Archive for June, 2009

Tom Jordan named acting prez of World Masters Athletics

A cover letter for the WMA General Assembly handbook notes that Oregon’s  Tom Jordan, former executive VP of WMA, has been appointed acting president of World Masters Athletics. This is historic. He’s the first American to be president of WMA. Our own Rex Harvey, however, stands to be the first elected president of WMA at […]

June 21, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  No Comments

Insane WMA plan would force USATF to do drug-testing

World Masters Athletics is getting too big for its britches. It was formed (as WAVA) in the late 1970s to give geezers a chance to compete in track and field. But over the years, it’s become an elitist IAAF-wannabe. That includes pretending to crack down on doping by doing a handful of tests at world […]

June 21, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  9 Comments

Gary Hunter vaults 15-8 at age 53 — but new WR is unlikely

Doug “Bubba” Sparks reports on the PVP message board that M50 Gary Hunter cleared 15-8 (metrically about 4.77) at a special beach vault Saturday in Texas. “It was a beautiful day with a fast runway and nice tailwind,” Bubba writes. “I don’t know that it will count as a WR, but he sure made it nicely in […]

June 21, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  No Comments

Porto Alegre, Brazil, is only bidder for 2013 WMA world meet

According to the official handbook of the 2009 Lahti General Assembly (posted here), the southern Brazilian town of Porto Alegre will host the 2013 World Masters Athletics Outdoor Championships. Porto Alegre, which lost the 2011 worlds vote in 2007 to Sacramento, is the only bidder for the outdoor meet, so deal with it. The meet […]

June 21, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  4 Comments

Bill Collins’ WR marks at Rice all-comers meet in dispute

Did Bill Collins pull a Usain Bolt last week — set world age-group records at 100 and 200?  Hard to tell. Originally, Bill’s page on mastersrankings.com said he ran 11.39 and 23.31 at a Rice University all-comers meet June 12. Both times better his own listed M55 world records of 11.44 and 23.36. But when I […]

June 20, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  7 Comments

Seattle/Davis meets taking place of Hayward Masters Classic?

As noted previously, the Hayward Masters Classic was canceled this year. But in its place, a Seattle-area masters meet seems to have taken up the slack. Becca Gillespy Peter, the vault maven, forwards results from a June 6 Seattle Parks and Recreation Department meet. Fourteen vaulters and 18 high jumpers showed up, so it was a […]

June 19, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  5 Comments

Sue Grigsby profiled as Lahti world championships loom

Sue Grigsby, a W50 runner training for Lahti worlds, is the subject of a nice writeup in her local newspaper. Hers is probably one of a flood of stories that will appear in the run-up to worlds. Sue, who teaches at Everett Community College, is a veteran of worlds, since she’s been to South Africa […]

June 18, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  One Comment

Oshkosh nationals may see oldest shuttle hurdle team ever

Becky Sisley of Oregon is set to make hurdling history. On Sunday, July 12, at Oshkosh nationals, about 3 p.m., she and three other women in their 70s will team in the 4Ă—80 shuttle hurdles — a back-and-forth relay championed by Jeff Davison of Southern California. Jeff writes: “It looks like we will have a women’s 70-79 […]

June 17, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  One Comment

Southern Assn. USATF masters meet changes venues to LSU

Coach Byron Turner of the USATF Southern Association writes that “this weekend’s South Region/Southern Association Masters Championships has been moved from Southern University to the Bernie Moore Track Stadium at LSU.” He adds that online entry will be extended through Wednesday. Byron also writes: “To accommodate the LSU track team’s practice schedule, we were required […]

June 16, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  4 Comments

USATF COO Mike McNees to continue comeback in Oshkosh

Mike McNees When a USATF press release revealed yesterday that USATF Chief Operating Officer Mike McNees “enjoyed a successful and somewhat painful return to track and field competition over the weekend,”  I couldn’t resist shooting him a note. First the basics: “McNees won the men’s 200 in his age-group (in Terre Haute, Indiana) despite pulling […]

June 16, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  One Comment