Happy birthday to Pat Peterson, smiling sprinter of masters track
Pat Peterson has been through the wringer, battling cancer and injuries. But I’ve never seen her sprint without a smile. So I hope today is joyful as she turns 88. She was one of the featured athletes in the 2005 documentary “Racing Against the Clock.” In 1998, she was inducted into the USATF Masters Hall of Fame. (In what other sport do you become a Hall of Famer and continue competing for 15 years or more?)
Pat Peterson leads friend Johnnye Valien at 2011 Sacramento worlds.
Ashton Eaton gets to watch great masters races at Mt. SAC
Me hopes Willie Gault brings his recent bride to Mt. SAC Relays!
Noel Ruebel, N.C. masters nationals meet director, is one of us
Noel Ruebel was one of the guys I shared a guest house with at Lahti worlds in 2009. He’s a tall, strong gent who can do any event. He was featured in a local North Carolina paper before worlds. (See it here.) But the story left out a key fact — he’s the meet director of masters outdoor nationals this summer in Winston-Salem. Lately, he’s been dealing with questions on housing. I was copied an exchange. He says Wake Forest won’t have dorm housing for athletes, but that five hotels will be served by shuttles. Noel writes: “Our shuttle transportation will be provided by buses from the school I work at [Forsyth Country Day School] and will be running throughout the day, and we’ll make sure that we don’t leave anyone stranded at the track in the evenings. We look forward to seeing you in July.” BTW, he took seventh at Budapest in the M55 pentathlon. Count on him to make the meet a great one.
Noel showed his discus form to local paper before Budapest.
Texas thrower Mark Chapman facing hospice after major stroke
Mark was hospitalized in Houston after stroke.
WMA counts 53 world records at Budapest; Olga shortchanged
World Masters Athletics has posted a list of 53 world records (indoor and out) set at Budapest last week. Many were news to me. But Olga Kotelko, who turned 95 just before worlds, didn’t get credit for one record — the high jump. She answered an email query (as part of research I’m doing for a National Masters News report on Budapest). Olga wrote: “It seems as though I didn’t know when to stop jumping in my high jump event as my energy level was so high.” She ultimately cleared 0.78 meters (2-6 3/4) — making her the first W95 jumper on record. WMA says she set eight WRs, so Olga won’t complain. But I’d like to see her name in the record books as the oldest female vertical jumper in history. I hope that’s the only oversight. World records are priceless.
Olga does a modified scissors/flop, as captured by Tom Phillips at Budapest.
Is anyone All-American in more events than M75 Roger Vergin?
Florida Senior Games medal haul in 2012.
Roger, shown running the 800 at a recent Florida Senior Games, had a 2013 best of 3:28.51, which met A-A standard for M75 of 3:35.
Eurovets invited to get foretaste of 2015 French worlds at meet host
The Eurovets site says: “Lyon – host city of the next World Masters Athletic Championships Stadia – will organize the French Masters in Athletics from June 6th up to June 8th 2014. Marcel Ferrari and his team of the LOC Lyon prepare the World Masters one year before the great event will start. To check the procedure of entries, the venues, and the teamwork the LOC invites athletes from Europe to enter the open French Athletics Championships for Masters. Join in and be part of the championships!” The invitation targets Eurovets, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Norte Americanos could enter French masters nationals as well (on the theory that our money is as good as theirs). So if you already were planning a trip to east-central France this summer, write to the French WMA rep or Lyon 2015 contact for info on entering.
USA vs. Britain Multi-Event Challenge doubles as USATF nationals
Every summer for at least a dozen years, the USATF Masters Combined Events Championships have been held about a month before masters outdoor nationals. Sometimes the meet (dec and hep) follow nationals. But they’ve also been a foreign draw, being called the USA vs. Great Britain Multi-Event Challenge. Jeff “Decamouse” Watry details the next edition, set July 5-6 in Neosho, Missouri (not far from Joplin and my first journalistic posting at Lamar). Jeff writes: “The Multi-Event Challenge is held every four years in conjunction with our national championships when a group of competitors arrives from Great Britain. We pair guests with someone of similar ability from the U. S. and add total scores from all the paired athletes. Not all of us will be paired with a guest, but all of us can enjoy the spirit of the competition and get to know some new friends. In two years we will have a chance to journey to Great Britain and participate in their national meet. So whether you are paired or not, welcome our friends from across the sea.” He shared an info sheet and an entry form. Wish the meet were important enough to rate a mention in the USATF list of national championships.
Facebook shot of Neosho High track, site of USATF masters dec/hep meet.
Jess Brewer unveils Age-Graded calculator with 2014 WMA factors
Simple like Google but with tons of data behind it.
Mongolian masters track! How I love writing alliterative headlines
Apparently color photography hasn’t reached Mongolia media yet. But gold is still gold.
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