Gary Snyder offers first official explanation of Landover mess
In a blog entry dated yesterday, USATF Masters T&F Committee Chairman Gary Snyder admits that final results posted on usatf.org are what they are, and “a number of events will never have a time and are indicated by NT. If any of you feel there is still an error, the only process remaining is to contact me either by email or telephone. . . . I will post the inquiry and the result of each investigation here on my blog.” And without naming names, he says the timing outfit “was the major cause of this mess, especially the Hy-Tek operator(s). It is my understanding the operator reported late on Saturday the first full day of the meet when we were trying to start the meet with well over 200 60m competitors. In addition a different operator showed up mid-day and was not qualified to handle our meet. . . . Another source of confusion was the inconsistent posting of the official results on the results board on the wall near turn two. The results would flash up for a brief time and sometimes not at all, leaving the competitors wondering what happened. This was entirely Hy-Tek operator error.”
Online entry arrives, finally, for USA Masters Throws Champs
With three months to go, the USA Masters National Throws Championships finally has its entry process straightened out. Here’s the entry page, which until very recently was messed up or hard to find. (I wrote about this a couple weeks ago.) In addition, Mac Wilkins’ Concordia Throw Center in Portland, Oregon (site of the meet) is putting on a series of clinics and competitions open to masters. One is called the Portland Throws Festival (Youth, Open & Masters) on June 13. Have a great time, ladies and gents!
Chuck McMahon masters meet? It’s on a need-to-know basis
What if they gave a track meet and only officials showed up? Don’t laugh. That’s the scenario suggested in San Diego County.  The annual Chuck McMahon Memorial Masters Meet isn’t listed on the USATF events calendar or the San Diego-Imperial Association masters page.  However, the officials page for San Diego-Imperial USATF shows the meet as being June 27, 2009, at Cal State San Marcos. It’s being called the Chuck McMahon Memorial & SD USATF Masters T&F Championships — same as in 2007 and 2008. The San Diego Track Club was listed as “host” those times. In previous years, the meet was run by the San Diego Senior Olympics. Chuck McMahon was a thrower who left a sum of money with the stipulation that a masters meet be held yearly in San Diego County. But maybe his will didn’t mention athletes. The only athletes calendar that lists Chuck McMahon is at the SoCal Track Club, where the meet is denoted as “June; location and date TBA.”  My, that’s helpful. I’ve written to several San Diego USATF folks for details. So far, nada. I’ll keep trying.
Top secret (except to certified USATF officials): A meet is planned June 27.
Latest bite of Landover apple: Results include a dozen NT’s
It’s the latest chapter of Landover results follies! This May 15 update shows NT (no time) for Earl Fee in the 800 and Karla Del Grande in the 400 from the USATF masters indoor nationals almost two months ago. In the M40 hurdles, Johnny Watson finally loses his American record to another NT. But M60 Ty Brown holds on to his Galactic Record 5.01 in the 60-meter hurdles. Lucky him. But don’t bother with the PDF version of results posted on usatf.org. They’re the May 8 version — which shows Karla clocking 69.0 and Earl going 2:52. Those were just “made-up” times. It’s now been 20 days since masters chair Gary Snyder has posted anything on his blog. Your apology of April 27 was appropriate and appreciated, Gary, but how about a little report on 1) How this debacle happened, and 2) What you’re doing to avoid a repeat?Â
Lahti General Assembly to clean up Riccione leftover mess
Every two years, hundreds of masters enchiladas meet at WMA worlds to vote on rule changes, elect officers and take care of business. They call this the General Assembly. At 2007 worlds in Riccione, Italy, the assembly barely had time to pick a site for 2011 worlds (Sacramento beat a town in Brazil). That’s because delegates got kicked out of the meeting room when they ran late. So a bunch of issues were left to Lahti. But the WMA Executive Council ended up deciding a bunch of stuff anyway (like changing the hurdle distance for women over 70 from 300 meters to 200). So what is still on WMA’s plate this summer? Check out this list of proposals, sent me by a masters mole. Fortunately, delegates will get a chance to challenge Council decisions at the Lahti General Assembly.
Book review: Bill Collins and ‘The Ageless Athletic Spirit’
Do lots of sit-ups — every day. Establish a base in the off-season with 3-mile runs three times a week. Add some simple weight training twice a week, and eventually fold in stadium stair runs and track repeats of no faster than 90 percent effort. Be patient. Know what you want. Have a plan. Commit yourself to carrying it out. And that, dear reader, is the core of Bill Collins’ ACALA training program down in Houston. It’s sensible and tested. But even with charts and sample week-by-week workouts, it’s barely enough for a book. But I still enjoyed “The Ageless Athletic Spirit: Training with a World Champion,” published this week as promised. Written with help from M55 sprinter Rick Riddle, a national-class teammate and architect friend of Bill’s, the book offers a glimpse of what goes on inside that quiet superstar’s noggin. Bill Collins, now 58, is no longer “the world’s fastest man over 50.” But his softcover book (Theatron Press, 168 pages, $15) quickly covers a lot of ground. And it cements Bill’s reputation as a champion “giver” to our sport.
Rick Riddle, trailing Bill at right, helped produce a chatty, amusing work.
Armory feels the heat; new IRS form posted as expose looms
A source tells me that a New York City newspaper is looking into the Armory tax filings, discussed in my “Perjury and perfidy” entry. An article could appear as early as Friday (tomorrow). I also got this note today from Rita Finkel, director of business development for the Armory Track & Field Foundation: “Dear Mr. Stone: It appears that you have been reviewing the original IRS form 990 filed in November 2006. So that you have the correct information, an amended corrected IRS form 990 was filed by our accountants in April 2007. The incorrect form has been taken down by GuideStar. We are advised that the corrected form will be posted shortly.” In fact, the revised Form 990 is up now. I downloaded it and posted it here.
Distance star Dudley Healy, Hall of Famer, dies at age 95
Dudley in January 2003.
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Masters Hall of Fame member Dudley L. Healy died May 11 at Overlook Hospital in Summit, New Jersey, according to posted obituaries on the Web. He was 95. His last recorded race was in July 2007 at Long Branch, New Jersey. Inducted with the Hall of Fame Class of 2003, Dudley was a lifelong resident of Chatham, New Jersey. He worked for General Electric for 43 years after graduating from Lehigh University in 1936. “Dudley competed in over 1,000 races in five continents,” said one obituary. “World Champ in track and field and USATF age-group Runner of the Year 10 times, he previously held three national records in track and field and road racing.” Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 16, at Stanley Congregational Church, Fairmount Avenue, Chatham. Friends may visit at Wm. A. Bradley & Son, 345 Main St., Chatham from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, May 15, and 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Saturday. He won many national masters titles, from 800 to 5,000 meters. He took third at the 1999 Gateshead world meet in the 10K in M85. In 2005, he was USATF’s Male Runner of the Year in the M90 age group. Our condolences to his family, and many running friends.
Maine track camp for masters women is no-go for 2009
Last September, we reported how Deb Smith, director of Not Too Late Basketball Camps for women 50-plus, was pitching a track camp for summer 2009. Yesterday, I checked back with Deb, and she shared the not-surprising news: “The track camp didn’t get off the ground this year — am only offering basketball this summer.” Proof that the economy is hurting her project is the fact she’s lowered the entry age from 50 to 45. A track camp for women 50-plus was never a slam dunk anyway. Hope her hoops camp does well this summer.
Modest pair run monster 5Ks; Arlin-Genet nabs fab 1500
Pete Magill is father of the best masters running blog in the Known Universe. Tony Young is proud poppa of two budding prep stars. And oh, by the way, they also run fast themselves. Again demonstrating that the richly talented are different from you and me, Pete and Tony — both 47 — posted amazing track 5000s over the weekend — Pete a 14:47.66 Saturday at the Occidental Invitational in Los Angeles, and Tony a 15:11.82 at the Ken Shannon Invitational in Seattle. And how did they characterize their 3.1-mile jaunts against collegiate studs? Pete says it was a “workmanlike” run. Tony says he “slept in the middle” mile of his race. I suggested to Pete I could rabbit his next race — for maybe 300 meters.
