President’s Message
The USA Gymnastics Executive Committee and Board met on November 22-23 in Indianapolis. Key areas covered at the Board meeting included:
- Election of Executive Committee Members: 1984 Olympian Tim Daggett was elected for a second term as Vice Chair for Men. Susan True, Board member representing the National High School Federation, was elected to her first full term as Member at Large.
- Adoption of the 1998 Budget. The budget includes revenues projected at $11.9 million. Please note that the budget anticipates an increase in Team Membership fees from $35 to $40 per member effective with the start of the 1998-99 season August 1, 1998. Professional, club, instructor, and general membership costs will remain the same. This is the first increase in Team Membership fees since 1995. Significant cost items include: $3.1 million for the Men's, Women's and Rhythmic program departments; $2.5 million for events, which includes the cost of producing the broadcast for 13 hours of television programming in 1998; $2.1 million in membership costs, including the cost of Team Member insurance; $500,000 in merchandise expense; $800,000 in the cost of publications like Technique and USA Gymnastics; and $700,000 in the cost of safety and education programs.
- Review of the USA Gymnastics Strategic Plan. The plan, which is available upon request to any member, is updated annually for submittal to the United States Olympic Committee and to the Board of Directors. This year's update was due to the USOC on September 9, 1997. A comprehensive review of the plan will be done next year.
- Report on the Fourth Cycle Safety Certification Program. Safety and Education Director Steve Whitlock updated the Board on the development of the new 4th Cycle Safety Certification materials being prepared for introduction January 1, 1998, and for plans to ensure a consistently high level of course presentation across the country. Please remember that all professional members must be safety certified by the start of the 1998-99 season on August 1, 1998. If you are not safety certified, please register for a course as soon as possible.
- Adoption of a Policy on Non-Citizen Athlete Participation and Funding. The FIG has revised its statutes regarding the participation of non-citizens in international and FIG events. (The rules have not changed for representation at the Olympics, Pan American Games and other events under the support of the USOC because the IOC requires that athletes representing a nation at the Olympics must be citizens of that nation.) The FIG rules provide that those athletes who have represented a nation internationally must be citizens of any different nation they want to represent. However, if a "gymnast moves to another country, and has not represented his former country, he may immediately represent his new country with the consent of the two federations in question and that of the FIG Executive Committee. In the absence of such consent, he may (with the consent of the FIG Executive Committee) represent the new country one year after taking up residence in the new country. In both cases it must be established that the residence is bona fide in nature."
The United States Amateur Sports Act, which created the USOC and all of the National Governing Bodies, requires that our rules for eligibility not be any more stringent than those of the FIG. Therefore, non-citizens who have not previously represented their nation of citizenship may represent the United States in international competition and must be permitted to participate in those meets which select or lead to selection for international competition. (This does not include programs like the Women's and Rhythmic Junior Olympic competitions which do not lead to international competition.) If a non-citizen becomes a member of the National Team, he or she will receive funding and support in accordance with his or her placement, provided that he or she is a permanent resident as defined by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (in general, this means the athlete has a green card).
- Panel Discussion on Television: Ed Hull, President of Jefferson Pilot Sports, and Peter Diamond, Vice President for Olympic Sports for NBC, gave presentations on television to the Board. the presentations centered on how television tries to present credible competitive stories on their broadcasts and is interested in the presentation of star athletes engaged in competitive struggles with each other. This is the reason that not every athlete in a competition is in the broadcast. Hull discussed the development of the new Jefferson Pilot Sports events and the success they have had in continuing the careers of athletes like Kim Zmeskal and Shannon Miller.
1984 Olympian Tim Daggett was elected for a second term as Vice Chair for Men. Susan True, Board member representing the National High School Federation, was elected to her first full term as Member at Large.- Report on the FIG: All four United States members/ officers of FIG Committees made presentations on the FIG's activities. We have submitted a bid for the 2003 World Championships. The FIG is considering a major re-structuring of its governance, which will be voted upon at the May 1998 FIG Congress.
- Report on the Event Awards: The Board saw clips of television coverage and copies of print coverage of the announcement of USA Gymnastics national events in Richmond, Orlando, Sacramento, Kansas City, Knox-ville and St. Louis. Thanks to all of you who participated in these press conferences. We are off to a good start with all of the Local Organizing Committees for our 1998-2000 events.
- Report on USA Trampoline and Tumbling: Trampoline has been added as a medal sport for the 2000 Olympics and its international federation is planning to merge with the FIG. The USOC Constitution will require a merger of trampoline into USA Gymnastics. We will be working with USA Trampoline and Tumbling and will report back to the Board at the May 1998 meeting.
This article appears in the January 1998 issue of Technique, Vol. 18, No. 1.
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