Theater at National Track and Field Hall of Fame reportedly remains empty 95 percent of the time.
Fourteen years ago today, USATF announced plans to put the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in the Armory track complex in Manhattan. Then-CEO Craig Masback said: “We believe that we will immediately establish ourselves as the most-visited sports Hall of Fame in the world, based on the number of athlete/participants who visit the Armory on a daily basis.” But contrary to USATF and fan expectations, the Hall is a bust. “It is closed 90% of the time,” says a critic of the Armory Foundation and its leader, Dr. Nobert Sander. “Visitors must pay to see the HOF, but the Armory has made decisions to keep it closed because it is not profitable enough. Is this a way to extend access to a national treasure of American Sports history in our city? What has the Armory done to expand the exhibits, attract visitors, and engage the local and visiting track communities in experiencing the hall?” The unidentified writer adds: “For a small area of the building that is never open nor has been updated in many years, how are expenses that high? The Hall of Fame area is usually rented out for cocktail parties but they have the Hall of Fame listed as bringing in ZERO income!”
Mike Travers passes the word that the New England Masters Indoor Championships on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2015, will be offering prize money! “Tentatively — best age-graded performance (male) $150 and 2nd place $50. Best age-graded performance (female) $150 and 2nd place $50.” Any entrant is eligible for the loot, not just New England USATF members, Mike says of the meet in Providence, Rhode Island, adding: “Feb. 1 is Super Bowl Sunday, [so] we will be moving the start times up earlier in the day to accommodate those who travel.” Entry forms are still to come. In the olden daze, prize money was frowned upon — and even got some masters banned. Now it’s a staple of road races. Glad it’s seeping into track meets as well.
Kathy Martin, to nobody’s surprise, has been named female Masters Harrier of the Year. Her male counterpart is Simon Gutierrez, an M45 legend. Kathy, 62, has now won the award eight times — more than anyone else in history. I normally don’t showcase XC. But the amazing thing about Kathy is she doesn’t take a late-summer break as many distance elites do. She keeps on hammering on the track. Never mind her speed and strength. How does she endure such long seasons?
Kathy runs at River’s Edge Golf Course in Bend, Oregon. Mike Scott photo
Bob Weiner of the Masters T&F Media Subcommittee has posted his annual report. It looks great — tons of traditional media (print, broadcast outlets and media websites) showcasing our sport and stars (especially our centenarian and M90 relayists). But like a 4×100 without a baton — something major is missing: social media. Not once in the report do “Facebook” or “Twitter” appear. Every mom-and-pop store knows the importance of these platforms. They boost reach exponentially. I suggest we leverage USATF’s own social media for the benefit of masters track. USATF has a Twitter feed that can retweet our messages. USATF’s Facebook page has an amazing 212,000 Likes. Even WMA has a FB presence. In the same way that American records shouldn’t be held until the end of the year for official dissemination, links to great masters track coverage should be shared immediately and widely via social media. Of course, that means someone’s finger has to be on the button. Bob and his committee should discuss this in Anaheim. USATF masters rankings are on Facebook. Why not masters media?
Irene Obera, whose W80 debut season saw her break nine world records, has set her sights higher in 2015: WMA World’s Best Masters Athlete. That’s what her training partner Alan Kolling says in the 7-minute video below. It’s a beaut, showing Irene stretching, striding and doing hurdle drills. She also tells how Wilma Rudolph gave her a private tutorial in how to run the curve in the 200. Irene made the Olympic Trials in 1960 (second in the 200 heats in 25.7) and 1968 (seventh in 100 heats in 12.1). Her masters career began in the late 1970s but had a few sabbaticals. Alan explains why: She got bored with no mountains to conquer. But he persuaded her to compete in the 2010 Sacramento nationals and 2011 Sacto worlds, and kept her going with the lure of records in new events, including the hurdles. Now Irene is planning a trip to Lyon, France. She could easily the the lion of worlds. Happy Thanksgiving, Irene and all!
Roald Bradstock, the javelin Olympian who competed in the British Olympic Trials at age 50, is known for throwing crazy objects. This time, at 52, he amazes with his legwork. He writes: “Two-time Olympian, former World Javelin Record Holder and current World Masters (M50) Record Holder Roald Bradstock does 1648 lbs for 15 reps on the leg press machine — his best in 2 1/2 years!” Anyone go heavier?
In recent weeks, a war has erupted over proposed changes in the USATF board of directors. Masters T&F lost its direct representation in 2008, when committee chairs including our Gary Snyder were kicked off the board and replaced by Willie Banks, who did double duty, representing Associations and Masters. I’m not sure how the latest debate affects masters, but I’ve been drawn into it. That’s cuz USATF President Stephanie Hightower (whom I interviewed six years ago) sent email Monday to “USATF Thought Leaders.” Me included. Her only reference to masters comes in an article she appended by Alan Abrahamson. Alan quotes USATF CEO Max Siegel as saying: “It is my job to bring in the revenues that fund the programs that grow our sport, from grass roots to professional athletes to masters athletes. Without the funds, and without the business, the programs and the sport don’t grow. We are now at a point that our efforts and results are speaking for themselves. Now that we have a track record of success, we are in a position to talk about what we can do, together as an organization, including our constituent groups, committees, officials, coaches and volunteers. As much as we have done, we have far more to accomplish and much more growth ahead of us.”
I guess we know how to put on a show. According to a recent release by the NSGA, “The 2013 National Senior Games Presented by Humana has been voted ‘Best Multi-
Sport or Multi-Discipline Event’ in a prestigious annual awards poll hosted by SportsTravel magazine. … Online voting was open to membership and the public. 2013 National Senior Games, Cleveland OH, earned top honors under the Amateur Sporting Event category for multi-sport events in a field of five that included the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.” Well, I understand Sochi had issues. So no wonder they don’t top the travel charts. But congrats to NSGA. Hope you deliver next summer as well. Here’s a view of the track venue. Nice setting.
This is dedicated to our frozen East Coast friends. Paul Greer of the San Diego TC writes: “The 2015 Summer Nights Track and Field Series Schedule has been finalized…. Again our mission is to promote track and field to our wonderful community and my hope is this series of events held during the summer season will attract a lot of athletes and coaches…. The 2015 Summer Nights Series first event will be Wednesday, June 10, at University City High School followed by Clairemont High School hosting the second event on Wednesday, June 24. The third event will be hosted by San Diego State University on July 8 and our last of these four events is slated for Wednesday, July 22, at Sweetwater High School. We sincerely hope to see you and your athletes at any or all of these meets.” Click on the dates to see fliers describing these $5 or $7 mini-meets. Also: This 2015 flier notes June 27 date for the Chuck McMahon masters meet — but no site listed. It’s been at Cal State San Marcos for years.
The day after 2015 masters nationals end in Jacksonville in July, the National Junior Olympics begin. Oughta be interesting to compare our times! But the big news is that masters and munchkins will share in a $125,000 windfall. The local paper says: “To aid the effort, the Duval County Tourist Development Council on Thursday awarded grants totaling $125,000 for the USA Masters Outdoor Track & Field Championship, scheduled July 23-26, and for the USATF National Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships, scheduled July 27-Aug. 2. Both competitions will be at Hodges Stadium at the University of North Florida.” I’d be curious to learn whether the money is split 50-50 and how it will be spent. Hope it’s for lots of water and keeping the officials comfy. While mulling that, how about a little wager? USATF Masters and Youth committees bet something over who will have the best marks — the gold-medal times and distances — in all the events we both contest. In other words, our M35s and M40s against their oldest kidlets. Lay your bets.
Ken has followed track as an athlete, writer and web-master since the late 1960s, and saw most sessions of track and field at the 1984 Los Angeles and 1996 Atlanta Olympics. He also attended the 1988, 1992, 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012 Trials, the last three as a blogger and Patch correspondent. [More...]
