Archive for September, 2009

USATF Southern Association a model for outreach, input

I don’t live in Louisiana or Mississippi, but I admire their Baton Rouge-based USATF association. I’m also on their distribution list. The other day, I got email with the subject line “How are we doing?” and a note headlined “Feedback Survey on Southern Association.”  It said: “In order to continually improve our ability to serve all […]

September 6, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  5 Comments

Untold story of Lahti: Perkins kept his mourning private

August 5 dawned bright in Lahti, Finland, tinged with anticipation. The WMA General Assembly was meeting on a rest day at the World Masters Athletics Championships to elect a new president and other officers. Stan Perkins, running against Ohio’s Rex Harvey, won the presidency by one vote, and smiled as he shook hands with Rex. But amid the celebration […]

September 5, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  One Comment

Masters legend Harold Morioka faces heart surgery today

Harold at Kamloops in July. Harold Morioka may be the Job of masters track, suffering more than his share of physical afflictions and other issues. Now he faces one of his biggest tests — open-heart surgery today. Harold sent Doug Smith of Ontario a “dear friends” letter that ended with this amazing promise: “I’ve already […]

September 4, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  25 Comments

Anemic fields likely at 2009 Sydney World Masters Games

On August 2, 2009, the Web site of October’s Sydney World Masters Games reported: “Minister for Tourism Jodi McKay tonight announced that Sydney is on track to stage the largest ever World Masters Games this October with more than 28,000 people having registered for the event. . . ‘At last count we had 28,091 people registered […]

September 4, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  27 Comments

Rob Thomas to Anselm’s group: Zip your lips (and keyboard)

A perpetual argument in masters track is how to bring about change — from within the “system” or via pressure from without. (I’ve tried both tacks.)  The late Bob Fine would constantly demand that I “shut up!” and let the leadership handle masters issues in its own time and way. Now world champion sprinter Robert […]

September 3, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  7 Comments

Carmel Papworth-Barnum (and friends at WRT) launch blog

Carmel Papworth-Barnum, recovering from a calf/Achilles injury that kept her out of Lahti worlds, keeps adding great stuff to her Web site, Women Running Together. Her latest feature is a blog that includes her own musings as well as that of South African W60 star Pam Immelman and Dr. Cathy Utzschneider (See the blog here.) For […]

September 3, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  No Comments

Stephanie Hightower flunks outreach to masters tracksters

Last December, USATF president-to-be Stephanie Hightower addressed the USATF Masters T&F Committee at the Reno convention. Among other things, she said: “You all feel that you’re one of the invisible groups.” She promised to turn that around. This week, she had a grand opportunity to make good on her pledge. Instead, she punted. In a […]

September 2, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  11 Comments

Don Neidig claims American record in 400 at Fort Collins

The Rocky Mountain Masters Games over the weekend in Fort Collins, Colorado, produced some great marks, including a 5.10 vault (16-8 3/4) by 41-year-old Pat Manson, the former world-class athlete now entering masters events. (Meet results are here.)  Perhaps the star was M65 sprinter Don Neidig, whose 400 time of 57.47 blitzed the listed American […]

September 2, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  12 Comments

W60 world record for 5000 held by three women at once?

Here’s a trivia question: Who holds the W60 world record for 5,000 meters?  We’re talking the standard outdoor track 5K — none of this roadie nonsense. Easy, you say. Just saunter over to the WMA records page for women. Voila: It’s Marion Irvine, the legendary running nun from Northern California whose 19:14.8 mark turns 20 […]

September 1, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  One Comment

Soon-to-be board member of NSGA offers critique of meet

Jerry LeVasseur competed at the National Senior Games last month — as he has for nearly 20 years. But unlike other athletes, he will soon have a place at the table. He will join the NSGA board as its only runner sometime this year. He wrote me that it’s “very disappointing and an embarrassment that […]

September 1, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  25 Comments