Mt. San Antonio College — home of the early spring Mt. SAC Relays — is no stranger to big meets. The Walnut community college east of Los Angeles was awarded the 2020 Olympic Trials but lost it thanks to worries over pending lawsuits (later resolved).

The school’s beautifully rebuilt Hilmer Lodge Stadium hosted the USATF masters combined event national meet in 2023 and the U.S. Para National Championships this past March.

So in December 2022, when Mt. SAC was awarded the 2025 USATF Masters National Outdoor Championships, expectations were high for another great meet.

Now those hopes have crashed.

Mt. SAC’s Brian Yokoyama — director of athletic special events — told me Monday that it won’t stage the 2025 masters nationals unless USATF agrees to modify its demands. Specifically, Mt. SAC wants USATF to bear all financial responsibility for the meet — which could cost $100,000. “Basicially, they’d have to rent our stadium,” he said of USATF.

Bid application and sample agreement. (PDF)

(Entry fees would have gone to Mt. SAC under the original plan, but the school feared red ink.)

I’m not aware of any Plan B. Masters Chair Jerry Bookin-Weiner hasn’t responded to a request for comment. Neither has Vice Chair Robert Thomas, who plans to run for chair this December as Jerry bows out.

Contrary to bid rules, Mt. SAC never signed a contract. USATF didn’t follow through on this stipulation:

If Bidder is unable to satisfy the pre-conditions stated in the Letter of Agreement, fails to pay any amounts due hereunder in a timely manner, or fails to execute a formal written agreement related to the conduct of the Championships within one hundred twenty (120) days of the execution of the Letter of Agreement, then USATF reserves the right to withdraw the award of the Championships and re-award them to another Bidder, pursuant to the procedures outlined in USATF Regulation 18-F.

In a phone chat, Brian told me: “We want to help, but we can’t do it to lose money.” He even revealed: “I know for a fact that Sacramento was touch-and-go for (2024 masters nationals).”

Brian says the school — and not the local USATF Southern California Association or a local tourism agency — bid for the meet it automatically won at the 2022 USATF annual meeting in Orlando.

“We were the only one,” he said. “They had no other hope anyway. No one else was bidding.”

Mt. SAC’s demand for USATF to bear the financial burden is relatively new. Brian says he didn’t realize the problems until about a year ago.

But as recently as July 18, the USATF Masters Calendar listed 2025 nationals thusly:

Mount San Antonio College
Walnut, CA
Dates July 17-20, 2025

Now the website says:

2025 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships
TBD

Why the cold feet?

Brian says he started reviewing the bid fine print about a year ago and “got a better idea … of what the costs were getting to here at the college.”

One expense he gave as an example: If Mt. SAC had to call on union help to handle meet jobs like trash pickup, it faced seniority issues.

“So now I’m not paying a trash person $15, $20 (an hour), I’m paying (a manager’s) overtime rate … in the $50s or $60s. It’s just a way that colleges run. So my costs are a lot higher than what is expected.”

He says he can’t rely on an army of volunteers — noting how such unpaid help at the recent Eugene Olympic Trials were “working their rear ends off and not very happy.”

I asked Brian about the USATF SoCal Association’s role in the bid.

“Actually, it’s been zero,” he said. “I’ve had really nothing to do with our local association.” (But he added: “I’m trying to do a little bit more with them because they do have a great president right now. He’s very willing to work with us.”)

Another failure. The generic bid contract calls for a local USATF association signature:

I, on behalf of the Association of USA Track & Field, Inc. (“Association”) hereby acknowledge that the Association has been consulted by (Event Organizer/Bidder) regarding the role it shall play if Bidder is awarded the 20__ USATF Masters Outdoor Championships (the Championships), and that the Association and the Bidder have reached an agreement regarding the Association’s role with respect to that event.

Brian doesn’t fault Jerry or Robert. In fact, he told me:  “I love the guys in the masters group — they’ve been great. … They were easy to work with.”

Now it’s up to Jerry and his committee to find another 2025 meet host — or find the money to relieve Mt. SAC concerns. Could Iowa step up again — and host a third outdoor nationals since 2018?

We’ve seen this movie before, sadly.

In February 2006, New York City’s Armory track punted on hosting 2007 indoor nationals.

I posted the Dear George letter (George Mathews being USATF masters chair at the time):

Norbert W. Sander, Jr., M.D.
President
The Armory Foundation
216 Fort Washington Avenue, NYC
(212) 923-1803 ext.10

Dear George:

As a follow-up to our conversation on Saturday February 25th, 2006, the Armory must regretfully withdraw its bid to host the 2007 Indoor USA Master Track & Field meet. After our meeting with Jim Flanik and yourself, it was clear that the cost to stage a meet of this complexity here in New York City could not be met through the entry fees of the athletes. Other important costs such as admission fees for spectators and the current rates for hotels in New York City also appear by your input considerably above the expectations of master competitors. While we in New York feel the experience of this great city is worth the added costs we understand your own positions and responsibilities to offer relatively low budget competition to your constituents.

Many thanks for your understanding and we hope with over a year until 2007’s competition you can secure a suitable site.

Sincerely,
Norb

In 2007, Boston rode to the rescue, hosting indoor nationals.

Who will bail out 2025 nationals?

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