New Balance Nationals Outdoor and the NSAF

by Jim Spier


First and foremost we hope and pray for everyone’s safety and health.  We will eventually get though the issues created by the coronavirus.

The New Balance Nationals Outdoor is still scheduled for June 18-21, 2020 at North Carolina A+T University in Greensboro, NC.  We are optimistic that things will normalize by then.

If not, there is the possibility of running the event a few weeks later.  The worst case (and we certainly do not want that) is that it gets cancelled like other major events have been.

The cancellation of the New Balance Nationals Indoor had a devastating effect on the high school track and field community.  And it had significant financial ramifications for the NSAF. 

We know how important that meet is to everyone, and especially the coveted meet souvenir, the backpack.  Partnering with our title sponsor New Balance, we were able to provide over 1,100 backpacks to those who came to The Armory last week.  (It was not only local New York area athletes who came.  There were coaches and parents who drove from as far away as Ohio, Virginia and Maine to pick them up).  The balance of over 2,600 backpacks will be mailed out as soon as possible, but with the logistics possible in the current situation, it may be some weeks.  We hope that sending out the backpacks will soften the cancellation blow somewhat, and appreciate your patience with receipt of them.

Given the financial climate, we have cancelled our participation in the Barrientos Memorial meet in Havana, Cuba (June 5-7, 2020), also known to us as the Caribbean Scholastic Invitational.  We have also suspended our financial assistance to our Select Meet program, a series of major high school invitationals such as the Arcadia Invitational (though it too has been cancelled).  (We had already financially assisted athletes to the VA Showcase in January and the Simplot Games in February).

The balance of our programs are still in limbo.  At the moment, the following are still scheduled:

  • Ironwood Throws (Coeur d’Alene, ID - May 29-30)
  • Financial assistance for selected athletes to the USATF U20 qualifying meet (Miramar, FL – June 12-14) for the World Athletics U20 meet in Nairobi, Kenya (July 7-12)
  • Competition at the Boysen Meet in Oslo, Norway for selected US athletes (June 25-July 2)
  • American JavFest (East Stroudsburg, PA – July 17-18)
  • Our Triple Jump and Javelin projects
  • Cedric Walker grants (Fall, 2020)

We will keep everyone updated once we know more.  Meanwhile, let’s hope for the best for our track and field community, our country and our planet.

 


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