July, 2008

Teammates & Friends:

The immediacy of our Yahoo Groups forum has sort of made the MVTC Newsletter seem like Postal Service mail compared to e-mail.  I no longer need to re-post e-mail sent to me so that everyone can read it.  It's quote possible that the few entries in the Notable Quotes section have already been posted in our Forum.  Photos are now immediately viewable thanks to the photographers like Warren, Tucker and others that post them on-line and provide links for viewing (and downloading).

The Forum is also a self-maintaining database of participants.  I no longer have to worry that I have old and outdated e-mail addresses and those that wish to participate (or just 'lurk') can do so by adding themselves into the Forum or removing themselves if so desired.

After many years of publishing monthly Newsletters I missed one last month and this Newsletter is likely to be the last as I (and everyone else) should use the Forum to keep each other up-to-date on everything that is happening in our lives - both on and off the track.

For those not yet a member of the MVTC Yahoo Group, participation is free and easy.  First you sign up for a free Yahoo Account.  To do so, Click Here.  Next, hop on over to our group at http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/MassVelocity/ and sign in.  The screen will look like this:



Sign-in is up at the top-left and the navigation area is just beneath it in the blue box.  We currently have 76 members and probably should have well over 110 by now.  To be sure there is no confusion, you DO NOT need to be a member of Mass Velocity to be a member of the Yahoo Group. 

So enjoy this Newsletter - but in the future, let's meet in the Mass Velocity Yahoo Group.  I will continue to work on the Mass Velocity web site.  In particular, I will start updating the photos and bios of members and friends.  So let's get this Newsletter started....





A brief photo essay of the Mass Senior Games.
Images in no particular order.
Photos by Warren Heaps and Larry Libow.

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Three tents provided plenty of shade


































Dear Larry,  I think I had mentioned to you that, I have been competing with cancer of the Lymph nodes since 2005.(Lymphoma) My Running and times were not affected until last summer when I  slowed up considerably. By September 2007 I couldn't Jog 400 yards.
 
Well I have been recently treated with a miracle drug and mild chemo therapy that produced no side effects, and has put the disease in remission!!!  All my blood tests are now in the normal range.
 
My first track meet back will be the Massachusetts senior 2008 Games!  Since I have joined the 70-74 age group, I expect to  be back with a vengeance!!!  Cancer cannot kill my love for Life, competition and Masters Track!!!!!!!
 
See you all under the Tent at the end of June. - Abe Bernstein

Editors Note: As you can see, Abe was there and he looked and ran great!
























A great day and a great meet!


Barney Borromro - M40, Middleboro, MA "I wanted to let you know that I am looking forward to representing Mass Velocity Track Club as I enter my 40's. I have been training real hard to sprint fast! Hope all is well...and I'll see you at the track meets. Now, all I need is the official uniform so I can flash the "red" when I'm running the 100 Meters..."

David de Manbey - M55, New Hartford, CT "Reasons Goals for Sprinting: a chance to travel, meet great people, have some fun - it doesn't get much better than that."

Walter Anthony, Jr. - M60, Providence, RI

Dr. Thomas Allingham - M50, Ridgeland, MS

Russ Bosbach - M50, Acton, MA






"Greetings from Minnesota, The newsletter is a big motivator for me. It great to hear how everyone is doing. I have my plane ticket to Spokane, now I have to get in better shape. I stared the indoor season with a bang in mid January with a 59.13 and a 8.03 ,an all American standard and a PR in the 60. Four weeks later I was in the hospital with a bowel obstruction. It was a mystery to my doctors as I've never had any previous surgeries. They speculate that the blockage was caused by a virus. I quickly recovered and ran a meet 3 days later,a 60m and 200m with respectable times. I resumed my 400 training and things seem to be going OK. Early April all seem to fall apart, I couldn't finish the 2ND half of my work outs. Back to the doctor. Blood tests showed I was anemic. My iron numbers were way below the minimum. After 7 weeks of iron supplements my training has improved. I will find out June 8Th how I'm doing at the Minnes ota USATF state meet. The other issue is lack of meets. It sounds as if the 5 USATF MN summer meets may not happen which leaves me a total of 3 and I have a conflict with one. On the up side, the high school 6 blocks from my home has a new track with open access. No more climbing 6 foot fences. I turn 55 in June so I'm a baby again, isn't it great to be reborn every 5 years.  Everyone keep healthy and see you in Spokane."  - Jim Schoffman

 "Hey Everyone,  The first meet in Stoughton was today (6/26).  Mike Needham distinguished himself by running a 59.2 with a 27.5 200m split.  We had some great performances by the under 18 crowd too.  The next meet is July 10th.  The events are the 100, 200, 400 800 and the mile.  There is also a 50m race for the babies.  Hope to see you there at 6:00pm.  - Michael Baugh

 

Are You Missing Your Shoes
 
At the conclusion of the Mass Senior Games, while packing up, I found a pair of Brooks racing flats, red/orange with white, black and yellow accents.  Size 9.5.  I'm not sure if they are misplaced shoes or did someone drop them off as a donation for my high school track team?  They will be available at the USATF New England Masters Championships at Springfield College on July 27th.  If they're yours and you need them sooner, please let me know.  If you have anything you'd like to donate - spikes, flats, warm-ups, singlets - new or used, please bring them with you on July 27th.  Your donations are ALWAYS put to good use and are greatly appreciated.


Outdoor Season Schedule
A reminder that Mass Velocity maintains a very complete schedule at:
Membership and Dues

At the beginning of 2008 we changed our term of membership to the same as USATF - based on the calendar year.  Regardless of when you join(ed) the club, your membership expires on December 31st of each year.  To renew, you need only mail in a check for $15 or pay online via PayPal.  With PayPal, you do not need to create a PayPal membership, you can simply use any of your major credit cards (we take more than just Visa!).

Unlike USATF, which requires membership to compete and thus doesn't need to send out reminders, Mass Velocity doesn't have a system in place to remind its members to renew.  We're getting there.  Since more than a few folks asked me about renewing while at the Mass Senior Games, I encourage those who suspect they haven't sent in their modest dues to check their records. 

If you haven't paid, please go to http://www.massvelocity.org/renewal.htm where you can pay online or get the address for sending a check.


USATF Club Affiliation

It's probably worth reminding those of you who have recently joined or who are planning on joining about the proper procedure for changing your club affiliation with USA Track and Field.  Every club is connected to a USATF Association.  MVTC is connected to the New England Association.  If you have never run for a club (you have been listed as "unattached") you need to contact Steve Vaitones at the New England Association and advise him that you wish to run for Mass Velocity.  If you are already a member of the New England Association, there's nothing more to do.  However if you are a member of another association, you must first obtain their permission to switch your association to New England.  Steve can provide assistance if necessary.

The last part of this process involves those who have competed for another club within the last 90 days.  If you have, you cannot change club affiliation until AFTER 90 days from the last time you competed for that club.  And of course, the same rules apply regarding which USATF Association you are a member of.  If you need assistance start by contacting me (Larry@MassVelocity.org).
 
 


It was great to see so many Mass Velocity teammates at the Mass Senior Games.  So many were using the Games as their comeback meet.  Whether from injury, surgery, disease or illness, everyone converged at Springfield for another shot at running, jumping or throwing.  While many of the performances were sub-par (and I am the best example), it was with great joy that we all made it to the staring line ... AND to the finish line!

There are those in the masters track community that take what we do just a bit too seriously.  To them, winning is everything.  I envy those masters still blessed with speed and power but I admire those who do what they can with whatever they've got left, and do it for the sheer joy of competition, regardless of the results.  There are a lot of wonderful people I admire in the Mass Velocity Track Club.  Thank you for being my inspiration.

Peace, speed and good health,

All past MVTC Newsletters are available online at http://www.massvelocity.org/newsletters.htm





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