USA Track & Field maintains indoor and outdoor records for all masters age groups. But dozens of masters track and field records listed on usatf.org have been documented as wrong. This leads to confusion, media errors and disenchantment among athletes. Reliable, timely and professional updating of USATF masters track records requires a change in USATF rules. This petition makes several proposals to repair a failing system. Signees to this petition call on the USATF Masters Track & Field Committee to support amendments to USATF Operating Regulations, whose exact wording should take into account the spirit of this petition. Here are five guiding principles: 1. The USATF masters track record form should be simplified, with outdated or unreasonably onerous requirements stripped away. (U.S. Masters Swimming offers a possible model for a new USATF masters record form.) 2. Meet directors, and not athletes, should have primary responsibility for completing and submitting masters age-group record applications to USATF. 3. The USATF Masters Track & Field Committee should have the power to expand the list of meets that do not require paperwork for masters age-group records, such as the Olympic Games, U.S. Olympic Trials, national masters championships and World Masters Athletics world championships. 4. When USATF becomes aware of a potential masters age-group record, that performance should be posted expeditiously on the records page of usatf.org, denoted as "pending." 5. Athletes should have the right of appeal when a record is rejected. Such an appeal would go to the USATF Masters Track & Field Executive Committee and be dealt with in a timely manner. In addition to the above, signees to this petition call on the USATF Masters Track & Field Executive Committee to increase the budget of the USATF Masters Track & Field Records Committee to an amount that (a) assures timely responses to record applicants and (b) guarantees timely posting of potential masters records on usatf.org. This petition will be presented to the USATF Masters Track & Field Executive Committee at its July meeting in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, concurrent with the USATF Masters National Outdoor Championships.

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