Tracy Marek succeeds Ramsey Baker as USFS' CEO

[MacMadame]

This is interesting. Baker has been with USFS since 2005 but has only been in this job for about a year officially and unofficially for 7 months before that. isn't it normal for Executive Directors to stay longer than that? Also, it seems like he spent a lot of time in Marketing and I think USFS has horrible marketing.

Executive Director Ramsey Baker to Leave U.S. Figure Skating | U.S. Figure Skating

www.usfigureskating.org

 

[Sylvia]

Baker stepped in to replace longtime USFS Executive Director David Raith last year (I had assumed it was likely temporary):

David Raith Steps Down as Executive Director; Assumes New Role with U.S. Figure Skating | U.S. Figure Skating

www.usfigureskating.org

 

[MacMadame]

Baker stepped in to replace longtime USFS Executive Director David Raith last year (I had assumed it was likely temporary):

David Raith Steps Down as Executive Director; Assumes New Role with U.S. Figure Skating | U.S. Figure Skating

www.usfigureskating.org

That makes sense that he only had a 1 year contract then.

 

[greenapple]

This is interesting. Baker has been with USFS since 2005 but has only been in this job for about a year officially and unofficially for 7 months before that. isn't it normal for Executive Directors to stay longer than that? Also, it seems like he spent a lot of time in Marketing and I think USFS has horrible marketing.

It is very interesting. One would have thought when his appointment to that position became permanent he would be there for a long time. Seems to be an exodus happening at USFS. The top two media people also left shortly after the OWG.

 

[Sylvia]

Seems to be an exodus happening at USFS. The top two media people also left shortly after the OWG.

In the case of media people at USFS, I've noticed over the years that it's not uncommon for them to leave at the end of an Olympic cycle.

Michael Terry will be missed (eta that he was in his job for 2 Winter Olympics).

A new Senior Director, Marketing and Sales was announced on June 2nd:

U.S. Figure Skating Announces Hiring of Annie White as Senior Director, Marketing and Sales | U.S. Figure Skating

www.usfigureskating.org

Ingrid Benson, who was the Manager of Athlete High Performance Logistics, is another recent notable loss for USFS (I've heard many good things about her over the years).

 

[mattiecat13]

Brent Diederich, who was in charge of the Friends of Figure Skating program, left in early June. He did a great job and will be greatly missed.

 

[Coco]

Lots of significant turnover there. I wonder if it is budget related?

 

[clairecloutier]

U.S. Figure Skating announced today that they've hired Tracy Marek as the new CEO for USFS.

Marek has a marketing background and has worked for many years with the NBA Cleveland Cavaliers (during their LeBron James era). Most recently, she was executive vice president and chief marketing officer for the Cavaliers.

This would seem to be a bit of a "get" for USFS, in terms of Marek's experience with a much bigger demographic/market/media presence than figure skating. There is no previous connection to figure skating apparent in her LinkedIn bio.

U.S. Figure Skating Names Tracy Marek as Chief Executive Officer | U.S. Figure Skating

www.usfigureskating.org

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracymarek/?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs_miniProfile%3AACoAAADV8IcBYiTXV_cmkhV0QghuDYKd-_n4VAM

 

[VGThuy]

U.S. Figure Skating announced today that they've hired Tracy Marek as the new CEO for USFS.

Marek has a marketing background and has worked for many years with the NBA Cleveland Cavaliers (during their LeBron James era). Most recently, she was executive vice president and chief marketing officer for the Cavaliers.

This would seem to be a bit of a "get" for USFS, in terms of Marek's experience with a much bigger demographic/market/media presence than figure skating. There is no previous connection to figure skating apparent in her LinkedIn bio.

U.S. Figure Skating Names Tracy Marek as Chief Executive Officer | U.S. Figure Skating

www.usfigureskating.org

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracymarek/?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs_miniProfile%3AACoAAADV8IcBYiTXV_cmkhV0QghuDYKd-_n4VAM

Not to get too excited, but this sounds very promising. Let's hope she'll get the support from the members of the Fed.

 

[peibeck]

U.S. Figure Skating announced today that they've hired Tracy Marek as the new CEO for USFS.

Marek has a marketing background and has worked for many years with the NBA Cleveland Cavaliers (during their LeBron James era). Most recently, she was executive vice president and chief marketing officer for the Cavaliers.

This would seem to be a bit of a "get" for USFS, in terms of Marek's experience with a much bigger demographic/market/media presence than figure skating. There is no previous connection to figure skating apparent in her LinkedIn bio.

U.S. Figure Skating Names Tracy Marek as Chief Executive Officer | U.S. Figure Skating

www.usfigureskating.org

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracymarek/?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs_miniProfile%3AACoAAADV8IcBYiTXV_cmkhV0QghuDYKd-_n4VAM

Nice, it will be interesting to see what she is able to achieve with a much tighter budget than what basketball allows. Hopefully she also can sway better TV coverage or at least replays on places like Peacock.

 

[barbk]

Maybe she actually understands marketing and appealing to fans? That is something USFS has missed the boat on for decades. Pro basketball has done a remarkable job building an avid fan base that packs arenas. USFS seems to care very little about creating great experiences for fans that come to events.

 

[MacMadame]

USFS seems to care very little about creating great experiences for fans that come to events.

I don't think that's true. They do a lot of fan stuff. I think their issue is execution more than how much they care.

 

[Debbie S]

Sounds like a good hire and lots of potential. But USFS will be a very different management and reporting structure than what she is used to in pro sports. Hopefully, she'll get the support and the budget from the Board of Directors to be able to implement her ideas.

I also hope she will recognize the importance of the grassroots level. The vast majority of USFS membership will never qualify for Sectionals, much less Nats, but it's their dues and volunteer work at the club level that support the 'big' activities. In recent years, there has been a growing disconnect, IMO, with USFS implementing a lot of policies and processes without much guidance or support offered to clubs.

 

[her grace]

USFS has a strange way of caring about the fan experience when we get Rusty year after year.

 

[livetoskate]

USFS has a strange way of caring about the fan experience when we get Rusty year after year.

I always wondered how and why Rusty got the job. It would (imho) draw more young fans to skating if the Rusty job were given to a recent competitor with fan appeal, like Jason Brown. Or anyone younger with a skating background with a fun personality.

 

[Coco]

Skating is tough to market, because a lot of the die hard fans really loathe the things that would capture younger new audiences.

 

[Lacey]

Did I miss something, this new hire has no skating background whatsoever?

 

[Willin]

Sounds like a good hire and lots of potential. But USFS will be a very different management and reporting structure than what she is used to in pro sports. Hopefully, she'll get the support and the budget from the Board of Directors to be able to implement her ideas.

I also hope she will recognize the importance of the grassroots level. The vast majority of USFS membership will never qualify for Sectionals, much less Nats, but it's their dues and volunteer work at the club level that support the 'big' activities. In recent years, there has been a growing disconnect, IMO, with USFS implementing a lot of policies and processes without much guidance or support offered to clubs.

100% Yes!

USFS has slowly been killing off a lot of synchro teams by only listening to the big East Coast organizations (Hayden & Skyliners) - even a lot of Midwest teams that succeed succeed in spite of USFS, not because of them. Michigan, Minnesota, and Chicago have seen their teams struggle and the number of teams dwindle as well. The West Coast is particularly hard hit, and even our biggest competition of the year has been taken over by East Coast teams (it used to provide critiques and monitoring for all teams on the West Coast - and was the only shot for West Coast teams to have it - but now they only offer it to Junior/Senior teams, ALL of whom are East Coast or Midwest).

Not to mention how much more costly it is because they generally only let smaller midwestern cities host West Coast sectionals - there's usually no airport (meaning a 4-5 hour flight + 2 hour drive) and not enough hotels for all the athletes. Also not to mention that they try so hard to recruit judges but make it impossible for West Coast people to become judges for synchro and ice dance...

I think there's a lot more being done by USFS in singles to improve the gap, but not nearly enough. They seem to rely solely on organizations and nonprofits, not themselves, to get people interested in skating.

 

[MacMadame]

USFS has a strange way of caring about the fan experience when we get Rusty year after year.

This is what I mean about implementation. Having an MC is something a lot of sports do. But ours tells Dad jokes which some people love but are not really the way to attract a wider audience, especially bringing in younger people. For them, we need Adam Rippon or someone else chatty with a strong social media presence.

There really isn't a reason we can't have both. Rusty and Adam could even play off one another as well as take turns.

 

[Debbie S]

Did I miss something, this new hire has no skating background whatsoever?

If they limit ED candidates to those with skating experience, they would have a very small pool to choose from, and most likely it would be an internal candidate or someone close to the org. That's not really a way to bring in new ideas and perspective. The BoD seems to be signaling that they want a change agent type...time will tell if they are truly committed.

 

[overedge]

I always wondered how and why Rusty got the job. It would (imho) draw more young fans to skating if the Rusty job were given to a recent competitor with fan appeal, like Jason Brown. Or anyone younger with a skating background with a fun personality.

According to his website, he was an announcer for arena events around Minneapolis before USFS hired him. I think the first event he did for USFS was Nationals in 2008 in St Paul, so they probably wanted to use someone local rather than fly in a big name.

RESUME | Rusty Kath Announcer Host Tampa Bay Ray Minnesota Wild US Figure Skating

 

[Karen-W]

100% Yes!

USFS has slowly been killing off a lot of synchro teams by only listening to the big East Coast organizations (Hayden & Skyliners) - even a lot of Midwest teams that succeed succeed in spite of USFS, not because of them. Michigan, Minnesota, and Chicago have seen their teams struggle and the number of teams dwindle as well. The West Coast is particularly hard hit, and even our biggest competition of the year has been taken over by East Coast teams (it used to provide critiques and monitoring for all teams on the West Coast - and was the only shot for West Coast teams to have it - but now they only offer it to Junior/Senior teams, ALL of whom are East Coast or Midwest).

Not to mention how much more costly it is because they generally only let smaller midwestern cities host West Coast sectionals - there's usually no airport (meaning a 4-5 hour flight + 2 hour drive) and not enough hotels for all the athletes. Also not to mention that they try so hard to recruit judges but make it impossible for West Coast people to become judges for synchro and ice dance...

I think there's a lot more being done by USFS in singles to improve the gap, but not nearly enough. They seem to rely solely on organizations and nonprofits, not themselves, to get people interested in skating.

It seems to me that perhaps the USFS should be asked to reconsider the Sectionals structure or Nationals qualifying process for Synchro teams if this is happening. That's really unfortunate and unfair to the smaller, less established teams.

 

[mattiecat13]

USFS has a strange way of caring about the fan experience when we get Rusty year after year.

I like Rusty. He seems to appreciate skating and skaters and is respectful of the sport, even if it isn’t a sport he was familiar with in the beginning. Kind of like my darling Terry.

 

[Willin]

It seems to me that perhaps the USFS should be asked to reconsider the Sectionals structure or Nationals qualifying process for Synchro teams if this is happening. That's really unfortunate and unfair to the smaller, less established teams.

They don't care. About 7-8 years ago they made a drastic rule change solely on the word of the big East Coast synchro teams that ended up killing off a lot of midwest and west coast teams - including shrinking several big name midwest teams and all the West Coast Senior teams (including one coached by one of USFS's top synchro judges that had made a splash internationally). They still haven't reversed the rule. They also changed the cross skating rules in a way that heavily benefits big organizations while steamrolling smaller teams (Junior skaters competing both Junior and Open Juv). Again, they couldn't care less.

 

[VGThuy]

I honestly don't think Rusty is a problem. He only affects people who've already bought tickets and most people don't seem annoyed with him. USFS could definitely use someone like MacMadame suggested to really promote the sport through social media and be totally engaged with fans. I don't think Rusty gets in the way of that.

 

[MacMadame]

According to his website, he was an announcer for arena events around Minneapolis before USFS hired him. I think the first event he did for USFS was Nationals in 2008 in St Paul, so they probably wanted to use someone local rather than fly in a big name.

RESUME | Rusty Kath Announcer Host Tampa Bay Ray Minnesota Wild US Figure Skating

OMG, Rusty has a last name! (I never even thought about this before. He's like Cher or Madonna. Just Rusty.)

 

[PRlady]

If new lady is a good manager with a flair for marketing, she will learn the content well enough. I’m really happy they brought in an outsider because the USFS has seemed very cozy and insular for a long time.

 

[barbk]

I don't think that's true. They do a lot of fan stuff. I think their issue is execution more than how much they care.

Back when I was a Girl Scout leader, I tried to work with USFS to arrange some kind of deal to let troops from the two Front Range Girl Scout councils come to one of the days of a Skate America held in Colorado Springs at some low cost. This was an event with really, really poor attendance. Cost to USFS? Nothing. Willingness to work with us in any way? Zero. I ended up bringing just our troop down and we just bought tickets for one session. Tried to get practice passes...no luck there, either. With a little cooperation, we probably could have had 200 girls there along with plenty of adults.

Separately, I met Tiffany Scott or Phillip Dulebohn's mom (can't remember which) in the stands at one of the practices (I had an all events ticket, which did include a practice pass) and when I told her about my troop coming down that evening, she coordinated a short meeting with Tiffany & Phillip with the girls that evening in the concourse. The kids were entranced, especially when Tiffany told them that she'd been a Girl Scout and had sold cookies, too. For several years after, I heard the girls talking about figure skating, mentioning watching events on TV (and wondering why Tiffany & Phillip weren't there) and several even signed up for Learn to Skate lessons.

I hope Tracy Marek brings a mindset that building a fan base is valuable.

 

[Carolla5501]

I don't think that's true. They do a lot of fan stuff. I think their issue is execution more than how much they care.

I think that United States figure skating would be very glad if every year we would all buy tickets for their events and then stay home. They made it very clear that they don’t really care what fans think. They just want your money, so just give them your money and then go away and let them do this because they know what they’re doing.


They are still living in the era shortly following the Nancy/Tonya mess when figure skating was incredibly popular. And if you don’t believe me, just read the stuff they want for hosting a skating event. And you wonder why skate America or nationals aren’t in your hometown? Maybe because the powers that be in your hometown don’t really think it’s a good idea to blow that much cash for so little return

 

[Carolla5501]

Oh and I am at the theory on here that replacing Rusty will make skating popular again and attract younger fans...

They have to be IN THE ARENA to even notice Rusty and they aren't so he's not the issue.