masterstrack.com

Older, slower, lower: Ken Stone's hobby blog for showcasing and watchdogging adult age-group track and field

Gripes galore at Porto Alegre meet, especially from the vaulters

Vaulting is dangerous enough. But organizers at Porto Alegre worlds are upping the risk, according to Facebook postings. One from American Doug “Bubba” Sparks says: “Our poles are not here yet and may not be, the box is 6 (inches) deep rather than 9 (inches) and the pit is a straight back and short. They have brought in pieces of another pit that they have covered with an orange tarp rather than a fitted top cover. Poles on loan have tennis balls on them rather than plugs. Can anything else happen? Oh yeah, probably rain.” Meanwhile, results are finally dribbling out at wma2013.com/results/. Anything missing? But organizers aren’t neglecting YouTube, where two “highlight” videos are posted. But spare us the head-banging music and long into. Just show us the action.

October 18, 2013  One Comment

Lahtigate: Perkins accused of packing presidential vote with pals

Four years after the fact, a document has emerged that says the 2009 election of Stan Perkins as WMA president was fraudulent. An American athlete sent me the memo Thursday morning from Porto Alegre, where Stan is standing for re-election next week. The athlete won’t tell me where he got it, but it clearly aims to benefit American rival Rex Harvey. The memo says at least six Aussie entrants at Lahti worlds voted as delegates in the 2009 election by claiming to represent Oceania places like Guam, Cook Island and American Samoa. “This is out and out voting fraud as common sense, and more importantly the WMA Constitution, makes it very clear that no one may represent two countries or vote for absentees, and that proxy voting is not allowed,” the leaked document says. Yup, sure looks like it.

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October 17, 2013  5 Comments

Message board created to preserve memories of Porto Alegre

Check out the new Forums category devoted to tales from 2013 Brazil worlds. The object is to have a place where athletes can vent about and praise the Porto Alegre meet and detail their event-by-event, meal-by-meal experiences. Yes, we see Facebook postings all the time, but they disappear from the news feed quickly and are forgotten. My Forum is forever. So share your experiences — before the memories become misty watercolor instead of vivid hues. Thanks!

October 16, 2013  9 Comments

Porto Alegre worlds under way after delayed opening ceremony

Dave Proffitt of UK posted the photo below to the WMA Facebook page, and WMA President Stan Perkins commented: “It was a good ceremony, but it started late unfortunately, and many of the athletes left before the entertainment that was fun, particularly the dancing. Such a pity.” Also a cautionary tale from a Canadian: “My first … event, the decathlon, was today, but they wouldn’t let me compete because I [inadvertently] left my number at the hotel. Oh, well, there will be other events and I will make sure to have my number with me.” Meanwhile, WMA has posted the latest in a series of corrections to the schedule. Also be sure to follow WMA on Twitter. I’m not in Porto Alegre and I have no clue where results are being posted, so if anyone can share link, it would be nice. Also please let us know how things are going. Weather reports are here, and Porto Alegre local time is here.

October 16, 2013  21 Comments

Rex Harvey: WMA on verge of bankruptcy under President Perkins

Rex Harvey was the only candidate to complete my questionnaire in the WMA presidential election. Incumbent Stan Perkins wrote me Saturday: “My apologies, but I am in Porto Alegre and have been extremely busy with Council meetings and much communication with the local organisers regarding the championship preparations. Elections have not been on my agenda for some time with the need to get this event ready for the athletes taking total priority over everything else.” In fact, WMA confirms that meet organizers are just now marking lanes at one track and installing cages. “(Perkins) indicated that it was quite amazing that the Brazilians seemed quite at ease with the late preparations and it seems that this is the way they do things in this part of the world,” says WMA. In any case, WMA may have bigger fish to fry if Rex is right. In his 3,700-word Q&A, Rex says WMA’s net worth is “dangerously low” and “is only a short way from bankruptcy unless there are some quick and major changes.” Rex lays much of the blame at the feet of Stan, whom he depicts as free-spending. Stan is welcome to respond in the comments.

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October 15, 2013  8 Comments

Will Geb lay waste to M40 world track records? Or stick to roads?

Geb (no introduction necessary) turned 40 in April, and immediately declared he was targeting M40 world records — not specifying which distances on the track or road. But in July, he tweeted plans to run for Ethiopia’s Parliament in 2015. So who knows which race will get his most attention? In any case, he won a big race in Scotland over the weekend, and appears in incredible shape. As Runner’s World reported in late May: “On May 19, in the Grand Prix von Bern in Switzerland, Gebrselassie covered 10 miles in 46:59, shattering Jackson Kipngok’s previous masters best of 47:26, set in 2003. This past Sunday, Gebrselassie was third overall in the Bupa Great Manchester Run, a 10-K in England, in 28:00. That performance demolished the existing world masters 10-K road standard of 28:51, set in 2003 by Portugal’s Paulo Catarino.” I’m not interest in road records, but will he tackle the track? Further, will he lower himself to run in a masters meet? My experience is he’ll say: “No way, Jose. Show me the money.” Say you?

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October 15, 2013  No Comments

Beware Munich snafu: Port Alegre corrects its printed schedule

Remember the Munich 100-meter heats snafu in ’72? That could happen at Porto Alegre if you don’t keep your eye on the ball. I’m sure Team USA manager Phil Greenwald and others will notify entrants about schedule changes, but you also might keep an eye on the WMA homepage. The Porto Alegre site appears useless (and often won’t load pages because of too much traffic). Anyway, see this list of dozens of schedule changes at worlds, which starts in three days. And the 240 American entrants in Brazil are listed here by event (thanks to a USATF list). Among them are W65 Phil Raschker and M60 Bill Collins, legends who take a licking and keep on ticking.

October 13, 2013  5 Comments

Kathy Martin again named USATF Athlete of the Week for great 5K

USATF reports this week from Indy: “Kathryn Martin has been named USA Track & Field’s Athlete of the Week after winning her age-group title at the USA Masters 5km Championships. Martin (Northport, N.Y.) ran 19:06 at the 2013 USA Masters 5 km Championship, hosted by the Syracuse Festival of Races on Sunday. Martin’s time is a mere two seconds slower than the W60-64 5km world best she recorded in 2011, and it age-grades to 103.14% based on the current tables.” Kathy has been Athlete of the Week before — twice in 2011, in fact. And in 2009 she was USATF Masters T&F Athlete of the Year. So congrats again to our superstar.

October 10, 2013  One Comment

Texas vs. Utah: Finsrud tops world-class results from rival meets

As usual, the Huntsman World Senior Games ending today attracted folks from, yes, around the world. But Seth Brower’s Texas vs. The World meet over the weekend drew folks from afar as well. Results are trickling in for the Huntsman meet in St. George, Utah. Results are posted for the all-ages meet in San Marcos, Texas. World champ Carol Finsrud, 56, had some great marks at Texas State University: 11.01 (36-1 1/2) in the shot, 41.30 (135-6) in the hammer, 40.35 (132-4) in the discus (short of her own AR of 40.39) and 14.40 (47-3) in the weight throw, upping her own listed American record of 14.00 (45-11). Also impressive was Kenton Brown, 69, who ran the 60 in 8.18, 100 in 12.92 and 200 in 27.49. Wind readings weren’t listed. Huntsman organizers made lemonade out of the national park shutdowns, posting a list of sightseeing opportunities outsize of Bryce and Zion canyons.

October 9, 2013  3 Comments

Ed Burke makes 75 throws over 2 weekends, tops pent WR

Someone check Ed Burke’s arms. Have they fallen off yet? A week after taking six tries in all five events of a pretend throws pentathlon (unofficially beating Bob Ward’s listed M70 WR of 4984 by a single point), the three-time Olympian competed last weekend in a genuine throws pentathlon at the Nevada Senior Games but fell short of the record. See results here. Ed scored 4639 last weekend at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. In reply to a query, Ed wrote me before the Nevada meet: “I did compete in all five throwing events on Sept. 28 at UCSC Throwers Meet / Shaffer Park, Santa Cruz, Ca.  Just as a run-through for the … meet in Las Vegas Oct 3-5. My results for the events were HT 56.20 (184-4),  shot put 12.91 (42-4 1/4), discus 40.04 (131-4), javelin 30.14 (98-11) and weight throw 21.54 (70-8) … I think that comes out to 4985 points … Actually these results were from the first 3 throws in each event.  I did throw all 6 throws and improved in hammer, discus and javelin.” The reason Ed mentions his scores are from the first three throws is because a throws pentathlon gives you three tries per event.

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October 8, 2013  7 Comments

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• About Ken Stone

  

  Ken Stone

  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...]
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