 San Francisco Track and Field Club Logo | |
| Founded | 1982 |
|---|---|
| Location | San Francisco |
| Affiliations | USATF, Federation of gay games |
| Website | www |
San Francisco Track and Field Club is a California non-profit, public-benefit corporation established in January, 2007. Since 2007, San Francisco Track and Field Club (SFT&FC) has maintained its United States Track & Field (USATF) club membership and hosts the USATF-sanctioned Pride Track & Field Meet annually. [1]
SFT&FC began in the fall of 1982, immediately following the first Gay Games in San Francisco. Dr. Tom Waddell, founder of the Gay Games, had put together a team of athletes to represent San Francisco in track and field at the Games. [2] Those athletes had such a positive and uplifting experience from participating in the first Gay Games that they banded together to form the San Francisco Track and Field Club. The formation of the Club enabled them to stay together and continue training and competing in the years between each Gay Games, allowing them to strive for personal excellence in athletics, which is a hallmark of Waddell's Gay Games philosophy. Since 1982, SFT&FC has sent its athletes to all of the eight Gay Games. [3] In 2012, SFT&FC celebrated its 30th anniversary. San Francisco mayor Ed Lee issued Certificate of Honor for its work and commitment in promoting track and field competition for the LGBT community. [4]
SFT&FC meets every Sunday morning during a season that generally lasts from late January to early October. There are a number of track meets available to athletes, from local all-comer meets to National Championships. A list of potential meets is available at each practice. Everyone is encouraged to participate at the level they feel comfortable with. In addition to track and field training and competition, SFT&FC has served the local community by providing free track and field clinics and worked with the City of San Francisco to update Kezar track. [5]
SFT&FC hosts its own track meet, Pride Track & Field Meet. [6] The annual event is well attended by local master and senior athletes and has been venues for new American records [7] [8] and world records. [9] In addition to competing at its own track meet, SFT&FC also sends its athletes to various local, national and international competitions, such as:
The Gay Games is a worldwide sport and cultural event that promotes acceptance of sexual diversity, featuring lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) athletes, artists and other individuals.
Tom Waddell was an American physician, decathlete who competed at the 1968 Summer Olympics, and founder of the Gay Olympics.
Kezar Stadium(Pronounced: KEE-zar) is an outdoor athletics stadium in San Francisco, California, located adjacent to Kezar Pavilion in the southeastern corner of Golden Gate Park. It serves as the home of San Francisco City FC of USL League Two.
Darvis "Doc" Darell Patton is a retired American track and field athlete who competed in sprinting events. He is a two-time US Champion in the 200-meter dash and won the silver medal in the event at the 2003 World Championships. He is a three-time Olympian and a four-time participant at the World Athletics Championships.
USA Track & Field (USATF) is a United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running, and racewalking. The USATF was known between 1979 and 1992 as The Athletics Congress (TAC) after its spin-off from the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), which governed the sport in the US through most of the 20th century until the Amateur Sports Act of 1978 dissolved its responsibility. Based in Indianapolis, USATF is a non-profit organization with a membership of more than 130,000. The organization has three key leadership positions: CEO Max Siegel, Board of Directors Chair Steve Miller, and elected president Vin Lananna. U.S. citizens and permanent residents can be USATF members, but permanent residents can only participate in masters events in the country, and they cannot win USATF medals, prize money, or score points for a team, per World Athletics regulations.
Stacy Renée Mikaelson known as Stacy Renée Dragila is a former American pole vaulter. She is an Olympic gold medalist and a multiple-time world champion.
The World Outgames were a sporting and cultural event hosted by the gay community. The Outgames were open to all who wish to participate, without regard to sexual orientation. There were no qualifying standards, although competitions were arranged according to the skill levels of the competitors. The Outgames brought together athletes and artists from all over the world, many from countries where homosexuality remains illegal and hidden.
The 1st World Outgames took place in Montréal, Quebec, Canada from July 26, 2006, to August 5, 2006. The international conference was held from July 26 to the 29. The sporting events were held from July 29 to August 5.
Masters Athletics managed by World Masters Athletics is a class of the sport of athletics for athletes of 35 years of age and over organized by World Masters Athletics. The events include track and field, road running and cross country running. Competitors are bracketed into five-year age groups. For international events the first age group is 35 to 39. Men as old as 105 and women in their 100s have competed in running, jumping and throwing events. Masters athletes are sometimes known as "veterans" and the European Masters Championships, for instance, is known as "Eurovets". This and other high level events including biennial World Championships cater largely to elite-level athletes, but many masters athletes are novices to athletics and enjoy the camaraderie offered by masters competition at the local, National and International level. Most National governing bodies for track and field hold annual Masters championships. Prestigious National meets such as the Penn Relays and the United States Olympic Trials put on exhibition events for top masters athletes. Masters athletics is growing Internationally with over 6000 athletes competing at recent World Championships. World; National and Regional records are maintained for each age group.
Franklin Wesley "Bud" Held is an American athlete primarily notable for his performance throwing the javelin. He was born in Los Angeles, California.
The USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships is an annual track and field competition organized by USA Track & Field, which serves as the American national championships for the sport. Since the year 1992, in the years which feature a Summer Olympics, World Athletics Championships, Pan American Games, NACAC Championships, or an IAAF Continental Cup, the championships serve as a way of selecting the best athletes for those competitions.
Remontay McClain is an American sprinter who specializes in the 100 and 200 metres dash. While attending Covina High School, McClain ran the second-fastest 100 metres by a high school athlete in 2010, behind only Oliver Bradwell.
Kibwé Johnson is an American Olympic track and field athlete who specializes in the hammer throw. He has represented his country at the World Championships in Athletics three times. Competed in the 2012 London Olympics where he made the final and finished 9th. No American had made the final since 1996. Johnson competed in 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
Isiah Young is an American track and field athlete who competes in the sprints. He was selected to compete for the United States at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the 200-meter dash.
Irene Romona Obera is an American track and field athlete, specializing in sprinting events. Over an extended career, she has set numerous world records and has won numerous world championships. She is currently a member of the W70 world record holding 4x100 metres relay team. She also holds the current American record in the W60 and W75 100 metres and the W75 200 metres.
The 2017 USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships were held at Hornet Stadium on the campus of California State University, Sacramento in Sacramento, California. Organized by USA Track & Field, the four-day competition took place June 22–25 and served as the national championships in track and field for the United States. The event was held in conjunction with the USA Track & Field Junior Outdoor Championships.
The first Masters Southern California Track and Field Championships was held on June 1, 1974, at Sunny Hills High School in Fullerton. Masters class Track and Field had officially started in 1968 in nearby San Diego. Since its first annual meet, the Masters Southern California Track and Field Championships has been held every successive year except 2020, when the meet was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the years, the meet has been organized under a succession of organizations: the Southern California Association of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), The Athletics Congress (TAC), and currently USA Track and Field (USATF).
The USATF Masters Outdoor Championships is an annual track and field competition which serves as the national championship for the United States for athletes in masters age groups. Organized by USA Track & Field, the national governing body for the sport, the competition was first held in 1968. Athletes compete in 5-year age groups, beginning from 25 and up to 105. Traditionally limited to athletes over 35, a "pre-masters" group was introduced in 2020 to encourage post-collegiate athletes over 25 to continue competing.