State of Washington and Seattle Area Coaches of all levels,
I would like to get together and have an open forum about the progress of our sport in this state. I would like to get a movement going to support indoor track in this state at the High School/Middle School levels (we have 3 indoor tracks in this state that I know about and plenty of schools, athletes, coaches, and parents that would love to do it). I would also like to get cost effective camps and clinics going at every state and private institution in our state.
States like Virginia, Maryland, New York, and New Jersey all have successful high school indoor track. They also get similar weather like the Northwest (but they get the heavy snow).
There are alot of great athletes in this state that don't get the developmental or competitive opportunities because of the weather. The Northeast states compensated by developing a healthy indoor program. But we need people dedicated to building and maintaining it (unfortunately, there won't be many increases in coaching stipends early on). But between UW, WSU, and EWU, and all the high school coaches, athletes, and parents, we can make it work.
In order to do this, we must discuss and plan. We must put together a time table for when this will start, where it will be held, insurance, officials, meet schedule, expenses, etc.
Also, lets make sure we keep it about the athletes and the competition. Let's not turn this into a political power struggle. Everyone can benifit from this.
I propose we meet sometime in November before Thanksgiving break.
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
LaMonte Vaughn
University of Washington Track and Field
Sprints and Hurdles
Cell: 859-699-9793
Office: 206-543-7914
Your thoughts?