And Now You Need Money:

Let me say once again what a great thing it is that the new USSPEEDSKATING Board of Directors has decided to "clean out the dead wood." When a federation goes bad, it is often an insidious process that takes time to develop. In USSPEEDSKATING, problems had gone on for years, but people tried to pretend they didn't exist. With the emergence of the internet as a means for skaters, fans, and others to communicate, it became harder for the people who had been running the organization to hide the problems going on within it.

Finally, it was time for a change. A critical mass of dissatisfaction was reached, and the good people of speedskating were able to come to power and overthrow the status quo.

But the new administration has to deal with the problems created by the old. Sponsors are leaving (and suing!) The USOC is cracking down. Soon, USSPEEDSKATING may find itself completely out of money. What should they do next?

For a sport that prides itself on its wholesome image, this is a very difficult time. I believe that USSPEEDSKATING's best option for finding new sponsors as quickly as possible is simply to come clean. How else will they be able to explain why so many of their former top people are leaving all at once?

Why not just spread the word that the people who had been in charge of USSPEEDSKATING were leading it in the wrong direction, and so they had to be let go? How about telling the world that USSPEEDSKATING is re-evaluating its goals and moving in a new direction?

So, maybe one disadvantage of this time of change is that USSPEEDSKATING is very short on funds. But a major advantage is that they no longer have to be dishonest about "what they are selling" to sponsors! They don't have to pretend that metric speedskating is a pure race against the clock, while some "committee" decides that a girl who can't go under 4:30 in the 3K - and hadn't even skated one at all that season - is a better choice for the Olympic team pursuit than two girls who went 4:15 and 4:16 within the previous month. They don't have to lie and say that their top skaters will wear a logo, when they haven't even asked the skaters if they will or not. They don't have to "sell" an Allround program that nobody wants to train with.

The most important things you can do right now, USSPEEDSKATING, is to assure potential sponsors that something like the misleading deal with Qwest will never happen again, and to give your athletes reasons to be loyal to the federation.

Now, how about talking to some of your 2006 Olympic Champions and seeing if they will help you raise money? I'm sure people would love to meet them!