2014 Triple Run Series

Father Damine is thinking "I am just siting here enjoying the weather with my family." Little David is thinking, "I am cool!" Daniel is thinking, "I am tired of sitting here. When can I run?" Mother Stephanie is thinking, "Oh, you are going to take my picture. Let me look cute!"

Family Track and Field History

In April 1992, nine year old Stephanie came home from school and told me that she wanted to participate in Track and Field. I did not know anything about Track and Field outside of the public schools and I did not know at the time that girls ran track.  So I had to search for someone who knew something about it.  In May 1992 she ran in the Hershey Track and Field Program, running the 400 Meter Run.

In June 1992, Stephanie entered her first AAU Meet, running the 400 Meter and 800 Meter Runs. Stephanie went on to rank 11th in the nation in the 80 Meter Hurtles in 1995 and 20th in the nation in the 100 Meter Hurtles in 1997.

 

Her son Daniel started at 5 years old in USATF by going to the Cross Country 2K National Championships in 2012 ranking 57th. In 2013, Daniel ran in the USATF Indoor National Championships ranking 6th in the Nation in the 1500 Meter Run, 9th in both the 800 Meter Run and Long Jump.

 

AAU -- Territory includes:  New Jersey, (south of Mercer and Monmouth County); all of the State of Delaware and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, (east of and including Bedford, Centre, Clinton and Potter Counties). The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.

 

The Amateur Athletic Union offers participants sports teams in their local community that they can join and compete with other athletes their own age. There are teams in most sports ranging from 9 years old to 18 years old, allowing children to play for championships in sports against other children similar in age and athletic development.

The AAU offers sports teams in:

Aerobics	Jumprope
Athletics	Lacrosse
Badminton	Martial Arts
Baseball	Soccer
Basketball	Softball
Baton Twirling	Surfing
Beach Volleyball	Swimming and Diving
Bowling	Table Tennis
Cheerleading	Taekwondo Trampoline and Tumbling
Dance	Volleyball
Football and Flag football	Water Polo
Powerlifting	Olympic weightlifting
Gymnastics	Wrestling
Hockey	AAU Junior Olympic Games
Golf

 

USA Track & Field (USATF) is the United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running and racewalking (known as the sport of athletics outside the US). The USATF was known for a number of years as The Athletics Congress (TAC) after its spin off from the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), which governed the sport in the US through most of the 20th century until the Amateur Sports Act of 1978 dissolved its responsibility.

USA Track & Field is the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) member federation in the United States. USATF is a member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and selects teams for Olympic and Pan American Games competitions. To select the athletes for the Olympic Games, every Olympiad USATF conducts the Olympic Trials.

USATF also has membership in, or close affiliations with, the NCAA, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA), Running USA, and many community-based and disabled sports organizations.

Many of the nearly 100,000 Americans members of USATF participate in athletics competitions through one of the thousands of clubs established in all 50 states. While most of these members participate as athletes, coaches, officials and supporters of athletics at the grass roots level, elite athletes who represent the USA in international competition are also required to be members of USATF. USATF also has 57 Associations to promote the sport locally, and membership in USATF also constitutes membership in a local association, with the dues being divided between the national and local group.

The Hershey Track & Field Program introduces children between the ages of 9 and 14 to physical fitness through basic track and field events, encouraging them to be the best they possibly can be. It began in 1975 as a playground track and field meet; the Hershey Youth Program has become the largest youth sports program of its kind in North America. Over 400,000 children participate in the program yearly, representing over 3,000 communities across the United States and Canada.

The program is conducted on both a recreational and education level, and teaches children basic running, jumping and throwing skills in an event which stresses FUN rather than competition.

It is the largest youth sports program of its kind in the United States and Canada, featuring the 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 and 4x100 meter runs, standing long jump and softball throw. 

How the money is spent

Before l go on about Daniel, I want to tell you about sports finances. AAU and USATF have expenses. Very little is donated to these organizations to pay for expenses. A friend just came back from the Washington DC area complaining about how much money her friend is paying for their children to play AAU basketball, $250 to $300 per weekend. It cost $25 for the weekend to see them play. One day was $15. Most of that money goes toward getting the many gyms for the games. Someone has to pay for officials and for medical people standing by.  

At Daniel's AAU track meet in the Harrisburg suburbs this weekend AAU had to pay for the use of the track. AAU wanted to get the track at the University of Pennsylvania. The university  wanted $28,000 for the weekend. That was not going to work financially for the members. AAU had to pay for timers and officials. They had to pay for equipment and medical personal. Here is why spectators had to pay a fee of around $20 to get in and athletes had to pay $6.00 per event.  Nothing is free. This is why athletes have to raise money for travel expenses and for equipment. 

For example, a Javelin cost from $50 to $250. A discus cost  up to $60.00. An athlete's traveling expenses would include meals, travel, and fees. Depending where the event takes place, it could cost anywhere from $100 next door to your home to $2,000 on the other side of the country.  International  competition can cost over  $5,000.

So next time you want to know what these organizations and your athletes are doing with the money, think about what I just told you.  

Daniel after running the 400 Meter Run late morning at the Hershey meet in Palmyra, Pa.

 

 

Saturday Morning June 14, 2014

 

The morning of Saturday June 14, Daniel ran the 1500 Meter in the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), 2014 AAU Mid-Atlantic District Qualifier Track&Field Championship  at Bishop McDevitt HS. Harrisburg, Pa. 17111. This event was sanctioned by the Amateur Athletic Union of the U. S., Inc. 

 

Daniel finished with a time of 6 Minutes 11.30 Seconds.  You may have heard me say that Daniel did not qualify to move on to the next level in this race. I was wrong.  Daniel is in so many programs that I am starting to get my rules mixed up. Each program has their own rules for advancement to the next level. Daniel came in 7th. The first 16 finishers move on to the next  level, running in the AAU REGION 2 AAU NATIONAL QUALIFIER on June 28th and 29th.   

 

We left the AAU meet for the day and traveled to the Hershey Track and Field Program in Palmyra, Pa. were Daniel already advanced to the District Level in the 400 Meter Run. But his advancement ended here for Hershey, coming in 3rd in his heat with a time of 1 Minute 27 Seconds. and not finishing in the top 6 finishers. The 400 Meter run is his weakest event and only the top 2 or 3 finishers advance to the Hershey State Meet at Penn State, Centre County.

 

Sunday Morning, June 15, 2014

By 10:00 AM Sunday, Coach Andrew Lofton of the St. Luke Spirit Track Club, Stephanie, and I talked to Daniel about his running pace. Basically, if Daniel is not crossing the finish line half dead then he is not running a good race. To many times, he is crossing the finish line ready to go play. That means that he has too much energy left at the end of the race. We want this energy used up in the race. 

When he ran the 800 Meter Run, his performance improved. When he was done, he looked tired.  

Daniel ran the 800 Meters with a time of 3 Minutes 5.28 Seconds placing 16th. We did not think that he would qualify in this race. We had him down as placing 20th to 22nd. But that extra effort set him up to fight another day.  

 

Sunday June 22, 2014

 Daniel will run in the 2014 USATF Mid-Atlantic Association Junior Olympic Track and Field Championships at Widener University, Chester, Pa. He will run the 1500 Meter and the 800 Meter Run. The top 6 finishers will advance to the USATF Region 2 Championships.