Masters manifesto circulated to U.S. group launched in Lahti
Anselm LeBourne, who organized a meeting of Americans at Lahti worlds, has updated attendees on the group’s progress. He writes: “Robert Thomas will be our representative in Indianapolis (USATF headquarters) since he’s living in Indianapolis.” And Anselm asks for a vote on a name for the outfit, writing: “You can still submit a name for the group and we will select the best name by a vote. The following names (have) been submitted: a) RACE USA – Real Athletes Creating Equality. b) UMC – USA Masters Competitors. c) UTFMC – USA Track & Field Masters Competitors. d) MAF – Masters Athletes Forever (USA). e) USAMAF – USA Masters Athletes (Athletics) Forever. f) MAFAM – Masters Athletes For All Masters (USA). g) MAFMA – Masters Association For Masters Athletes (USA). h) MOFMA – Masters Organization For Masters Athletes (USA). MAIA – Masters Athletes In Action (USA). MATIMA – Masters Athletes To Improve Masters Athletics (USA).” He also highlighted issues of concern to the group.
American records listed from Portland throws championships
Betty Jarvis, David Bickel and Harvey Lewellen broke individual event records, and Myrle Mensey, Harvey and Mark Landa raised or set American throws pentathlon records at last weekend’s meet, which got late but appreciated attention in USATF’s News & Notes. As well, George Mathews sends along a well-organized results PDF from the USA Masters Throws Championships. This wraps up the USATF masters track national championship season, but isn’t the end of record-setting attempts. My masters moles predict some great marks at this weekend’s Rocky Mountain Masters Games. It’s a two-day meet at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. Last year’s meet had scads of great marks. Go get ’em!
Discus legend Mac Wilkins ‘considering training’ for masters
Mac is the throws coach at Concordia University as well.
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One baby step for a man, one giant leap for Mac Wilkins. In reply to a simple query (“So Mac, when will you enter masters competition?”), the four-time Olympian, Montreal gold medalist, former WR holder, Hall of Famer and force behind the Concordia Throw Center in Portland replied, modestly: “I am considering training.” Mac isn’t the first discus giant to ponder masters. Al Oerter actually threw in masters meets in his 40s, and Jay Silvester makes appearances in his 70s. But Mac has a superhigh profile in the throwing world and his example could inspire many other former elites to resume competition. Mac turns 59 in mid-November, so he’ll be M60 by Sacramento worlds. So good on you, Mac! I guess you’ll have a place to practice.
Masters magnificent at getting the stick around Lahti track
It’s gotten to be a cliche: American 4×1 relay teams at IAAF worlds and the Olympics are disasters in waiting. Berlin was just the latest example, when both U.S. squads failed. So how did the American quartets perform at Lahti worlds? Perfect. Not one dropped baton or DNF. In fact, every Team USA unit came home with a medal — in both the 4×1 and the 4×4. But how did the masters do overall in Lahti? I counted 90 men’s and women’s teams entered in the 400-meter relays in this results page from August 8. Some 20 races were contested in the 4×1, men and women combined. How many teams were disqualified? Would you believe one? Yup, the only DQ of the day came in the W60 event, when the Mexican team of Ma De Los Angeles Rivera, Josefa Garcia Desales, Ernestina Ramirez Garcia and Maria Perez Barco was red-flagged. Not sure why.
Here’s me and my fellow M55 relayists (at right) on medal stand for 4×1.
Lisa Valle gets Faces in the Crowd attention for Lahti races
Lisa Valle, a W40 distance star for the SoCal Track Club, set a world age-group record in the 2K steeple at Lahti worlds. She ran the race in 7:01.91, beating the listed record of 7:02.96 by Italy’s Samia Soltane in 2008. (She also crushed the listed American record of 7:05.06 by Karen Steen at Hawaii nationals in 2005.) But Lisa’s been overlooked here and there, mainly because the steeple was contested at the Radiomaki track, not in the main stadium at Lahti. Sports Illustrated gave her some love this week when it featured her in its weekly Faces in the Crowd. But no mention of the WR. Sigh.
Lisa Valle’s portrait is printed in SI’s August 31 issue (with Bolt on the cover).
World Masters Athletics unveils new site (with old thinking)
World Masters Athletics just celebrated, in Lahti, perhaps the best-run world outdoor championships in history — dazzling records, incredible competition, excellent officiating. So what does the new WMA Web site feature on its home page? Yeah, the same group shot it had on the old site. It’s more of the same “hey, look at the leadership” nonsense that’s afflicted WAVA/WMA the past 20 years. Yup, that’s excitement! So why doesn’t Major League Baseball plaster Bud Selig on its home page? Why doesn’t FIFA, the World Cup soccer overseer, go big with Joseph S. Blatter? Because they don’t want to put visitors to sleep. Hours after it unveiled the new redesign, however, WMA yanked it from the Web and restored the old home page. Then it went back to the new page. Weird.
Deadline looms for San Diego Senior Olympics, lone ’09 meet
Point Loma Nazarene University — with its beautiful track overlooking the blue Pacific — is again the venue for the San Diego Senior Games. But the registration deadline is fast approaching. It’s August 31 for the September 12 meet You can download the entry forms and stuff at this site. Unlike the National Senior Games, this meet offers hurdle races (short and long), and the guy in charge is no slouch. He’s Dixon Farmer, an Occidental College legend and former national hurdles champion. He’s also been the on-field interviewer at the Mt. SAC Relays and other high-profile meets. USATF’s event calendar notes that this is a USATF-sanctioned event, so any records set should pass muster with the powers-that-be. It’s also the only masters meet this season in San Diego County, since the Chuck McMahon Memorial Meet, traditionally hosted by the San Diego Track Club, bit the dust this year. No McMahon meet. And no San Diego-Imperial USATF Association Masters Championships either. Great job, SDI!
USATF again disses masters throwers: Results still secret
Haven’t we seen this movie? USATF holds a masters throws championship and takes days (or weeks) to post results. If this were a distance championship, athletes would be demanding someone’s head on a platter. But masters throwers are used to this treatment, I guess. All I know about last weekend’s meet — featuring the throws pentathlon and ultraweight/superweight pentathlon at the Concordia Throw Center in Portland, Oregon — comes from a masters mole: “Mark Landa (35-39 age group) set 4 American Records this past weekend at the Champs in Portland, Oregon! Throws Pentathlon – 35lb Weight – 56lb Weight – Ultraweight Penthlon. Hopefully results will be posted soon on usatf site.” But nyet. No results at the meet’s home page. No excuses, Indy. Post the dang results!
Who should IAAF honor as Best Masters Athletes of 2009?
Although the form specifies a deadline of September 13, the Eurovets site says August 25 is the final date for the various regions of World Masters Athletics to submit nominations for “IAAF Best Masters” of 2009 — a man and a woman. WMA Secretary Winston Thomas tells the Eurovets site that regions have to submit their nominees with this form. So who will the North American/Central/Caribbean picks be? That’s a toughie. WMA’s picks get free trips to the end-of-season IAAF bash in Monaco.
Mile maniac O’Meara nears end of 2009 marathon of races
The last time we mentioned Sarasota’s David O’Meara, he was debriefing us on his 2008 road-mile odyssey — where he ran 22 races to get 20 under 5 minutes at age 45. What do you do for an encore? You shoot for 27 road miles under 5 minutes at age 46. Can’t wait until 2013, when he promises to run masters track. This article tells how he devised his latest mile challenge, saying: “Out of that (2008) success came both his third book, ‘Creating
Amazement,’ and a question: What next? His answer: The New England
Marathon. Run a mile in 27 different New England towns (including all
six state capitals) in July and August, hoping to average less than 5
minutes per mile, for an aggregate time of less than 2 hours, 11
minutes for a 26.2-mile marathon.” According to his list of completed races, he’s run sub-5 every time but once. His latest was Friday’s “Derby Mile” in Salem, Mass., where he clocked 4:51. Only four more to go. The journey ends August 30 in Boston.
