Meet Management

BOSTON PREPS FOR 2006 INDOOR NATIONALS

After a year away in Boise, the USATF National Masters Indoor Championships return to Boston for the ninth time since 1997 (and 11th time overall). The meet will open on Friday March 24th at 9:00 am with the men's and women's pentathlon and conclude on Sunday, March 26, with the 4 x 400m relay. The Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center, which has produced literally hundreds of masters world and US indoor records in past meets, should see continued alterations of the record book in 2006 as the track has been resurfaced. An expected 800 competitors are expected for the event which will be hosted and managed by the New England Association of USATF.

M-F Athletics, sponsor of the throwing events since 1998, is again on board for the 2006 meet.

EVENT HISTORY

The year 2006 presents the 11th time that the Championships will be held in New England, the first time being the inaugural US Masters meet at Tufts University in Medford, MA in 1976. The second running in the area, at M.I.T. in Cambridge in 1981, had approximately 200 participants. Those numbers have now quadrupled as the meet has been a regular visitor at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center. Meet management in 1997, 1999, and 2001 was by TRACS, Inc. The 1998, 2000, and 2002 through 2004 meets were directed by USA Track & Field - New England.
The meet will be back in Boston in 2008 (after 2007 in New York City).

DEMOGRAPHICS and COMPETITION

This will be the largest indoor track and field competition for masters in the USA. Master athletes range in age from 30 to potentially 100 plus years (2002 was the first year with a 100 year old competitor indoors) and compete in 5-year age groups. A full complement of track and field events, with a total of 17 events and the pentathlon, contested by both men and women.

Several surveys conducted among masters competitors have shown that more than 80% of these athletes are college graduates, and nearly 50% having obtained an advanced degree. Participants through the years in Boston have represented all 50 states, Bermuda, Canada, Mexico, Great Britain, and Israel, among other countries.

HOST ORGANIZATION

USA Track & Field - New England (USATF-NE) is a non-profit organization, dedicated to the promotion, development, and improvement of athletic and fitness programs in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Vermont. USATF-NE is the local association of USA Track and Field, the governing body for the sports of amateur athletics, i.e., track & field, distance running, race walking, cross country, and mountain, ultra, & trail running in the USA. As one of 57 local associations in the country, it ranks in the top five in number of individual members, member clubs, and sanctioned events.

Other major events hosted by USATF-NE or organized within the New England Association recently include:

• National Cross Country Championships in 1984, 1991, 1995, and 2000, organized by the Association in conjunction with Boston's Parks & Recreation Department, as well as several other USA masters cross country championships.
• World Cross Country Championships and World Masters Invitational in 1992, organized by Boston's Parks & Recreation Department in conjunction with the Association
• National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships in 1993 and 2005, organized in Rhode Island in conjunction with the New England Association
• USA One Hour / Two Hour and USA 15K Race Walking Championships, organized by the New England Walkers (a USATF-NE Club) for most of the past 20 years.
• USA National Women's Long Distance Running 10 Km Championships in Boston, and 5 Km Championships in Providence.

MEET MANAGEMENT

OFFICIALS

Regional and national level certified officials will officiate at the meet. Several officials have officiated at the Olympic Games, and most have officiated at other Masters National Championships or other major national events.

VOLUNTEERS

Volunteer services will be provided by members of many of the Association's clubs and by individual USATF-NE members.