Athlete Advisory Council Minutes
April 30, 2005
Phoenix, AZ

The spring 05 AAC meeting took place during the first ever US Olympic Assembly, which represented “a new beginning for the US Olympic Committee”. The Assembly gave different groups within the Olympic family (NGB’s, athletes, corporate sponsors) a chance to meet and exchange ideas. I certainly valued the opportunity to see how many different elements make up what is very much an extended family.

US Sailing was represented by four sailors, including me: President Janet Baxter, Executive Director Charlie Leighton, and Paralympic AAC rep and bronze medalist Brad Johnson. Two other members of the US Sailing family attended in non-sailing capacities: former President Bill Martin, who as outgoing USOC chair received the Douglas MacArthur Award for his work on the reorganization; and Terry Harper, who is the Exec. Director of Synchronized Swimming.

Highlights:
USOC is beginning a new era with a new structure
“Athletes First” is the primary focus at all levels
AAC was complimented on its leadership and structure
AAC Alternate Henry Filter was elected to the Olympic Foundation Board of Trustees

A mini-trade show of official USOC suppliers provided a leg stretching opportunity during the Assembly. Destinations, hotels, soft goods, and sports equipment companies pitched their products to NGB reps, and I tagged along with Janet Baxter. You may see a few items added to the Authentic Apparel line as a result of her probing questions.

Two panels took place Saturday morning. “Are We Winning the Battle on Doping?” consisted of a doctor who works for USADA, a lawyer who represents athletes in doping cases, and a sprinter who is currently under a two year suspension for steroid use. Discussions covered enforcement (how to make sure athletes from other countries receive the same penalties for infringements) and balancing athlete privacy with the protection of clean sport. Supplements, which run the risk of creating a positive test due to residue of banned substances in the manufacturing process, were also discussed. Unfortunately the conclusion was the same old line: athletes must be advised not to take supplements of any kind. There was quick wishful mention of a USOC sanctioned product line.

The second panel was entitled “Growing the Olympic Opportunity”. Four USOC corporate sponsors (GE/NBC, Bank of America, VISA, and McDonald’s) provided a quick glimpse into the corporate perspective of Olympic sponsorship. Two companies (GE and McD’s) use their access to Olympic athletes to motivate employees. McD’s uses the “fact” that athletes eat their food and perform to prove that they are not to blame for obesity in the US. (!) One theme came through the company specifics: If it doesn’t fit the business plan, a company will not provide sponsorship at any level.

During a lengthy sit down lunch there were several speeches and awards, including a Q/A session with Mike Erruzione, captain of the 1980 Olympic Hockey Team. He emphasized how important the strength of their team was to winning gold. USOC CEO Jim Scherr and Chair Peter Ueberroth gave “State of the USOC” speeches. Bottom line from both: this is a new era of open access to the Board of Directors, which is now made up of only 11 people. (The previous Board had 125 members.) A springlike feeling of excitement and opportunity mixed with a bit of uncertainty. Parallels to the proposed USSailing structural changes were hard to ignore.

The other change going forward is an “athletes first” approach to everything. (This also parallels a very similar emphasis by US Sailing’s OSC.) As a result the AAC is currently in the spotlight as an important source of fresh input.

In the afternoon we broke into council meetings. There are three USOC councils: The AAC, the NGB (representatives of each sport’s National Governing Body), and a new one called “Multi Sport” which pulls together representatives from groups (eg. the Boy Scouts of America, Olympic Alumni Association, Disabled Sports Assn, Air Force) that represent participants in more than one sport. The entire Board came in to each Council meeting, which logistically could never have happened before, and chair Peter Ueberroth spoke very candidly about the challenges ahead and the need to work together. An AAC liaison on the Board will receive our input and make sure it gets attention. This marks a big change from what has happened in the past; one AAC veteran described previous communications with the Board as a “black hole”.

The AAC was also complimented for both pushing the USOC to restructure and for so quickly creating a solid leadership base within the new setup. Such is not (yet) the case for the other Councils, and they are likely to model their structures after ours- the highest possible compliment.

Council president Mark Henderson reviewed our new mission statement, listed short term goals, and introduced the AAC divisions. These six break out groups will get business done in each area between meetings and report back to the AAC. They are: Anti-doping, Athete Support/EAHI, AAC Governance/NCAA, AAC Operations, NGB/IF communication, and USOC/Alumni/Board of Directors. I have asked to be part of the Athlete Support/EAHI division.

The next item of business was electing Athlete Service Coordinators for the 2005 University Games, 2006 Winter Olympics, and 2006 Paralympics. A task force had been formed in January and they proposed slates of three (for the Univ Games) and four people, one or two of which would be alternates. The three slates were unanimously accepted.

The Olympic Foundation Board of Trustees elections were next. This Foundation mirrors the US Sailing Foundation as a separate, not for profit corporation, and its mission is to support sports in the US Olympic Movement. Five percent of the Foundation’s net assets (currently $237 million) are granted to the USOC every year. Two athlete reps serve on the Board and one slot opened up in 2005.

With a slate of five finalists (all of whom work in the financial industry), our own Henry Filter rose head and shoulders above the competition for the two interviewers. They were very impressed by his knowledge of different financial funds and his excellent communication skills, and they strongly recommended he receive the position. Again the group went with the suggested candidate, and Henry was elected. It is fantastic for sailing to have a voice within this important group and I’m sure he will serve us well.

The last item of business was a request for an extension of the 10 year rule by the sport of baseball. All AAC reps must have competed in their sport within the past ten years. Jason Dobis (baseball rep) does not meet this requirement by four months, but the sport was unable to find anyone else willing and able to serve in his place. After a short discussion, a motion was approved to let Jason continue for this quad, with the provision that baseball aggressively search for a replacement for the next quad.

Meeting was adjourned on schedule at 5 pm. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Respectfully Submitted,
Carol N. Cronin