Couple dozen videos show WMA Clermont 200s, relays

Reprising her gig at Clermont-Ferrand, France, Linda Carty informs us of her latest masters video production — a couple dozen clips of finals in some 200s, relays and assorted other Sunday events at last weekend’s WMA regionals in Clermont, Florida. Click here for the Iist of AVI files, which take a while to download. It was surprising to see so many athletes milling around on the infield, like an all-comers meet. But security appeared lax. Thank you again, Linda!

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September 2, 2008  7 Comments

Photos back critics of Clermont site of 2009 nationals

M40 sprinter John Simpson from Texas is used to heat, but he wasn’t ready for the poor facilities at the WMA regionals over the weekend in central Florida. So he took some pictures to document the site of the 2009 masters nationals. (See below.) The shots also support arguments made in the petition against the National Training Center site. John writes that the online petition was a collaborative effort of him and Allan Tissenbaum, Andrew Seach, Val Barnwell, Tony DiSalvo, Lonnie Hooker, Courtney Muhammad, Don Drummond and Allan Sims — “basically every athlete at our hotel,” John says. “It must be known to all folks thinking about Clermont that it will be a pain in the ass the entire time. We aren’t here to complain, only speaking the truth.”

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September 2, 2008  19 Comments

Frenchwoman sets hurdle record that won’t be ratified

Patricia Girard may be this season’s Usain Bolt in masters track. She ran the 100-meter hurdles yesterday in 13.22 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. “Unbelievably, the wind was -1.9. Reina-Flor Okori of France won the race in 12.95,” reports Ed Gordon, a world-class tracknut. Patricia is 40, so this should be an age-group record, right? Nope. World Masters Athletics doesn’t keep 100H records for the W40s. (That group runs the 80-meter hurdles.) Click here for Patricia’s old fan site. And this ain’t no fluke. The IAAF Top list for her event says she ran 13.23 earlier this season. Is this amazing or what?

September 1, 2008  12 Comments

Petition opposes Clermont, Fla., as site of 2009 nationals

As you may have read in these comments, some sprinters have been circulating this online petition rapping Clermont, Florida, as the site of the 2009 masters nationals. Tellingly, it doesn’t ask for a new venue. But that’s how it might be read. It’s not just the central Florida heat, however. Petitioners argue that the site isn’t suitable for nationals. In any case, USATF won’t change the venue on the basis of a petition. Not if a contract is signed. Yet you still have a voice, as you did when Clermont was a candidate in late 2006. (See my blog post on the race.) The key is having a choice. And letting your association’s masters reps know your preference BEFORE they vote at the annual convention in late November/early December every year.

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August 31, 2008  60 Comments

Hot 400s highlight Day 2 of WMA regional championships

Yesterday’s finals at the WMA regionals in Clermont, Florida, included the 400, 800, steeple, short hurdles and some jumps and throws. This very tight M45 finish in the 4 caught my eye: Paul Brown (51.95), Marcus Shute (51.99) and Courtney Muhammad (52.07). At Spokane nationals, the top three were: Muhammad (51.41), Saladin Allah (51.61) and Shute (52.20). Phil Raschker (who didn’t compete in Spokane) and Jeanne Daprano are winning a bunch of events. M55 Horace Grant won a very tough double: the 400 in 55.65 and the 800 in 2:08.45. Antwon Dussett, 32, one of the few M30s in the country to take submasters seriously, won the 400 in 48.16. He won the Spokane 4 in 48.75. Click here for Friday’s results.

August 30, 2008  13 Comments

WMA Prez Hacker calls for younger council candidates

The latest WMA handbook is prefaced with this revealing note from South Africa’s Monty Hacker, interim president (until 2009). “Fellow WMA members, I must begin by drawing your attention to the loss of two of our former presidents in the space of just two years, Torsten Carlius (Nov. 2005) and Cesare Beccalli (Dec. 2007) in their late sixties and middle seventies, respectively. As we remember their passing we become more and more aware of our need to re-think the composition of our Council. In doing so, we must endeavour to bring onto our Council and committees, younger people willing to give voluntarily of their time and experience to our sport.”

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August 29, 2008  2 Comments

Results being posted for WMA regional championships

The WMA regional championships got under way today in Clermont, Florida, site of the 2009 masters nationals, and results for Day 1 have been posted. (Click here for the results PDF.) Officials aren’t cutting entrants any slack, however. Among the DQs in the 5K racewalk was 91-year-old Maria Ramirez of Mexico. And one of my masters moles reports: “42-inch lanes and folks were still getting DQ’d for cutting the corners.” But rigorous officiating is a plus. Shows that officials are doing their job.

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August 28, 2008  12 Comments

Masters Athlete magazine flourishes after being ‘folded’

The September issue of Masters Athlete magazine (formerly GeezerJock) is the biggest money-maker ever, I’m told by founding editor Sean Callahan. That’s thanks to the staff’s own efforts, and not the company that owned it, however. A year ago, Turnstile Publications acquired GeezerJock and renamed it Masters Athlete. Then in late May, it sold Masters Athlete back to its original owners, based in Chicago. An erroneous report said the magazine had been folded. “GeezerJock Media LLC is the official owner of Masters Athlete,” Sean tells me. “Our coverage is going to continue to get better, and we plan to add e-newsletters next year. We like Masters Athlete (as a title) and so do our readers and advertisers.” Moreover, its Web site is logging 30,000 unique users a month — pretty darn good traffic.

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August 28, 2008  4 Comments

USATF secretary alleges financial mischief in top board

As mentioned in the previous post, USATF held a workshop over the weekend in Indianapolis on the looming restructuring of the group’s Board of Directors, which previously backed a plan to deep-six many committee chairs, including that of masters track and field. On Saturday, USATF national secretary Lynn Cannon, a former national-class spearchucker, threw a bomb. She accused unnamed board members of financial mismanagement. Yesterday, a transcript of her remarks was posted on the USATF Associations listserve on Yahoo Groups.

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August 27, 2008  5 Comments

USATF President Bill Roe to TrackCEO: Drop dead

The following note, posted with extreme prejudice, is part of an email exchange over the issue of delayed meet results from the national masters weight pentathlon championships. Not a word has been changed in this dyspeptic missive, sent with extreme ignorance, by Bill Roe of Bellingham, Washington, the elected president of USA Track & Field. It reflects the eat-crap attitude the leadership of USATF have toward folks who question their authority, wisdom and priorities. It also manifests the Holier Than All mind-set that puts Olympians on a pedestal and age-groupers in a ditch. Bill may be USATF’s boss. Thank God he’s not mine — or yours.

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August 26, 2008  16 Comments