Texan Steenbergen ready for sprint comeback at 54
Debbie Fetterman of the Dallas Morning News, a great friend of masters track, has written another nice story about one of our stars: national champion W50 sprinter Cindy Steenbergen, who has been missing from the circuit the past few years. But long, tall Cindy is one tough cookie. She says she’s finally healthy and planning to run in Spokane. Welcome back, champ!
Here’s the story:
Cindy Steenbergen of Fort Worth hopes to enjoy a comeback of sorts at Saturday’s masters track meet.
Steenbergen, 54, consistently competed in masters meets until injuries began to plague her four years ago. Most recently, she pulled her hamstring during the World Masters Athletics Championships in Riccione, Italy, in September.
She knows she won’t be competing at the level that made her a national champion and Texas Athlete of the Year from the mid-1990s through 2000. Yet she’s eager to see friends and resume competing at the annual USATF Southwestern Association Open and Masters Track and Field Championships on Saturday at First Baptist Academy in Mesquite.
She’ll be running the 100- and 200-meter dashes.
“I’m healthy for a change,” she said. “It’s been awhile.”
Steenbergen didn’t start running until she was 42. Her employer, Alcon Laboratories, needed a woman to run the 60-yard dash for a corporate challenge. Someone recalled that Steenbergen had the speed to outrun throws to first base for the company softball team.
She discovered she had untapped talent.
Alcon’s team captain, Ernest Allen of Jamaica, loved track and started coaching Steenbergen. She became competitive and beat some of the area’s men.
Steenbergen enjoys training, its stress-relieving benefits and the camaraderie with fellow competitors. She plans to compete July 26 at the Texas Masters Championships in Coppell and Aug. 7-10 at the Outdoor Nationals in Spokane, Wash.
“I try to tell people how inspiring it is to see an 80-year-old long jump or do the hurdles,” she said. “They look 15 or 20 years younger than they are.”
Wayne Bennett, the secretary-treasurer for the Dallas Masters Track & Field Club, which will be hosting Saturday’s meet, said it draws regular participants every year.
They include:
• Bob Ward, 74, of Dallas, the longtime weight and strength coach for the Cowboys under coach Tom Landry, competes in the hammer and weight throws.
• Orville Rogers, 90, of Dallas, plans to run the 100, 200 and 400. Rogers set two age-group world records at a meet in Boston in March.
• Joe Summerlin, 76, of Houston, won the 100-yard dash at the Penn Relays for the men’s 75 age group.
• Ed Jones of Austin, a strong sprinter in the 60-64 age group, has captured a couple of world championships in the long jump.
8 Responses
Cindy has been waiting for a healthy season for a while. I’ve enjoyed our visits at area track meets and I wish her the best…see you in Coppell and in Spokane Cindy!
John Simpson
Hey Cindy,
Glad to hear you are back on track champ… good luck in your up coming meets and especially at Nationals!!! I knwo you will do your best.
Cheers from
Down Under
That’s our girl!! Go Cindy! You are a true star… waiting to shine again;-)
You’re a real star, Cindy, and I have enjoyed announcing you over the years. Are you really 54? Wow. I remember you dominating the field in the Penn Relays W40+ 100 a few years ago, and I still recall my call of “and Steenbergen on the rail” when you won from lane 1 in the 200 at Boston (Reggie Lewis Center).
I’ll try to avoid Clermont, Florida, next year (very difficult weather conditions are not my cup of tea — I still remember the danger of Charlotte in 2006), so Spokane could be one of my very last chances to announce you in a nationals. See you there.
The ‘T’ squad know you are not really 54….
More like early 40’s..
Glad to see you are healthy at last, that gives us all hope. Good luck in your up and coming meets, kick a**.
Glad to see Cindy back. Now if I can overcome ham and achilles problems I’ll be back on the track.
Great job mommy, I am so proud of you and wish you the best of luck on the 26th (2 days). You will be amazing and will not get nervous (like me). Wow, 54? I believed all of my friends when they said that you looked 40 something! Gosh, where have I been? haha.
Love,
Madi..your favorite daughter
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