More than 1,000 gather virtually for the 2020 USATF Annual Meeting

INDIANAPOLIS -- USA Track & Field (USATF) athletes, members, administrators and staff met virtually for the 2020 USATF Annual Meeting with more than 1,100 participating in over 100 meetings. The event runs through Sunday, December 6.
 
Speakers at Opening Session included Pam Fales, John Blackburn, Judge Jim Murphy, Willie Banks, USATF President Vin Lananna and USATF CEO Max Siegel.
 
2020 State of the Sport
In his ninth State of the Sport, Siegel gave an overview of 2020’s impact on the organization and its work to continue providing for athletes during these unprecedented times.
 
Early season Athletic achievements
Before the global pandemic broadly hit the United States, USATF athletes were off to a stellar start with 8 American Records, 5 Masters records and 5 Youth records.
 
The city of Atlanta played host to the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Marathon, where six athletes secured their spots on Team USATF. Galen Rupp joined USATF legend Frank Shorter as the only other man to win consecutive Marathon Trials, while Aliphine Tilamuck placed first for the women in the closest marathon trials finish in history.
 
Swift reactions to coronavirus crisis
USATF quickly established a Working Group of medical, scientific, and industry experts to advise all groups on everything from return to practice to hosting events.
 
Continued athlete support
Despite difficult layoffs at the National Office and cancelled or postponed events, no elite athlete program funding was cut for 2020. Through a total of five COVID-19 programs, USATF has been able to offer more than $1 million in direct financial support.
 
In addition, USATF provided nearly $30,000 in testing for those same athletes to compete within the limits of the  pandemic, as well as additional funds for their coaches.
 
Athletics as a unifier
USATF created its “Black Lives Matter – They Always Have” t-shirt with the silhouette of Tommy Smith and John Carlos, along with Australian Peter Norman, on the medal stand at the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games. The net proceeds from the sale of the shirts have gone to the Equal Justice Initiative.
 
USATF and Toyota recently announced the Toyota Humanitarian Award recipient as social justice advocate and athlete Gwen Berry.
 
Significant partnership renewals
The Hershey Company extended its partnership of RunJumpThrow through 2024, while both Comcast and KT Tape extended through 2021. USATF also announced a new multi-year partnership extension with Hyperice, now the exclusive Recovery Technology Partner of USATF.
 
Siegel concluded with an overview of strategic goals created by the USATF Board of Directors. USATF aims to double membership by 2024 by capitalizing off the popularity of the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Tokyo Olympic Games and Oregon22 World Athletics Championships.
 
2020 President Awards
President Vin Lananna presented this year’s President Awards to the following USATF Members:
 
Allyson Felix
The most decorated female athlete in the sport is also a new mom, an advocate for mothers and babies, and maybe the happiest person in LA after the Dodgers and Lakers won their respective championships. This year, Felix partnered with the March of Dimes to shine a spotlight on the nation's maternal and infant health crisis. She also spoke before a congressional committee about the racial disparities in maternal mortality.
 
Felix serves on the board of Right to Play, an organization that goes into disadvantaged countries and uses physical activities to teach valuable lessons like conflict resolution and dealing with your surroundings.
 
Dena Evans 
Evans is a running coach, mother of two and a passionate runner herself. She finished her sixth race among the world marathon majors last year. She was the head coach of Team USATF at The Match in 2019 and the women’s assistant distance coach for the 2019 World Athletics Championships team. She is the club director for the Peninsula Track Club in San Francisco.
 
Joanna Hayes
When she won the Olympic 100m hurdle gold medal in 2004, who knew that 16 years later we’d be on this stage talking about her coaching career? This young coach is an inspiration to the athletes she’s coached and anyone with whom she comes in contact. She’s hard working, she’s talented and above all, she cares deeply about the athletes she coaches.
 
Marsha Horan
Marsha Horan is a consistent and familiar figure in the sport, especially among the national teams. Horan has served as manager on many World Championships, Pan Am Games and Olympic Games teams. She is on the AAC and Treasurer on the Women’s Track and Field Executive Committee.
 
Bernard Lagat
In 2016, he announced his retirement from the track but took on new challenges in road racing, specifically the marathon. He finished in the top 20 in Atlanta last February. He’s competed at five Olympics games, three in a Team USA uniform. He is one of six athletes elected to the World Athletics Athletes Commission. He represents the class and determination of USATF athletes and is a well-respected gentleman and leader. 
 
Gloria Louis
From the state of Louisiana and the Southern association, Louis official is one of the nation's more highly-respected track and field officials, having worked multiple national championships at the USATF and NCAA levels. She’s taught officials clinics throughout Louisiana and is the Officials Certification Chair and the Safesport Chair in her association.
 
Alan Kolling 
Kolling was an assistant manager and event manager at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic teams. He’s the coach of Masters star Irene Obera, an age-group world record holder. He competes at the Masters level and serves on the Men’s Track & Field Committee as an at-large member, and on the Laws & Legislation Committee. On top of all of that, he chairs the USATF Diversity and Leadership Committee where he’s done great work to establish guidelines and recommendations to make the sport more inclusive.
 
Steve Vaitones
The New England Association is one of the best, most hard-working associations in the organization. One man, Steve Vaitones, has been a stalwart there and as Managing Director of the New England Association he works day in and day out to support its athletes, meets and races. He is a member of national committees for USATF including the Rules Committee, Associations Committee (executive board), Vice Chair for Regions and Cross Country Committee. He also manages the association’s website and is a member of the Track and Field Writers of America. 
 
Andrew Valmon 
Valmon was the coach of Team USATF at the  2012 Olympic Games and was an assistant coach at the 2009 World Outdoor Championships in Berlin, Germany, and was the head coach for the 2010 World Indoor Championships team in Doha, Qatar. Prior to coaching at the World Championships level, Valmon served USATF as the relay coach for the national team that competed at the 2008 NACAC Championship in El Salvador. He is the head coach at the University of Maryland, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, and the current Men’s Track & Field Chair.
 
Jeff Watry
Watry is a national-class Masters decathlete and jumper, and is perhaps better known as a multi-event meet director. It’s said that anyone who helps him unload his car understands how valuable he is to the Masters’ track and field family -- there are implements and tape measures, cones, stop watches -- you name it.  He’s a 2015 inductee of the Masters Hall of Fame.
 
Tim Weaver
Weaver has served the sport in many, many roles over the years. A veteran of 21 international team staffs as a manager, coach and team leader, he was a manager for the Team USATF Olympic teams in 2008, 2012 and 2016.
 
A former member of the NCAA Track and Field Committee, he was the meet director of the Kansas relays from 2000 to 2006, bringing the event back from a two-year hiatus to crowds in excess of 25,000 spectators. He has been active with multiple volunteer committees within USATF since 1997.
 
Quentin Wilson
Wilson has been a long-time figure in youth athletics. He took over mid-year when Tricia Floyd resigned her position as youth chair and we appreciate his commitment to the organization. He’s served as executive vice chair on the youth committee since 2016.
 
Wilson is the head coach of the Columbia Express Track Club that he co-founded in 1992 in Maryland and a member of the Potomac Valley Association.
 
The virtual 2020 USATF Annual Meeting continues Friday with meetings scheduled starting at 10:00 AM EST. Visit usatf.org/events for more information.