About USATF Georgia
USA Track & Field Georgia (USATFGA) is the State Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in Georgia. USATFGA encompasses the state’s oldest organized sports, the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the #1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than several thousand adult runners in Georgia. Led by President Ian Dube and the Board of Directors, USATFGA is a volunteer-driven, not-for-profit organization.
Mission
USA Track & Field drives competitive excellence and popular engagement in our sport.
A Sport for Everyone ... For Life!
When we say that USATFGA is a "Sport for Everyone ... For Life," we mean exactly that. Just a few of the ways we serve our sport include:
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Establishing grassroots programs, such as the Junior Olympics, to help develop future stars who will follow in the footsteps of the many Georgia elite athletes.
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Developing, selecting and leading Team Georgia – soon to be the nation’s number one team.
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Promoting programs of training and competition for men and women and boys and girls of all ages.
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Establishing and enforcing the rules and regulations of our sport.
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Sanctioning more than 100 events each year.
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Providing insurance to sanctioned events, member clubs and member-athletes.
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Certifying race courses for accuracy and validating records.
Nearly 3000 Americans are members of USATFGA. Our 107 active member clubs include the Atlanta Track Club with 60,000 participants in one race alone (The Peachtree Road Race), and the Georgia Games Organization. Our clubs support all track and field including Race Walking.
Pushing Ahead
Although our sport traces its roots back to ancient Greece, USATFGA is on a mission to put track and field at the cutting edge of the 21st-century sports scene. In 1999, USATFGA participated in a series of elite competitions that gave American athletes what they've requested for years - to compete at home, to receive increased television and other media coverage, and to be paid significant prize money based on performance. The Visa Championship Series is now an incredible success with athletes and fans alike.
Reaching Out
USA Track & Field Georgia reaches out to the community. In 2010 USATFGA reached out to help feed the hungry in Georgia. In 2003, USATF launched its ZERO TOLERANCE policy, featuring a comprehensive anti-drug messaging plan that calls for lifetime bans of steroid cheats. One of its main tenants is to educate athletes, coaches and officials on all levels about the dangers of drug use, and to spread the message that drug use is morally wrong - and cheaters will be caught.
To help deliver that message, beginning in 2004 USATF joined with the American College of Sports Medicine to launch an elite athlete outreach program, now called "Win with Integrity." At each Visa Championship Series stop, and at other events around the country, USATF's star athletes speak with local schools and community centers about the importance of fitness, a healthy lifestyle, living with integrity -- including a drug-free life -- and setting goals. To date, thousands of children have been reached in person with more than a million being exposed to "Win with Integrity" through television messaging. "Win with Integrity" has been enthusiastically embraced by USATF athletes and the students to whom they speak and is a key component of the rich history of voluntarism displayed by Team USA.
Education
USATFGA conducts instructional programs such as Coaching Education courses, designed to elevate and standardize the level of coaching across the country. More than 14,000 coaches have been educated under USATF programs. Athlete clinics are held nation.wide, covering a wide range of disciplines, from race walking to pole vault. Activities such as Cultural Exchange trips and Association Workshops allow our members opportunities to share ideas and information.
USATFGA Annual Meeting
Traditionally held the month of December it brings together more than 400 sport's officials, coaches, administrators, athletes and supporters. The yearly gathering serves as a forum to chart the future of our sport by considering policy changes, selecting Championship meet sites, and electing state officers. It is a forum where the individual's voice can be heard.
But it is not all business. The Annual Meeting also gives us the opportunity to recognize the achievements of our sport's volunteers and athletes. Each year, USATFGA inducts a new class into the Georgia Track & Field Hall of Fame and makes presentations for year-end award winners, including the President’s award giving to those individuals who have contributed beyond everyone else.
Members attending the Annual Meeting have the opportunity to meet Georgia’s sport’s top stars. USATFGA's Expo Show at the Annual Meeting offers local sponsors, equipment suppliers, book and magazine publishers, committees, travel bureaus, local sports commissions and other groups the opportunity to showcase their organizations and products in front of the state’s largest gathering of track and field conventioneers.
"Card-carrying" members of USATF receive an array of Member Benefits, including insurance benefits, discounts on subscriptions to track and field and fitness-related magazines, and reduced prices on a variety of other items.
Perhaps most importantly, all of USATF's membership categories offer individuals the opportunity to show their support for our sport in the United States and to be actively involved with the programs and activities that keep us dominant throughout the world.
The "pursuit of excellence" may best characterize who we are and what we do, but it also reminds us that USA Track & Field is your organization. It begins - and ends - with you.
More Information
For more information about USA Track & Field, visit our Web site, www.usatfga.org; write us at USA Track & Field Georgia Association, 114 Hubbard Road Woodstock, GA 30188; or call our Atlanta Area Office at (404) 935-9046