Archive for December, 2014

Correction: Tom McCormack’s masters honor was correctly stated

Thanks to comments below and a note from Teresa McCormack, I’ve been corrected on a post that suggested a headline in the Johnson City (Tenn.) Press was wrong. Jonesborough’s Tom McCormack, Teresa’s hubby, was indeed an overall AoY for LDR. My sincerest apologies. But this still gives me an excuse to note a change in […]

December 11, 2014   Posted in: Uncategorized  2 Comments

Lyon worlds set for 4 stadia: Study your schedule, maps carefully

It’s eight months until Lyon worlds. It’ll take that long to figure which events you can contest, given the four stadiums involved. At least the day-by-day schedule is out, color-coded by venue. We’ve begun to hear athlete fears about getting from Point A to Point B, and how far apart the cities are. Venues are […]

December 10, 2014   Posted in: Uncategorized  10 Comments

M40 Calvin Davis ran 400 in 45.04 in 2013? IAAF says so, strangely

Mastersrankings.com says M40 Calvin Davis ran 400 meters in 45.04 seconds on June 5, 2013, in New Orleans. Yeah, right. (The listed WR is 47.81 by Italy’s Enrico Saraceni.) But wait! USATF says Calvin’s all-time best is 45.04, and all-athletics.com says that time was set June 5, 1993, in New Orleans. Ripley’s Believe it or […]

December 9, 2014   Posted in: Uncategorized  7 Comments

Our fantasy long jump: M100s James Kales vs. Leland McPhie

This weekend, an entrant in the Florida Senior Games is James Kales, who turned 100 this fall. A Wall Street Journal blogger wrote of Jim: “On Kales’s flight to his Florida winter home from his Michigan summer home, the pilot announced that a passenger would soon turn 100. Everyone aboard sang Happy Birthday. The airline […]

December 8, 2014   Posted in: Uncategorized  No Comments

Meet multi-eventer Jason Lattimore, the future of masters track

Jason Lattimore is our future — part of a wave of M40s bringing new blood into a sport that dotes on the aged. We saw him excel at Winston-Salem nationals, winning the pentathlon (and all five events). But his backstory is typically fascinating. His local paper tells it well. “Looking to test himself further, in […]

December 7, 2014   Posted in: Uncategorized  5 Comments

Butch Reynolds training for masters comeback, eyes 400 WR

Olympic champ Butch Reynolds coaches track at Ohio Dominican University. But back in the day, he was Mr. 400 — holder of the world record (video of 43.29) for 11 years until Michael Johnson took it down. Butch’s mark is still No. 2 all-time. So when I got a tip that he was training for […]

December 6, 2014   Posted in: Uncategorized  41 Comments

Nike pledges free uniforms to U.S. entrants at WMA world meets

I wasn’t present for the announcement, but USATF CEO Max Siegel told an early session of the Anaheim convention that Nike is boosting the Masters T&F budget by $75,000 to pay for uniforms for any American competing at WMA indoor or outdoor world meets. Amazing. On Thursday, national masters T&F chair Gary Snyder had a […]

December 5, 2014   Posted in: Uncategorized  13 Comments

Beijing IAAF worlds to contest masters men’s 800, women’s 400

As previously noted, the 2015 IAAF World Championships will include masters exhibition events. The meet is in late August in Beijing — at the Bird’s Nest Olympic stadium from 2008. But the masters events being contested were secret until now. In Anaheim this week, Sandy Pashkin announced that a men’s 800 and women’s 400 will […]

December 4, 2014   Posted in: Uncategorized  One Comment

2017 indoor nationals to Albuquerque, outdoors to Baton Rouge

By a vote of 28-26, Albuquerque beat out Winston-Salem to host the 2017 masters indoor nationals in a contest of geographical loyalties. Since more West Coast delegates were able to attend the Anaheim annual meeting of USATF, New Mexico had the natural advantage in Wednesday morning’s general session meeting. And SoCal TC’s Mark Cleary, the […]

December 3, 2014   Posted in: Uncategorized  12 Comments

Sandy Pashkin, ousted as records chair, defends 11-year tenure

Sandy Pashkin has been USATF Masters Records Committee chair since 2003 — perhaps a record tenure. But her term has been fraught with doubts on her competence. I’ve led the charge, based on my own research and reports from aggrieved athletes. Sandy said I had been the “bane of her existence” and explained why she […]

December 2, 2014   Posted in: Uncategorized  24 Comments