The Bowerman Among Convention Highlights

December 12, 2012

NEW ORLEANS – The annual convention of U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) starting Monday (December 17-20) is returning to Orlando, Fla., for the first time since 2009. The event will take place at the JW Marriott Grande Lakes and will feature several special events aside from the normal business meetings of the Association. Attendees can look forward full schedule of symposiums, technical seminars, and marquee events including the opening session featuring keynote speaker Mark Lewis of the NCAA. Once again, convention week will also feature the Hall of Fame Induction Dinner as well as the fourth presentation of The Bowerman – naming the most outstanding male and female collegiate athlete of 2012.

MONDAY: December 17
Symposiums Kickoff

Among many educational opportunities at this year’s convention, the symposium sessions will feature a wide array of some of the brightest minds in the sport. Each scheduling block will contain sessions on sprints, jumps, throws, and endurance training and tactics.

Monday will feature four sessions while Tuesday and Wednesday will contain two scheduling blocks, apiece.

Coaches and clinicians scheduled to appear in symposiums, high school sessions, and/or professional development seminars include: Vince Anderson, Sheldon Blockburger, Scott Cappos, Scott Christenson, Amy Deem, Mark Elliott, Ron Grigg, Brett Halter, Lance Harter, Sarah Hesser, John Kennison, Petros Kyprianou, Carrie Lane, Todd Lane, Carylynn Larson, Dan Lefever, Ralph Lindeman, Kris Mack, Wendell McCraven, Kathleen Raske, Khadevis Robinson, Gabe Sanders, Boo Schexnayder, Patrick Shane, Carl Sheffield, Peter Stanley, Nathan Taylor, Mike Turk, Joe Walker, Jr., Joey Woody, Cory Young, and Derek Yush.

Golf Scramble to be held after PGA event

Monday morning will feature the USTFCCCA Scramble Golf Tournament at the adjacent Ritz-Carlton Golf Club.

As an aside, the USTFCCCA scramble will take place the day after the PGA’s PNC Father/Son Challenge which will be held on the same course, December 13-16. The PNC Father/Son Challenge is a unique event that pairs up legends of the sport with their sons. In order to qualify to play in the event, the pros must have won either a major championship or the Players Championship at some point in their career. NBC will have seven hours of coverage of the PGA event on December 15 and 16.

TUESDAY: December 18
Head of NCAA Championships to speak at Opening Session

Mark Lewis of the NCAAwill be the featured speaker of the USTFCCCA’s Opening Session. Lewis, the NCAA’s executive vice president for championships and alliances, was selected for the position in April and holds the task of overseeing all 89 NCAA Championships – including 18 in the sports of cross country and track & field across three divisions – its business initiatives and the corporate and media partnerships that fuel them.

Starting at 11:15 a.m., eastern, Flotrack.org will broadcast the opening session and Lewis’ keynote live.

Accusplit Awards Lunch

Accusplit Relay Awards will be presented to the coaches of the top relay teams from the 2012 outdoor track & field season in NCAA Division I, II and III at lunch.

WEDNESDAY: December 19
The Bowerman Ceremony and Hall of Fame Induction

In what is a great end-of-the-year wrap to track & field season, The Bowerman ceremony on Wednesday night (7 p.m., eastern) will crown the nation’s most outstanding male and female collegiate athlete from 2012. The men’s finalists are Cam Levins (Southern Utah), Tony McQuay (Florida), and Andrew Riley (Illinois). Women’s finalists are Brigetta Barrett (Arizona), Kimberlyn Duncan (LSU), and Brianne Theisen (Oregon).

ESPN’s John Anderson will once again be the evening’s master of ceremonies. The SportsCenter anchor and co-host of ABC’s Wipeout hosted the events in 2010.

Past winners Jenny Simpson (Barringer), Queen Harrison, Jessica Beard, Ashton Eaton, and Ngoni Makusha will dawn The Bowerman stage once again for the largest gathering to date of those who have won the prestigious award. Eaton, the male winner of the award in 2010, garnered the biggest headlines this year, breaking world records in the heptathlon and decathlon to go along with a gold-medal-winning performance in this summer’s Olympics.

Flotrack will webcast The Bowerman ceremony and a 30-minute preview show beforehand. Coverage begins at 6:30 p.m., eastern, with the "Flotrack Red Carpet Show at The Bowerman” hosted by Ryan Fenton and Alex Lohr featuring the arrival of all of the award’s VIPs minutes before the big show.

Starting at 9 p.m., central, will be the USTFCCCA Coaches Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Flotrack again will provide a live webcast of the event. Those to be inducted as part of the Class of 2012 include: Dick Booth, Dick Hill, Vin Lananna, Bob Pollock, Fran Welch, and John Zupanc.

Online Live Webcast Schedule

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2012

11:15 AM ET
USTFCCCA Convention
(Orlando, Fla.)
WEB: Flotrack
LIVE
Opening Session
Featuring Mark Lewis, NCAA


WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2012

6:30 PM ET
The Bowerman
(Orlando, Fla.)
WEB: Flotrack
LIVE
Flotrack Red Carpet Show
at The Bowerman

7:00 PM ET
The Bowerman
(Orlando, Fla.)
WEB: Flotrack
LIVE
Award Presentation

9:00 PM ET
USTFCCCA Convention
(Orlando, Fla.)
WEB: Flotrack
LIVE
Hall of Fame
Induction


In addition to all the live webcasts, Flotrack will also provide coverage throughout the week featuring interviews with many of the nation’s coaches.

Be sure to follow the USTFCCCA (hashtag: #Orlando2012) on Twitter for updates throughout the week. For The Bowerman ceremony, use hashtag #TheBowerman.



ABOUT THE BOWERMAN

The Bowerman is presented annually by the USTFCCCA to the most outstanding male and female collegiate track & field athlete. The award, which debuted in 2009, is named for is named for legendary Oregon track & field and cross country coach Bill Bowerman.

Florida State’s Ngoni Makusha and Texas A&M’s Jessica Beard are the reigning winners of The Bowerman. Makusha won bronze in the long jump at 2011 IAAF World Championships.

Past winners include Olympic gold medalist and decathlon world-record holder Ashton Eaton (2010), 10,000-meter Olympic silver medalist Galen Rupp (2009), and 2011 IAAF World Champion at 1500 meters, Jenny Simpson (2009).

Bowerman served the sport of track and field in numerous ways. His leadership in the USTFCCCA’s predecessor organization, the National Collegiate Track Coaches Association, and his contributions to NCAA track and field and the running community as a whole are among his many lasting legacies.

For more information on The Bowerman, the award, the trophy, and Bill Bowerman himself, visit TheBowerman.org.

ABOUT THE USTFCCCA

The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) is a non-profit professional organization representing cross country and track & field coaches of all levels.

The organization represents over 8,000 coaching members encompassing 94% of all NCAA track & field programs (DI, DII, and DIII) and includes members representing the NAIA and the NJCAA as well as a number of state high school coaches associations.

The USTFCCCA serves as an advocate for cross country and track & field coaches, providing a leadership structure to assist the needs of a diverse membership, serving as a lobbyist for coaches’ interests, and working as a liaison between the various stakeholders in the sports of cross country and track & field.

For more information, visit USTFCCCA.org.




U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association
1100 Poydras Street, Suite 1750
New Orleans, LA 70163

Contact: Tom Lewis
Director of Communications
tom@ustfccca.org
(504) 599-8904












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Tom Lewis

U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association

Director of Communications

1100 Poydras St., Suite 1750

New Orleans, LA 70163

(O) 504-599-8904 (F) 504-599-8909

Email: tom@ustfccca.org

Follow Us: twitter.com/USTFCCCA





REGISTER NOW FOR THE

2012 USTFCCCA CONVENTION

DEC 17-20, 2012 • ORLANDO, FL

http://www.ustfccca.org/ustfccca-convention