March 3, 2022 Statement from the OATCCC

The Ohio Association of Track & Cross Country Coaches regrets that the Beachwood
High School Track & Field team will not be participating in the 2022 OATCCC Indoor
State Track & Field Meet as a result of Coach Willie Smith failing to enter the team by
the registration window deadline.  

The Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches is devoted to providing
opportunities to our student-athletes and promoting the sports of cross country and
track & field.  The OATCCC is a volunteer organization run solely by coaches and
promoters of these sports and is over 1,200 members strong.  The 2022 Indoor Track &
Field State Championships will feature 326 schools with 1,681 athletes participating on
March 4th & 5th.

Over the past 17 years, the OATCCC has proudly hosted the Indoor State Championship
as a showcase of our state's talent.  From its origins in 2005, the OATCCC established
eligibility and registration procedures to ensure this excellence. 

With the popularity of indoor track & field in our state, these procedures and deadlines
must be followed in order to provide a high quality and organized event.  The deadlines
which include registration deadlines change from year to year in order to serve the
needs and purposes of that year’s Indoor State Championship. There is no set date or
day for these deadlines to occur. The responsibility to know the deadlines falls on the
coach of each team. As proven by the 2022 Indoor State Championship Meet
registrations, 326 coaches from across the State of Ohio were able to adhere properly to
the registration deadline.

In January, the OATCCC posted on www.oatccc.com, the deadline date for registration,
as well as sending emails to all of the members notifying them of where to find
information about all upcoming OATCCC events.  In addition to the initial
announcements made, members were made aware of the Indoor Track & Field State
Championship information at the 2002 General Membership Meeting at the annual
OATCCC Track & Field Clinic, held January 27, 2022 which Coach Willie Smith
attended. The Indoor Track & Field State Championship details are provided in the
OATCCC annual publication, The Runner, stating that coaches should view the website
for details. This publication was provided in the registration materials given to every
2022 Clinic attendee of which both Coach Willie Smith and his assistant coach attended.
Furthermore, the OATCCC Indoor Calendar lists February 20, 2022 as the last date for a

qualifying meet to occur and earn qualifying marks to the Indoor State Meet.
Information about meet registration was also made available via Twitter and
Instagram.  

All in all, eleven emails were sent to the entire OATCCC membership since January 3,
2022, with 3 emails sent the week of the registration window specifically referencing the
registration window, along with a countdown timer on the online registration platform
signifying the number of days, hours and minutes until the registration window closed. 
Not only did Coach Willie Smith receive the eleven emails sent, Beachwood High School
Assistant Track & Field Coach Olivia Mayfield received the emails sent by the OATCCC
and it was confirmed that she opened the emails. In particular, she opened the email
sent on Friday, February 25, 2022, which reminded coaches to register before the
deadline that same day at 11:59 pm.  She opened the email prior to the deadline time on
that day.
 
Coach Willie Smith made a phone call on Sunday, February 27, 2022, asking for an
exception to the rule.  He admitted that he missed the deadline and promised not to tell
anyone if the OATCCC would let his team in after the deadline so it would not appear
that OATCCC offered him any favors.  He also offered as a solution that the OATCCC at
least allow his boys’ team in and not his girls’ team.  He was told that the decision to not
have Beachwood High School participate in the meet was made when he did not register
the team. At the time of his phone call, he also was informed that the meet entries were
finalized and ready to publish.  No exceptions or favors could be offered to allow his
team entry into the meet as there certainly would be other requests for such favors after
the accepted list of entries was published. Furthermore, his offer to have the
Beachwood boys team compete and not the girls team would have subjected Beachwood
High School and the OATCCC to Title IX violations.

The OATCCC is an organization that takes pride in promoting the sports of Track &
Field and Cross Country so that student-athletes may enjoy all that athletics has to offer
to help foster our youth into productive members of society in the competitive arena and
beyond. The OATCCC is saddened that Beachwood High School was not registered to
compete in the 2022 Indoor State Championship Meet as a result of Coach Willie Smith
not taking the responsibility to know and confirm the registration deadline. The request
of Coach Smith to make an exception for his team and to sacrifice the Beachwood girls’
team was simply unethical, improper and does not coincide with the values of the
OATCCC.