Blogs : Michael McCoy

How I Became A T&F Official - Part 1

That's one constant question that's been asked ever since I joined the TrackShark community and have made friends through it.  The other question is why did I choose to become an official.  Let me tell you a story....

At one time in my life I was actually a track athlete.  I started participating in the sport as an age-group athlete.  Then I moved on to high school.  After graduating from high school, I moved on to Livingstone College in Salisbury, North Carolina, where I competed briefly at the collegiate level.  I say briefly because at the time I was there in the early 1980s, the school didn't sponsor indoor track & field; only its outdoor counterpart.  The team competed in a variety of outdoor meets including the conference championships where preinnel power, Saint Augustine's College, held court.  St. Aug was just as dominant then as they are now.  We actually qualified for the NCAA Division II National Championships.  There were seven of us (I was a part of the 4 x 1 relay) that qualified for Nationals that year ('83 or '84...I can't remember the actual year).  

We were set to go when we were summoned to the AD's office.  I was under the impression the AD was gonna give us one of those "we're proud that you qualified for Nationals and go out there and represent us well" type speeches.  Instead of the speech, the AD actually leaves the office with the team and leaves the coach standing there.  Coach can't even look us in the eye as he tells us that we would be unable to attend the National Championships due to no money being budgeted for us to attend!!!  Needless to say, you coulda heard a pin drop.  What should been one of the biggest moments of my athletic life was the nail in the coffin of my athletic career.  It also killed my desire for the sport.

It took a long time for me to get over that major disappointment, but eventually my love for the sport returned.  It wasn't until the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta that my love for the sport really got kindled.  I became a certified official shortly after the conclusion of the Atlanta Games by attending a clinic offered by the USATF Association in my area.  I started out primarly as a timer and finishline judge.  I eventually branched out into other officiating areas.  Just like the meets I started working were primarily local meets.  The first National meet I worked as an official was the 1998 USATF Junior Championships in Edwardsville, Illinois.  That meet was the springboard which got me on my way to officiating a variety of meets around the country.

The year 2000 was my breakout year as an official.  I worked my very first NCAA Championships at both the D1 and D2 levels; and that pretty much got me established on the collegiate scene.  Since 2000, I've been fortunate to have the opportunity to work a lot of major track meets both indoor & outdoor.  Various collegiate conference championships and the NCs (the Regionals and the Divisonal National Champs at all three levels) are just a few.  Penn, Texas, and Drake Relays (in the order of when I started working those competitions...not really preferences) in addition to the Junior - Senior USATF Championships where folks like Jeremy Warnier, LaShawn Merritt, and Sanya Richards thrill the crowds.  I also work the Masters' and Youth meets on the USATF calender in addition to a variety of high school meets.

So as you can see, I'm quite busy from year in to year out.  Since I may not be that person donating six- or seven-figure checks to my favorite sport, I figured the least I could do is donate my time to the sport that has given a lot to me as an athlete and as a person.