Archive for December, 2009

Baker’s dozen named to USATF Masters Hall of Fame in Indy

Thirteen masters track greats — 11 men and two women — have been named to the USATF Masters Hall of Fame. USATF hasn’t posted the names, but HoF Committee chair Norm Green announced the names yesterday, and a mole has passed them along to me. So this isn’t official quite yet. The Class of 2009 […]

December 5, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  No Comments

Drug-testing around the corner for USATF masters nationals?

I hope this is a false alarm, but a pot of money is being dangled in front of U.S. masters track — and some of our leaders are reported to be thinking: Let’s look good to WMA and commence drug-testing at USATF masters nationals!  I’m not kidding. For decades, leaders of American masters track have refused to […]

December 5, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  31 Comments

Masters nationals heading to Illinois, Indiana and New Mexico

This morning in Indy, the USATF Masters T&F Committee — delegates from around the country — awarded the 2011 indoor and 2012 indoor and outdoor masters nationals to three new sites. As previously telegraphed, Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois, won 2012 outdoors, but was “accepted tentatively pending confirmation of facility availability and dates,” according to […]

December 4, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  10 Comments

Indy mole report: Masters may have access to extra $50,000

Our masters mole at the Indy annual meeting sent a summary of Thursday’s meetings, which includes discouraging word that the National Senior Games records won’t be submitted for ratification after all. But the happy news is that the USATF Masters T&F Committee budget could nearly double, thanks to Nike’s largesse. Mole writes: “The budget was adopted with […]

December 4, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  One Comment

Revelations galore in posted minutes of Exec Committee

While poking around usatf.org, I came across the minutes of two recent conference calls — meetings of the USATF Masters T&F Executive Committee. Check them out.  Although Secretary Jeff Brower’s notes are brief, they speak volumes about what’s going on behind the scenes. One example: National Masters News publisher Randy Sturgeon on November 3 made […]

December 4, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  One Comment

Special report: Dieter Massin double-dips, violates WMA rules

Dieter Massin Dieter Massin, the German president of the Eurovets, is openly defying newly approved rules in World Masters Athletics while sitting on the WMA Council. Not good. Conflicts of interest have always been banned by WMA, but previous presidents have flouted the group’s Constitution by joining the board of the International Masters Games Association […]

December 3, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  5 Comments

Hope sprouts for ratification of USATF records at Palo Alto

Our masters mole in Indy, having read my entry about records at the National Senior Games being ignored, writes: “USATF did issue an ex post facto sanction for NSG. There are 9 ‘records’ set there that would be up for ratification here. Of those, one is by someone for whom Sandy (Pashkin) doesn’t have other […]

December 3, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  4 Comments

Rita ‘Hamscom’ honored on WMA Web site, just 10 days late

News flash! World Masters Athletics reports that “Rita Hamscom” received world’s best masters athlete honors at the IAAF Gala in Monte Carlo. (See the account here.) No matter. At least the WMA site has a nice photo of Rita and Guido MĂźller — posted a mere 10 days after the event. But the real revelations are on […]

December 3, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  15 Comments

USATF masters nationals may return to Illinois in 2012

Millikin University in southern Illinois hosted the 2004 USATF masters outdoor nationals. Now it appears Benedictine University in northern Illinois will host our meet in 2012. A masters mole at the Indy annual meeting of USA Track & Field tells me that “Lisle, Illinois” seems to be the de facto pick. That suggests Benedictine, a […]

December 3, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  3 Comments

Colleen outlegs Rita for USATF Masters Athlete of the Year

No complaints this year. USATF honchos were smart in naming W45 roadie Colleen De Reuck as Masters Athlete of the Year, announced today at the annual meeting in Indianapolis. Unlike 2007’s debacle, when Phil Raschker was named world’s best masters athlete but lost the USATF prize to a W75 roadie, this year’s world’s best (Rita […]

December 2, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  11 Comments