Double records by dynamic duo get short shrift
W40 Alisa Harvey and W45 Leslie Chaplin-Swann did in one meet what few masters runners do in a lifetime: set American age-group records in two events. As the MAC association Web site confirms, Harvey of Virginia and Chaplin-Swann of Georgia made the most of their trip to the Big Apple in late-December, setting records in the 800 and 1500 at the indoor Holiday Classic. You’d think USATF would go ape-shit over this news and make a to-do. Not yet, at least. Guess nobody told them.
And yet a class record in the 25-pound weight throw got a high school junior named USATF Athlete of the Week!
With apologies to Walt Henning, the first AOTW for 2006, your mark is nice — but can’t hold a candle to those by Alisa and Leslie.
USATF sez:
“Now in its sixth year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week and features the athlete on the USATF website. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.â€
That’s unless USATF doesn’t hear about “results of the previous week.â€
What a shame.
2 Responses
You can make that 3 who had masters age group records. In the 45-49 age group,I broke the world record in the 20 lb weight throw along with the American record in the shotput.
In the 20 lb. weight, I threw 15.97m and expect to improve on that by Nationals in Boston.
Ken,
I think the reality for all Masters athletes is that the press coverage and laurels will always go to those approaching the age where they can compete on the world stage or those already competing as such.
Potential always sells. A youngster or an Open competitor is “on the rise” at an age where they can improve on their best-ever times/distances. A World Class Masters athlete can retain fitness at an impressive level, but they can never improve on the marks they set as a World Class Open athlete.
For example, a 40 year old Masters miler may run sub 4:00 some day but will never challenge the World Record.
World Records and Olympic medals sell. Remarkable resilience and decades of committment unfortunately do not.
Certainly recognition for the stars in our ranks would be wonderful, but I think our individual reasons for training hard and living right will be just as compelling without it.
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