The good news: My blogging time has increased exponentially

Ken Stone, looking for work.

The bad news: I was laid off at work yesterday. Twenty-four years, three months and 14 days after joining San Diego’s metropolitan daily newspaper, I’ve lost my job. Now I’m a U-T orphan. The Union-Tribune was very good to me, giving me friends and skills and a handsome paycheck that allowed vacations around the country (and sometimes to Europe) in search of age-group PR’s and cool photos. But 35 extremely talented folks in the newsroom were given pink slips, and I was one of them. Here’s a typical report. I don’t know what my work future will bring, but I’m certain I’ll maintain my masters track friendships and activities. And nobody can threaten this blog! I already have a backlog of Q&A’s with record setters and other superstars. So stay tuned. You ain’t seen nuthin’ yet!

June 18, 2010 46 Comments

Mike Brown’s M55 javelin WR record came on strained quadriceps

Mike Brown at Lahti worlds.

Has anyone ever set a masters world record when they were 100 percent fit and pain-free? It no longer surprises me when recordfolk note their issues. Latest is Mike Brown, the Florida coach who upped his own M55 world record in the javelin last weekend. Mike writes: “Conditions were kinda warm, about 95 or so – about average for the South. I was surprised as I had pulled a quad a week before and it was still bothering me. I hit a clean throw at a good angle and it just kept going. I was pretty happy. My series was 57 something, 66.11 WR, 62 something, and 64 something. I passed the last two throws as my quad was saying, ‘You have had enough fun – stop.’ ” Then he answered two of my quickie questions: “Heck yeah I am going to the nationals,” Mike says, “and heck yeah I think I can throw a couple of meters farther – every thrower thinks so.”

June 18, 2010 One Comment

Dayton Masters Track Club fears loss of annual all-ages meet

It’s tough all over. Meets are dying on the vine. The latest to fear being spiked is the Dayton Track Classic. According to this story in the Dayton Daily News, M75 meet director Bob Jones feels like crying. ““You know that commercial where the Indian has a teardrop coming down his cheek?” Jones told reporter Marc Pendleton. “I have teardrops down both cheeks.” More venues are charging egregious rental fees. Don’t they realize that pricing masters meets out of the market will mean NO revenue streams in the future?

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June 17, 2010 One Comment

Allen Johnson, 39, aiming for sub-13.20, top-3 finish at nationals

A nice profile on 39-year-old Olympic champ Allen Johnson quotes him as saying: “It’s not about how fast I can run any more; it’s about staying healthy long enough that I can get in shape to run as fast as I want to run.” Kind of long, but it serves as the masters creed. The story also says Allen is shooting for a sub-13.20 this season. And the story says: “If he were to go under 13.20, he would shatter the world record for his nearest age group (13.73), according to www.world-masters-athletics.org.” Actually, he’s already the fastest M35 on record. The M40 WR is 13.73 — and that’s over 39-inch hurdles and not 42-inchers. If Allen ran the masters hurdles after turning 40 in March 2011, David Ashford’s WR would be toast.

Allen Johnson wants to run professionally as long as he can.

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June 16, 2010 15 Comments

Britain’s Mick Jones claims M45 world record in the hammer throw

Seoul Olympian Mick Jones turns 47 in July, but he still throws the 16-pound hammer like a kid. On June 5, at a British Athletic League meet at London’s Barnet Copthall Stadium, Mick spun the hammer an amazing 70.36 meters (230-10). That demolished the listed M45 world record of 67.74 (222-3) by Russian legend Yuriy Sedykh in 2001. Results of Mick’s meet are here. His last claim to fame was winning gold at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, when he was 39. His all-time best is 76.43 (250-9). Here’s a nice sequence of Mick in his hammer heyday.

Mick Jones (left) posed before his Commonwealth victory.

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June 16, 2010 4 Comments

Puerto Rican honchos help secure host city of 2010 WMA regionals

Brian Keaveney, president of the WMA region that includes the United States, has announced that Puerto Rico is officially the host of the North, Central and Caribbean World Masters Athletics Championships this fall. Brian wrote various officials: “The championship in Mayaguez is confirmed.” The story behind this is dramatic and convoluted. I know only a piece of it. But apparently it took schmoozing by Puerto Rican WMA delegate Melton Diaz, an M60 thrower, to make this happen. Melton met with a Puerto Rican senator and also secured a letter of support from the mayor of Mayaguez. As telegraphed earlier, the meet is set for September 3-6. Haven’t seen a meet website yet.

June 16, 2010 27 Comments

Canadians invite Americans up north for major masters meets

Doug Smith in Ontario writes: “We now have the online registration open for the upcoming events; Ontario Masters Championships, June 27, Toronto Track & Field Centre; Ontario Masters Throws Pentathlon, July 11, Varsity Centre; Canadian Pentathlon Championships, July 16; Toronto Track & Field Centre; Canadian Masters Track & Field Championships, July 17-18, Toronto Track & Field Centre.” More information is here. Doug writes: “Our American friends are most welcome!”

June 15, 2010 2 Comments

World champ Jim Broun out of surgery, should be home tomorrow

Jim Broun

M55 hurdle champion Jim Broun of Sarasota, Florida, underwent surgery this morning — anterior cervical discectomy and vertebral fixation. In a scheduled two-hour procedure, doctors were to “fuse 5/6 and 6/7, replace the discs with an allograft and hopefully I can run (jog) in about six weeks,” Jim wrote beforehand. Today I got this note from Terri Broun, his wife: “Just wanted to let you know that Jim’s surgery went well this morning and he should be coming home from the hospital tomorrow. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.” Jim wrote yesterday: “It is painful not being able to compete this summer and I hope everyone has a great meet at Sacramento. . . . My goal is to compete by next indoor season or at least in my last year in the 55-59 age group at WMA outdoor.” Have a great recovery, Jim, and take these rehab hurdles the way you always do — with courage and confidence.

Jim (right) won a 2008 world indoor title at Clermont-Ferrand, France. (Photo by Tom Phillips)

June 15, 2010 6 Comments

Mike Brown extends own M55 world record in javelin to 216-10

Mike Brown, the M55 world champ at Lahti last summer, upped his own world record in the javelin Saturday at the USATF Southeast Regional Masters Championships, aka the Bob Boal meet. He threw the 700-gram stick 66.11 meters, or 215-10, which would kick most kiddie butts. His previous WR was 65.35 (214-5) — set a year ago at Clermont, Florida. Meet results from Raleigh, North Carolina, are promised on this page but weren’t up early today. However, mastersrankings.com shows some amazing marks, including M55 sprints of 11.91 and 23.81 by Oscar Peyton. And 73-year-old Jeanne Daprano ran a 7:01 mile in 90-plus-degree conditions, I’m told.

Mike Brown, shown at Lahti, coaches collegians in Florida. (Photo by Ken Stone)

June 15, 2010 7 Comments

Masters javelin great Bradstock lends a hand to USATF Foundation

M45 javelin stud Roald Bradstock, aka “The Olympic Picasso,” has contributed one of his signature artworks to the USATF Foundation as a fundraiser. The piece below is up for auction on eBay, and it has signatures. Autographs include track legends Joan Benoit Samuelson, Lynn Jennings, Billy Mills, Bill Rodgers, Jim Ryun, Alberto Salazar, Bob Schul, Steve Scott, Frank Shorter, Mary Slaney, Craig Virgin and Dave Wottle. Twenty-five prints also will be sold with signatures for $2,500 each. Roald also recently was honored by the United States Sports Academy and American Sport Art Museum and Archives in Alabama, which touts itself as “the world’s leading authority on Sport Art and Sports Artists.” They included a chapter on him in an online book. (He was their 2003 Sport Artist of the Year.) Roald’s work will help pay for Team USA at the London Olympics. Someday he should do some work to finance Team USA at masters worlds.