You’re now reading the top blog in American track and field!
I’m tickled to report that yesterday I won a prestigious award. And you share in the honor! The news came about 2:40 p.m. in e-mail from Ron Bellamy, sports editor of the The Eugene Register-Guard, who wrote me: “Ken: You are the winner of the Track and Field Writers of America’s first annual Adam Jacobs Memorial Award for excellence in blogging in 2008. It was announced this morning at the TAFWA breakfast in Eugene, and will be communicated to the members via email. I have a plaque for you.” Ron, who covered 1989 masters worlds in Eugene, is the president of TAFWA. Soon the honor was posted on the TAFWA Web site.
TAFWA dates to the early 1970s and has several hundred members.
The judges — probably TAFWA officers — asked for five samples of work from 2008, and I sent them stuff like the Hinton-record rejection entry and the one about Doug Logan’s CBA bankruptcy. I probably sent this Bradstock-makes-Trials entry, too.
Can’t remember them all.
I couldn’t attend the awards breakfast at USA open nationals because, well, I’m already booked for Oshkosh and Lahti.
But had I been there, I would have said something like this:
Thank you, Ron, and TAFWA!
This is a deep honor. It’s also a wonderful recognition of adult age-group track, which deserves far more attention from the wider track and field community.
Adam JacobsI’m also humbled to be associated with Adam Jacobs, whose brief life included a pioneering Web site, TheFinalSprint.com, that did the first serious investigation of USA Track & Field and its governance — on the eve of the 2008 Olympic Trials. I advised Adam on the series and finally met him in person at the December 2008 USATF convention in Reno. He bought me dinner.
I’d also like to salute TAFWA for launching this award, which should help foster more online journalism. Track is the first sport, and TAFWA appears to be the first sportswriter group in America to establish a blogging award. May our ranks multiply exponentially.
I realize that perhaps a handful of TAFWA members submitted entries this year, kind of like the M70 pole vault field at masters nationals. (You show up with a good chance of medaling). But the significance of being the inaugural winner of this award isn’t lost on me. You can only have one first Super Bowl champion or first Olympic women’s marathon winner. So this will be the only time in my life I’ll mention Joan Benoit Samuelson and myself in the same breath.
Finally, I must profusely thank the worldwide readers of my blog — averaging 10,000 unique returning users a month — who give me story tips, comment on my daily entries and correct me when needed. A blog is nothing if not a conversation and community. And the best blogs give everyone a say — sometimes highly critical of the blogger.
But we remain friends at the end of the day.
I’ll treasure this award my whole life. Thank you!
I’m also delighted to be included in such a high-powered list of award winners. In addition to the blogger prize, these other awards were revealed:
Colleagues: The following awards were announced Friday at the Track and Field Writers of America breakfast in Eugene. Congratulations to the winners.
The Sam Skinner Award (for exemplary cooperation with the media) for 2008: Veteran meet promoter Al Franken.
The Sam Skinner Award for 2009: University of Oregon director of Track and Field Vin Lananna.
The Rich Clarkson Award for excellence in photography in 2008: Bill Frakes, Sports Illustrated.
The Jesse Abramson Award for excellence in track and field journalism for 2008: Curtis Anderson, The Eugene Register-Guard.
Again, congratulations to all.
Ron Bellamy TAFWA president
I also entered the photo contest, but lost to some guy with longer and faster lenses from Sports Illustrated. Oh well. Maybe next year.
But this blog remains my favorite hobby (after rehabbing my latest injury), and in its six years, your posted comments outnumber my entries 6,895 to 2,570. I’ll never catch up with you!
In any case, thanks again for helping make this the best track blog in America — even if it ignores 99 percent of track in America. You are the few, the proud, the masters!
27 Responses
You are “The Master”
Well done.
My guess it must have been the piece on Bradstock-makes-Trials that put you over the edge
🙂
cheers
Roald
Ken,
Congrats on your latest award.GO KU.
Hi Ken
Congratulations ! Your blog is always my first port of call when I access the internet !
Thank you for keeping us posted on masters news of the world with on the spot blogs !
Can’t wait for tomorrow’s blog !
Kind regards
Pam
Hi Ken.
Congratulations on winning the Adam Jacobs memorial award. Your website is amazing and I know that Adam would have been so happy that the award was given to you! I was Adam’s girlfriend and I am so grateful that TAFWA created this incredible award in Adam’s honor. May you have more success and happiness in your website and in life in the year to come!
All my best,
Niki
We’re reading the top blog in American track and field? Come on, we already knew that! Congratulations on your award.
Congratulations on the encomium Ken. May you continue to reach for the highest limbs, while always maintaining journalistic integrity. You fulfill a vital need in masters athletics.
Maintaining Journalistic Integrity!? Ha!
Ken, congratulations on such a top-notch award!
You well deserve it, for all your hard work for so many years, as well as for the quality and detail of your work.
Keep up the good stuff!
CONGRATS!! It’s my first web stop every day! Bubba
Congrats…you da champ! Keep on Bloggin!
Congratulations Ken Stone The Track CEO
Kenne,
Congratulations and applaudations..well deserved award. I read your blog every day..it is my daily dosage of very potent T & F elixir.
i have not raced for 30 years but i truly enjoy reading your blog, in fact it is the only blog i read on ANY subject on a regular basis. I have found other blogs to be quite poorly written, boring and repetitve.
However your blog had more elements of good old fashioned sportswriting along the lines of LA Times writer Jim Murray.
Congratulations!
Kudos, Ken, on receiving this prestigious award. I, too, read and enjoy your blog and the comments every day. You do a great service to Masters’ T&F.
Your buddy, Doug
You’ve earned the accolades! Congratulations Ken. Keep up your great work keeping us informed.
John
I appreciate your hard work and dedication to masters sports. You are not just a cheerleader. You tell it like it is, even when your views are controversial. Keep it up!
Congratulations, Ken!
Thanks for giving masters athletes a voice. Your boundless energy, contagious enthusiasm, information, worldwide contacts, and many small and great kindnesses are helping keep our sport alive.
Bud and Nadine
Die herzlichsten Glueckwuensche aus Deutschland, Ken! Bleib dran und mach weiter so!
Annette und Robert
Congrats Ken! You deserve it.
Linda 🙂
Tremendous! Congrats! How much of a raise are you getting? :-))
Good news, Ken. I too, like so many of the above commenters, check your blog regularly. And nearly always something of interest and relevance for masters athletics. As we call to each other on the track “keep it going, keep it going!”
Diane
Ken,
Nice PR! Keep up the good work and your blog will soar to even greater heights.
Peter Hlavin
keep on blogging, Ken!! You’re the one who keeps us informed, and on a daily basis no less. Keep up the good work.
And I agree with a previous commenter that you have elements of Jim Murray sportswriting in you.
regards, Grant L.
Congratulations Ken; I check the blog just about daily – have it on myblogs list. You provide much information that most of us would not have access to otherwise.
And-now and then you shoot off some comment that sets teeth on edge – or wakes the sleeping among us and sparks a bunch of comments. Any blogger who does not occasionally stir controversy is not worth reading.
Thanks for all the time and energy you put into this, the masters running world would be dull without your blog.
Great blog. I have an old timers blog in Arizona…just getting started. Admire your work.
Never too late to congratulate you. Your contributions to masters track and field are too numerous to list. My favorite is the timeliness of the news! Thanks for everything.
Strong kick! You are obviously not a quitter.
I’ve been reading your blog for a year or so. Makes me feel good that there is a “watchdog” who is monitoring the Masters world.
Your writing efforts are so much appreciated. Thank you for communicating in such a timely manner the various “goings on” of Masters T&F. You help to lend legitimacy to the sport.
I hope to enter the T&F world once again in 2010 after an absence of 46 years. Who knows, maybe I’ll have the strength to show up at the Sacramento Nationals in July for the men’s 800 meter (M64). Geez, this is practically surreal. Anyhow, I popped $55 for a 2 year membership to USATF today. Now I have to put my legs where my money is.
Don B.
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