Archive for August, 2008

Clock is ticking on USATF Masters Weight Penta results

USATF has yet to post results from yesterday’s National Masters Weight Pentathlon Championships. Not a surprise. But still a shame. Unless a massive Internet or computer crash is involved, there’s no excuse for dilly-dallying on such results. The information is of interest to fans, friends, family and potentially local and national media. If it’s not […]

August 24, 2008   Posted in: Uncategorized  10 Comments

USATF Masters T&F, cough up your annual minutes!

I’m sorry. I’m an utter failure. I’ve tried everything but put a gun to my head. I can’t seem to accomplish a simple task on your behalf. I can’t get the minutes from the USATF Masters T&F Committee meetings last November in Honolulu. According to USATF bylaws, minutes are supposed to be kept at such […]

August 24, 2008   Posted in: Uncategorized  12 Comments

Winehouse tune latest fodder for masters poet laureate

Dave Ortman up in Seattle, recovering from his Spokane title exertions, has composed another masters parody to a pop melody. He writes: “Here’s another jingle for the Track Poetry corner. Note that (Amy) Winehouse’s lyrics (from the song “Rehab”) didn’t make a lot of sense to start with. As with most poetic license, the biggest […]

August 23, 2008   Posted in: Uncategorized  3 Comments

San Diego paper features Bud Held after M80 vault WR

My sportswriter friend Don Norcross wrote this nice story about Bud Held for today’s Union-Tribune. But the paper didn’t have room to run the photos my wife, Chris, and I shot at Spokane, where Bud raised the M80 world record in the vault. Well, that omission is remedied here. Chris took the close-up shot below […]

August 22, 2008   Posted in: Uncategorized  One Comment

2009 Clermont nationals strand multis championships

This is what happens when organizers of masters nationals don’t publicize their dates expeditiously. Because of contract wrangling, Clermont, Florida, only recently disclosed July 9-12, 2009, as dates for the USATF outdoor masters nationals. That weekend, however, had been claimed for the 2009 USATF masters multi-event championships (decathlon, heptathlon, etc.) So now they’re in a […]

August 22, 2008   Posted in: Uncategorized  7 Comments

Hartwig falls short; McFarlane lowers M35 hurdle record

So many masters in the Olympics, so little time. Jeff Hartwig didn’t reach the finals in the vault. But his 5.55 jump yesterday (18-2 1/2) remains an amazing feat at forty. The lone American in tomorrow’s final is 35, however. That’s Derek Miles, the Trials champ, who cleared 5.65 (18-6 1/2). (You also can read […]

August 21, 2008   Posted in: Uncategorized  No Comments

Dow walks in Beijing — but won’t miss daughter’s journey

From USATF: “In the women’s 20 km race walk, Team USA’s 44-year-old, first-time Olympian Joanne Dow (Manchester, N.H.) walked the fastest time by an American woman ever in international competition. The mother of two placed 31st in 1:34:15, behind winner Olga Kaniskina of Russia (1:26:31), Kjersti Tysse Platzer of Norway (1:27:07) and Elisa Rigaudo of […]

August 20, 2008   Posted in: Uncategorized  One Comment

Pray for Jeff Hartwig: He vaults in Beijing this morning

At 5:40 a.m. Pacific/8:40 a.m. Eastern today Jeff Hartwig, our 40-year-old masters superstar, jumps in the men’s vault prelims in Beijing. Earliest results and discussion will be on Becca Gillespy’s site. Jeff says in a recent story that “If I thought I could go 10 more years, I would. I love the sport that much.” […]

August 20, 2008   Posted in: Uncategorized  2 Comments

Dates announced for 2009 Clermont masters nationals

The 2009 USATF masters outdoor nationals will be held July 9-12 at the National Training Center in Clermont, Florida, according to this hastily posted stub of an official site. (Note the reference to the meet being July 7-12 at one point.) Comments posted on this earlier blog entry telegraphed the info informally a couple days […]

August 19, 2008   Posted in: Uncategorized  15 Comments

Betty Jarvis oldest at USATF masters weight pentathlon

Betty Jarvis didn’t make it to Spokane, but she’s among 70 entrants (and by far the oldest) at this weekend’s USATF National Masters Weight Pentathlon Championships in Connecticut. A 2004 inductee into the USATF Masters Hall of Fame, Betty is still going strong at 93. She hails from Aberdeen, North Carolina, and may be shooting […]

August 18, 2008   Posted in: Uncategorized  No Comments