Anyone know how Dennis, a Yank, got on foreign team?
The
18th Asian Masters Athletics Championships start Friday in Japan, but it’s pretty much being ignored by WMA. Nothing about the five-day meet on its website. Hard to find a meet site either.
(AMA is AWOL as well.) But aside from 116-year-old phantom sprinters, what can we look forward to? How about an American M65 steepler? According to a Filipino paper, “Also joining the (Philippines) team are American steeplechaser
Dennis Scott (based in Butuan City).” Say what? How do I join? A blog
even shows Dennis and the team. But the sportswriter goes off the deep end when he declares: “But do you know there is still a 100-year-old athlete from India who still participates in the World Masters? Oh, speaking of World Masters we are excited as the venue next year will be in France. Guess who will be competing,
Haile Gerbselasie, Linford Christie, Marlene Ottey, Frank Shorter, Gail Devers and
Bill Rodgers.” Yup, count on “Marlene” Ottey showing and Geb. First person to find a
results link to AMA meet gets bragging rights.
5 Responses
Odd. Looks like the AMA has adopted the completely stupid USA High School rule of only four events (plus relays). I guess this means no pent or deca!
(2) Events:
1. Championships include Asia Masters Athletics officially recognized events for male and female.
2.Relays will be 4x100mR and 4x400mR in age groups for both male and female. Relay teams will be formed in each prefecture / country*.
3. Entry limit: Each participant can enter
in 4 events that do not include relays.
http://www.asia-masters.info/images/eligibility.pdf
Also, apparently the Indian athletes had some hiccups at the last AMA meet two years ago in 2012:
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/gross-mismanagement-leaves-senior-athletes-for-17th-asian-masters-athletics-in-lurch/1/228305.html
Ken, are you serious about Haile Gerbselasie, Linford Christie, Marlene Ottey, Frank Shorter, Gail Devers and Bill Rodgers competing at next years worlds ?
Pam, because Ken didn’t answer I will jump in. It was the reporter, not Ken S., who asserted that Gebrselassie, Christie, Ottey, Shorter, Devers, and Rodgers would compete in Lyon next year.
Perhaps the reporter started looking at well-known “masters age” athletes who would make a big splash if they competed in France and then made the huge leap to declaring that they would actually be there. Oh, well, sometimes reporters dream, or maybe there was something lost in the translation from the original language.
I don’t see steeple results for Dennis:
http://gold.jaic.org/iwate/pc/asia/jpn/rel315.html
LOL Ken, I just now noted on a Filipino blogger’s site that you had left a comment for me to get in touch with you.
The reason you didn’t see the steeple results is that you were looking at the page listing only the Japanese runners. What was supposed to be the 18th AMA, was changed by Japan into a joint venue to include the Japanese masters national championships. They created a huge delay in event start times because they brought in 1,944 athletes (every city team and track club), and not just in masters age 35+, but starting from 25+. Whereas you might normally expect 3 athletes from one country in an event, the Japanese flooded almost everything with their people. In one of my events, the M65 1500m, there were 31 Japanese.
So about me. To answer the first question about how an American can compete in the AMA, it’s simple. I’m a permanent resident immigrant for almost 9 years in the Philippines. In Aug 10-11, 2013, I competed in a Masters Invitational Championships as a member of Team Cebu, taking 4 golds (5000m, 10,000m, 4×100 and 4×400 relays) and 1 silver medal (1500m). At that time their national association president invited me to run as a member of Team Philippines for 2014.
As for the 18th AMA held Sep 19-23, in Kitakami, Japan, I was entered in what was to be my main event, the 2000m steeplechase to be held on the 20th. I didn’t want to sit around and watch everyone else running for the remaining 3 days, and so I entered the 1500m for the 21st, and the 300m hurdles for the 22nd. First, let me say that I was never a 400m hurdler, but I figured that since at age groups 60+ they become the 300m hurdles 30 inches high (the same as the steeplechase) why not try it out.
To get to the result… on the 19th I was warming up on the practice track on grass and then did a few hurdles. On the last one, I was distracted by someone, stopped too quickly after clearing the hurdle, and rather than keeping my feet aligned, I stupidly turned my left foot out. It instantly pulled, strained, damaged or whatever… my left calf muscle rendering me virtually incapacitated and limping badly.
One of my teammates who has the skills, worked on the leg into the night, and again the next morning. Then he oversaw and directed my warmup for me to try to compete. It was terrible and I was in pain for every step pushing off on the left leg. I did survive the steeplechase and took a disappointing 11th in 10:57.80, rather than a hoped for 9:00, or minimum 9:30. Then it was off to the medical treatment room for them to work on my leg more.
On the 21st, I was scheduled for the 1500m. When I put on my Brooks PR MD spikes and tried to jog 10m, it was obvious that it would be impossible for me to run with spikes, so I put my Nike Pegasus 29 trainers back on to run with those. It was the only way. The left calf is still in the same pain and it takes some doing just to get some momentum going when they fire the starting gun. Everyone just runs away from me at the starting line and there is nothing I can do about it. But, I did manage to stay within about 30-40m of one runner once I had built up a little speed. I had gradually closed that to about 20m with 200m to go, and pushed as best I could ignoring the hurt and kicked it… beating the Japanese runner by 2 seconds. After, I learned that my time also beat 2 more of the Japanese in another heat. All heat times were final, and my meager result… only 7:02.64. Then it was back to the doctors and more taping and wrapping of my left leg.
On the 22nd I was scheduled for the 300m hurdles. I’m thinking there is no way I can do this. I know I don’t want to try the hurdles without spikes and decide to go for it with the Brooks, whatever may happen. Obviously there is no way I can use starting blocks, and so I start in the allowed upright position. I did try to take the first hurdle, almost crashed, miraculously kept my balance, and headed for the next one. I had already learned my lesson, and so, ran up to the second hurdle, stepped over without touching it (thankful for my long legs), and continued on in that fashion to the finish line. It was a ridiculously slow time of 1:36.44, but I weathered the storm, I gutted through the pain, and I finished all 3 of my events….AND… I had a terrific experience cheering and supporting my teammates, making new friends, and much much more. Surprisingly, athleticsrankings.net lists me as #28 in the steeplechase, although top 5-10 would have been likely if healthy.
You can view my steeplechase photo at this link which is also the profile picture of my Facebook page. Since I mentioned other shoes, those in the SC pic are Adidas Arriba 4’s.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=724762994274557&set=a.104048226346040.8537.100002225896746&type=1&theater
Where did I come from you might ask. Livingston, NJ, High School track and cross country teams graduating in 1966. Campbell college (now university), NC, track and cross country teams (team captain my Jr and Sr years) and competed in the NAIA national championships my Senior year. I also ran for the Winston-Salem Track Club training on the Wake Forest Univ track during the summers with a highlight of taking the gold medal in the Highland Games 2-mile in 1970. The club also got me into the steeplechase when the coaches saw me running high school high hurdles for fun. I graduated, and then into the US Army, where I also competed in Army track and field, and ran road races. Here in the Philippines, I also do road racing from 3k to 42k. My next is October 19, for a 21k qualifying race (with required age group finishing times) to be allowed to compete in the national final in Manila on Dec 7. I already have my plane ticket to Manila for Dec 5 🙂
You mentioned about the 100yr old from India. I understand that he didn’t make it, but I did meet 80 year old Bunji Sato who ran 23:54.33 in the 5000m, now world ranked #2 for the year only behind Ed Whitlock. There were a number of 95 year olds such as the 8:07.09 in the 1500m; the 4.59m in the triple jump; and more.
So Ken… I hope I answered your questions and that you can understand my 18th AMA experience. Any more questions… now you know how to get me. God bless and take care always bro.
Leave a Reply