FEATURED ARTICLES World Athletics Wants Cross Country Back in the Olympics

Will cross country running return to the Olympics? Maybe not immediately but that’s okay – its international governing body is in it for (excuse the pun) the long run.

Back in the summer of 2020, while everyone was in quarantine, World Athletics hit the news with its strategic plan, and one part of that was putting cross country back on the medal stand. The plan is available at this link, www.worldathletics.org/aboutiaaf/documents/strategic-plans-and-reports

Cross country is contested at the high school and college level in the U.S., potentially giving the country a deep bench of potential Olympians – and medalists. The Strategic Plan notes that World Athletics will seek to “extend the reach of the Olympic Games by working with IOC and other stakeholders to include cross country within the athletics program.”

Cross country was hosted at the Summer Olympics between 1912 and 1924. (At the time, it was a men’s-only sport; women couldn’t compete in track and field until 1928, and the women’s marathon was not contested in the Olympics until 1984.) Fun fact: Women were allowed to compete in 1928 with the stipulation that their shorts be no more than four inches above their knees.

While cross country is traditionally a cold-weather sport, it was contested during the Summer Games, along with track & field and road racing events; unfortunately, during the 1924 Olympics in Paris, most of the men running quit the race because of extreme heat. The discipline was then dropped.

World Athletics officials originally said they would like to bring back cross country but would like to see it held during the Winter Olympics. However, that is not likely to happen because according to clause six of the Olympic Charter, “Only those sports held on snow and ice may be included in the Winter Games.”

World Athletics has stated they will push for a mixed cross country relay to be included in the Paris 2024 Games, which would put it back in the summer. The following cycle of the Summer Games would be in 2028 in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles might well be the place for cross country’s return; being outside the Rings since 1924 certainly hasn’t hurt the sport’s appeal here. At the high school level, it has consistently ranked in the top 10 most popular boys’ and girls’ sports, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations.

At the college level, cross country is second only to basketball in number of school teams nationwide. That could be because it’s also economical. In 2017, Business Insider noted, “Cross country, thanks to being a sport that doesn’t require a stadium or arena, has small teams, uses minimal equipment, and can be played by both men and women, is a close second with 2,065 NCAA teams.” ★

ASBA’s Multi-Generational Member Companies: Keeping It All in the Family

It’s not unusual for children to follow their parents into a profession they have heard about all their lives. It’s when that profession is a family-owned business that the story takes on another dimension, however.

ASBA’s membership includes a number of family companies. We decided to provide a snapshot view of some of those families, some of those companies and some of those stories. (And by the way, this is only a handful of those companies; we know there are a lot more.)

Decades of History

Pete Smith of The CourtSMITHS in Toledo, Ohio is able to claim a notable distinction: He is a member of a family company that has produced not one but two ASBA chairman (himself included.) But the story goes back even further than that.

“My grandfather had a big paving company, and he gave each of his seven kids part of the company,” explains Smith. “He gave my mom and my aunt, Peggy Wheeler, the asphalt sealing portion.”

Smith-Wheeler migrated into the tennis court construction business, joining what was then the U.S. Tennis Court & Track Builders Association (USTC&TBA.)

“My uncle stayed in asphalt and my dad stayed in tennis. We still work in the same office today, through,” notes Pete.

Pete’s father, Kevin Smith, known to many in the industry as “Uncle Kevin,” became a prominent fixture in the Association, ultimately becoming Chairman in the late 1980s. Several decades later, Pete would take up the gavel himself.

On the supplier side, Nova Sports, USA (Milford, Massachusetts) is another longtime member company with plenty of history, according to Rob Righter. Rob’s parents, Ruth and Ben Righter, along with Rob’s brother, Jeff, started the company in 1984. And just as with the Smith family, the Righters found their way into the sports business early on.

“Our family has been in the paint and coatings industry my whole life. My grandfather had a paint and hardware store in Dorchester, Massachusetts from the 1950s to the 1970s. My father and his brother worked for paint manufacturers out of college and my brothers and I worked for a paint manufacturer in the summers in high school and college.”

It was Ben Righter who started a recreational coatings division for his paint company in the 1970s and began attending meetings of the USTC&TBA.

“Ruth, Ben and Jeff started Nova Sports USA with his knowledge from the industry manufacturing premium acrylic coatings using only environmentally friendly materials – they were way ahead of the times,” Rob notes. “As the company continued to grow, my twin brother, Bill, and I came on to help as the second generation, and now with our sons,

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