American thrower finds his own Field of Dreams
This is the most haunting masters track story I’ve ever heard. I’ll let M55 world silver medalist Tom Fahey tell it himself. This is what Tom posted on The Ring after getting back from Riccione worlds: “Ralph (Fruguglietti) was born in Italy and speaks Italian fluently. He was visiting Venice and heard of a training facility about 100 miles to the south. The facility was in the country in a back-water part of Italy. The track looked like something out of Field of Dreams. The grass was meticulously mowed and the field was surrounded by tall evergreens. There were first rate throwing areas for the discus, shot, hammer, and javelin.” Read on!
Tom continues:
Ralph did not see anyone around, so he started training. After he had taken about 15 throws, an old man drove toward him in a golf cart. He drove to the side of the sector, stopped, and watched Ralph throw. After about 5 throws, the man got out of the cart and walked over to Ralph and said to him in Italian, “You are coming out of the back of the circle too fast.”
The old man didn’t say another word. He got back in his golf cart and drove away. His advice was just what Ralph needed. Ralph went on to win the (M50 title at the) Master World Championship in Riccioni a few days later.
After the meet, Ralph was reading a book about great Italian track and field athletes. In the chapter on the 1948 Olympics, he saw a photo of Adolfo Consolini, who won the gold medal in the discus. To his surprise he saw that Consolini was the old man in the golf cart who had given him advice about his technique. A chill ran up Ralph’s spine when he read that Consolini died in 1969.
I’m gonna write Ralph about this.
Incredible story.
And thanks, Tom, for sharing it.
(Be sure to read Tom’s first-person account on how he achieved his goal of winning 10 straight national titles in the discus. It’s in the current issue of National Masters News.)
