Minutes of 2018 USATF RRTC Meeting (December 1, 2018)

Last year minutes

Approved

Jones Counter Update

The JR Counter business including current inventory was purchased thanks to a personal investment from David Katz. A deal has been negotiated to purchase the tooling rights as well, so we will be able to produce new counters for sale. No funding has been supplied by USATF for any of the business purchase. Approximately 150 have been shipped by the new business.

The other counter being produced in England seems to be a good counter. David measured a course with another measurer who was using this counter and their measurements came out very close.

Bruce said he had a project at U. of Minnesota to evaluate the possibility of using different electronic devices to count wheel revolutions. Jim Gilmer is open to different devices but anything new would be subject to approval by the RRTC. David mentioned that we have looked at electronic devices in the past. He is also open to it.

Mike talked about his efforts to create a handlebar mounted counter. Logan Burgess has tested it for about 250 miles with no problem.

Course configurations on certifications

Jane came up with a list of 6 configuration types. Out-and-back, Keyhole, Closed loop, Open loop, Point-to-point, and other. Difference between open loop and point-to-point will be when the finish is more than 50% of the course length from the start it will be considered a point-to-point.

Certification of non-paved courses

Mike Wickiser reported on the work done by the committee established to review rules and procedures for the certification of non-paved courses. Mike said decision was made to require separate calibration for any surface that comprises more than 10% of the course. It was also decided that any surface that is deformed as the bicycle tire rolls over it is not eligible to be measured by the bicycle method. However any section of the course on any surface is okay if measured with steel tape.

David suggested that for Open Records on courses of marathon length and below, only paved courses should be accepted. For Open Records on courses above Marathon length, and for Age Group records on courses of any length, courses comprised of different surfaces would be permitted as long as they are certified following the above rules.

Turn-around descriptions in manual and on certification maps

Mark Neal reported on the work done by the committee established to make recommendations for a description of different turn-around types in the procedure manual, and on certification maps. One recommendation was to continue to measure turn-arounds by stopping at the turn-around point, freezing the front wheel, spinning the bike around 180 degrees about the front axle, and continuing to measure. Laying out the semi-circle turn-around would be done after the course measurement, and a description of how to do this, including diagrams created by Bob Thurston, was included in the new manual section. Another recommendation by the committee was to include descriptions of both a semi-circle turn-around and a single-cone turn-around on the certification map. The committee felt that in situations where the person setting up a course was in a hurry, he/she may end up putting down only a single cone at the turn-around, so a description of where that single cone should go on the certification map. An example of this type of description on a certification map was created by Bob Thurston and included in the new manual section.

A copy of the new manual section was distributed by email later to all meeting attendees.

“Personal” calibration courses

It was decided/clarified at the meeting that a temporary calibration course may be used as part of a race course application submission if it is measured the same day as the race course, and measurement data for it is also submitted. If the calibration course is not submitted and approved for certification, it may not be used for future race course measurements.

Inclusion of intermediate marks (miles or kilometers) on a certified course.

It is strongly recommended that intermediate points along the course, mile or kilometer marks, be included and their locations described on certification maps.

Measurers as USATF Certified Officials

RRTC Certified Officials will be its own officials category. Persons wishing to be a certified official in this new category must agree to a background check and complete the SafeSport training. There will also be a test of course measurement knowledge and other selection criteria established by RRTC. There may be different levels of official in this category.

Olympic Trials Update

The Olympic Marathon Trials will be in Atlanta on February 29, 2020. Jane Parks and Logan Burgess were lead measurers of the Trials course. Others will have the opportunity to apply to be an additional measurer of the course, and also to be present on race day as a marshal for a section of the course.

New IAAF Ranking system and its effects on RRTC

There will be a new ranking system of runners established by IAAF that will be used for selection of athletes to world championship events. Results from a select set of races around the world, including the USA, will be used to rank athletes. The courses used by these races must have been measured by at least one IAAF A or B measurer within the past 5 years. A list of race courses that meet these qualifications is now being compiled, and AIMS certification of those courses will be created.

IAAF – new B and upgrades/training education

There is a need promote some measurers to IAAF B status. It is currently being considered to invite a select group of measurers to a training and testing seminar. A working group (Jane Parks, Justin Kuo, Bob Thurston) was established to plan the seminar.

Ted Corbitt Award:

Jane Parks, Jim Gilmer, Jay Wight, and Bernie Conway were announced as the 2018 winners of the Ted Corbitt award. Congratulations!

Online platform update

Jim is preparing a report about the new on-line system. It will be distributed when complete.

Pacing Measurement Contest

The true length of the course was 711 feet.

	Name	Measurement	Error
1^st place	Bob Thurston	692	-19
2^nd place	Christo Landry	665	-47

New Business

There is a need for a new education chair of the RRTC. Mike Wickiser volunteered to be the interim chair.