Ann Carter in pentathlon hurdles at WMA regionals.
writes from San Jose, Costa Rica, and WMA regionals: “The competition is over. …
Ann Carter and
Ivan Black ended up being among the most decorated female and male American participants in the competition. Ann won six W70 gold medals (pentathlon, long jump, high jump, triple jump, 100 meters, 200 meters), a silver medal in the discus and a bronze in the 4×100 relay. Ivan won six M65 gold medals (2000 meter steeplechase, long jump, triple jump, 100-meter hurdles, 300-meter hurdles, 4×400 relay) and two silver medals (high jump and 4×100 relay).
Joy Upshaw was another standout with six gold medals. All in all, everyone seemed to enjoy themselves here and whatever technical difficulties there were didn’t overshadow the proceedings.” With only 600 entrants, medals were not superhard to get, but being in shape for that many events makes them superstars in my book. Here’s a shot of Team USA Rob took and shared with some.
Hawaii’s Ron Pate led Ivan Black at a water jump at this point of 2K steeple in Costa Rica. Photos by Rob Jerome
Here’s a shot of Team USA at WMA regionals.
7 Responses
For some, medals may have not been hard to win, but some of the competitions were very competive. I got surprised in the high jump by a very good jumper from Guatemala and the M50 400 final was pretty shift.
It is easy to loose sight of the fact that many people competed and received no medals. I had diner at the athlete’s party with a fellow 400 meter runner who finished well outside the podium, but he ran hard in the 400 and looked very fit and happy dancing with his wife last night enjoying the end of the competition.
Gold medals are nice and something to aspire to, but I enjoyed the Pura Vida of the Costa Ricans. Pura Vida literally means good life, but it means a bit more — something like life is good, enjoy it. I saw this Pura Vida ethos in how they cheered on all of their country men, in how they honored everyone who competed with a certificate of competition, and how they welcomed everyone to their beautiful country.
The meet was first class and very enjoyable to compete in and to watch.
Very well-said, Terry. Couldn’t agree more. There was something very special about this meet, which I attribute to good vibes of our hosts.
congrats to all..! my friend ivan always puts a smile on my face…as far as medals not being hard to win for some, although it’s no doubt true, you still have to start the race to finish it, and for that i applaude all who showed up..!! god bless..!!
In January of 2013, I ran “Bob & Ron’s 5K” in Honolulu. Glad to see Mr. Pate is still competing at a high level.
I absolutely agree with the above comments. Being one of the older competitors, and without competition in many events, I appreciated the support and cheers of the local crowd, and the requests from many to have their photo taken with me. It was like being an “A List” celebrity for four days! The stadium was magnificent, and the medal ceremonies impressive.
Standing on the podium while they played the national anthem was a first for me at 72 yrs. of age. There were certainly a few “odd” moments – like having all eight triple jumpers with ages ranging from 40 to 75 in one flight and only three boards at 9m, 6m, and 3m – but overall everything was run quite efficiently. Certainly, a meet that I will never forget!
The Weather during the NCCWMA meet in Costa Rica was perfect, but it took 6 days to adjust from sea level to 3700 feet above sea level. Made me wish I lived in Denver, rather than Honolulu. The people in Costa Rica treated us great and the meet was run well. We heard the Star Spangled Banner often. It was a good meet.
I agree with all the comments above. Fortunately I was unaware of the altitude in San Jose when I ran the 8k x-c on the first day. Having had a very tough time with altitude at the Nat Masters Indoor track meet in Albuquerque several years, I would have been very stressed to know that as we ran 4 laps of 2k each and 8 hills. I did not run any other event as I was pretty tired after that effort.
The competitors and their friends cheered for everyone including those of us who were at the back of the field. The hospitality was impressive.
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