Kenny Dennis, masters sprint legend, dies in Las Vegas
I spoke by phone tonight with Nick Newton, a masters superstar in his own right, who confirmed the news I’d received in email from several sources — that Kenny Dennis of Las Vegas had died two weeks ago during a knee procedure at a local hospital. Apparently, a heart blockage led to his death during the operation. He was later cremated, I was told. Last October, I wrote about a heart-bypass that he underwent. So this may be related. I searched the Obituary section of the paper and couldn’t find a listing for him. This is such a terrible shock to Kenny’s many friends, including Nick, who said he ran against Kenny for 30 years. I share in their sorrow, since Kenny was always friendly to me. He would have been 71 in May.
M45 Adkins wins masters mile at Johnny Mathis invite
Johnny Mathis was a prep high jump star in the 1950s before he was a singer of some note. But his annual invitational meet in San Francisco caters to masters milers. On Saturday, Jeff Adkins, 47, won the race in a nifty 4:41.25 as five runners broke 5.
Drugmaker to sponsor 24 Sprint Force America members
Ferring features this diagram on its Web site.
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Sprint Force America, a New York-based masters track club, has found the Holy Grail — a corporate sponsor to underwrite two years of competition at major meets for at least 24 athletes, some in their 70s. The sponsor is the Swiss-based drugmaker Ferring Pharmaceuticals, whose U.S. arm is pushing an injectable treatment for knee arthritis called Euflexxa. SFA President and co-founder Ed Gonera, a world-champion masters sprinter, provided details of the sponsorship in a phone call last week. If Ferring delivers, this could be the biggest money deal in the history of masters track.
M45 Gault hits 11.04 at UCLA; W40 Arlin Genet 4:24 1500
Yesterday’s Rafer Johnson/JJK meet at UCLA saw some amazing masters marks, including a legal 11.04 for 100 meters by Willie Gault, apparently not moping about the shutdown of his Aloha Airlines. And Aeron Arlin Genet said aloha to her recent W40 best in the 1500 by clocking 4:24.06 — a potential American age-group record.
Bill Collins clocks a windy 11.40 in outdoor season opener
Bill Collins was world-class in the 1970s, and at age 57 continues to record phenomenal times. Yesterday in his first outdoor race of the year — in Houston at a Texas Southern University quadrangular meet — Bill ran the 100 meters in a windy 11.40 seconds. That’s a tenth under his own M55 world age-group record of 11.50 set at the 2006 Penn Relays. The wind reading of 2.5 (which I take to mean meters per second) renders the time wind-assisted and ineligible for record consideration.
Paul Babits vaulting for 30th time in Sea Ray Relays
Stormy and windy weather apparently halted the men’s pole vault yesterday at the Sea Ray Relays in Tennessee — but Paul Babits was there as usual. Paul, the 47-year-old vaulter flirting with 17 feet, “competed in his 30th Sea Ray pole vault,” according to the school’s Web site. “He won in 1989 and ’90. … The meet was halted at 5:10 p.m. due to threatening weather. The schedule will be resumed this morning.” So Paul started vaulting there when he was a teenager! Incredible streak.
‘Chunk’ Simmons dies at 84; Olympian, masters thrower
Floyd Simmons
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Floyd “Chunk” Simmons of Charlotte, North Carolina, died earlier this month, and a good obituary appeared in his local paper. The story focused on his two Olympic bronzes in the deca, but didn’t really mention his masters track involvement. He was a thrower who competed as recently as 2005, and he was among those slated to hand out awards at the Charlotte masters nationals pentathlon in 2006. (I missed that day of the meet.) “I chose 10 events and not just one pigeonhole,” he once said. “I didn’t want to do just high hurdles or the shot. I wanted to do it all. I suppose I still do.”
Two monster Clermont-Ferrand photo galleries debut
Around 6,000 photos of the 3rd World Masters Indoor Athletic Championships at Clermont-Ferrand, France, have been posted by French photog Marin Garrigues. And Canadian shooter Steve Burger has posted hundreds more shots on his own gallery. In both cases, the shots are basically dumped into a database with little cropping for dramatic effect. Marin apparently likes group shots. He posted a million. But it’s all good! The more photos, the merrier! Thanks to Joy Upshaw-Margerum for these latest links.
Raschker fans at Sullivan Awards: ‘You should have won’
Georgia accountant Phil Raschker is probably chin-deep in tax work this week, but she still found time to send me a report on her recent trip to New York City and the AAU Sullivan Awards ceremony at the NYAC. She betrays a little disappointment in not winning the big prize in her second shot as a finalist. Phil is quoted in a news release: “I was especially pleased that after the ceremony a number of people told me they thought I should have won, saying that my accomplishments were more impressive and that senior athletes deserve recognition as well.”
Modesto Relays invites masters to race HSI in 4×100
Joy Upshaw-Margerum up in the San Francisco Bay Area sends word that the Modesto Relays (a few hours inland) will hold a masters 100-meter dash in addition to the previously announced 110 hurdles race. But also remarkable is a promise that a good masters 4Ă—100 relay team (or two) could be lining up in the open relay against the HSI world-class team and others. (Talk about a chance to run with the big dogs!) But the deadline for entering is Monday, so get on the stick!
