M40 sprinter Calvin Padgett writes from down South: “I wanted to forward you information on an upcoming masters meet at a brand new track in Winston Salem, N.C. The date is Feb 18th. We are hoping with good attendance, the meet director will continue to host these types of meets. Any help would be greatly appreciative! The information is below in our club newsletter.” But of course, Calvin. Glad to flog a good meet. Here’s the meet info.

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M55 hurdler and multi-eventer Steve Kemp last month quit his coaching job in the San Francisco Bay Area in the wake of the latest bane of high school teachers — parental interference and athlete disloyalty. Read this dismaying column in the San Jose Mercury News. Bottom line: High school coaches shouldn’t have to put up with this crap. Steve was profiled a few years back. Haven’t seen him lately. He won a 100-meter hurdles gold medal at 2003 Puerto Rico worlds after becoming known as a decathlete.

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Alan Smith, an M80 national class long sprinter, was profiled recently in Florida Today. More intriguing than his move from roads to track was his career — ending in 1992 as executive vice president and chief financial officer of General Motors. OMG! What this man could bring to our sport! Besides having the money to support our niche, think of his wisdom and experience. Somebody should contact this guy and get him involved in USATF committees like marketing. If you can’t find contact info, grab him when he finishes at indoor nationals: “He will compete in the national masters’ meets again, this time in March at Indiana University (indoor) in Bloomington; and in August at Benedictine University in Illinois.”

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Ratification won’t be possible, since the event isn’t official, but three American age-group bests were claimed at the 11th annual Lou’s 4×1600 on New Year’s Eve at Boston University. (Results and splits are here.) We learn from USATF New England: “The Whirlaway Racing Team Men’s 50+ foursome of Mike Cooney, Paul Doe, Paul Hammond and Craig Fram carried the baton in 19:17.61, breaking the old record by a whopping minute and half (old marks: Indoor 20:47.8, Outdoor 19:31.4). Fastest leg was Cooney’s opening 4:44.45. Three of the four also have a stake in the existing Indoor M40+ 4×1600 record of 17:44.35 set 10 years ago on the same track.”

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M45 champ Antonio Palacios long jumped 6.85 meters (22-5 3/4) Dec. 17 to smash the listed American indoor record of 6.69 (21-11½) by Aaron Sampson in 2008, according to these results at the Ted Haydon Holiday Classic at the University of Chicago. Antonio is only 5 inches short of the listed WR of 6.97 (22-10 1/2) by Germany’s Reiner Wenk. But contrary to the results page, David Ashford’s 7.93 in the 55-meter hurdles was not an M45 world record. World Masters Athletics doesn’t recognize that event. The only indoor hurdles event on the WMA record books is 60 meters, and the M45 record is 8.18 by Karl Smith. But still it’s a great mark! (And happy new year to all!)

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The 2012 Olympic Trials (aka USATF nationals) will feature two masters exhibition events — the men’s 200 and the women’s 400, we’ve learned. So if you’re in your 40s, get ready for some fun in Eugene. Mark Cleary, chairman of the USATF Masters Invitational Committee, writes: “The [USATF] Indoor events will be 800 for both men and women; we have not contested this event since 2007 and it is the only time other then 2007 for either the men or women to have contested this event going back to the first year of the program in 2000. The invitational events for Mt. SAC will be the 800 for men and women and most likely the 100 and 200, but athletes will need to enter the sprints this year through the Masters Invitational program website (athletes will not be entered if they enter online through the Mt. SAC website).”

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Donald John Sibigtroth may not have been a superstar, but anyone with masters track listed in their obituary deserves a moment of respectful silence. Don, 81, of DeKalb died Dec. 26 at Shabbona Health Care Center, says the Mendota Reporter in Illinois. We learn: “Mr. Sibigtroth was a 1948 graduate of Mendota High School and a veteran of the U.S. Navy. He was a member of First Lutheran Church … and was employed by Commonwealth Edison for 40 years, retiring as the DeKalb-area marketing manager. He traveled all over the world with the Senior Olympics and participated in Masters Track events.” His last mentions in the masters rankings came in 1996 and 1997, when he did 8.40 meters (27-6 3/4) in the M65 triple jump, seventh in the nation. He competed as recently as March 2000, though, at a Midwest indoor meet. Vaya con Dios, Don.

Anselm LeBourne, our world-class middle distance star, lowered his own M50 American record for the indoor 1500 in his first indoor meet at the 168 Street Armory in New York. He ran 4:10.07 — equivalent to an open time of 3:35.2. This was Monday at age 52, at the same meet where Marie-Louise Michelsohn shattered the W70 American record in the same event. “I had the previous record of 4.13.56, which was also established at the meet one year ago but never ratified,” Anselm writes. “I just missed the World Record of 4.09.98 which is held by Pierre Faucheur of France.” Anselm says he has all the paperwork, “so I don’t see a problem of getting the record ratified.” Good on you, Anselm! Bless you for keeping papers at hand.
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Elliott Almond of the San Jose Mercury News tells me this morning: “I just talked to [sister] Rosemary and you can pass this along. Lee is doing well, no longer in pain and his vitals are stable. The hospital’s pituitary specialist is in D.C. until a week from Monday so the surgery won’t take place until then. We expect Lee to be sent home in the interim but that is not official yet. As I believe you know the tumor is benign and they want to surgically remove it going through the nasal cavity and not opening the cranial. The neurosurgeon also hopes Lee responds to medication that is shrinking the tumor.”

Doping rules posted on the WMA website are still dated 2009, but a German post says the list of banned substances has been updated for 2012. Here is an English version of the banned list. Beware, tokers. Pot and other recreational drugs are still on the no-no list. “Natural (e.g. cannabis, hashish, marijuana) or synthetic delta 9- tetrahydro-cannabinol (THC) and cannabimimetics [e.g. “Spice” (containing JWH018, JWH073), HU-210] are prohibited.” Unlike usual track rules, ain’t no masters exceptions here.
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