WMA president won’t get involved in India’s track Civil War
Bubba Sparks has a blast as top vaulter at Expo Explosion
Eight masters were among the 100 vaulters yesterday in Belton, Texas, competing at the Expo Explosion. Doug “Bubba” Sparks, the M55 champion at the Sydney World Masters Games, was credited with a 13-6, but he posted a 3.99-meter mark (13-1) on mastersrankings.com. The listed M55 American indoor record is 4.12 (13-6 1/4). (Results provided by Becca Gillespy Peter suggest no metric measurements were taken despite the meet boasting a USATF sanction. Sigh.) W55 Dinah Anderson’s 7-6 clearance topped W35 Helen Croskell’s 7-footer in the masters women’s division at the Bell County Expo Center, a 6,000-seat domed stadium. After Bubba came George Barber (12-0), Don Arnold (9-6), M70 Don Islett (9-6), M50 Gary Scheffe (9-0) and Donald Curry (9-0). Great work, gents. You’ve lit a fuse under the 2010 season!
Meet James E. Oglesby, operating on setting shot records
Dr. James E. Oglesby was a M*A*S*H surgeon in Vietnam before anyone heard of Hot Lips Houlihan. But his affinity character from the movie and TV series might be Spearchucker, since Dr. O is a thrower. After reporting his recent M75 American record, I sought more info on this new shot-put star, and he graciously provided some biographical data. As usual with masters tracksters, his being a stud thrower isn’t the most interesting thing about him. He’s a father of nine and grandfather of 12 “so far,” he says, who considers himself a novice. Dr. O wrote me: “I feel that I’m still sort of a beginner. I’m learning to glide, I hope. So far I’ve been doing standing throws. So if the Good Lord is willing, I will continue to progress a bit.”
James threw in high school in the 1950s, but didn’t resume throwing until 2004.
You choose the decade’s best masters athlete worldwide
Happy New Year and new blog! We’re starting the eighth year of daily updates later this month, and sometime in 2010, we’ll post our 3,000th entry and log our 10,000th comment. (We’re now at 2,886 and 9,723, respectively.) But the number I’m really shooting for is 1,000 — as in 1,000 members of the masterstrack.com Forums. We now have 651, according to the memberlist. I’m inviting all you lurkers to register and start having access to the Forums. What’s the advantage of registering? Besides my guarantee of long life, infinite wisdom and PRs every season — you get to express yourself in a more permanent way than posting comments here. Discusdoc (Tom Fahey of Chico) is our most prolific Forum user, with 232 posts, followed by Eugene’s BMo with 211 and me (taking bronze again) with 175 and counting. To get things going for our New Forum Year, check out my poll: Which of our niche was the Best of the Decade?
Greatest masters vaulter in history set for Reno PV Summit
Wolfgang Ritte
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Germany’s Wolfgang Ritte, the Sergey Bubka of masters track and the 2008 World Masters Athlete of the Year, is coming to America. He’s reportedly set to compete next month in the world-famous National Pole Vault Summit, an indoor event in Reno, Nevada. Wolfie, with his vaulting wife, Ute, apparently are having their travel expenses comped by sporting goods company UCS / Spirit and its German representative, Heinz Peters. How good is Wolfie? In June 2008, he jumped 4.60 meters (15-1) at a time no other M55 had even cleared 14 feet. The Koops getting lasix of Germany say Wolfie was set to visit Reno in 2007 when he turned 55, but the summit was moved up, before he changed age groups. So he didn’t show. His only potential challengers in late January would be M55 indoor sildalis 120 mg American record-holder Jeff Kingstad or M50 world record holder Gary Hunter. Bring him on!
Nick Berra aims to deliver more goods after 1:57 anchor leg
Nick Berra
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Two days before American Neil Fitzgerald took a close second in the M40 800 final at Lahti worlds, Nicholas Berra ran essentially the same time — high 1:57s — at a meet in York, Pennsylvania. Nick ended his first season of masters track as the No. 4 American in his age group. His presence on the masters circuit was felt from the get-go — with second-place finishes at Landover (2:01.35) and Oshkosh (2:00.13) nationals. But he didn’t seize my attention until his sensational 1:57.4 leg Sunday at the Armory, where he anchored his club’s 4×8 world record. Obviously time for a quickie Q&A! So here’s what I learned about Nick, a FedEx pilot who trains on an underwater treadmill: He started out just wanting to show the high school kids he coaches that he could crack 2 in the half. Mission accomplished!
Nick with a stick: Didn’t know he helped set a world record till hours later.
When should races be run at sizzling Sacramento nationals?
A young masters steepler has started a poll on our Forum. He asks: “Due to the high temps in Sacramento in July, when should races be run?” His choices are “1) Status Quo: everything during the day. 2) Sprints in the Day, Distance Races at night and 3) Everything under the lights. Let’s beat the heat (or avoid it, anyway).” (BTW, you have to log into the Forum to vote in the poll.) MellowJohnny, as he likes to be known, also notes that a rough schedule is now posted for Sacto nationals. See it here. Any oddities observable? Note them now, while local organizers have time to tweak the sked. Of course, field eventers also have a vote, and so do USATF officials, some of whom travel long distances. They don’t deserve to fry all day long.
Greater Philly TC claims WR for 4×800 relay at the Armory
Anchored by the 1:57.4 of M40 newbie Nick Berra, the Greater Philadelphia Track Club took a tenth of a second off the listed M40-49 world indoor record for the 4×800 relay Sunday. The club’s Chuck Shields reports that the GPTC foursome of Scott Landis, Bob McGinty, Kevin Forde and Berra — average age 43 — clocked 8:07.48 at the Armory track in New York City, bettering the WMA-recognized world record of 8:07.6 set in January 2000 by Tom Dalton, Rocco Serafini, Steve Nearman and Anselm Lebourne. On his running free blog, 46-year-old Kevin described the race in joyful detail and shared his appreciation for the “B” team that made the WR possible (and record-eligible): Phil Reilly, Delvin Dinkins, Chuck Shields and Tom Fitzpatrick.
Melanie Berra’s photo shows (from left): Landis, McGinty, Forde and Berra.
Mark your calendar for 2045: Stacy Dragila is preggers!
Ian and Stacy Waltz
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Becca Gillespy Peter, knower of all things vaultish, has reported on a Track & Field News message board that Stacy Dragila is pregnant. Stacy, who turns 39 in March, will be a first-time mom at a late age, but at least this will give her a year or so to recover for Sacramento worlds in 2011, when she’ll be W40. She retired from elite vaulting in September, but Sacramento is near where she grew up — and a site of one of her world records. Nostalgia might have its pull. She and new hubby Ian Waltz apparently live in Chula Vista, south of San Diego. If the kid inherits Mom’s jump genes more than Dad’s throw genes, look for some big heights at San Diego worlds in 2045! (I can dream, can’t I?)
WMA president confirms second doping case at Lahti worlds
Stan Perkins
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Stan Perkins, president of World Masters Athletics, has replied to my query on drug cases at last summer’s Lahti world masters championships. We’ve been aware of the Finnish thrower’s case for a couple months. Now a second shoe is about to drop. Stan writes: “In Lahti there were two adverse analysis results. The first as you have indicated resulted in a disqualification being imposed by the Finnish Masters Athletics organisation. The second has been referred to the athlete’s national Federation and is being progressed in accordance with the provisions established by the anti-doping code. I do not know when an outcome will be known as there are many factors for consideration by the parties involved in the matter.” That’s all I know. I’ll poke around. It would be nice if national federations piped in and said, “Not one of our athletes!” Otherwise, a cloud is over everyone.
