Archive for November, 2006

Suzy Hess ‘happy with decision’ to quit committee

Suzy Hess’ resignation as vice chair of the USATF Masters T&F Committee might have been expected, since she also has sold ownership of National Masters News to Randy Sturgeon — and appeared to be clearing the decks for retirement after recently turning 65. But it still caught people off guard at Indy today at the […]

November 30, 2006   Posted in: Uncategorized  2 Comments

Gary Snyder elected USATF masters chair in Indy

A little before noon today, Indianapolis time, masters delegates to the USATF annual meeting twice picked Gary Snyder of Massachusetts to serve the remainder of George Mathews’ unexpired term as chairman of the Masters T&F Committee. Gary led the voting in a first round that included Mark Cleary of Southern California and Bob Fine of […]

November 30, 2006   Posted in: Uncategorized  One Comment

Joy Upshaw-Margerum pulls out of race, backs Snyder

Joy Upshaw-Margerum has decided to drop out of the race for USATF Masters T&F Committee chair. She says she attended today’s meeting of the Masters T&F Executive Board and realized she’s not yet ready to tackle the chair job. Afterward, she and fellow candidate Gary Snyder of Boston went to lunch, and they ended up […]

November 29, 2006   Posted in: Uncategorized  2 Comments

Randy Sturgeon quits Fleet Feet as club dumps T&F

The team that won the past two national masters outdoor meets is spiking track. Randy Sturgeon, the new owner of National Masters News, writes: “Fleet Feet Sacramento has decided to focus (its) team and no longer support track and field and cross country. They also no longer wanted to retain me as a head coach. […]

November 28, 2006   Posted in: Uncategorized  13 Comments

Bob Fine isn’t so fine with respect to his chair rivals

I like Bob Fine. I really do. But I’m having a hard time respecting him in the run-up to Thursday’s election to fill the two-year unexpired seat of Masters T&F Chair George Mathews. Bob is a candidate for that office. But not willingly, it seems. He just thinks the caliber of his rival candidates is […]

November 28, 2006   Posted in: Uncategorized  4 Comments

Suzy Hess reports to USATF on how masters did in ’06

It’s not Shakespeare, but it’s a serviceable summary of USATF Masters T&F in 2006. Along with other committee chairs, acting masters chair Suzy Hess reports to the wider Indy audience on what the geezers in USATF were up to this year. She begins by noting the resignation of Chairman George: “The resignation of George Mathews […]

November 27, 2006   Posted in: Uncategorized  One Comment

Did an M55 Brazilian really run 800 in 2:03.09?

Online results can be mystifying. Latest example: the South American Masters Championships list an M55 mark for 800 meters that’s pretty mind-boggling — a 2:03.09 by Brazil’s Julio Quirino in Rio de Janeiro. Annette and Robert Koop in Germany seem to consider this mark legit. They say it beats the listed (hand-timed) WMA world age-group […]

November 27, 2006   Posted in: Uncategorized  5 Comments

Rex Harvey seeks IAAF Masters Committee seat

This coming weekend in Indianapolis, USA Track & Field meets to do its annual business — mull rule changes, elect officers, honor the stars of 2006. One lesser-known function is picking U.S. candidates to various bodies of IAAF — the Big Kahuna of track and field. One of the hopefuls is our own Rex Harvey, […]

November 26, 2006   Posted in: Uncategorized  2 Comments

Rocky’s return: Fightin’ chance to get our story right

A 60-year-old Rocky Balboa? Boxing an elite champion? When I first heard this scenario a year ago, I was intrigued (but a little worried). Now that Sly Stallone’s latest sequel is almost out — scheduled for release Dec. 22 — my fears are being allayed by early reviews. Here’s the nut graf in one preview: […]

November 25, 2006   Posted in: Uncategorized  7 Comments

Florida is final qualifier for National Senior Olympics

The National Senior Olympics — held in odd-numbered years — is one of the few events for 50-plus athletes that requires “qualifying.” I’m unclear what the standard is, other than simply recording a mark in an official qualifying State Games or State Senior Olympics during 2006, but that’s the drill. In 2007, the track meet […]

November 24, 2006   Posted in: Uncategorized  One Comment