Seek a cool meet in summer 2011? Try State Games of America
Willie Banks shares great news: The State Games of America will be held in early August 2011—in one of the nicest summer locales on earth. San Diego. So if you still have energy left after masters nationals in Ohio, Sacramento worlds and the National Senior Games in Houston, come to Paradise for a meet
Coaches check your spike length before letting you on this gem of a track.
Belarus discus great eyes 2012 London Olympic Games at age 51
Sydney Olympic discus champ Elina Zvereva turned 50 last Tuesday. But she’s still got game. Or at least she’s game for the Games. An IAAF article quotes her as saying: “I want to finish my career on the high level. I am more than ever determined to do it. I will try to get to the Olympics Games in London and will make every effort to perform adequately.” Of course, she has to hit the qualifying standard. In 2008, the “A” standard was 61 meters (200-1 1/2) and the “B” was 58 meters (190-3 1/2). In 2010, her best throw was 58.52 (191-11 3/4). So she’s in the hunt. The listed W50 world record? That’s a doable 45.67 (149-10) by American Carol Finsrud in 2007.
Elina needs a big wind and a little luck to make the automatic Olympic qualifying standard of about 200 feet and change.
UCLA coaching legend Jim Bush regales Striders with stories of yore
Hall of Fame track coach Jim Bush, who tutored dozens of Olympians at UCLA and ended his career at rival USC, riveted attentions Saturday night at an Orange County Persian restaurant — scene of the latest Southern California Striders awards dinner. The masters track club gave its top honor, the Robert Watanabe Award, to Kathy Bergen, who set about a half-dozen world indoor and outdoor records this season in the sprints and high jump. Bush, 84, told of how he showed pro teams like the MLB Dodgers, NHL Kings, NBA Lakers and NFL Raiders how to improve their speed by running hills and lifting weights. He also described how he kicked Dwight Stones off his Bruin team — and refused him back despite his being a world record holder (Dwight wanted to compete in only three meets for UCLA: the USC dual, conference meet and NCAA’s, Jim said.)
Jim Bush told of tutoring the likes of NFL legends Marcus Allen and Howie Long.
Photographer behind series in Newsweek: Help find, ID athletes
Angela Jimenez, a W35 photojournalist, has a wonderful series of masters track shots on Newsweek’s online site. (See them here.) When she told me of the series, she asked how she might contact the athletes: “I do not know how to get in touch with some of the folks, and maybe they or their families will see it if you are able to post it? I thought maybe your blog is hooked into the community and they would get a chance to see it! … Any advice you have about how to share it with the subjects of the photos would be much appreciated.” Well, folks. Help her out! Ship the link to the athletes and their kinfolk. Here’s a quickie Q&A with Angela, who shot this start:
Empire State Games a goner — again; another nail in coffin?
A masters mole alerts us to the latest victim of the economy: the Empire State Games, which includes a masters track component. It was at this meet in 1997 where Glen Conley became the first M40 jumper to go 7 feet (vertically!) We learn from one of many stories: “This time around, the small Albany staff in charge of running the state Games either has been laid off or reassigned, leaving no one to help pick up the pieces. The web site has even been taken down. It raises red flags about the long-term future of the Games. ‘All indications is this is it,’ said Doug Ames, western regional director for Empire State Games.” How sad. Hope other meets in New York pick up the slack.
The torch may be toast as the Empire State Games do down for second time.
Read the rest of this post »
Santee truly would have been first sub-4 miler if AAU had let him
Wes Santee’s death Sunday, at age 78, is a reminder of one of the most outrageous crimes in American track and field—the actions that kept my former Kansas track alumnus from becoming the first miler to break 4 minutes. Trust me, he would have been the one—beating Roger Bannister to the punch—if U.S. track authorities hadn’t been so cruel and anal. I’m not aware of Wes having run masters track. But he should have. It might have helped remove the sour taste of elite track from his mouth. If you ever have time for one book, read “The Perfect Mile,” a 2004 book by Neal Bascomb. It’s a beaut. Rest in peace, Wes. And Rock Chalk, Jayhawk, for eternity.
Kamloops hosting Canadian indoor nationals in wake of worlds
Kamloops had an up-and-down experience as host of the 2010 World Masters Indoor Championships. Now they’re planning a smaller shindig: Canadian masters indoor nationals. Just a two-day affair—March 19-20, 2011. This meet takes place a couple weeks after USATF masters indoor nationals. The U.S. meet will be March 4-6 in the Albuquerque Convention Center—at close to a mile high elevation in New Mexico.
W90 superstar Olga Kotelko will probably be at Kamloops. She'll also be featured in the New York Times Magazine in a couple weeks, my sources say.
Read the rest of this post »
Bateman smashes M55 world record in 3K at Sydney stadium
Simon Butler-White writes from Down Under: “I’m pleased to report that Keith Bateman broke the WR at the New South Wales 3000m championships at Sydney Olympic Park on November 13. Competing in the ‘C’ race (athletes were seeded based on best times), he clocked 8:56.80. The race was filmed and can be viewed on YouTube. That’s his fifth Australian record (1 mile, 1500m [twice], 3000m [twice]) since July 31, when he just missed Rich Burns’ 1 mile WR. Keith says he’s relieved that in that he can race his next 3000m relaxed and see if it is possible to improve on his time. ‘Meanwhile, I will be going to the Zatopek:10 [the 10,000m track classic held annually in Melbourne] on December 9 for a red-hot go at the 10,000m world record,’ he says.” The old M55 WR was 8:57.28 by New Zealand’s Ron Robertson. Good on you, Keith! Keep it up.
Throwers go far in Florida: Jansson, Brown and M80s impress
Track meets end in October, but throwers never quit. That’s evident from results at the National Training Center, where a bunch of masters studs including record-holders Mike Brown and Ken Jansson went crazy at a meet co-sponsored by Throws Coach Florida. Mike has the M55 world record in the javelin at 66.11 (216-10) and Saturday he chucked the 700g spear 63.29 (207-7 3/4) at age 56. M50 Ken threw the hammer 54.15 meters (177-7 3/4). In the M80 group, Reed Quinn and Bill Bergen had a great duel in three events.
Mike Brown lets go at Lahti, where he won the M55 world title in 2009.
Africa needs to get its act together if serious about masters track
Africa
SEARCH MT&F
About 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...]
Ken Stone
-
Monthly Archives
Most recent comments
- james purdy on Canadian track coach Charlie Francis also mourned by masters
- David Daugherty on Dave Cannon dies at 60; ran middle distances at masters nationals
- Tony Trachtenberg on 3 Aussies and 1 great moment: World Athletics Gala in Monaco
- Dennis Rogles on 400-meter man Ben James proves tougher than cancer
- Jacob Ryan on Hawaii newspaper tries to pin down Lindgren on shadowy past
- LOL on Sonja Friend-Uhl is latest W40 to think she holds 1500 USA record
- Samir kumar sarkar on Help vote Earl Fee into Canada’s Walk of Fame, their own Oscars
- Dene Wright on Lonnie Hooker isn’t 6.92 fast, but still a force in masters sprints
- Kellee Harding on USATF posts photo gallery of masters at cross nationals
- Van BARNREITER on Masters newbie Torbert ups M60 goal after setting American record
- wayne c petty on Ralph Maxwell dies at 94; was among greatest older athletes ever
- B on Sonja Friend-Uhl is latest W40 to think she holds 1500 USA record
