USATF Coaches Education Meltdown

Asleep in Boise wrote:

This is a very interesting case study in "Is it the curriculum or is it the instructor?". Where is the true educational value in this or any education system? USATF will probably claim ownership of all the written materials, but the delivery and the way it is taught is owned by the instructors. With just about every instructor gone it would seem, can the curriculum live on anyway? This is a progressive piece of work since 1982, could USATF really abandon it for a new haphazzard curriculum set up by reductionists, e.g. coaches/instructors who have had one good athlete, but tell good stories?

USATF will absolutely take ownership of all materials used, and I am sure their lawyers will aggressively pursue anyone who tries to use any of it outside of USATF.

Many years ago, the head of USATF pole vault development wrote a nice, simple, illustrated document on basic learning progressions in the pole vault. The intent was never to make anyone money, simply to improve safety within our event.

Fast forward to the 21st century, a non-profit website devoted to pole vault education (not mine) posted this document. USATFs lawyers went after them and demanded they take it down. It is not available via USATF or their website or anywhere else online.

I would think it's in USATF's best interest to do everything they can to support pole vault safety, considering that kids sometimes DIE when they do it wrong (in fact USATF recently lost a big lawsuit from a kid who was paralyzed at a USATF JO meet, though it really wasn't USATF's fault). But I guess protecting their copyright is more important.

Either Boo is running the next Jonestown and has Kool-Aid all stirred up in a big jug down on the Delta or I do not know what is going on. When Troy Engel has a nice opportunity and declines there must be some real issues with all of the instructors and USATF. At first I just thought it was just Boo and of course Corn. Now it literally is EVERYBODY. What the hell is going on. I am sick of vague press releases, level 2 registration going on like nothing ever happened, and no reliable leaks from the instructors.....none of them. What the hell happened I repeat?

Typical and you better believe Terry Crawford is going to take this to the extreme. Chase off the people who built the program and then steal the work of those dedicated curriculum writers and teachers. I wouldn't be surprised if she removes an credit for who wrote the curriculums.

I'd love to take the Level II class. But at $900, it's cost prohibitive for me. I'm a HS coach, work outside the school at a job that has no connection to coaching and thus would not be able to request any professional development money, make $30K a year, and spend most of my coaching stipend on the team itself because the school won't buy things we need. If it were maybe 1/2 thaqt cost I could make a case, but....

Hey Poor HS Coach there are 6 good reasons to find the 900 dollars. Hold it, those 6 are not part of USATF anymore. Spend $50 for a 2004 USATF hoody and save the rest of your money.

This.

hahahahhahaaha

The guys who quit are about the advancement of the sport in the United States. USATF is about money and control. USATF incrementally and continuously starved the CE program of funding, all while demanding more from them "or else." The instructors finally said "or else what???" and called the bluff. There is no Boo Kool Aid. These guys gave their life's work to USATF essentially for free. In return USATF has taken a crap on them and had the nerve to act surprised when the CE group didn't say "thank you sir, may I have another?"

Here's to hoping the USOC deals with USATF as they should be dealt with. Pull the funding and reorganize. Throw the bastards out.

Yeah, I guess I could just skip my house mortgage or repaying my student loan, and I don't really need my car or electric, and food is over-rated. Really, I mean a piece of paper that won't advance my career, increase my pay, or even be recognized by any of my employers is much more meaningful than any of those things. I have my M.S. in Exercise Science, have been publishing papers in refereed journal in Physiology research for several years, have attended several clinics with Vigil, Simmons, Winkler, et al, and have several all-state perforfmers. My point, not sure I have one, other than that I would like to attend one of these things, but I do my best through other activities to supplement my education and experience, but the Level II just won;t fit within my budget.

You have your $%&$#% together more than 99% of coaches do. Good luck to you.

It is humorous when reading all of this crap. THERE IS NOT ANYTHING TO LEARN AT THESE CLINICS. Especially in the distance events. How many of the greatest coaches picked up their knowledge from a USATF coaching clinic? ZERO. It is all about certification. It has nothing to do with knowledge.

[quote]Class of 75 wrote:

It is humorous when reading all of this crap. THERE IS NOT ANYTHING TO LEARN AT THESE CLINICS. "

They are not clinics and there is a lot to learn at all of them if you come to them with an open mind.

I have taken all event areas and ITC. I would not be able to do what I have with out those schools.

The first year I took jumps with Boo, Coach V and Keba. I learned a tremendous amount from them. Because of what I learned there, I was able to teach a sophomore in college who never did track to high jump and 6 weeks later he qualified for the NCAA meet at 6-10. I could not believe the amount of respect Boo had for anyone wiling to coach and all the events - Including the walk. Thank you Boo, Jim and Keba.

The next year I took throws. I took that because I had a young man coming to my school who threw the discus 168 feet and shot 49. Since I didn't know much about the throws, I choose to LEARN something new from people who were better at then I was. Yes, Mike and Larry Judge were stern and difficult teachers, but whatever else you may want to say, they are GOOD teachers. And I learned. Now all of my throwers improve every year and whether they throw far or not they throw right. And that young man? Well he is throwing 54-10 this year for the shot and has improved every year and he is now taking his level 1 this spring. He went from 42 feet as a freshman in his first meet to 54-10 and it was not because of me. It is because of what I was taught. Thank you Dr. Larry judge and Coach Mike Judge. And Coach Mike Turk for making me feel like I was not an idiot even if I was.

The third year I took Combined events with Rock and Glen. Glen was a long time Division Two coach and brought things down to that level. Rock's insight were invaluable in ways that took me a year to understand. The understanding of training combination's and management of a complex endeavor were invaluable. Thank you Rock and Thank you Glen.

That year I also took ITC. Thank you Professor. Dave and Matt and Dave Bellars you did such a good job you helped me become a better teacher for my athletes and in my English class.

The next year I took sprints. By this time, and after having taken jumps the curriculum was not that hard. But I learned from Tom's valuable experience and I began to understand and truly be able to use terminologies that made sense. Thank you Tom.

The last year I took Endurance. I am an endurance coach. I was an elite racewalker. I have been coaching for nearly 20 years now. I know a lot. I LEARNED MORE! I learned so much from Al and Houston and that Mike Smith is a heck of coach and teacher. Finally understanding the VO2 tables has been such a help to my athletes and my program. I am a better distance coach now then I was. Thank you Al, Houston and Mike.

Oh and I was the guy who was asked to teach the walk this year and it has been covered every year before too. I was asked because I had completed the ITC (Instructor training course)and because I had experience with the event. I was humbled and honored to have helped out. Al asked me, he said, so that the students of the class would have the best experience possible. That was his only concern. I hope I did a good job and for the guy who thinks the event is still ridiculous good for you. I ask only you respect the human achievement of it - and if you don't want anything to do with it fine, but don't try to stop those who want to coach the event from being able too.

And last. Thank you Mike Corn and your staff. For what it is was worth every level 2 school was wonderfully done.

As for the melt down. I don't know anything to add here. But what I do know is the schools were worth it. They made me a better coach and will make almost anyone better and they are worth the cost. But then... I went there to learn and I checked my ego at the door and as did as Boo instructed us all. I because a STUDENT again and it was not that horrible to do so.

Mike Rohl

Head Coach Mansfield University

Level 2 Sprints, Jumps, Throws, Combined Events, Endurance, ITC

I think everyone you mentioned in your post as an instructor has now resigned by the looks of it. You might need to expect a call from USATF to teach all of the curriculums this year.

I appreciate your long winded response. However, the top coaches in the country see this as a waste of time. I want to hear how many of the coaches of Olympians feel that what they picked up at these classes had anything to do with it.

Class of 75 wrote:

I appreciate your long winded response. However, the top coaches in the country see this as a waste of time. I want to hear how many of the coaches of Olympians feel that what they picked up at these classes had anything to do with it.

I want to hear what top coaches of Olympians consider this a waste of time.

Please do tell us what"high level" coaches see it as a waste of time...

When I taught my first Level I class in New England back in 1988 or so there were at least a dozen college coaches in the audience and at least 3-4 were from big time (Northeast)programs. They all felt that it was important that we were all on the same sheet of music as far as basic understandings, terminology, etc. It was also understood at that time that Certification would be required for all coaching positions including international team assignments. Unfortunately, USATF never followed up on this.

Over the years, I have been to several Level II classes and taught at a number of Level I's. All were attended by a nice mix of youth, high school and collegiate coaches. My Level II class at BYU had a 50-50 mix of college and high school coaches.

Class of 75 implies that learning anything about evolution from someone other than Charles Darwin is a "waste of time", as is learning DNA from anyone other than Watson and Crick or bacteriology from anyone other than Louis Pasteur. He also implies that this would be the case whether you are at an intermediate level of knowledge or Ph D level. Speaking for "coaches of Olympians" when you may not be one yourself is a curious stand to take.

I think the point of "class of 75" is how effective is the teaching?

The vast majority of our best coaches, particularly in the distance field, are not USATF certified coaches.

Perhaps the coaching certification model isn't teaching the right stuff? Or maybe it stifles creativity or coaching in a different way.

I'm not sure, but the fact remains that most of the coaches having success at the international and national level did not come through the coaching certification system.

The only national level coach I can think of who has a Cert. is McMillan.

Lannana, Salazar, Hudson, Robert Gary, Terrence Mahon, Jerry Schumacher, Pete Rea,etc. Correct me if I'm wrong.

The SINGLE purpose of USATF Coaching Education is to get USA athletes on the podium at the Olympics, and I repeat single purpose. This is why the USOC requires it. With that in mind the list of coaches you mentioned, numbering what, maybe a dozen or two, take the athlete the final step to the podium. It is the other 25,000 track and field coaches in this country that build the critical mass of talent to "hand-off" to the mentioned coaches. Level 2 is, and was designed to be for that purpose, it is to make solid, motivated high school and help inexperienced collegiate coaches better coaches in order to accomplish this. The Podium Projects and Level 3 are scientists talking to the Vinnys and the Jerrys to help them make that final step. People can throw all sorts of stones at the model, but that is the way Vern and Joe and others designed it.