Oshkosh Day 3: Sabra Harvey’s out-of-the-woodwork WR
Sabra Harvey, a Houston grandmother, broke the listed W60 world record in the 800 today at Oshkosh nationals — one of several WRs to go down. Her time of 2:34.66 smashes the 2:36.94 by Holland’s Gerda Van Kooten at 1999 Gateshead worlds. On the Age Graded Tables, her mark corresponds to an open (age 20-30) time of 2:00.16. Sabra isn’t a complete unknown. Last month she beat the American record of 2:40.91 at a Texas meet, clocking 2:40.56 in triple-digit temps. After the AR, I wrote Sabra, and she replied on July 8. Among other things, she said of the world record: “You always want to put forth 110%, so anything is possible. A little added adrenalin and who knows?” Well, now we know. USATF’s Jill Geer, who has a cousin in Oshkosh, wrote this report on Day 3.
Oshkosh Day 2: Crashing and burning becomes contagious
Bill Collins today won perhaps his eighth straight outdoor 400 title at nationals, limped over to the artificial grass infield and plopped on the ground. I asked him, “How’s the leg?” He replied, “Hurts like hell.” Trainers at the nearby medical tent wrapped Bill’s lower leg in ice — their latest patient on Day 2 at Oshkosh nationals. Dr. John Swanson, presiding over the wounded like Trapper John of M*A*S*H, told me more than a dozen sprinters and jumpers came in for treatment of various pulls. He couldn’t explain why. But temps rose to the early 90s and humidity was high as storms passed to the north of us. And the Mondo track perhaps led many to exceed their personal speed limit. Under the concrete stands at Titan Stadium, Dr. Swanson punched 6 staples into the skull of W75 multi-eventer Flo Meiler of Vermont, closing up a 1 1/2-inch gash caused when she hit the back of her head in the pole vault box after missing an attempt at a world vault record with a borrowed pole.
Parking fee to go away, but admission stays at Oshkosh
National Chairman Gary Snyder told his Executive Committee last night that the $3 parking fee at Oshkosh (which even he paid) would be dropped for the rest of the meet — not just due to complaints but because USATF’s contract with the University of Wisconsin called for complimentary athlete parking. Not so lucky with the startling $8 admission fee at Titan Stadium ($6 for seniors). Chairman Gary said he offered meet director Al Ackerman $1,000 to make the admission fee go away. Al, the athletic director here, said he wanted to see what the first day’s take was before deciding. At the end of Day 1, the gate was $680. Thinking he could make about $4,000 for the meet, Al declined Gary’s offer. This amounts to a “family surcharge” for entrants, since few locals come. It’s the first time nationals have charged since 1999 Orlando — Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex. Gary says future contracts will cap the admission charge at around $5.
Oshkosh Day 1: 3 world records new and one old celebrated
Just a quickie post. Gotta compete in 9 hours. Three world age-groups records were set at Oshkosh nationals today as athletes competed in comfy low 80s while commiserating about the chance of showers Friday. And at night, the USATF Masters T&F Executive Committee began work on overhauling the records process after hearing my 10-minute rant that noted our online petition. (Much more on this later.) The first breakthrough in the records logjam: John Hinton’s undisputed M45 mile indoor world record of 4:20.18 at Hartshorne in January 2008 is now listed as “pending” on the USATF record page, says records chair Sandy Pashkin. (She belatedly discovered that an NCAA sanction made the meet legit for masters records.)
USA Today features Nadine O’Connor and Bud Held big time
The Sports page of USA Today today has a big spread on W65 vault icon Nadine O’Connor and her partner Bud Held, with great details on their masters lives and motivations. Plus this fascinating tidbit: ” ‘With older athletes, I think they appreciate being able to be out there,’ said O’Connor, among the 526 women registered as 65-and-older Masters athletes with U.S. Track and Field. (There are about five times as many men registered in the same category.) ‘And I’ll get in trouble for saying this, but women don’t take themselves as seriously as men.’ ” The story also mentions Oshkosh nationals. Sweet.
Nadine poses for USA Today, one of the biggest papers n America.
Will Oshkosh weather dampen McBarnette’s record bid?
World champion Bruce McBarnette reports that he raised his own American record in the M50 high jump in mid-June at a Virginia all-comers meet. In a press release sent yesterday, he says he cleared 1.92 meters (6-3 1/2) at Major J. Wells track at Falls Church High School — his ninth M50 record. Current forecasts show a 40 percent chance of thunderstorms Friday, when Bruce and the other M50s jump at 11 a.m. But my experience is that rains, if they come, generally dodge nationals. (The Geezer Gods intercede.) Thunderstorms at 2007 Orono and 2008 Spokane nationals came at night and merely cooled us off. So let’s hope the same holds for Oshkosh. Meantime, kudos to Bruce. Keep chipping away at that German’s world record of 1.98 (6-6)!
Bruce poses at site of his 1.92 jump, his latest M50 American record.
Mike Powell (again) renews talk of masters long jump WR
Mike Powell, who broke Bob Beamon’s hallowed long jump record, has been talking about a serious masters track comeback for years. Now he’s on the record at some obscure site that nobody ever visits. We learn from the IAAF: “World Long Jump record holder Mike Powell talked eloquently about his role as an IAAF Ambassador on the eve of the 6th IAAF World Youth Championships at the traditional IAAF/LOC Press conference but then dropped a gentle bombshell after he stepped down from the podium. ‘I’m aiming to compete again next year. Yes, you heard me right,’ said the affable 45-year-old American, whose 1991 World Championships winning leap of 8.95m has yet to be surpassed. Powell acknowledged that he isn’t out to challenge the current generation. . . . ‘But I’m out for the Masters over-45 world record. I’ve checked it out, 7.30m (23-11 1/2), I can do that.” In fact, it stands to Finland’s Tapani Taavitsainen at 7.27 (23-10 1/4), a mark set back in 1990.”
Bob Matteson bearing down on M90 world record for 200
I love small-town papers. They don’t give a fig for formalities. Latest example: A headline in the Bennington Banner (in Vermont) says, “Gazelle scores despite storm.” The paper reports: “Bennington’s Bob Matteson defied the elements at the Adirondack Masters Championships in Valatie, N.Y., this past Friday. The Geezer Gazelle was slowed by pounding rain and soaked shoes, but completed the 200-meter dash in 47.7 seconds and the 800m in six minutes and three seconds. ‘Contrary elements can be defied,’ Matteson said. ‘But not defeated.’ Matteson now has his sights set on the New England Masters Track Championships in Cranston, R.I., on July 19. The Gazelle is focused on the 200-meter dash, where he still needs to beat Frederick Mahlo’s 43.92 for the World Record.” Bob isn’t entered at Oshkosh or Lahti, so he’ll keep his heroics local. But he starred at Orono nationals two years ago. A photo from that meet:
Bob won the M90 400, 800 and 1500 at 2007 Orono nationals in nearby Maine.
Final call for signatures! Help secure saner records system
Petition goes to Oshkosh tomorrow! Enough talk. Time for action. On May 4, I launched a petition drive to repair our out-of-whack records process. This is Step 1 in a journey that I hope will lead to adoption of new governance rules at the USATF annual meeting in Indianapolis this December. One cranky blogger can be ignored, but hundreds (or even thousands) of masters tracksters can make change happen. Countless posts have documented egregious errors in USATF masters records — mostly due to the punishing process of getting records ratified. My hope is that someone will step forward to translate my petition into a rootin-tootin USATF amendment proposal — one that will pass muster with masters delegates in Indy and get rubber-stamped by the USATF Law & Legislation Committee. Feel free to write me privately.
Click image above to access petition — and add your voice to the chorus.
Olympian Jearl Clark is latest scratch for Oshkosh nationals
Olympic gold medalist (in relays) Jearl Clark isn’t coming to Oshkosh nationals. USATF communications chief Jill Geer reports that Jearl (who no longer goes by Jearl Miles-Clark) “says she’s not going to be there. Husband had to go overseas at the last minute.” Bummer. Jearl had been entered in the W40 100, 200 and 400 and long jump — an event she won at the NCAA Division II meet in 1987. So this follows news that world record holders Earl Fee and John Altendorf had to scratch as well.
