USATF Arizona News

Track Meet updates

USATF AZ hit the ground in full stride with our first youth meet January 29^th.  Several new youth clubs have been established as well as growth in established clubs. We had 875 athletes register and welcomed a new site at Deer Valley High School. The next meet was our pre-indoor championship meet at Mountain Pointe with 950. This year we were back at NAU for the Indoor Classic which was also the West Region Masters Championship. We had 970 youth and adults’ athletes participate in the NAU Sky Dome in Flagstaff. The Phoenix Invitational hosted over 1,500 athletes and welcomed back many out of state teams post covid. This year the Pioneer / Walter Wallace meet was held at University of Arizona and played host to 700 athletes. Many athletes and teams travelled to the Shockwave meet so having 700 compete in Tucson was a great accomplishment.

This year Tawnie Martin your new youth chair has changed a few things with check in and finish line as well as utilizing a new electronic gun. This is a significant cost savings for the organization to help try to match the rising cost of site rentals. We will be reviewing the electronic gun to see how we can ensure both cost savings but also how we can get the same fan experience with the start of each race. We need your help to ensure your clubs coaches are all on your club list in USATF Connect80 and fully credentialed.

Updated USATF AZ Calendar

May 28 & 29	AZ State Championship	Mesa Community (Youth/Open/Masters)
June 4 & 5	Junior Olympic Combined Events	Willow Canyon HS (also Open & Masters meet)
June 18 & 19	AZ Junior Olympic State	Mesa Community College (
June 21-26	Youth National Championship	Icahn Stadium, NY
June 23-25	U20 Outdoor Championship	Eugene, OR
July 7-10	JO Region 10 Championship	El Paso, TX
July 15-24	World Championship	Eugene, OR
July 25-31	Junior Olympic National Championship	Sacramento, CA
July 28-31	USATF Masters National Championship	University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
Dec 10	Junior Olympic Cross-Country Champ	College Station, TX

 

Passing the torch

We were sad to announce the passing of Coach John Treadwell, Coach Travis Angry, and recently Official Sherry Hott. Coach John Treadwell established the Jessie Owens Memorial Track Club and was a board member for USATF AZ for many years. Coach Travis Angry was the founder and Head coach for the Estrella Wolves track Club. He also was the Men’s Development chair for USATF AZ. Sherry Hott was a long time official who officiated masters, collegiate and national meets. All will be missed greatly and we express our condolences to their family, friends and their teams.

Get to Know your new USATF AZ Board Members and Officers

Executive Board

James Smith	President
Wendy Truvillion	Vice President Administration
Simone Terry	Vice President Operations
Yative Tiger	Association Secretary / Membership Chair
Udeme Usoro	Association Treasurer

 

USATF AZ Officers / Board Members

Diane Martin	Officials Chair
Kim Dismuke	Women Development Chair
Tawnie Martin	Youth Chair
Rick Carr	Cross Country Chair
Jeff Goldstein	Long Distance Running Chair
Mercedes Foreman	Youth Track Treasurer
Joyce Hines	Youth Track Secretary

 

2 officers resigned after elections. Kim Dismuke was installed as Women Development chair.  These officers were installed January 2022 and will serve until the end of 2024. If you would like to serve, we are currently looking for a Master and Men Development chair. We are open to new ideas and constructive feedback. Please contact James Smith at President@arizona.usatf.org or any assigned chair if you would like to get involved with USATF AZ track and field.

COVID Update

Our first 2 youth track meets were held with private insurance so we did not have to do pre-meet covid testing. We successfully set up 5 sites (4 in PHX area and 1 in Tucson) for covid testing specifically for the USATF AZ athletes before the NAU Indoor Classic and West Region Masters Championship. Prior to this track meet we were required to have a negative COVID test before competing. This requirement has been revised by USATF national office. The new guidelines have been revised as of March 4, 2022.

UPDATED USATF COVID-19 EVENT HOSTING GUIDANCE INFO

(revised 03-04-22)

USATF has made substantial revisions to the COVID-19 Event Hosting Guidance:

Tier 1 meets (national champs, JTG), USATF will determine protocols based on most recent COVID data and announce protocols no later than 30 days out.  This gives us significant flexibility to make proper risk mitigating decisions based on appropriate information in the locality of the event and nationally.

--Tier 2 - follow state and local guidelines. ALL OTHER EVENTS (Association/Region Championships that serve as JO Qualifiers and Association accreditation required events in all disciplines /local track meets/road races, etc).

Officials

We are in need of officials. Recently there was an official’s certification held at Westwood. There are current opportunities to subsidize recertifying officials. We have plenty of opportunities to officiate. Please contact Diane Martin to get information on how you can become a certified official.

Level 1 Coaching and Education Dates

June 3 – 6, 2022

July 29 – Aug 1, 2022

Aug 26 – 29, 2022

National Youth Track Coaches Association is accepting online registrations from our website! www.nytca.com JOIN NOW!

The National Youth Track Coaches Association (NYTCA) shall act as the representative of the coaches of youth athletes for United States Track & Field. Developing interest and participation in the coaching of Athletics in the United States at the youth level. Promoting Youth Athletics and athletes by promoting outstanding technical and ethical coaching, and by cooperating with and encouraging other organizations which promote the coaching of youth athletes; and generating public awareness, appreciation, and support for Youth Athletics, thus creating opportunities for athletes and coaches in youth.

The Coaching Enhancement Grants offered for 2022 is posted on our www.nytca.com for our members! (NYTCA Resources). We offer these grants to assist coaches in an opportunity to enhance their professional growth to Level 1 and 2.

UPDATE YOUR COACHES REGISTRY STATUS FOR 2022

Ahead of upcoming USATF Championships, members are reminded to verify their standing on the USATF Coaches Registry List. All requirements must be completed to be eligible for a coach credential at USATF Championships. If your name no longer appears on the public list, login to your membership profile on USATF Connect to update the lapsed requirement(s) [Learn More]

EMERGING FEMALE COACHING GRANTS OPEN FOR 2022

The Emerging Female Coaching Grant is provided by USATF and provides women minority coaches in track and field with the opportunity to attend USATF Coaching Education Level 1 or 2 Schools at an offset cost. Grants are reimbursement based and valued at the respective course registration fee. Early application is advised.