Blogmaster needs roomie for dorms at the Eugene Trials
Hi, all. I’m covering the Olympic Trials in Eugene for the duration of the meet, and my original roommate at the dorms (called the Living-Learning Center across the street from Hayward Field) had to withdraw. So I’m looking for a male nonsmoker who would be interested in sharing the room with me. I’m booked from June 26 through my departure July 7. Your cost would be $440 (half of what I paid for the double-occupancy room). I don’t snore, but I talk track. If you’re interested, contact me at my usual email address. This isn’t first-come, first-served. I get to pick.
Dutch master Simon Vroemen steeples 8:12 at age 39
Simon Vroeman of Holland, the listed M35 world record holder in the 3K steeplechase (8:04.95 in 2004), turns 40 in May 2009. If he can hang on another year, he’ll likely demolish the M40 record of 8:38.40 by Italy’s Angelo Carosi in 2004. (The listed WMA world record is 8:41.5 by Belgium’s Gaston Roelants in 1977. Wacked as always.) Last week, Simon steepled 8:12.50 in a German meet. Simon thus qualified for his third Olympics and says: “So far my best Olympic result is sixth. I would like to improve on that, but first of all the final will be the main goal.” According to one of my masters moles, Simon says he “will probably give (the M40 record) a try!”
Roald Bradstock, 46, on the bubble to throw at the Trials
Olympian Arne “Roald” Bradstock has his fingers and toes crossed. Sometime in the next few days, he’ll learn whether he’ll compete at 5:30 p.m. on the Fourth of July at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field — the men’s javelin prelims at the 2008 Olympic Trials. He’ll be 46. He would be the oldest nonwalker in the meet. On the Trials Status of Entries page, he’s listed as the 24th best entered javelin thrower – and entries closed yesterday. It’s possible that more than 24 will throw in Eugene.
June 16, 2008
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W55 Linda Cohn, W60 Steekelenburg up national records
Linda Cohn, a 55-year-old javelin thrower, raised her own American record for the third time Saturday. She chucked the spear 39.03 meters (128-1) at the Southern California Association USATF Masters Championships at Cerritos College in Norwalk, California. (Complete results are here.) That beat the previous (but not yet ratified) W55 best of 38.58 (126-7) she threw at the Northridge Relays on March 15. The listed American W55 record is 28.08 (92-1) by LaTanya Glass at Hawaii masters nationals in 2005. Earlier, Southern California-based multi-eventer Annelies Steekelenburg, 60, set a Dutch national age-group record in the high jump of 1.38 (4-6 1/4) — about an inch shy of the European W60 record.
James Lofton highlights Calif. Senior Olympic results
James Lofton has a new uniform and new job (as receivers coach for the Oakland Raiders, instead of the San Diego Chargers). But his speed hasn’t changed. He’s still fast. A week ago at the Pasadena Senior Games (aka California Senior Olympics), James won the M50 200 and 400 in 24.50 and 53.49 as his wife Beverly watched. (Complete results from the Caltech meet are posted here.) James, who turns 52 in early July, also is entered in today’s Southern California Association Masters Championships at the site of the California State High School meet — Cerritos College in Norwalk.
‘T.R.A.C.K. Live!’ masters track reality show may be dead
Email flying across the country suggests that finances and turnout for Phase 2 of the T.R.A.C.K. Live!” masters track TV show are a disaster. Athletes are paying out of their own pocket, and show organizers are incommunicado. I’ve sent a note to Julia Dudley, the show producer based in Fresno. No reply. Perhaps she will after reading this blog entry. If you’re taking part in this venture, feel free to share your own experiences.
Texan Steenbergen ready for sprint comeback at 54
Debbie Fetterman of the Dallas Morning News, a great friend of masters track, has written another nice story about one of our stars: national champion W50 sprinter Cindy Steenbergen, who has been missing from the circuit the past few years. But long, tall Cindy is one tough cookie. She says she’s finally healthy and planning to run in Spokane. Welcome back, champ!
Kudos from the Kiwi: David Sirl hails Tony Young WR
A few days after Tony Young broke David Sirl’s M45 world record in the mile, I wrote to Athletics New Zealand, asking if David were around to react to the 4:16.09. About a week later, I got a note from David himself! The miracle of email. David wrote: “Congratulations Tony Young of Seattle for breaking the world record in the M45 mile. Looking at the video it is obvious he can run a lot faster, perhaps a few fast 800s . . . will help him to achieve this!”
Alisa Harvey, Aeron Genet fall short of Trials qualifiers
On opposite coasts, they shared the same dream: qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the middle distances in their early 40s. But with the June 15 deadline looming for submitting final qualifying marks, Alisa Harvey and Aeron Arlin Genet acknowledge in separate notes that they won’t make it. They won’t be lining up in three weeks in the 800 and 1500, respectively, at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field. Alisa of Virginia and Aeron of Central California are superstar age-groupers. But at 42 and 41, their marks won’t make the cutoff.
Masters 3000 at Trials could produce a raft of records
Today is the deadline for entering the final major masters exhibition races of the season — at the U.S. Olympic Trials. On second thought, forget it. The fields in the men’s 3000 and women’s 200 are already stacked. You don’t stand a chance. The headliners in the 3K are the current M45 American record holder, Pete Magill, and a guy who just broke the M45 world record in the mile, Tony Young. The Holy Grail is the listed M45 WR of 8:27.7 held by Nigel Gates of Britain.
