USATF OZARK Summer 2012

OZARK CONTACTS Letter from our President:

President: Ed Rowold Ed Rowold 314.341.4862 The 2012 outdoor track season is rapidly closing and the Cross Country season will begin for us once again. As President of Ozark Vice President: Association, I would like thank all of our members for their Andy Amsden dedication to the sport and remind everyone to take care of a 314.315.0396 number of house keeping details. If you have not bought your USATF cards, please do so. If you are a coach with a youth club, it Secretary/ is important that each and every coach go online and have their Racewalk/ background check completed. This outdoor season, please support Officials Chair: our youth, masters & open meets whether it be as a competitor, Ginger Mulanax coach or official. Finally, our 2nd annual BORDER WAR meet was 314.838.9486 held at St. Louis University June 9 & 10. It was open to all ages, youth –masters, with an expanded event list for disabled athletes. Treasurer: For both the USATF Olympic trials & Para Olympic Trials, this was Gussie one of the last qualifying weekends. We had a great youth turnout Crawford with over 400 youth & 120 open & masters. 314.434.3397 SUMMER TRACK SCHEDULE: Youth Chair: The summer of 2011 was a year that showed our athletes can Winston Kelly compete with the best in the country and the world. Our athletes 314.616.5248 were represented on every front and from every age group. The championship season began with our Ozark collegiate athletes. Women’s Track: Jet athlete Brittany Borman won the NCAA DI National Tish Hanna championship in discus with a winning throw of 54.32 meters while 314.808.2728 former Parkway Central standout, Emily Sisson, finished 10th in the 5K with a time of 15.53. Masters Track; Eugene Anton For the first time, Ozark was part of what has become the 636.925.1657 Border Wars Track Championship, a friendly, yet serious competition between Ozark Association and Missouri Valley Association. With a large turnout for the first of what will be an annual competition, over 750 athletes attended. Ozark was represented well by youth teams from the St. Louis Storm, U. City Explosion. St. Louis Express, and Kirkwood Track Club. The Open division saw Alex Weathersby and Porsha Grady take 1st and 2nd in the 800, and Alex competed in her first steeplechase. Both Brittany Riley and Sara Stadnich competed in the hammer. The Masters division was represented on the women’s side by Myrle Mensey who threw both shot and discus and the men’s division had David Angel taking second in pole vault and Eugene Anton , Ernie Snodgrass and Ed Wyatt taking part in just about everything but distance races- hurdles, relays, open sprints, shot and discus. Masters Results Even though lightly attended, our Ozark Masters Association Championship meet was reported a great success by all. Twelve Association officials volunteered their time to officiate the meet for forty athletes competing in almost 90 events – most athletes also chipped in to help where they could creating a wonderful environment for all. Results included a National Record achieved by Myrle Mensey in the Super Weight Throw besting her previous record by almost 2’ 7”.

Ozark’s first Indoor Season hosted over 400 youth and masters athletes during 4 meets at Principia College. Principia College has been nothing but gracious and a god-send. Our Association has committed to host another 4 indoor meets at Principia in the 2013 season again kicking off in December. Our goal is to double this year’s indoor’s attendance. As our efforts to provide opportunities for competition are purely through volunteer efforts we welcome any and all assistance.

In addition, Ozark members have scheduled 11 outdoor meets April through July including our 2nd Annual “Border Challenge.” Last year the Challenge meet had approximately 450 athletes in attendance. Co-hosts Ozark and Missouri Valley are expanding the challenge to all 8 bordering Associations in a 2-day competition June 9th and 10th held at Saint Louis University’s brand new track. The meet will be open to youth, disabled, open, and master athletes. We also intend to continue our successful “Throws Series” again this summer.

Officials Our 2012 local, national & international competitions have seen and will continue to see many of our local officials. Bob Nichols has been seen at just about every race from youth to collegiate to masters races. He worked at Junior Nationals, NAIAs, Border Challenge and he will finish the year at the USATF JOs.These meets provide experiences necessary to help all officials grow their knowledge base and guarantee a fair playing field for all athletes.

Other officials that have been extremely active are Bonnie Bell and both Ed and Peggy Rowold as they have helped at a number of the collegiate and masters meets in the Mid- Missouri area. Several Ozark officials, including Tom and Sherry Hott, have been selected to work the 2012 Olympic Trials. Tish Hanna was invited to the IAAF Level II Race Walk testing course where she was asked to serve on the IAAF Level II Panel with 5 other English speaking officials. She officiated at the USATF Olympic Trials and the NACAC Under 23 Championships in Mexico this summer. She will also finish her season at USATF JOs. A nominating committee consisting of Ed Rowold, Bob Nichols, and Pat Fontane was appointed for the 2012 elections in October. A Banquet Organizing Committee was appointed consisting of Bonnie Bell, Peggy Rowold, and Carolyn Spencer to organize the 2012 Official’s Banquet. After discussion, the Association determined to review the Official’s Committee Operating Procedures. A committee of Tom Hott, Peggy Rowold, and Eileen Morris was appointed to do that review and have it ready at our Fall meeting. The Officials Committee also added a requirement to the recertification – All Officials must work at least 12 meets within the USATF Ozark boundaries each Olympiad and 8 of the meets must have been Ozark Association Championships in some discipline (track, rw, cross country, etc). Tom Hott conducted a brief rules review. Rules information and general procedures for certification and recertification are available at http://www.usatf.org/Resources-for---/Officials.aspx

Recertification procedures and fees: Recertification will start in November of 2012. Clinics will be set up in November 2012, January 2013 and March 2013 for recertification only. The fee is $35 plus $15 for the Officials Association. Before coming to recertification, be sure you have: 1) 2013 USATF membership (can start buying them November 1, 2012) and have the number 2) Resume` of meets worked over the Olympiad (don’t stress if you don’t remember all, but include Association Championships and any out of association meets). 3) Letters of recommendation from Master Official you have worked with if you want to upgrade your certification level. You need two letters for upgrading to National, three for upgrading to Masters.

At the certification clinic, you will take a rule reviews for the areas for which you will be certified. We haven’t seen the rule reviews yet, but they are to be shorter; but if you are certified for track and field as well as long distance running events you will do a track and field rule review and a long distance running rule review. Clinics will run from 6:00 to 9 or 9:30 depending on where they are held.

Requirements to be eligible to recertify: 1) have worked meets during the Olympiad 2) To upgrade to National – must work 10 meets, two out of association regional or higher and have two recommendations; 3) To upgrade to Master – must work 12 meets, two out of association regional or higher and have three recommendations. 4) If just recertifying, not upgrading then have just worked the 8 meets described above.

A clinic schedule and a list of needed materials will be provided prior to October so you can plan.

2012 OZARK SUMMER TRACK SCHEDULE May 6 Webster Rockets Hixon Middle School May 13 U City Explosion U City High School May 20 Jets Invitational (AAU) Festus HS May 27 Police Athletic League St Louis University June 2 Kirkwood Kirkwood HS June 9,10 Border Wars St Louis University June 15-17 USATF Junior Nationals Indiana University June 15-17 AAU Qualifier U City High School June 23—24 USATF Association Parkway Central High School June 26-July 1 USATF Youth Outdoor Arlington, TX June 28-July 1 AAU National Qualifier U City High School July 5-12 USATF Region IX Lawrence, KS July 14-15 Herbert Hoover TBA July 24-29 USATF JOs Baltimore, MD July 28-Aug 4 AAU JOs Houston, TX

Any meet directors of these meets can submit highlights of their meets, especially, Association, Regional & National meets.

Race Walk Club of St. Louis Race Walk Club has had a very busy, exciting year from races to clinics. The RW club just finished its six-week summer series with a picnic finale. The fastest male and female walkers of the series are Bob Nichols and Nancy Sido. The most improved walkers (based on time comparison from the 2011 series) are Bria Savoy and Andy Bourey. The club held its first 5K of the year on Sunday, April 22 as a qualifier for NAIA Nationals for those collegiates still looking for the “A” or “B” standard.

One of our newly located athletes did not need the opportunity. Alex Chavez, a freshman at Missouri Baptist University Nationals at Indiana University where he has just come off his NAIA National 5K competed mid June. Another walker soon Racewalk win in March. From there, the 15 to enter St. Louis & Missouri Baptist is time All American went to the University Nick Christie from El Cajon, California. of Oregon, accompanied by his coach, Tish After only race walking a year, Nick not Hanna, to compete in the IAAF World Race only qualified for the Olympic Trials but he Walk Cup Trials. His first place in the 10K finished 3rd with a 2 minute PR. He went o there qualified him for the US team the following week to a 4th place finish in traveling to Saransk, Russia May 8-14. Mexico at NACAC under 23. Coach Hanna is the US Junior Team Coach and will therefore be there with him. These victories also qualified him for Jr. The Race Walk Club of St. Louis had a full schedule of clinics and races all summer and fall. The final summer walks are the Tower Grove Park Dog Days 5Ks on August 12 & 18 at 8AM.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Congratulations to Ozarks newest Olympians: Mike Rogers: alternate on the relays Brittany Borman: Javelin- winner of the Olympic Trials & a top contender for a gold medal! Dawn Harper: 1st in 100H, another top contender for a gold!

Safe Travels & remember we are behind you!!

FINAL NOTES:

Dates to remember: August 28 6:30 p.m. Harris Stowe Library Youth meeting and elections September 19 7:00 p.m. Florissant Valley County Library Association Annual meeting and elections

Voting for all officers will take place in both the Aug. 28 Youth meeting and September 19 Annual Meeting. Ozark USATF by laws require that all of those planning on voting MUST have their USATF membership by August 1.