National masters deca/hep results are in — with photos!
Jeff Watry, the engineer/athlete for Gill Athletics, shares these results from the USATF Masters National Decathlon/ Heptathlon Championships held June 21-22 at a university in southwest Missouri. Among the nearly 50 entrants were quite a few Britons and Canadians, who joined the meet as part of a challenge. I posted an article previewing the event a while back. Among other notable results, Britain’s Pat Oakes beat America’s Mary Trotto in the W60 decathlon (yes, all 10 events). Mary might have won had she not had a DNF in the 100-meter hurdles. Grant Overstake took hundreds of great photos. Grant’s wife, Claire, won the W50 heptathlon and was the subject of this nice writeup.
National Masters News fires editor, to become magazine
Carmel Papworth-Barnum, an accomplished W40 runner, was making strides as editor of National Masters News this spring. She was climbing a steep learning curve but making monthly improvements in the paper. No more. This month, she was fired as editor. Publisher Randy Sturgeon, for reasons still a little vague, decided to take over “editorial control,” Carmel wrote me earlier this week. I wrote to Randy, asking why this step was taken, and he responded with a note reprinted below.
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Mary Harada - May 22, 2008
I had heard that Carmel was no longer the managing editor for reasons that were not clear. I thought she was doing a great job bringing new writers to the paper and turning it in a new direction.
I know that some are not happy with the new format. I am not among those who found it wanting. But for those who did not like it in its current form, just wait for it to turn into a magazine – let the complaints roll in!
As for selling it at the news stand – well- that should be interesting. Competing with The Economist and Newsweek no doubt. -
Ken Stone - May 22, 2008
I just checked NMN’s Web site. They posted the cover of the June issue, but they haven’t updated the “About Us” page, which shows Carmel as editor and hubby Larry as associate editor:
http://www.nationalmastersnews.com/aboutus.htm -
I chatted with Carmel on the phone Thursday night, and she was feeling OK about everything.
The parting was amicable, she said, and Randy even promised a good reference for her when she seeks another job.
“He hasn’t said that he was unhappy (with her performance as editor),” Carmel told me. “He wants to bring (the editor’s role) in-house. That’s his choice. Good luck to him.”
Although Carmel would have preferred to stay on with the paying job, she understands the nature of the business — especially when she was telecommuting from Reno. (Randy is based near Sacramento.)
The unanswered question at this point is whether Randy will hire an editor for his office in Orangevale, California, or just do all the editing and writing himself.
Worries have been expressed that NMN might become even more focused on distance running — to the detriment of sprints, jumps and throws coverage.
Time will tell.
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National Masters News Web site gets a nice face-lift
Jeff Brower, an M45 hurdler with design skills, has given the Web site of National Masters News a slick, new look. It has the same information as the old site, including records, links, All-American standards and the like. But it’s still a static site. Seen it once, and you’ve seen it. I’d love to see publisher Randy Sturgeon and editor Carmel Papworth-Barnum leverage the site and post newsy notes, opinion and offer interactive features like blogs and forums. Yeah, we do that here, but I’ve always said the more the merrier. There’s enough happening in Mastersland to fill a thousand blogs! Nice job, Jeff. Now go add some fresh content, Randy.
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Don Drummond - December 26, 2007
USATF Alabama Association Indoor Track Season
Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus! Thanks to the hard work of a lot of individuals and, especially, the folks at Celebration Arena and the City of Decatur, there will be Indoor Track in Priceville, Alabama, each Saturday in January 2008! Here are the details to date. More….
Entries:
All athletes must be current members in USATF. Membership cards can be purchased online at http://www.USATF.org or obtained at the meets. Entries will be done as individuals or USATF Club Team on Coach O (http://www.coacho.com/meet/entry/al_usatf/ ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú the website will guide you through the entry process).
Schedule:
Jan. 5 Youth Division ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú open to ages 13-18. Athletes will be competing as a combined age group.
Jan. 12 Open ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú open to all USATF age groups. Athletes will compete within their age groups. Meet Management reserves the right to combine events if needed.
Jan. 19 Youth Division ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú open to ages 13-18. Athletes will be competing as a combined age group.
Jan. 26 USATF Alabama Association Championship ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú open to all USATF age groups. Athletes will compete within their age groups. Meet Management reserves the right to combine events if needed. Awards will be given in each age group.
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National Masters News releases editor, hooks new one
Randy Sturgeon’s hands are full as publisher of National Masters News. Getting the monthly paper produced, printed and mailed is a monster task. (Not to mention selling ads.) The last thing he needed was a botched editorial product. Sadly, his initial pick for editor, Juliet Wahleithner, was an embarrassment. I haven’t detailed the shameful production and proofreading errors of the past few issues, but they were many and egregious (including a set of results that looked like computer gibberish and labeling the June issue as May. Appalling.) So Randy, in his best diplomatic way, has replaced Juliet after only five issues with a W40 runner named Carmel Papworth-Barnum, whom he says has “a great deal of experience in newsletter production and editing.”
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Bob Weiner - June 28, 2007
Randy and Carmel,
Good luck! We need you and NMN as a continuing invaluable timely source and resource for providing and getting masters news!
Bob Weiner, Chair, USATF Masters Media Subcommittee -
Suzy Hess - June 28, 2007
The previous staff of four proofreaders at the National Masters News wish Randy and Carmel the best of luck with any changes for the NMN. It took several proofs from all four of us to edit the NMN and even then we found errors after print. It is truly a labor of love that we were deeply attached to, and it does take a lot of effort to produce a quality publication that you can be proud of.
Suzy Hess, Jerry Wojcik, Angela Egremont, Al Sheahen -
Oh for crying out loud, Ken. Why must you be so confrontational? Do you ever stop to consider both sides of the story? True, there have been some problems with editing, but did you even consider asking Juliet about the challenges she faced in trying to get the job done?
Did you ask her the circumstances of her leaving the job or did you just infer she was let go? Did it occur to you that perhaps it was a mutual and amicable decision? And, why must you single out Juliet as an “embarrasment” when you know as well as I that the Owner/Publisher bears final responsibility for his product?
I am certain you know that Randy would have been hard pressed to have gotten these first issues out under his new ownership in any form at all if not for Juliet’s hard work, especially since he was additionally occupied with coaching a local high school’s distance runners, a new master’s T&F club, and pursuing his own athletic endeavors.
So, please, rather than denigrate Juliet’s hard work under circumstances that you understand only partly at best, how about some props? Juliet deserves MUCH better than mean-spirited comments.
I wish Carmel all the best in her new position. She is a smart and savy woman, and a wonderful person and athlete. I’m sure Randy is the first to admit that he is lucky to employ her, just as he was fortunate to have employed Juliet. And, as always, I wish Randy nothing but success in all he does.
Mary Woo -
Liz Palmer - June 29, 2007
Juliet is a competent person, an outstanding athlete, and a good friend. She doesn’t deserve to be called an “embarrassment.” It’s acceptable to critique her performance but not acceptable to attack her as a person.
Carmel is a great lady and will no doubt serve NMN very well. Randy is lucky to have the services of both of these ladies. -
parker white - June 30, 2007
Mr. Stone:
Before writing your bash on Juliet W., did you make any inquiry? Did you make any effort to investigate the basis of your comments? Or, did you just make some assumptions to let the cuts fly? The last time I read your blog was when you slammed Fleet Feet Racing in Sacramento and listed a series of false claims about what the team was doing and where it was headed. Again, you made no inquiry but simply published unverified comments. I know Juliet. She is a talented and hardworking person. Your comments about her are false and hurtful. Some day you’ll meet her and her husband; I dare you to call her an embarrassment with the two of them standing in front of you. Good work, pal. -
Mike Houar - July 1, 2007
Its easy to say things about people that we don’t know and talk about situations that we are unfamiliar with- especially when it appears there is no penalty for such loose talk. So I will refrain from saying anything “personal” about Mr. Stone and simply point out that his statements about Juliet W. are -at best- simply one- sided, groundless opinions that do not deserve to be taken seriously.
Juliet is an intelligent person, a fine human being, and was utterly dedicated to Randy and his work. She deserves far better treatement in more ways than can be clearly expressed in this medium. -
Well, I guess I deserved my public spanking. Thanks to all who commented on this matter.
The day after posting the above, I heard from Juliet herself. I promised I wouldn’t post her note, but you should know that she agreed with my critique and confided that she was embarrassed by her NMN work.
Finally, she admitted that she bit off more than she could chew in taking the NMN job amid an already busy life and that she approached Randy about finding a replacement.
So Juliet wasn’t fired. But she certainly learned that failing to do her job has consequences. I wrote her that I’m fiercely protective of masters track, and her work had hurt the reputation of NMN.
Publisher Randy also bears responsibility for the many problems with recent NMNs, but the editor is the editor. She was the final gatekeeper.
I wish her well in her other gigs. But I hope everyone appreciates that taking a job as important as NMN editor can’t be done lightly. -
Ken,
It does not create much credibility for you when you smash someone publicly, and then defend this by saying – so to speak … but I was right anyway- she agrees?
Its one thing for a person to say ” I am embarressed about my performance- I could have done better”. all of us can say these types of things honestly about our work – because hindsight is always perfect and each of us is keenly aware when we do not reach our highest potential. The issue here is not the protection of Masters T&F but the callous and insensitive method of describing a good person.
While she may not have achieved the highest literary standards- she is certainly not an embarrassment.
If anything, the opposite is true, she is simply a very fine person who was put in a very tough circumstance and did less than she felt she could- when perhaps with adequate support and cooperation- and a little less buck passing- things might have gone better.
What she may have expressed to you should not now be made the basis for your public smashing of her- whatever your imagined justification might be.
I guess you deserve the last word on this, and I sincerely hope it includes a genuine apology to a real person- instead of a posture of some absurd righteousness taken on the bully pulpit of this blog. -
Mary Woo - July 3, 2007
Ken- this will be my last word on the subject. I know as well as you that Juliet asked you not to make her comments public, as opposed to “not posting her note”, which are two entirely different things.
Yet, despite Juliet responding to you directly and fairly, and after all the heat you’ve gotten from others, you still chose to dishonor her request in order to “justify” your position. You say you are fiercely protective of master’s track. I disagree.
I think you are doing our community a grave disservice with your comments. Again, the just thing to have done would have been to contact Juliet and get her side of the story BEFORE making your initial post. And in her CONFIDENTIAL response to you AFTER the fact, I know she took full reponsibility for the mistakes she made because that is the caliber of human being she is.
Pretty remarkable, I’d say, especially since she made no mention of the many challenges she faced in trying to get her job done, including, but certainly not linited to, the fact that she was never paid a penny during her employment with NMN.
Finally, I have said all along that the owner and publisher of National Masters News, Randy Sturgeon, bears final responsibility for his product. I am troubled that he has not responded in Juliet’s defense, privately or publically, as his silence demostrates an inability or unwillingless to shoulder the least bit of responsibility for the mistakes of no one person.
Mary Woo -
Maria Glickman - July 7, 2007
Ken,
I just found this post and was appalled about the subject matter and the way you handled it. Those of us who know Randy and Juliet and how much effort was put in by Juliet and her husband John to help this magazine get off the ground for Randy (they drove a rental van to Oregon, got all the equipment , sacrificed their time and money, etc…) all her hard work and the kind of person that she is, are nothing but flabbergasted. And your tongue in cheek apology just makes things worse. Ken, you turn people off masters track with your arrogance!
Juliet did it mostly for the cause (masters track) and to help Randy in his new endeavour.
She deserves way better than this! And she is moving on to a higher degree and better endeavours than this petty mudslinging. Good for her!!
Maria Glickman.
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National Masters News — official site and publication of masters track?
For decades, National Masters News has proclaimed itself “the official world and U.S. publication for masters track & field, long distance running and racewalking” — in red print beneath its page one nameplate. Of course, this has not been true for years. But the myth persists, and occasionally it leads mainstream sportswriters awry.
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francisaschiro - July 11, 2005
Ken….I think National Masters News is a GREAT publication…i think the people involved Jerry, Suzy etc etc etc are well intended and do a fantastic job. At a price of 3$ per copy I dont think they are making millions..i always felt they were actually doing me a SERVICE by publishing the National Masters News. Who gives a damm if they are officially “official?? Seems to me the “official” people do the LEAST for MASTERS Track and Field. I would take the “unofficial” Jerry Wojcik over a Craig Masback ANY day. My point is these people actually care about US…you and I..the masters athlete. They are not making a lot of money…again i say they have good INTENTIONS..and honestly thats exactly how i feel about you….i dont agree with you always but i think your intentions are for the GOOD of track and field.. Dont worry about “official” or not..National Masters News is one of the BEST THINGS GOING in Track and Field….and they do a damm good job with Masters road running as well i might add. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK SUZY AND COMPANY…..and THANK YOU FOR YEARS OF SERVICE
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National masters outdoor championships start today
Got ya. Yes, the Australian National Masters Championships begins its four-day run starting March 25. And this will be a good test of how the Down Unders disseminate results. Their results Web site has the same structure as the one USATF originally was going to use for the Nampa indoor nationals.
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Rich RIZZO - March 25, 2005
Results are in already for Aussie meet.. Like you said they are organized
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