Archive for January, 2006

Paul Babits almost made 16-1 on record Reno day

After Indiana coach Paul Babits cleared an indoor world M45 world record at Reno last weekend (15-9), I shot him a note with a few queries about the National Pole Vault Summit experience: What was your height progression? What kind of pole did you use? He got back to me today. Also, I’m happy to […]

January 31, 2006   Posted in: Uncategorized  Comments Closed

Hoops tourney honors late masters track official

Paul Suzuki officiated at events other than masters track, of course. It was at the USATF national open championships last year where he was killed by a shot during warmups. But he was well-known on the Southern California masters circuit as the smiling red jacket with the starter’s pistol. Now his son Vincent sends word […]

January 31, 2006   Posted in: Uncategorized  Comments Closed

Team USA entries posted for WMA world indoor meet

USATF has posted an event-by-event list (link fixed 2/01/06) of the 90-plus American entrants in the Linz world masters indoor championships. The list comes in a second flavor — with athletes listed alphabetically. Looks as if Bill Collins is entered in but one individual event: the 60-meter dash. Maybe he’ll run some M55 relays.

January 30, 2006   Posted in: Uncategorized  One Comment

Barrister Bruce clears the bar and keeps on going

It doesn’t take a lawyer to get a world record ratified, but it helps. Attorney Bruce McBarnette isn’t shy about letting the world know of his high jump exploits, and he says a record application is in the works, writing me: “The meet director was Henry McCallum. He was one of three certifying officials. Melvin […]

January 30, 2006   Posted in: Uncategorized  Comments Closed

Coach Babits vaults 15-9 for M45 indoor WR

The old slur is “Those who can’t, teach.” That doesn’t apply to Coach Paul Babits of Indiana. Paul, who guides aspiring stickjumpers at his camps in Fort Wayne, just turned 45. And over the weekend, Paul cleared 4.80 (15-9) for an M45 world indoor record at the National Pole Vault Summit in Reno, Nevada. Paul […]

January 30, 2006   Posted in: Uncategorized  One Comment

McBarnette blasts over own world indoor HJ record

Jim Barrineau isn’t M45 anymore, but he knows a good jump in that age group when he sees one. He wrote today: “Watched Bruce McBarnette jump 1.95m for a new 45-49 Indoor World record today in Landover, MD, with room to spare. Not really close on any of his 1.98 jumps. I managed a game […]

January 29, 2006   Posted in: Uncategorized  One Comment

Eagerly awaiting results of National Pole Vault Summit

A two-day pole vault competition held in a Reno hotel ballroom wrapped up tonight, but masters results are hard to come by. In previous years, Nadine O’Connor and Bud Held have set or threatened masters age-group records there. This year, someone posted to a masters message board that a W40 jumper went 9 feet 7 […]

January 28, 2006   Posted in: Uncategorized  One Comment

World press beginning to focus on Linz world indoor meet

A British M35 runner got some ink in his local paper, the first of potentially hundreds of stories about masters preparing for the World Masters Indoor Championships in Linz, Austria. America’s 90-plus entrants at Linz are due some publicity, too. But first USATF has to release the roster of Team USA. Thankfully, that information is […]

January 27, 2006   Posted in: Uncategorized  One Comment

Frank Schiro sheds the biggest weight of all

Quarter-milers like to say they run the last 100 meters with something on their back — a horse, a refrigerator, a planet. But the last 100 is easy as a feather for M50 dashman Frank Schiro. He’s carried a far worse burden: heroin and alcohol addiction. Still attending A.A. meetings, Frank told me his story […]

January 26, 2006   Posted in: Uncategorized  3 Comments

Gail Devers ends mystery, will run Millrose hurdles

The mystery? Well, Olympian Gail skipped the 2005 track season after biting off more than she could chew at the Athens Olympics, where she tried for a 100-100 hurdles double. (She pulled up in a hurdles heat.) And the question on many people’s minds was: Has she retired? The answer came today in a USATF […]

January 26, 2006   Posted in: Uncategorized  Comments Closed