USATF is thrilled to welcome members from across the country to Orlando, Florida, for the 2024 USATF Annual Meeting. Constituents convened at the Opening Session on Thursday evening to ring in another lively and productive four-day meeting. The highest honor of the evening, the 2024 Robert Giegengack Award, was presented to Pam Fales. Presented annually since 1982, the Giegengack Award recognizes someone who excels in contributing to the excellence and high standards of the sport of Athletics. The Award is USA Track & Field's only accolade not limited to one of the sport's three disciplines (track & field, long distance running, and race walking), or to any one of the three principal areas of consideration (official, coach, or administrator). Fales is the USATF Organizational Services Chair and also wears several hats in the masters track and field and LDR realm, including serving on the Masters LDR Executive Committee as treasurer, associations and on the communications and technical operations subcommittees. She is the Board of Directors Secretary for the USATF New Jersey Association. Fales was the 2022 Otto Essig Award winner in recognition for meritorious service to Masters Long Distance Running. Karen Krsak was honored along with her husband, Len, with the 2024 Heliodoro and Patricia Rico Lifetime Achievement Award, and she has previously been honored with the USATF President's Award. Karen is a veteran official, serving as a clerk at numerous USATF Championships and Olympic Trials, as well as at several World Athletics international championship events and World Masters Association championships. A Master Official, Krsak also served USATF as an association administrator in several capacities, and she was the Association Committee chair for many years. For more than 20 years, Len Krsak has been a leader in track and field administration and officiating at every level from local middle schools to the highest national level. He has officiated at dozens of USATF national championships and five U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field. Len was inducted into the USATF National Officials Hall of Fame in 2014 and is completing a four-year stint on the USATF Board of Directors this month. USATF CEO Max Siegel presented honors to three CEO Award recipients during the Opening Session. Charles Hawkins (GO Sports board member), a member of the advisory board for the Greater Orlando Sports Commission, played an integral role in the execution of the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Marathon. A lawyer who specializes in contracts and governmental relations, Hawkins has worked in government at the federal and local levels. Masters Track & Field Chair, Jerry Bookin-Weiner, is a long-time leader at the masters level of the sport. A 2021 inductee into the USATF Masters Hall of Fame, Bookin-Weiner also received the Ken Weinbel Award in 2018 in recognition of his exemplary contributions to the masters throwing community. Vin Lananna (USATF President) is in his sixth year as the Director of Track and Field and Cross Country at the University of Virginia, and is completing his term as President of USA Track & Field. Lananna was inducted into the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Hall of Fame in 2012 and previously served as head coach at Oregon and Stanford. A past president of TrackTown USA, Lananna was the head men's coach for Team USATF at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, and also served as a team official and coach at numerous other international championship events. USATF President Vin Lananna presented President’s Awards to a group of dedicated individuals - Al Davis, Alex Cuozzo, Kendra Coleman, Tiara Williams, Dustin Williams, Pam Navarra-Chiavaroli, Bill Murray, Kim Keenan-Kirkpatrick, Blake Boldon, Connie Price-Smith, Danielle Siebert, Diane Graham-Henry, Manny Bautista, Perry Jenkins, and Ron Williams. As Lanana’s presidential term comes to an end, a new president will be elected at the 2024 Annual Meeting. Curt Clausen and Mike Conley, two veteran international athletes for Team USATF, are the candidates for the organization's top elected office. Even numbered years are Rules years, when amendments to the USATF Rules of Competition are considered. This year, 80 amendments have been proposed. Annual Meeting will continue through Sunday, December 7. A full schedule of meetings and additional information can be found here.