Bill Deeter, the M65 thrower from Lyons, would have loved Lyon

Bill lucked out to have Brent Drinkut of Statesman Journal take his picture.

Bill lucked out to have Brent Drinkut of the Statesman Journal take his picture.

Bill Deeter didn’t throw at Lyon. but he often throws in Lyons. That’s in Oregon [correction from earlier report]. Bill is the subject of a nice profile in a Salem, Oregon, paper. “In 2008 
 Deeter’s former college track coach from Fresno Pacific University, Jerry Huhn, moved to the Salem area and showed him a National Masters Track clip with the previous year’s throws. Deeter believed he could compete with those scores and so began his second career as a thrower.” the story says. “I’ve lifted weights since I was 12 so I was in pretty good shape,” Deeter said. “I got a shot put and went down to see how that would go and it went well.”

Read the rest of this post »

October 16, 2015  9 Comments

Dottie Gray sets a made-for-TV world record in W90 3000 meters

CBS News dude follows Dottie WR.

CBS News dude follows Dottie WR at Snow Canyon HS.

Last month, a producer with “CBS Sunday Morning” asked my help in finding some near-100 athlete they could feature on their show — in the wake of M100 Don Pellmann’s records in San Diego. They wanted to film someone setting a record. I gave her some names, and advised them to contact the National Senior Games Association. Apparently, she did. About 10 days ago, they set up cameras at the Huntsman World Senior Games and got Dottie Gray becoming the first 90-plus lady to run 3000 meters. She finished in 31:13.23 — instant WR. Before Dottie, the oldest 3K lady apparently was blind Canadian Ivy Granstrom, who ran 24:08.62 at age 86. Here’s what NSGA said in its latest newsletter: “We were fortunate to assist CBS when they called NSGA seeking to feature an athlete, over the age of 90, attempting a world record for their Sunday Morning program. After all, those things don’t happen every day, and most of our state games were done for the year. However, we found that 90-year-old Dottie Gray of Shrewsbury, Missouri, was entering five running events at Utah’s Huntsman World Senior Games.” Results say she’s from Kirkwood, but who’s checking? In any case, nice run, Dottie! Get some rest!

October 15, 2015  2 Comments

2 Mexicans hit with lifetime bans — for social media, bad behavior

Marco's offense? Self-promotion. Oops, I'm dead.

Marco’s offense? Self-promotion. Oops, I’m dead.

Note to self: Urge WMA to set up a Twitter feed. That’s my take after the latest news blast. In a Wednesday post, WMA says: “Please take note that the two athletes below have been given ‘Life Time Bans’ by the Mexican Athletes Masters Commission (COMAM).” M45 sprinter Marco Antonio Franco Díaz and M65 racewalker Benjamín López Rendón weren’t nailed for doping, but for “regularly falsified information and results, publicizing himself in his local newspaper and social media, lying to his sponsors, and city council for his personal benefit” and “inappropiate behavior against fellow athletes, disregarding authority [and] trying to compete whilst being banned,” respectively. Wow! That social media thing stings! USATF, avert your eyes or I’m toast. Who are these guys? Marco is on Facebook, which says he’s from Redondo Beach in the L.A. area. (He also indicated he’s a USATF member.) My advice to Marco: Ignore the edict. Run where you want.

Read the rest of this post »

October 14, 2015  14 Comments

Runners-up told in World Best Masters voting: Obera and Carr

Irene was second in WMA vote. But how close?

In a first for World Masters Athletics, the names of the top vote-getters for World Best Masters have been released. WMA Secretary Winston Thomas posted these lists Tuesday: After Germany’s Silke Schmidt came America’s Irene Obera, Australia’s Lavinia Petrie and Chile’s Marcela Barrientos. After Britain’s David Heath came Australia’s David Carr, Mexico’s Jose Luis Lopez Camerena, Argentina’s Cesar Troncoso and India’s M85 hurdler John Poovathinkal Mattackal. Winston says the results are from WMA Council votes, which is his way of saying WMA Prez Stan Perkins didn’t just pick his own favorites. (W70 distance great Lavinia won the top award a year ago.) Irene you know. M80 David Carr swept the 400, 800, 1500 and steeple at Lyon, but I don’t see any recent world records for him. I still can’t fathom the NCCWMA nomination of Jose Luis over Anselm LeBourne. I’d like to see all other regions share their voting results as well.

October 13, 2015  No Comments

David Heath, Silke Schmidt named World Best Masters of 2015

David and Silke, pride of the Eurovets.

David and Silke, pride of Lyon and the Eurovets.

W55 distancer Silke Schmidt of Germany and M50 middle-distance great David Heath of Great Britain have been named World Best Masters Athletes of 2015 by World Masters Athletics, according to a posting Monday on the Eurovets website. Kurt Kaschke, EMA president, wrote: “The decision of WMA for the Best Masters 2015 was sent out to the regions this weekend. Europe Masters will be represented in Monaco during the IAAF Gala. Together with the world best athletes and IAAF new President Lord Sebastian Coe, our masters will give an impression to all the people of the athletic world that the passion of athletics doesn’t stop!” As usual, the final vote of the WMA Council is cloaked in secrecy. (Update: A WMA source writes: “There is no Secret in the Council voting, we have 13 members that give a vote and the person with the most votes wins, what is secret about that?”) As of Monday night, WMA still hasn’t made the announcement. David is a plausible pick since he won Lyon gold in the 800 and 1500 by 3 seconds and 14 seconds, respectively. He also set world records in several events and won the Beijing IAAF 800 exhibition. His near-WR of 1:58.72 and WR 3:58.26 were among many great marks. Silke lowered her own listed WR for 5000 from 17:42.56 to 17:29.28. But I still think NCCWMA nominee Irene Obera had a better year.

Read the rest of this post »

October 12, 2015  7 Comments

Staking a claim: Jen Freemas has W35 American decathlon record

Jen Freemas of the San Francisco Coyotes competed in the same Texas meet where Dave Burton claimed an M45 American record in the decathlon. Turns out her decathlon mark is being reviewed for an AR as well. She’s 36, so she could be the W35 record-holder, according to Jeff Brower’s Google Doc. The women’s dec has the same events as men’s but a different order. Jen scored 4,795 points age-graded. It’s a modest total, but at least she’s given other women something to beat. I don’t know much about her. She apparently ran track for the University of Massachusetts a dozen years ago. She was a long hurdler and an Atlantic 10 Conference champion at least twice. The women’s dec: Day 1 is 100, discus, vault, javelin and 400. Day 2 is 100 hurdles, long jump, shot, high jump and 1500. Few masters women have done the dec, with the highest score — an incredible 10,234 by W65 Nadine O’Connor — recorded in 2009.

These were Jen's marks in the Texas vs. Th World meet in San Marcos.

These were Jen’s marks in the Texas vs. The World meet in San Marcos.

October 11, 2015  One Comment

Charles Eugster sets M95 WR in 400 at European Masters Games

Here's the track at Euro Masters Games in Nice.

Here’s the track at Euro Masters Games in Nice.

Can anyone read figures in French? The European Masters Games track meet ended a couple days ago in Nice, France. Results are here. But after I collated daily results PDFs (because the meet site is a miserable mess), I poked around for familiar names and found retired dentist Charles Eugster, whose title of “World’s Fittest Old Age Pensioner” really belongs to Don Pellmann. M95 Charles ran the 400 and clocked “141”46.” But does that mean 1:41.46 or 2:21.46? In any case, it breaks the listed M95 WR of 2:21.82 by Texan Orville Rogers. in 2013. (But Wikipedia has Orville at 2:17.45.) The meet was at Le Parc des Sports Charles Ehrmann, a soccer stadium that seats 8,000. Spot any other records?

Here's Britain's true Prince Charles at an indoor meet this year.

Here’s Britain’s true Prince Charles at an indoor meet earlier this year.

October 10, 2015  3 Comments

Oceania Masters championships ending in remote Cook Islands

Rarotonga Island hosted meet. Where's the track?

Rarotonga Island hosted meet. Where’s the track?

Rarotonga is the most populous of the Cook Islands, with a little over 10,000 souls. Saturday is the final day of the five-day Oceania Masters Athletics Championships (a WMA regional meet) in Rarotonga and a Kiwi newspaper had the gall to gripe about the turnout. Well, what do you expect? The Cook Islands are not a quick car ride. In any case, here are results. My favorite entrant is New Zealand’s Eric de Lautour, 95, who ran the 100 (28.35), 200 (59.96) and 400 (2:44.23). The meet also contests the 60-meter dash. Great marks are being posted by 71-year-old Marge Allison of Australia. They include the 200 (34.36) and 400 (79.76). The preview story said: “There will no doubt be many disappointed athletes who find they are the only athlete in an event and will have to compete against athletes of a different age group.” Hey, that’s MY kind of meet!

October 9, 2015  2 Comments

Introducing Dave Burton, your new M45 decathlon record-holder

Dave is CTO of this site.

Dave is CTO of this site. Raise money for masters?

Dave Burton isn’t new to the dec, it turns out. After posting news of how he broke Rex Harvey’s 24-year-old American record, I sought more details. He graciously responded. He ran at CSU Northridge as a freshman and sophomore and then CSU Chico as a junior, and then trained at the University of Texas under legendary coach Dan Pfaff for a year “before injury took me out,” he says. His decathlon PR is 7102 at the 1993 Division II nationals, which he won as a senior. He was a three time All-American (third as frosh, sixth as a junior “when I failed badly at the vault.”) He’s the chief technical officer for the crowd-funding site FanAngel. “Prior to FanAngel, I was a director at IntercontinentalExchange — the company that bought the New York Stock Exchange. Was with them since early, so that was a fun ride.”

Read the rest of this post »

October 8, 2015  2 Comments

Dave Burton breaks Rex Harvey’s ancient M45 dec American record

Dave with his 2014 golds from N.C. nationals.

Dave with his 2014 golds from N.C.

Last year at Wake Forest nationals, David Burton of Morro Bay, California, won four events at age 44 — the 110 hurdles in 15.86, pole vault at 4.27 (14-0), javelin at 45.25 (148-5) and long jump at 5.92 (19-5). You thinking what I’m thinking? Yup, he’s a decathlon beast. He turned 45 last October and at Mt SAC in late May he tore an MCL during a dec (with 39-inch hurdles). But he still scored 7650 points age-graded (see results here) — 37 points shy of the listed world record by Russia’s Viktor Grouzenkin in 1997. But the listed American record is Rex Harvey’s legendary 7421 of 1991 — the oldest mark on the books. Dave says he wasn’t able to get Mt. SAC to submit paperwork for an AR. And he was too injured for Lyon worlds. But in late September he did another dec — at Seth Brower’s Texas vs. The World meet in San Marcos, Texas. He scored 7624 and will apply for AR status. (It was USATF-sanctioned.) “I ended up getting the U.S. record finally,” he writes. “Disappointed I didn’t get the WR, but I can’t really complain. The meet was ‘solid’ — 10 ‘OK’ marks. No great marks, but all OK. And that’s what decathlon is really about — putting 10 marks together at 90 percent — at least that’s what I tell my athletes.”

Third from left, Dave holds off the kiddies at Texas decathlon.

Fourth from left, Dave holds off the kiddies at Texas decathlon 100-meter dash.

October 7, 2015  4 Comments