Volume 98 | March 2019 Dow nload a PDF of this new sletter here! OTC Annual Meeting ​​Delivers a Packed Program A large crowd of OTC members and guests were treated to a wide-ranging update on the people, places, and events in TrackTown USA at the OTC Annual Dinner and Business Meeting held February 12 in the Autzen Stadium Club Room. The audience of approximately 250 was reminded several times about the unique role Eugene/Springfield plays in the sport of track and field. More than one speaker stressed the influence TrackTown has on the sport of track and field in the U.S. and internationally. The evening’s highlights included the presentation of the Brathwaite and Reske Awards. Read the full article Neil de Vos, left, and OTC President Kevin Marbury. De Vos was the keynote speaker at the OTC Annual Dinner. Nike Store Benefit Available in 2019 Eligible Oregon Track Club members can shop the Nike Company Store in Beaverton in 2019. OTC members can visit the store in June and in October. The Nike store offers substantial discounts on a wide range of Nike products. Access to the store is one of the Club’s most popular benefits and has to be earned by Club members. Here are the two ways you can become eligible to visit the store: Read the full article Stanford University Will Host the Pre Classic The director of the OTC Nike Prefontaine Classic, Tom Jordan, recently announced the 2019 Prefontaine Classic will be held at Stanford University due to the Hayward Field construction. Jordan pointed out that he conducted an exhaustive search for a meet location in Oregon and throughout the west coast, including Canada. Stanford’s Cobb Track and Angell Field will be the venue for this year’s 45th Prefontaine Classic/IAAF Diamond League meet on Sunday, June 30. The Oregon Track Club founded the Prefontaine Classic in 1975. The meet is now the longest- running outdoor invitational track and field meet in America and the only meet in the prestigious IAAF Diamond League series that is held in the Western Hemisphere. The OTC will again proudly host the Prefontaine Classic in 2020 at the new Hayward Field. Tickets for the 45th annual Prefontaine Classic will be available to the general public in mid-March. Past Pre Classic purchasers, University of Oregon season ticket holders, and current OTC members will receive a pre-sale opportunity via email in advance of the public sale. Three New Members Join the OTC Board The 2019 OTC Board of Directors has three new members. Here are the new members and their brief profiles. A list of the entire 2019 Board is posted below the profiles. Read the full article OTC Run/Walk Set for March 14 A reminder that the first OTC Run/Walk of 2019 is Thursday, March 14 at Alton Baker Park. The 5K is on the paved bike path and starts at 6:00 p.m. Stop by the two park shelters starting at 5:00 p.m. for registration and/or to renew your OTC membership for 2019. Run/Walk registration is free for OTC members and $5 for non-members. Save time by registering online here. All ages and abilities are welcome: runners, walkers, joggers, dogs on leashes and people with strollers and headphones. Refreshments and random prizes will be available courtesy of Eclectic Edge Racing, Bigfoot Beverages, Track Town Pizza, Run Hub Northwest, Oakshire Brewing, and RBC Wealth Management. Volunteers are needed to help with registration and the finish line. If you would like to help, contact Celeste Kuta at [email protected]. Lananna Remains on Administrative Leave The USA Track and Field (USATF) Board of Directors recently met and decided not to reinstate Vin Lananna as president of the organization. Lananna has been on forced “temporary administrative leave” for over a year. The board’s decision means Lananna’s status will now be decided by a formal grievance process. Lananna reluctantly filed the grievance when faced with a filing deadline. Lananna was elected to a four year term as president of USATF at the organization’s annual meeting in December, 2016. The USATF is the sport’s national governing body. On February 18, 2018, the USATF Board of Directors placed Lananna on a controversial administrative leave, until either: the federal investigation (in reference to the awarding of the 2021 IAAF World Championships) was concluded; or federal authorities confirmed that neither TrackTown USA nor Lananna engaged in any improper conduct. The board upheld the forced leave at a meeting in June 2018. The board’s action also involved a perceived conflict of interest in Lananna’s roles as president of both TrackTown and USATF. Lananna voluntarily resigned as president of TrackTown USA in July, 2018. He also stepped down from his position as chair of the Oregon21 organizing committee. Critics of the decision say there is no indication Lananna is a target of the investigation, and the decision is a way for the board to go around the will of the USATF membership. Lananna and TrackTown USA have not been accused of wrongdoing or charged with any misconduct. Lananna, an OTC Board member, has pointed out he is simply a cooperating witness in the investigation. A large number of athletes, coaches, and USATF members have urged the USATF to reinstate Lananna. Survey Results Positive, Helpful Thank you to all the OTC members who completed the recent OTC newsletter survey. Your comments about the newsletter were overwhelmingly positive and encouraging. The newsletter team and the OTC Executive Committee are carefully reviewing the survey results. They are especially focused on your suggestions and ideas on how to improve this publication. The winners of our drawing for three gift certificates will be contacted soon. Again, thank you for being a loyal reader and your survey feedback. Catherine and Joseph Calbreath recently visited Vietnam. The longtime OTC members and track and field officials found the country fascinating and enjoyed learning about the country, people, and history. Joseph was stationed in Phan Rang, South Vietnam 49 years ago and wanted to see how the people had recovered from the war. They were pleasantly surprised and rewarded. The photo was taken at the Cat Ba National Park in northern Vietnam. Send Us Your “Where in the World” Photo with YOU in it. Tell us who is in the photo, location, and other details that might be of interest. If possible, wear your OTC branded gear in the picture or other TrackTown related apparel. Send your photo to: Phil Sutton, [email protected]. Out of the Blocks: Inspiration and Perspiration By Kevin Marbury, OTC President Happy March! A number of years ago, as I was leaving one job for another, one of my student employees said to me, “You have been an incredible source of inspiration for me while I have been an incredible source of perspiration for you!” What I believe the young man was trying to say was that he felt like he had received much from me, but he had caused me a great deal of stress and taken more than he gave. I was honored that he felt that way; but in retrospect, I now realize perhaps there was more to that statement than I first understood. Kevin Marbury Read the full article TrackTown Youth League To Announce Schedule The TrackTown Youth League, presented by Providence Sports Medicine, is a series of free all-comer track meets across Oregon. The series is open to boys and girls ages 7-14. The Youth League has a full 2019 season with 16 regional meets culminating in a championship meet! This year’s regional meets will kick off in mid-April, and continue through mid- June. Locations include Newberg, North Portland, Hood River, Coos Bay, Willamina, Hillsboro, Medford, La Grande, Warrenton, Salem, East Portland, Klamath Falls, Bend, Hermiston, Prairie City, and Eugene. The championship meet will be hosted at an alternate venue in the Eugene region due to the construction at Hayward Field. The final date and location will be announced in March. The full Youth League meet schedule will be posted in mid-March on the TTYL website. Your Guide to Surviving ​​the 2019 Track & Field Season There are no track and field meets at Hayward Field this year because the new stadium is being built. What is a track and field fan supposed to do? Well, the OTC newsletter team has created a free Fan Survival Guide for fans craving to see outdoor meets in 2019. This year is a perfect opportunity to explore other track and field events and venues. How about the Titian Track and Field program at Lane Community College (LCC)? Have you been to Whyte Field, the track and field venue at Oregon State University (OSU)? When was the last time you attended a high school meet? There are eleven high schools in the Eugene/Springfield area that have a track and field program. LCC is located close by. The OSU campus is a short drive north. Go here to see the 2019 Track and Field Fan Survival Guide. Harvey Lewellen Throws “Stuff” By Don McLean Harvey Lewellen, a newly minted 90 year-old (February birthday), was born in Marshfield, OR (now Coos Bay). He lived in Myrtle Point until 1963, then moved to Springfield. He played every sport in high school at the highest level. Lewellen worked in the logging industry at the uppermost positions, including as a tree topper at 200 feet. In later life, he decided to get back to track and field, a sport he enjoyed in high school.