masterstrack.com

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

Final day at Berea ends with premiere record in shuttle hurdles

Tuck this obituary away for 60 years. But I’m writing the lead now so we can appreciate the subject while he’s still alive: “Jeff Davison, who pioneered the shuttle-hurdle relay in masters track and won USATF recognition for the event with a first record at 2011 Berea nationals, died yesterday while negotiating the last barrier of an 80-meter hurdle race in the M110 age group.” Fantasy aside, Jeff’s dream came true today in Ohio when an M70 team of Barry Kline, John Sloan, Charles Bartholomew and Grover Coats clocked 1:10.70 for the first official American record in the shuttles. Well done, gents. And all praise to Jeff, who made this happen by force of will and incredible astute work navigating USA Track & Field. Next stop: worlds.

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July 31, 2011  9 Comments

Bobby Whilden’s M75 American record beats Payton Jordan mark

The late Payton Jordan was the gold standard for older sprinters. Now the new standard is being set by Bobby Whilden of Texas, world champion at Sacramento. Saturday at Berea nationals, Bobby clocked an American record of 13.67 seconds in the 100 — at age 76. (At Penn Relays in April, he ran a wind-aided 13.68, noted in video below.) The outtasight (so far) listed world record is 13.54 by Germany’s Bruno Kimmel in 2009. The 100 record was one of several AR’s set at Berea nationals Saturday.

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July 31, 2011  2 Comments

Videos posted of Mulazim and Wilson world records at Berea

These are amazing historical documents! Derek Lau posted videos of the M45 400 world record and the M60 100-meter world record at Berea nationals. We’re in debt to him for this. First comes Khalid Mulazim’s solo run. He had nobody to push him, so this is especially amazing. Thad Wilson’s hurdle record is below the fold. Complete results after Day 3 also have been shipped to me by USATF’s Jeremy Langton. See them here. Have a great final day tomorrow, Sunday!

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July 30, 2011  5 Comments

Drug-testing debuts at USATF masters nationals, and not quietly

As promised, USATF has begun drug-testing at masters nationals for the first time in history. Berea entrants are the guinea pigs of an experiment to see whether “random” testing of a fraction of a small percentage of athletes will catch or deter cheaters. We’ll see. One athlete’s report follows. I’d love to hear more. The entrant write: “I believe the aggressive stance taken by USATF recently and the almost obnoxious repetition of the warning that drug testing would be conducted in Berea also has worked. … For those of us who have competed clean and have observed the obvious — sometimes, even admitted — use of banned substances, this is a very good development.”
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July 30, 2011  21 Comments

Khalid Mulazim, Thad Wilson, Ralph Maxwell claim WRs at Berea

Running into a slight breeze, Thad Wilson of Oxnard smashed Courtland Gray’s WR in the M60 100-meter hurdles Friday at Berea nationals, clocking 14.37 seconds. In the 400, Khalid Mulazim took down the M45 WR for 400 meters as well — scorching a lap in 50.18 to nip the storied WR of 50.20 by American Fred Sowerby in 1994 (the oldest 400 record on the books). Also at Berea, M90 Ralph Maxwell upped his own vault WR to 1.43 from 1.40 at Sacramento worlds. He already owns short-hurdle bests.

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July 30, 2011  9 Comments

Masters rock Cleveland: Mike Soule’s group performs at club

Doug “Bubba” Sparks and others have shared this photo of Mike Soule’s vaulter-based rock group performing Friday night at nationals. Bubba writes: “Had a great crowd at Tony Ks for the geezer band. Bass is Mike Soule/vocals (M55 PV), Bob Banhagel/vocals on guitar, John Large on drums/vocals – both M60 PV. Don’t know the alternate lead singer or the harmonica guy. They were VERY good!” Black-and-red clapping guy appears to be Britain’s Eric Jones, an M65 sprinter/runner affiliated with the SoCal Track Club. Although results are posted on the official USATF site, USATF marketing intern Jeremy Langton sent me this all-in-one file of Day 1 and Day 2 results.

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July 29, 2011  2 Comments

Traffic alert for Berea nationals entrants: Beware the Browns

This is posted on the USATF website. Hope it doesn’t hamper the folks at nationals: “TRAFFIC ALERT: Athletes competing in the USA Masters Championships in Berea, OH should be aware of potential traffic issues on Sunday. The NFL’s Cleveland Browns are scheduled to begin their pre-season training camp on Sunday morning on the campus of Baldwin Wallace College. The first session of each year draws thousands of fans to Baldwin Wallace College. The training camp opens at 8:45am ET on Sunday. Fans are expected to begin arriving well before that time. Athletes are suggested to park at Berea High School just east of The George Finnie Stadium. Space will be on a first-come basis. It is suggested that athletes allow plenty of travel time for arrival at the stadium. Events will be started at the scheduled time and athletes not checking in on time will be scratched from their event.”

July 29, 2011  3 Comments

Carol Young nails her W70 American record in hammer at Berea

Carol Young of Raschkerville, Georgia (aka Marietta) raised her own W70 American record in the hammer today as masters nationals started, heaving the sucker 29.66 meters (97-3 1/2). See details. Sprint icon Stephen Robbins, who moved to Cleveland Heights some years back from California, was the slam-dunk subject of a Cleveland Plain Dealer preview of Berea nationals. See the story here. The chief USATF webguru, Katie Landry, sent results from Day 1, featuring the pentathlon (see below). Her preview was here. USATF President Stephanie Hightower is supposedly there. Tell her hi for me.

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July 28, 2011  No Comments

Indian athletes were barred from worlds despite WMA ‘resolution’

Stan Perkins was misled. In his WMA president’s report to the Sacramento General Assembly, Stan said: “In India a problem that had been ongoing for some years was resolved after meetings conducted during the Asian Regional Championships in Kuala Lumpur. Two organizations had each claimed the right to affiliation but the claims of one group has been refused. This result was achieved in time for entries to the current Stadia Championships to be processed in a proper manner.” Not so, Stan. My source says the issue remains. Warring factions still hurt masters athletes in India. “It was only a temporary truce,” said Dr. Rohinton Mehta.

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July 28, 2011  5 Comments

Trent Lane, 101, wasn’t alone: 684 were no-shows at Sacto worlds

Trent Lane would have owned the M100 age group at Sacramento worlds. He was the only one in it — entered in the shot and discus at age 101. But he never came. Finally, we learn why. His daughter Ruth writes: “Trent could not come to the Sacramento games because there were other commitments and because he has some minor physical challenges … nothing serious.” Trent wasn’t the only no-show. According to Bob Burns of the Sacramento Sports Commission, the world meet lost nearly 700 athletes for various reasons (such as sprint legends Bill Collins and Stephen Peters). The entry list had 4,804 names. The final tally: 4,120 participants. He also tells us when people will get their missing medals.

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July 27, 2011  4 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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