Archive for July, 2008

Always one clueless idiot in the crowd: ‘Ottey, quit!’

Under the headline “Hang it up Merlene, please!” Paul Reid of the Jamaican Observer newspaper writes: “Merlene Ottey, the former Jamaican track and field star, had her dreams of competing in an individual event at eight straight Olympics shattered on Tuesday after failing in her attempt to make the ‘B’ standard while competing at a […]

July 25, 2008   Posted in: Uncategorized  2 Comments

Masters Athlete magazine posts free weight-training issue

Masters Athlete magazine (formerly GeezerJock) is expanding into weight training with a separate title called Masters Strength & Fitness. The first issue is free and downloadable here. Even though it has a weight-lifter on the cover, it’s not just for big husky guys who do Olympic or power lifts in dark, stinky gyms. The first […]

July 24, 2008   Posted in: Uncategorized  2 Comments

Nadine O’Connor raises own WR in W65 pole vault

Nadine O’Connor of Del Mar, California, improved her own W65 age-group world record in the vault last weekend at a single-event meet at San Diego State University that drew 18 entrants. Called the Friday Night Summer Vault (with complete results here), the meet saw Nadine, 66, clear three heights on her first try, ending with […]

July 23, 2008   Posted in: Uncategorized  One Comment

Merlene Ottey’s quest for eighth Olympics falls short

Merlene Ottey, still a sprint queen at 48 This would make a HELLUVA movie — how Merlene Ottey at 48 jetted from city to city in the final week before today’s qualifying deadline, racing to run 100 meters a few tenths faster than her season best, which already was the fastest any woman had ever […]

July 23, 2008   Posted in: Uncategorized  3 Comments

Seattle Masters Classic: small meet with some big marks

Becca Gillespy and George Mathews share this results link for the Seattle Masters Classic held this past weekend in West Seattle. It wasn’t a humongous turnout, but many fine marks were recorded, including a nice 12.67 for 100 by M65 champion Steve Robbins, rounding into great shape for Spokane. (He ran 12.53 in May, though.)

July 22, 2008   Posted in: Uncategorized  One Comment

Sims, Leek run wild at Western States in Sacramento

M70 sprinter Gary Sims and and W75 multi-eventer Edythe Leek were among the stars of the Western States Masters International Invitational over the weekend in Sacramento. Gary ran the 100 in 13.98, the deuce in 29.22 and the 4 in 64.99. Co-meet director Mary Woo also reports: “Liz Palmer (had) huge PRs in the 80 […]

July 22, 2008   Posted in: Uncategorized  6 Comments

Age-Graded Tables getting an expedited redo, WMA says

Just when we’re getting used to the 2006 Age-Graded Tables, work is under way on the 2010 tables, says World Masters Athletics. WMA Prez Monty Hacker reports: “WMA has decided to accelerate its periodic modification process of the Age Grading Tables to remove various deficiencies that have developed over several years as a result of […]

July 22, 2008   Posted in: Uncategorized  2 Comments

Masters hurdler McCloud had bit part in Trials fiasco

As fate would have it, my roommate at the dorms in Eugene was a track coach from Colorado named Mark Misch. During the Trials, I learned the sordid details of Mark’s attempt to get Blake Boldon into the 5,000-meter heats. Blake’s case echoed that of Roald Bradstock, the 46-year-old thrower who was prepared to go […]

July 21, 2008   Posted in: Uncategorized  6 Comments

A first: European masters championships will test for EPO

Starting this Thursday, a town in Slovenia will host 3,700 masters athletes. They’ll compete in the 16th European Masters Athletics Championships. As usual, Germany dominates the field — with 655 men and women entered. Britain is second with 333. But the elephant on the track in Ljubljana will be an expanded drug-testing regimen. Besides the […]

July 21, 2008   Posted in: Uncategorized  No Comments

New CEO promises to ‘be a huge sponge’ in early miles

Doug Logan is a shiny new car, and the powers that be at USATF have fallen in love with him. That’s understandable. New owners want to feel good about their wheels. Despite a few scratches and dents in his career, CEO Doug, 65, appears to be firing on all cylinders in his media rollout. Check […]

July 20, 2008   Posted in: Uncategorized  No Comments