. Click here for more information and the link to apply. The deadline for entries is Friday, January 20, 2023 at 11:59 pm Pacific Time.

2023 USATF Masters Indoor Track & Field Championships March 10 – 12, 2023 – Louisville, KY

The 2023 USATF Masters Indoor Track & Field Championships will take place at the Norton Sports and Learning Center in Louisville, Kentucky, March 10-12, 2023. Detailed information, including online entries, are all available here. On-time entries close on Thursday, February 9, 2023, with late entries open until Thursday, February 16, 2023.

WMACi Toruń – March 26 – April 1, 2023

The WMA Indoor Championships will return to Toruń, Poland, the site of the 2019 Indoor Championships. The dates are March 26-April 1, 2023. There is detailed information for US athletes about the meet on usatfmasters.org.

Included are:

1. Registration is open. Go here to register. NOTE: some athletes have had difficulty paying for their entries – these issues must be dealt with by talking with your credit card company. Go here for advice on resolving issues paying entry fees.
2. Accommodations – the Team USATF room blocks are no longer available; the deadline for reservations was November 30, 2022. However, the LOC has some rooms available. To request a room at either the ibis (where there are still rooms for sure) or the Copernicus (where rooms will only be available if there are cancellations, send an email with details to meeting@wmaci2023.com. Other possibilities are to check on AirBnB availability and to see if someone with a room is looking for a roommate through the USATF Toruń WhatsApp group (see below).
3. Trainers and Relays – A revised athletic trainer/massage subscription process, and a revised relay selection process.
4. Travel Grants – Applications for the WMA Travel Grants for the WMA 2023 Indoor Championships are open here, with a deadline of January 31, 2023 (same as the deadline for meet entries).
5. Communication – the primary means of communication with others going to Toruń is through the Team USATF Toruń WhatsApp group. You can join the group by downloading WhatsApp and subscribing here.

USATF/USADA Anti-Doping Webinar

Thursday, February 9, 2023 at 8:30 pm Eastern Time

USATF Masters (MTF and MLDR) are organizing an Anti-Doping Webinar with USADA (US Anti-Doping Agency). It will focus on issues of particular interest to Masters athletes. The webinar will be held on Thursday, February 9, 2023 at 8:30 pm Eastern time. Click here to sign up.

Renew Your USATF Membership Before the Price Goes Up on January 15, 2023

Annual USATF membership dues will go up from $40 per year to $55 per year on January 15. The increase was announced in late December and is necessitated by the rapidly increasing operating expenses of the organization, particularly for insurance. Go here to renew.

Upcoming Masters Regional, National, and World Championships Mark Your Calendars and Register!

The 2023 Regional and National Championships Schedule is coming into focus. Here is what is already on tap, including links to websites where available; you can also go to the Upcoming Events page on usatfmasters.org to see additional events as they are added to the calendar:

In addition to these national and regional championships, many associations either have already or are now scheduling their own association championships this winter. We are compiling and continually updating a list of those, which is posted on usatfmasters.org.

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