Masters Track News and Muse

Tomorrow is Day 1 of the 15th World Masters Athletic Championships. Otherwise known as the meet the world forgot. With rare exceptions, media attention is absent. And who can blame sports sections and broadcast outlets around America and the world? USA Track and Field and WMA itself hardly give a hint about the sizzling events in hot Carolina, Puerto Rico. Even so, meet results are about to emerge.

Kathy Bergen of La Canada (kun-YAH-duh), California, may be the best combo sprinter/high jumper in the masters ranks, and certainly in the W60 group. Now 63, Kathy raised her own American record in the W60 high jump Saturday at the Chuck McMahon Memorial Masters Meet in San Diego. She cleared 1.35 (4-5) to top her year-old record of 1.34. She holds the AR indoors (1.31) and at 2000 Boston nationals set the indoor 200 AR for W60 of 31.03. Earlier she set indoor sprint records in the W55 group. And she's a regular in the Mt. SAC Relays exhibition 100 -- here (in black) being nipped by Kathy Jager in 2002. Bergen won the race in 2003. Next up: German Christiane Schmalbruch's W60 world high jump record of 1.38.

Don't blame Kathy Jager for having some extra zip this coming week. After what's she's been through, the Arizona nurse deserves to show off. In August 1999, W55 Jager was the toast of the Gateshead WAVA meet after winning a fistful of sprint medals and maintaining her dignity despite idiotic accusations that she was a he. Less than a year later, she was toast -- banned after testing positive for a doctor-prescribed medicine to treat symptoms of menopause. Now she's back, having served out her two-year IAAF suspension. And in the W60 sprints, she'll be a favorite for more hardware.

Let's see Craig Masback top this! USATF Masters T&F Chairman George Mathews of Carlsbad, California, took fifth in the M55 hammer throw (the 6-kilo variety) yesterday at the WMA World Masters Athletic Championships in Carolina (pronounced car-O-LEEN-a), Puerto Rico. And the event's winner was no slouch, either. It was Russian-born Canadian Boris Zaichuk, who 25 years ago this month became the first man to surpass 80 meters (80.14 -- 262-11) in the hammer. Boris won his third world hammer gold.

WMA Vice President-Stadia Rex Harvey has just informed me that M100 Everett Hosack of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, won't be attending the WMA world meet after all. So no milestone meeting of two M100s in the 100 and 200. Damn! Rex writes from Puerto Rico:

Everett cannot come to PR. His red blood count has recently fell from 13.5 to 9.5 so he and his medical advisors thought best that he not travel. He vows to overcome this anemia and compete again as soon as possible. He is sorely dissappointed as he looked forward to Puerto Rico and the possible head to head competition, something he has been denied for many years by his good health and fortune.

Yesterday in Carolina, Puerto Rico, Norway's Kurt Skramstad broke the listed M65 world record for the decathlon with a two-day score of 7754 points. The previous record was 7668 by Finland's Pekka Penttila on 7-27-89. Kurt's marks: 100 (14.24), long jump (4.58 -- 15-0 1/4), shot (11.51 --37-91/4), high jump (1.39 --4-6 3/4), 400 (1:11.25), 100 hurdles (18.20), discus (38.87 --127-6 1/2), pole vault (2.72 --8-11), javelin (39.19 -- 128-6 1/2) and 1500 (6:11.94). In the W55 heptathlon, winner Phil Raschker of Georgia fell 99 points short of the listed world record for her age group -- 6298 points by Corrie Roovers of Holland on 7-18-91. Phil did: 80 hurdles in 13.56, high jump (1.47 -- 4 -9 3/4)), shot (8.60 -- 28-2 3/4)), 200 (27.54), long jump (4.50 -- 14-9), javelin (24.97 -- 81-11 1/4)) and 800 (3:15.45) for 6199 points.

Poor Irene Betancourt of Puerto Rico. She was fourth in her W55 100 prelims heat yesterday at WMA worlds but failed to advance to the next round. Yet in the previous heat, the No. 8 finisher advanced. Since advancement was based on time, what's the problem? Well, Irene ran into a 5.7 meters per second headwind, while the previous heat was run into a 0.3 headwind. What's the dif? About 12 mph! Are some sprinters getting the shaft in Carolina? Seems so. Wind readings ranged from 5.7 headwind (12.7 mph) to a 4.3 tailwind (9.6 mph).

Go to the Puerto Rico world meet Web site today and you see, under Latest News: "United States retakes the lead: United States has retaken the lead in the gold medal race of the XV World Masters Championships. Close by, and leading the competition in total medals, is Germany. Puerto Rico, the host country, got its first two gold medals." All very interesting. All very irrelevant.

The Associated Press reports from Zagreb, Croatia: "Olympic and world championships medalist Merlene Ottey won the 100 meters over a weak field at the IAAF Grand Prix meet on Monday. Ottey, 43, was timed in 11.42 seconds before a packed stadium in ideal summer conditions."

WMA President Torsten Carlius has reported that World Masters Athletics will sign the 53-page World Anti-Doping Code. This could be good news for masters athletes taking doctor-prescribed medicines that are on the banned list. The code has a section on therapeutic use exemptions.

Results have been posted for all the 200-meter finals at Puerto Rico WMA worlds except one -- the men's 50-54 final involving Houston's Bill Collins and New York's Ed Gonera. In the semis, Collins ran 23.01 with an illegal wind and Gonera had a 23.26w. Results should be here.

In 1978, I interviewed four-time Olympic discus champion Al Oerter. In my story for Track & Field News, I repeated what Oerter had famously said years before: "These are the Olympics. You die for them." Now we're seeing that creed play out in Carolina. The latest example: Phil Raschker.

Mystery is half-solved. Bill Collins beat Ed Gonera for the M50 title at 200 yesterday in Puerto Rico -- but we may never know his true winning time.

Results from WMA worlds site show:

1 Collins, Bill M52 United States NT NWI
2 Gonera, Edward M51 United States NT NWI
3 Bowen, Robert M51 United States NT NWI
3 Oliver, Viv M51 Great Britain NT NWI
-- Norman, Jesse M52 United States NT
-- Regales, Siegfried M50 Netherland Antilles NT
-- Franklyn, Walwyn M50 Great Britain NT
-- Freeman, Peter M51 Canada NT

* Timing Malfunction

Dave Ashford of Buffalo Grove, Illinois, came THIS close to breaking the M40 world record in the 110 hurdles yesterday in Puerto Rico. Running with a legal (0.2 mps) wind, Ashford clocked a sensational 14.02 in the prelims -- nearly two seconds ahead of the runner-up in Heat 1.

Four years ago, when I attended the WAVA General Assembly at Gateshead, England, I was impressed by the technology that (via headphones) provided translations of debates in many languages to the voting delegates. I wish WMA would show some tech savvy today. It's now 1 a.m. Pacific team, long after the close of the WMA General Assembly meeting yesterday at The Ritz-Carlton San Juan Hotel Spa & Casino, and I haven't a clue on what's transpired.

The desert has shrunk. The entry age of men for masters competition will now be the same as women: 35 (pending a rubber stamp by the IAAF). This is long overdue -- and represents the first fundamental change in defining masters since David Pain initiated the men 40/women 35 entry ages in the late 1960s. Besides meaning a huge potential influx in participants (and corresponding increase in revenues for WMA and national governing bodies), it also helps grow the sport by making track and field accessible to to an age group that in the past has been limited to mainly elite/open events.

The plot thickens. According to a witness of yesterday's WMA General Assembly in Carolina, Puerto Rico, some European delegations -- including those of Germany and France -- were barred from voting. Since Germany had one of the biggest voting blocs in Puerto Rico, this would be a huge blow to WMA democracy. I'm still trying to sort out this story -- which has a number of distressing wrinkles.

On a fortuitous 7/11, David Ashford of Illinois put his money where his spikes are -- shattering the M40 world record in the 110-meter high hurdles with a time of 13.73 seconds (into a slight wind). Highlighting a season in which he and his agent promised a masters record in the event, Ashford beat the record and the former record holder in the same race -- the finals of the WMA World Championships in Carolina, Puerto Rico. Karl Smith of Jamaica saw his 13.96 record from 2001 Brisbane eclipsed, but at age 43 Smith clocked 14.24 to smash the old single-age record of 14.9 by American Walt Butler in 1984.

Before the topic gets old and moldy, let's tie up some loose ends on the WMA General Assembly. These national masters delegates met from around 9 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. July 10, 2003, at the Ritz Carlton Carolina (with a break for lunch). Bottom line: A semblance of democracy remains in World Masters Athletics. Like FDR being blocked from packing the Supreme Court, Emperor Torsten Carlius was kept from pushing through his effort to banish term limits -- which potentially could have made him Emperor for Life.

For all the marvelous marks at Carolina, we might keep in mind the athletes left behind. An unknown number of entrants never made it to the stadia of Puerto Rico. Many could have medaled. This is always the case, but the relatively low turnout at Carolina (probably under 2,500) underlines the point. So did a weekend masters meet in California, where six marks would have medaled at worlds -- four for gold!

I'm positively pleased to share a note I wrote to Roger Jennings at FlashResults, the North Carolina-based timing and results-reporting service that did such a great job in Carolina, Puerto Rico. And I urge like-minded athletes to do the same.

Anyone who competes in a world masters meet has a story to tell that rivals "The Odyssey" by Homer. If I could interview some of the sung and unsung USA athletes, for example, I might start with Louise Adams, 81, who won the 800, 1500, 5000 and 8K cross country race. I'd ask: "What motivates you to keep a-going with so little competition in your age group?"

Al Oerter the discus god and David Pain the founder of USA masters track are recovering from serious health problems at the moment. In southwest Florida, Oerter is thankful to be alive after heart failure. In San Diego, Pain is recovering from a serious bike crash. Sorry to be reporting these incidents months after the fact. (But even Track & Field News editor Garry Hill admits he didn't know about Oerter until two days ago.)

FlashResults mogul Roger Jennings reports that Bill Collins, winner of the M50 200 meter on a rainy day in Carolina, "heard 22.3" as a hand-time result of his snakebit final. But Jennings writes: "I'm (nor he) was too sure where it came from, so no, haven't heard of any (other) times. Did hear a rumor someone had it on tape but nothing else." If 22.3 was a solid hand-time, then a plausible auto time would have been around 22.5 -- or a world M50 record if wind was OK.

The video of the "lost" 200 at WMA worlds apparently is more than a rumor. According to the British track magazine Athletics Weekly, such a video was cited to move Britain's Viv Oliver up from fourth to a tie for third (with American Robert Bowen) in the M50 200 won by Bill Collins of Texas.

Ed Gonera of New York had a unique vantage point during the M50 200 at Puerto Rico -- chasing Bill Collins to the finish line and winning the silver medal. Here's his take on the mystery 200:

"I am relating the story Bill Collins told me concerning the race. Bill said an official walked past the finish line as the race began. The official finished first, Bill second, me third and a photo for fourth. IAAF rules state the times cannot be recorded as official times -- only the positions of the runners. I believe I know someone who taped the race and will request a copy. The Brits tried to supply a tape of the race as evidence for Viv Oliver finishing in front of Bob Bowen. Bill told me the officials would not use the tape. The times for Bill ranged from 22.44 to 22.61. Bill said someone timed him in 22.2+. My time was given as 22.70. I also heard 22.74. Bowen and Oliver were given the same time. I think it was 23.08."

Dave Clingan wears so many hats it's a surprise his head doesn't cave in. On one hand, he's the official keeper of USATF Masters Rankings online. On the other, he moves up in the rankings almost every month as a world-class 800 man. So it goes for the Portland, Oregon, runner -- the USATF Masters active athletes representative and co-webmaster of masterstrack.com (as well as the husband of Sharon and father of George and the mentor to a youth track team). (Not to mention majordomo of Crossroads Musics & Collectibles. At Carolina, Puerto Rico, he added another distinction -- at age 49 one of the oldest finalists in the M45 800.

M50 sprinter/hurdler/jumper David Ortman would make a great president. Unfortunately, his politics are a little too green for most. A former Friends of the Earth honcho, he ran for public office in 1997, drawing some enthusaistic endorsements and nearly 140,000 votes for a seat on the Seattle Port Commision. But he couldn't clear the hurdle of an entrenched incumbent, losing 40 percent to 60 percent. No matter. He's first in masters hearts -- and an inspiration to rehabbing souls everywhere. His Carolina experiences would make a great campaign video.