Peter Taylor adds a Mendoza Line as way to rate masters nationals

Pete Taylor

Pete Taylor, besides being our go-to guy for announcing at masters nationals, is an epic stat nut. He’s always thinking. Here’s his latest contribution: “Baseball has its Mendoza Line to establish the threshold for incompetent hitting, and perhaps one can use the concept to describe the threshold for unacceptably low enrollment for outdoor nationals. A good number might be 1050, as that is 69.9%, or essentially 7/10, of the record enrollment of 1503 (Eugene 2000). Unfortunately, in the modern era (1992 through the present), eight championships have fallen below this line. From 1992 through 2007 (16 championships), there were 5 below the line (31%), but 3 of the last 4 championships (75%) have been below the threshold”

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November 8, 2011  34 Comments

Alison Regan tells about clearing vault fear in Forever Athletes video

Jessica Seyfert at Forever Athletes — who visited 2010 Sacramento masters nationals — sends word about the site’s new free eBook: Play for Life. Jessica writes: “This very cool multimedia book features the story of masters track and field athlete Alison Regan. She primarily does pole vault (as well as Ultimate Frisbee!). She was recently diagnosed with melanoma, but fortunately, has been making a great recovery.” Here’s where to find the eBook. Alison competed at Sacramento worlds in the W45 vault, going 2.80 meters (9-2 1/4). Video below talks about conquering her fear.

November 6, 2011  3 Comments

USATF marketer: ‘If there is sponsorship to be had, we will pursue it’

Max Siegel is latest USATF savior

Max Siegel, the new marketing maven for USA Track & Field, has responded to a few questions I sent him. Jill Geer, chief communications officer for USATF, sent me these replies Oct. 19. So I’m late on the uptake. Sorry. Max doesn’t commit himself to any masters track effort, but leaves us hopeful. He says: “There are salable assets for USA Track & Field that haven’t been touched. If there is sponsorship to be had for masters track & field, we will pursue it.” So stay tuned. Have any advice for Max?

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November 5, 2011  16 Comments

Fred Kieser faults GNC product Oxy Elite Pro for drug positive

Fred Kieser

Fred Kieser, the latest masters trackster caught in the Berea drug dragnet, says his 8-month suspension has led him to pull out of a Twin Cities race and club cross country nationals in Seattle. “I had nothing else lined up at that point, but was probably going to do some track,” Fred said in a note yesterday. A high school anatomy and physical science teacher, Kieser learned some hard lessons with his USADA drug case. Here’s his story: “I had no idea about the posting by USADA or your website, but a former athlete of mine actually searched me and found that article. Needless to say, I am less than proud to be found that way.”

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November 3, 2011  29 Comments

Results posted from inaugural Texas-Louisiana masters showdown

Seth Brower in Texas has posted results of what he calls the 1st Annual Louisiana-Texas Challenge at Houston Christian High School in Houston. See results here for the Oct. 22 meet. Folks came from afar to race, including New York’s Marie-Louise Michelsohn (who shows up as Mary Michelsohn in the results). No W70 records set this time. But a nice effort in the 800, where she ran a 3:06.897. (And yes, she was times to the thousandths of a second. Everyone was, apparently, including W90 Margaret Hinton, who clocked the 100 in 36.416. Dang! With a better start she could have done 36.410!

November 1, 2011  7 Comments

Masters superstar is best-looking coach on Pan Am Games team

W50 multi-eventer Joy Upshaw should be headed home soon after completing her gig in Guadalajara as a women’s jumps coach for Team USA at the Pan American Games. She sent this photo of the women’s coaching staff. Of course, she’s the cutie on the far left. Congrats to all of you!

From left are Joy, Latanya Sheffield, Sandra Fowler, Kim Duyst, Kim Keenan Kirkpatrick, Francie Larrieu Smith and Angie Taylor.

October 31, 2011  12 Comments

Ivar Söderlind of Eurovets posts latest records at odds with WMA

Ivar and Sandy still differ on world records.

Ivar Söderlind, statistician for European masters track, has posted the latest set of Eurovets age-group records. (See them here.) As usual, the world records among them don’t always match the records on the WMA records site kept by Sandy Pashkin, even though World Masters Athletics updated its lists October 24 — less than a week ago. Two examples: WMA says the W40 outdoor vault world record is 4.04 meters by Doris Auer of Austria on a meet date of “10.05.71.” (Don’t ask.) But Ivar says Doris jumped 4.11 (13-5 3/4) on August 6, 2011. WMA says the W50 world record for 200 is 25.65 by Marie Lande Mathieu. But Ivar lists a 24.33 by Merlene Ottey on July 18, 2011. I’m afraid to compare other records. I’ve done that before and got sick to my stomach.

October 29, 2011  16 Comments

M40 middle-distancer Fred Kieser gets 8-month drug suspension

Latest victim of USADA and USATF dragnet: “USADA announced [Oct. 27] that Frederic Kieser of Cleveland, OH, an athlete in the sport of track and field, has tested positive for a prohibited substance and accepted a suspension for his doping offense. Kieser, 40, tested positive for methylhexaneamine, a stimulant, as a result of a sample collected at the USA Masters Track & Field Championships, in Berea, OH on July 28, 2011. Stimulants are prohibited under the USADA Protocol for Olympic and Paralympic Movement Testing and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) anti-doping rules, both of which have adopted the World Anti-Doping Code and the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List.
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October 29, 2011  33 Comments

George Mathews details proposed new drug category for masters

George Mathews

George Mathews, a world-class thrower and former USATF masters national T&F chairman, says he will present a plan to the Masters T&F Executive committee in St Louis at USATF’s national meeting that deals with masters taking drugs on the USADA banned list. Here’s how he summarizes it: “If after an athlete has exhausted all alternative drug remedies to the banned substances, the athlete would declare on the entry form, prior to a competition, that he or she is taking a banned substance for sustaining their health, they would be categorized as a Heath Supported Athlete (HSA).”
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October 29, 2011  40 Comments

Duhon says he accepted drug-testing, but not unprofessionalism

In response to an email query, B.J. Duhon wrote me today with this eye-opener: “Well, to make a long story short, I did not refuse [a drug test at Sacramento worlds]. I took the test, but they said I did not give enough of a sample. But the way the test was conducted, very unprofessionally, I refused to give more of a sample until it was handled in a more professional manner. I said I would retake it but was refused. I work in law enforcement (probation). And I know how urine tests are supposed to be conducted. I wrote about the whole incident to the [National Masters News] newspaper. I can run in all-comers meets, but nothing under masters.” This changes things. Big time. B.J. has a case for appeal. The proper venue for this might be the international Court of Arbitration for Sport. This outfit doesn’t put up with unprofessional crap.

October 28, 2011  17 Comments