Title
Recognizing and honoring the United Age Group Track Club Association (UAGTCA) for its dedication to the development of young track and field athletes; and further authorizing the Committee on Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs to hold public hearings on the state of track facilities in the City of Philadelphia.
Body
WHEREAS, Since 1977, the United Age Group Track Club Association (UAGTCA) has worked tirelessly to provide a quality, organized track and field program for the youth of the Philadelphia area; and
WHEREAS, The group was founded primarily to address the concern that Philadelphia area athletes, in order to compete effectively, had to travel great distances in order to participate in competitions that could very easily be conducted in the local area; and
WHEREAS, The UAGTCA recognizes the importance of competitive track and field events in Philadelphia, and ensures that young athletes are not excluded from competitions based on an inability to travel far distances to track and field events; and
WHEREAS, As a new non-profit organization, the UAGTCA overcame financial hurdles as well as a lack of access to facilities suitable to hold track and field events. The UAGTCA sponsored a spring competition series in its first year which raised the profile of the organization and encouraged more teams to compete in its future meets. The "Spring Series" is stilled conducted every year and attracts elite athletes throughout the area; and
WHEREAS, Since its inception, the UAGTCA has increased its participation from modest meets with 300 athletes in its first year of competitions, to meets that draw over 1,000 athletes every week from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and New York. The organization's annual youth invitational is used by many athletes as a springboard to national competition; and
WHEREAS, The UAGTCA is powered by volunteer coaches and has produced some of the finest track and field athletes in the City's history, such as Ja...
Click here for full text