October, 2007
October, 2007
Teammates & Friends:
I apologize that the newsletter this month is out so late but I wanted to include the third annual gathering of
the Velociteers. We had great weather, lots of great food, a good number of members attending and most everyone
came with their spouse. The first annual team trophies were awarded and that's all covered below.
Also included in this newsletter are some photos and written pieces about the Masters World Championships held
in Italy earlier in September. As usual, Mass Velocity was well-represented on the world stage.
Our club is growing and we're now up to 81 members. If we are to move up from our twice-in-a-row, third place finish
at a national championship, we must fill our ranks with more field event athletes, more distance runners and race
walkers. There are still plenty of unattached masters who should feel right at home as a Velociteer and there are
the yet-to-be-discovered masters still out there. I sayeth unto thee - go forth, my flock and multiply!
I arrived in Riccione, Italy on Saturday September ninth at 11:30 p.m.,
looking and feeling my best after a long flight from Essex, Massachusetts with a 7 1/2 hour layover in Munich Germany.
It was 90° when I had left home but it was 52° and raining in Munich when we landed..... I was the only
one in the airport with shorts and a T-shirt on…. an ominous start for my journey! From Munich I flew to Marco
Polo Airport in Venice (which was at least 85 degrees and I felt redeemed some what for having shorts on in Munich!!)
then, caught a bus and a train and another train and another bus;( the only good thing about all this was the fact
that I had stuffed everything I took with me into my trusty back pack and I didn't have much to haul…the only bad
thing was that while it wasn't much to haul, it was still a bit heavy!!!!). It seemed to me to be a major victory
to even find my way to the hotel where I would room with Larry Barnum who was one of the favorites in the 400m
in my age group. I really missed having my long-time training partner and world traveler Warren Graff who just
happens to be incredibly organized and knowledgeable about traveling, something that I am not.
Although I really wanted to run the 100m, I had decided that with my injuries (groin and abdominal strain) it would
be best if I just competed in the 200m and 400m. with an eye toward running on the 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 relays if
possible. The 200 m quarterfinals were to be held 15 hours after I arrived in Riccione and it wasn't much time
to recover but as I've discovered over the years things can always be worse than they actually are in stressful
situations, which as it turns out was the case in my quarterfinal heat in the 200m.
There were over 56 entries in the 60 year old division 200 m quarter final, and I drew Lane 7 in heat #7. At the
gun I moved out fast and was even with Anthony Deleiros, a New Zealander, in lane eight but at approximately 90m
into the turn, with all cylinders firing, I heard the recall gun. The crowd which filled the stadium, was all over
the starter, hooting and hissing. We walked back to our blocks and were almost immediately given the starting commands
again with no rest. On the second start, Deleiros and I were once again out in front of the field and moving well,
side-by-side, when incredibly, they fired the recall gun once again. The crowd went ballistic. As we walked back
to the start for the second time, (a bit slower than the first time) I turned to Deleiros and said, "Well
this kind of sucks!" He nodded and smiled. As it turned out, each false start had been caused by one of two
Italians in our race, they were both apologizing profusely, but it's all part of track and field. What we couldn't
figure out was why they allowed us to run our race three times within a four minute span and why we weren't called
back a lot sooner than 90m out... We never were given an explanation for that.
When we were finally off to a fair start, Deleiros pushed the pace very hard into the turn but I ran with him until
50m to go and backed off finishing a close second, which was fine because they were taking the first two finishers
in each of the quarterfinal heats and the next fastest 10 times. I felt ok in my quarter final, although it was
clear to me that I could not run as fast as I wanted to, it just hurt too much. But for those of us in the 7th
quarterfinal heat, our quarterfinal 200m wound up being approximately 380m long with short breaks between the first
two 100s because of the false starts.
That night, Larry Barnum and I wandered around downtown Riccione, a lovely little resort area, and I could not
help but notice the Italians, young and old, strolling hand-in-hand at a very graceful pace or having an evening
meal at one of the many wonderful outdoor restaurants. The pace of life was slow, unhurried and enjoyable. They
also had a lot of motor scooters and very small cars none of which were allowed in the area we walked which was
blocked off for people to stroll and enjoy themselves at night. What a nice idea!
On Monday, September 10, the 200m semifinals were held for us at 9:40 a.m. which is of course just a wonderful
time for sprinters to compete, just kidding, but the weather was absolutely gorgeous, which made up for it. The
officials appeared to have been working feverishly on the recall situations for the starts and there were very
few recalls of any kind and certainly none where the runners ran half their race before they were called back.
Interestingly, the semifinals in the 200m for the 60 year olds had three heats of 8 runners in each heat. Does
that qualify as an oxymoron? The first two runners in each heat and the next two fastest overall times would make
the final later in the afternoon, and this made the semis a do or die situation. I guess I died because I was fourth
in my heat and 11th overall, missing the final by just a few tenths. Mass Velocity's Ralph Souppa, having the year
of his life in sprinting was right behind me and finished 12th overall. If we have an award for Most Improved it
should surely go to Ralph who has blossomed into a force to be reckoned with every time he steps on the track!!!
It was important to me that I run the 200m to show myself that I was capable of not breaking down in a fast race
so even though I did not make the final and I wasn't running 100% I was capable of running a quality race. The
USA's Charlie Allie was first and Steve Robbins third in a very fast final.
There were three stadiums used for the competitions with the one for our 200 meters races within 20 minutes walking
distance (Riccione Stadium) while the other major venue for runners (Misano Adriatico Stadium) was a 45 minute
bus ride away which was not very convenient. There was a third venue even farther out (San Giovanni in Marignano)
which I did not have to concern myself with because it hosted none of the events sprinters were involved in and
we had enough on our plates, so we never even found out where it was or how to get there. We think it was actually
located in southern Turkey!!!!
The first time we took the bus it was extremely crowded and not for the faint of heart. Most of us had to stand
the entire trip which is not particularly conducive to a good warm up, or so I am told. When we arrived at the
stadium for the 400m quarterfinals the folks waiting to get on rushed the bus as we were attempting to exit, and
it was absolute chaos!! We had to get off before they could get on but they wanted to get on so they could sit.
In order to sit, you had to be one of the first ones on the bus because of the limited number of seats. It reminded
me of the battle scene from Braveheart without the weapons, as two mobs charged towards each other at full speed
and then collided. What a great time! I had a shoulder bag I was carrying with my equipment and being the last
person off the bus I was struggling to push through the crowd. I reached a point where I was being pushed backwards
up the stairs into the bus when I was suddenly lifted off my feet and sort of bodysurfing across the crowd. One
interesting part of the surfing was when I reached out to stabilize myself and landed on the chest of a huge-breasted
woman... It didn't bother her a bit and I must add it didn't bother me that much either. We finally disengaged
our bodies and I burst through the mob with a large smile on my face ready to face the 400m quarterfinal heats….
I'm not sure what was on her face.
In order to make the 400m final, one had to run a quarterfinal, semifinal and a final - one solid race each day
for three straight days. None of these races was a cakewalk because we were running against the best people in
the world, as were most of the races for the entire meet. If one made the final it was quite an accomplishment
because there were so many quality runners in every age group. The first day I won my quarterfinal 400m and I moved
to the semifinal on Thursday along with US sprinters Larry Barnum, Ralph Souppa, Charlie Allie and Ron Johnson.
The next day on Thursday, I was fourth in my semifinal (there were only two semifinals this time) and the other
US runners to make it to the final were Barnum, Allie, and Souppa. Ron Johnson just missed qualifying for the final
by a few tenths of a second. So as it stood, out of eight finalists in the 400m final, four of us were Americans.
Had Ron qualified we would had five, but four US sprinters in the final was impressive.
The next day, Friday Sept. 14th the 400 m final was held at appropriately four p.m. I was in lane seven, Ralph
was in lane two, Charlie Allie was in lane four and Larry Barnum was in lane five. From my perspective, I knew
that I had to get out in front and try to hang on (so what else is new?). When the gun exploded my decision had
been made to blast out hard and crash and burn if necessary. I just put my head down and ran, it doesn't get much
simpler than that. I had made up the stagger on lane eight very quickly and at 100m could see no other runners.
At 200m, the halfway point, I still could neither see nor hear anyone and my first thought was "where is Charlie
Allie?" It's not that I wanted to see him, but I know how fast he is, and I know how he runs….he should have
been beside me at 200m. I ran the entire far turn with no contact from any other runners and I began to wonder
what was going on because I didn't think I was fast enough to be out in front at 300m, but I was!
I had passed the 300m mark in under 42 seconds and was about to pay for it (remember crash and burn?) And then
very quickly, bang, bang, bang, three runners rolled by me on my inside and took a five to seven meter lead as
they struggled down the final hundred meters practically side-by-side. The crowd was really into it, a lot a screaming,
and a great deal of excitement. I was in fourth and trying to hold on, sort of watching the race from the middle
of the race, runners in front, runners behind. As they crossed the finish line I had a front row seat from about
5m back and I realized that my roommate Larry Barnum had won. I was ecstatic for him, he really deserved this race
after what he had been through the previous 10 days. As I crossed the line, to my far left an Italian out leaned
me for fourth place pushing me into fifth. Ralph was right behind me in sixth place a remarkable achievement for
a guy who has just started to show what he can do. Good for you Ralph! Ralph's goal had been to make the final,
he had done that and done it well.
Larry Barnum had spent the week recovering from food poisoning, and it had cost him his defense of his 800m world
title from Spain as he was too ill to place any higher than a close fifth place and to make matters worse his new
Australian wife was having green card problems with the US government which had turned it into a Monty Python-like
nightmare as they threatened to deport her immediately. He had a lot on his mind, he's a good friend, and if I
couldn't win as I told him before the final, I hoped he could; he surely deserved it more than anyone on that track.
Where else but in Masters T & F could one room with an arch rival and have a great time together and support
each other??!! As they say in Australia... good on ya mate. And I finally found out why Charlie Allie had not passed
me at 200m. He pulled an upper Achilles about 80m into the 400 final and had to drop out….. that was a tough one,
but these things happen in track and field, and Charlie will be back.
The stadium facilities and the meet organization was excellent. Officials were very polite and cordial to all the
athletes, and there was plenty of time to check in and be ushered to the track from the holding area which made
it a little less stressful for everyone. They did a fine job in what had to be a remarkably difficult undertaking.
The warm-up facilities were not reasonable however. There were practically no warm-up areas available until athletes
had complained enough times to the meet directors to open up a few spaces. The spaces were adequate at best. Grassy,
rocky narrow strips of land to jog and do a few sprints. We made do with what we were given and managed to sneak
onto some flat grassy places which were officially off limits to warm-ups…where there is a will there is a way…….
A story of note is worth recounting here. Ben James in the 50 year old 400m final had his blocks slip at the start
and there was no recall. As a result, Ben did not place but it was not for lack of effort because he got to his
feet and attempted to come back from what was a substantial deficit only to fall a few meters short of placing.
You might remember Ben from the Indoor Season winning the 400m final over our own James Morton in a hard fought
battle. We know James Morton's incredible story but how many know that Ben James had beaten Lymphoma only six months
earlier? Ben is a quiet, shy extremely talented athlete and it was surprising to see him confronting the officials
about his blocks slipping with no recall, to no avail. This had to be a major disappointment for Ben and we all
felt his pain. He should have won!!
Now the story continues…Dr.Stephen Peters 54,of the British team is one of the legends of Masters sprinting and
leaves people in open mouthed awe and admiration every time he competes. He runs as if possessed and holds a bunch
of World Records. He is also a quiet unprepossessing person who just goes about his business. He was having a tough
time himself at this Championship clearly running sub-par for him. Stephen was placing, but not as well as if he
had been healthy, plus he was at the top of his age group yet he made no excuses. When he became aware of what
had happened to Ben (Stephen was in the final with Ben and placed 3rd) he approached Ben and gave him his own 3rd
place medal!!! It was not done in front of a group of people, that is not how Stephen is, it was done as a friend
to a friend. Stephen in fact tried to keep it a secret…I spoke with Ben James an hour after this took place and
he was almost in tears because of Stephens gesture to ease his disappoint and pain. It doesn't get much better
than that!!!!!!!!
All that was left for us were relays the next day, Saturday morning the 4 x 100 and Saturday afternoon the 4 x
400. However, we had a very interesting situation for the US relays. The three top 100m people, Charlie Allie,
Steve Robbins, and Stan Whitley were not available. Whitley and Robbins had already gone home while Charlie was
hobbled with an injury. We needed a couple of folks to step up to run with Ron Johnson and myself. Well watta ya
know….. Larry Barnum and Ralph Souppa were available. It is very strange how relay teams are formed sometimes at
the World Championships because of injuries, some folks that can't stay and whatever. The four of us would do our
best to run for the US and bring home the gold medals, and two of us would be from Mass Velocity.
In our 4 x 100m relay Ron had a great leadoff leg and passed to Larry Barnum on the long backstretch. Larry extended
Ron's lead and handed off to Ralph in good position with the Australians and Germans right on his back. Ralph,
who is not a 100m sprinter, ran an excellent leg, but so did the Germans and the Australians. But the Aussies had
Peter Crombie anchoring. I took a decent pass from Ralph and flew off down the final 100m, knowing they were right
behind me and I knowing Crombie was pushing hard. With 15m to go Crombie passed me and dipped into the tape in
what was a very close race. Our team, which had never run together, ran a very creditable 49.7, averaging 12.42
per man. We received the silver medal and were quite happy. For Ralph and Ron it was their first metal in International
Competition. If you want to see happy smiles, check out the pics of our relay team with our medals.
We had the same four guys in the 4 x 400m but this time nobody was going to catch us because we had all the guns
in our race, which included 3 of the finalists in the 400m. I was lead off (I wanted to get my leg over with and
watch us win from down on the field…and I did, and we did..Ya Hoo!!!) and handed a 15m lead to Ralph which he extended
even farther. Ron and Larry made it a runaway and we walked home quite comfortably in 3:56 averaging about 59 a
leg for a gold medal, and I can tell you right now, we were one happy group of relay folks. In fact, I believe
we still are!!!
Some other thoughts:
Dr. John Oleski did not place in the LJ or TJ but he competed well and as usual had a great time..he knows how
to travel.
I personally missed seeing James Morton compete, because he would have done extremely well if he had not been injured.
That said, he is one happy dude recently married to a lovely lady named Dawn and he will be back!!
Everyone should run in a World Championship at one time or another in their lives. It is truly wonderful and exciting
experience no matter what the result. One is surrounded by some of the best athletes in the world and you don't
watch them from the stands, you're right down there with them in the races. It is an experience that has to be
experienced to be understood and I highly recommend.
With that said, one of the most important factors connected to performing well in a World Championship is not only
being at the peak of your conditioning, but able to make it through the rounds which in many cases are incredibly
grueling. This is accomplished in training. Our training has to be hard enough so that going into rounds against
the best people in the world is not that much more difficult physically and what you have accomplished in training.
If you train hard and intelligently it will pay off. In fact, in my mind, training should be harder than your races
and as a result your races don't hurt you as much as some of your training. When you can reach that point you're
ready to run with anyone.
I spent my last day in Venice walking around seeing the sights, getting lost in the alleys and checking out all
the merchants which seem to be every 14 feet or so on the way to San Marco's square. I wish I could've taken my
wife Fran with me to enjoy Italy as Ralph did with his wife Bonnie . To everyone who didn't make it over to compete
in Italy I hope you can make it to one of the World Championships in the future. You have to do at least one in
your lifetime.
If I have not mentioned someone I should have, I apologize, but there is only so much a 62 year old person can
do!!!!!!
A grateful THANK YOU to all of you who helped me with my finances to make it to Italy. I wish I had been healthier
but I have no regrets..I have the rest of my life to recover and compete as do all of us. Be kind and patient with
yourselves, families and friends…and all others..shoot for the stars always and no matter the outcome..be proud
of all your efforts. Above all….enjoy the ride and stay centered
GodSpeed,
Roger
[Anyone care to suggest a caption for this photo?]
WMA Update
by Barbara Jordan
Just a short update Italy's WMA Championships. Had a great Meet. Gold
in the 80m hurdles, Bronze in the 100m, 200m, and 300m hurdles, and Silver in the Long Jump and Triple Jump. Also
ran in the two relays-- Silver in the 4x100m and Gold in the 4x400m. All W70-74. So eight events and eight medals
make for a happy camper!!!!!!!!
Our 4x400 W70 relay team (Jordan,
Pell, Harada and Daprano) set a world record.
Old one was 6:33.91 set in Durban in 1997. Our time was 6:26 99. Our 4x100 W70 ( Jordan, Donley, Mary Roman and Daprano) came in 2nd to a strong German team. I don't know all the others
from our club that were there except Mary Roman, and I can't remember where she placed in the shot and hammer [Ed. Note: Mary was uncharacteristically 8th in the hammer
and 13th in the shot, probably due to injury]. Her Hamstring was
giving her problems so she didn't make the finals in the 100 and dropped the 200 so she could rest for the relay [Mary ran on the 4x100 relay which placed 2nd].
From the WMA Website:
Anti-Doping Declaration and Personal Pledge
by Master Athletes
Bill Collins signs the Anti-Doping-Declaration
"A great moment for the world-wide anti-doping-campaign: in Riccione
(ITA) Bill Collins (USA), IAAF Best Master of the Year 2006, signed the Anti-Doping-Declaration of Vaterstetten. In the attendance of Guido Müller (GER), IAAF Best Master of the Year 2004
and master-mind of this declaration, Bill and his wife Stephanie left no doubts that this initiative is a great
step into the future of a clear and fair sport in the masters' movement. Furthermore (among others) Vesa Lappalainen
(EVAA-Vicepresident), Dr. Stephen Peters (GBR) and Charles Desjardins (USA delegation) signed this declaration
in Riccione."
Robert Steckler
- M50 from
Wexford, PA "I
was on the web looking for Masters track meets and saw Mass Velocity listed. Pulled it up and it sounded right
up my alley. Most clubs are geared for LD running and yours is strictly for sprinters. My idea of long distance
is 401 meters...and sometimes shorter than that. I started competing this year and ran in the PA Senior Olympics
in the 100 and 200. I took 1st in both events. The times were somewhat slow but it was a weird track meet....hotter
than hell, false starts, threats to DQ everyone if anyone false started, and 10 hours at the track waiting to run.
Regardless, I had a great time and am anxious to continue competing. I am anxious to learn from other sprinters,
as I did not run in high school or college. I have just been relatively fast and really haven't gotten much slower
over the years. I have worked with a track coach since the Sr. event and he showed me how to get out of the starting
blocks, on my form and technique, etc. Essentially, I really don't know 'how' to sprint, I just 'sprint', so I
am encouraged that I know I will get much faster and have shown good improvement. Anyway, I will get the check
in the mail and I hope to hear about track meets to compete in."
Michael Baugh - M45
from Stoughton, MA
Stephen Chase - M55
from West Hartford, CT
SPEED
Dear Mass Velocity Teammates:
Larry and I have been working on a Youth Track and Field program for almost two years. Larry, his daughter Katie,
and Janice Watson have been coaching Springfield youngsters and creating opportunities for them to compete in track
and field. I have performed a support role by offering transportation through the YMCA of Greater Springfield and
by seeking financial support for a broader effort. Many of you have provided support, counsel and even financial
contributions to this effort. Well, things are beginning to come together.
As a result of our patience and persistence (lessons learned from Larry), we have been able to pull together the
financial resources and non-monetary support needed get the program off the ground. To date, we have received $30,000.00
in grants and donations. We received $3,000.00 from Swanson Automotive Services, Inc. of Brookline (a Volvo maintenance
and repair business), $2,500.00 from the Black Men of Greater
Springfield (a non-profit, community enrichment organization),
$500.00 from Sarah Lawson,
master athlete and member of USATF-NE, and $24,000.00 from the Amelia
Peabody Foundation. Additionally, we have received donations
of stop watches (75), spikes/waffles (300+ pairs) and apparel (200+ singlets and shorts) from several sources,
including Marathon Sports, Inc.
of Boston, Cambridge and Wellesley, Go-Fit, Inc. of Springfield, the Jack &
Tony Show of Springfield, and the Eastfield
Mall of Springfield. Bus transportation to and from Westfield
State College is being provided, free of cost, by First Student
Transportation Co.. And once weekly, Westfield
State College has agreed to give us access to their 145 meter
track for training purposes. This is a collaborative effort based upon the enormous generosity of many.
The program is called the Springfield YMCA SPEED Program. SPEED is an acronym for Speed, Performance,
Endurance, Education and Development. Our goal will be
to provide inner-city youth with an opportunity to participate in the sport of track and field, while learning
the multitude of life lessons that spring from disciplined training, hard-work, determination, competition, fellowship,
and good citizenship. As Larry and I are quick to say, “It’s never about track; it’s always about engaging youngsters
in meaningful dialogue about life choices.” Our program will offer physical training in speed, strength, agility,
core and flexibility. Every participant will be required to be academically eligible and to participate in academic
courses to assure his/her academic development. And, lastly, all juniors and seniors will have to opportunity to
participate in workshops to help them get into college. Participants will earn incentives (training shoes, spikes,
apparel, heart-rate monitors, t-shirts, warm-up suits, etc . . .) by attending the academic and enrichment components
of the program. The physical component will serve as a secondary, but important, part of the program and will offer
its own rewards in the form of excellence and improvement on the track.
What can you do? You can agree to mentor one of our athletes. You can talk to participants about the importance
of making good life choices, getting good grades, going to college, and being good citizens. You can be supportive
and encouraging. You can tell them your stories of failure and success. You can become a meaningful and connected
adult in their lives. Mentoring will take place at meets and via email. Each mentor will become a YMCA volunteer
and will be recognized as such. If anyone is interested in serving as a mentor, please contact me at jmorton@springfieldy.org or by telephone at (413) 739-6951, extension 110.
Our goal is to keep Springfield youngsters engaged and out of harm’s way, while introducing them to the sport we
have come to love. What could be better?
- JM
[Editors note: I want to thank Bob Segal for his recent donation of many spikes. Springfield has the dubious honor
of having the sixth highest child poverty rate in the nation. I work hard for Mass Velocity but I work harder for
the kids in Springfield. Anyone who would like to assist James and I can certainly do so by donating any track
warm-ups, flats, etc. and helping us at the indoor meets by offering our kids words of encouragement, and by taking
one or more under your wing to make sure they check-in when their event is called and get them to the starting
line when their heat is called. I might have been able to keep my eye on 6-8 kids in past years but we're going
to need help when we bring 25-30 boys and girls this year!]
3rd Annual
Mass Velocity Fall Gathering
by Larry Libow
We had a beautiful, crisp and sunny fall day for our 3rd annual gathering, this year at Tucker Taft's home in Lexington, Mass. Tucker cooked chicken on the outdoor grill and everyone arrived with appraisers, sides and an over-abundance of brownies, cookies, cakes and pies. As I noted at the beginning of the awards portion of the afternoon, the first gathering in September of 2005 was seven guys at a bar drinking beer and MVTC wasn't even on the scoreboard at the previous Indoor Nationals. A short time later we have 82 members, have placed third at the most recent Indoor and Outdoor Nationals and have the largest gathering of teammates and spouses yet. Check out some of the photos below.
We then moved indoors so I could hand out the trophies to this years award winners. Some winners were in attendance and others will have their trophies delivered. Everyone had an opportunity to share stories and anecdotes about their teammates and I think I speak for all who were there, that it was an absolutely wonderful time. I hope that next years gathering will be even bigger and better.
For More Tucker Photos: Click Here
The 2007 Mass Velocity Track Club Awards
With so many members and so many outstanding performances this past year, I decided that it was time we started giving recognition to our male and female athletes for their performances and contributions. I'm sure that as the years go by, we'll be adding award categories, but this year we had six winners from three categories. Some of the winners were in attendance at the gathering and those not there will have their trophies delivered to them. The engraved faceplate will be sent shortly to be attached to the front of the trophy - seen below. And the winners are ...
Most Improved
[Awarded to the athlete who's performances were vastly improved from the previous year]
Male: Ralph Souppa
Female: Kim Williams
Best All Around Award
[Awarded to the athlete consistently capable of scoring points in a wide variety of events]
Male: Bob Matteson
Female: Susan Wiemer
Momentum Award
[Awarded to the athlete who leads by example at every practice, every meet,
on and off the track and who represents the values of good sportsmanship]
Male: Roger Pierce
Female: Gail Johns-Rees
Congratulations to the winners
and to everyone on the
Mass Velocity Track Club
"Larry and Tuck, thanks for pulling that off. It was a great
time. - Bob Segal
"Larry - was certainly a great time and a lot of laughs
yesterday - a real success. The awards were also well received/nice idea." - Warren Graff
"Larry, thank you so much for the recognition. I am honored
to be one of MVTC’s first award winners! I should have mentioned my great coach, Jim Giroux. Jim took me on in
October 2005 when I first decided to try being a sprinter. He is an Assistant Coach for the University of Southern
Maine’s women’s track team and coached track and field for 12 years at UMass. His guidance has been the primary
factor in my improvement. I’ll be sure to contact Susan and Gail and let them know of their awards and will deliver
them with a copy of the write-up. Great party! Go red!" -
Kim Williams
"Even
though I couldn't make it to the gathering I did want to say hi to you and the other MVTC guys. If you think of
it, please pass that on to the others. Thanks. I'm staying in fairly decent shape in hopes of getting back to the
track sometime, when I don't know. It's really a matter of trying to apportion my energy since the job situation
is still very, actually more, stressful. Family is good though, which is what matters to me. I've been working
on some different core strength and balance methods. Good stuff, something I'm in great need of. I'll share some
of the stuff I've been learning at some point. However, I've got a long way to go to learn this stuff and get decent
at it. Best wishes to all the MVTC guys and gals!
- Rob Porcaro
"I
wish I could attend the Mass Velocity gathering. It would be great to socialize with fellow Mass Velociteers outside
of our meets, but unfortunately, I have to work that weekend. I'd like to send out an "Hello" to everyone
and I'll see you this winter." - Susan Wiemer
"I
am sorry but I cannot attend. I am doing something quite alien and stupid - running the Bay State Half Marathon
that day. Have fun without me!" - Arnie Pollinger
"Thank
you for the e-mail. I would have liked to be part of the show but am far away here in Abuja-Nigeria. I wish every
body sweet celebration. My regard to all MVTC members. I hope to attend the next year gathering. Bye Larry."
- Onwusonye Henry C.
"Congratulations
to all the potential award winners this year, I have been getting the news letter & I see that, as a whole,
the club did very well, as well as some of the individual athletes, I'm not an official member of the club, I just
got to run @ Penns this year with Tucker, Bob Davis & Tom Gillen & hope to run with you guys again next
year. Again congratulations to all the winners." - Rockdale
Hudson
"Larry,
I apologize that I didn't send you a note immediately following Nationals… I am still very pumped up even several
weeks later... I left Maine feeling a lot more connected to the team… what a great group! Can't wait for the indoor
season to start! Take care," - Brian
Rowles
"Yes
it was a great thrill to be there (Riccone) and be competitive with the best in the world. If you had told me I
would be on a silver metal winning 4 x 100 meter relay team at the Worlds a year ago I would have said you were
crazy. I was lucky to be at the right place at the right time. The 4 X 400 was easy. Even without Charlie Allie
we knew we had an overpowering team. But you still have to run the race". -
Ralph Souppa
"John
Oleski first introduced me to MassVelocity while we were long-jumping at Manchester, NH, at the 2007 Granite State
Games. That was only my third track meet ever, my first having come a year earlier at Manchester. At the Maine
State Games in September, Kim Williams handed me a Mass Velocity club card, so here I am at the web site. I live
in Gilford, NH, and hope to compete indoors when the season starts." -
Steve Snow
"Larry
- I know you normally do not post these events, but those of us involved in track & field all feel and share
a sense of loss when the truly great ones pass, our generation especially. -
Warren Graff
[Ed Note - Warren is referring to the passing of Al Oerter:]
"Oerter won gold medals in 1956, 1960, 1964
and 1968. Oerter and Carl Lewis are the only track and field stars to capture the same event in four consecutive
Olympics. Oerter, however, is the only one to set an Olympic record in each of his victories.
On March 13, 2003, Oerter was briefly clinically dead. A change of blood pressure medications caused a fluid build-up
around his heart. He was advised by cardiologists he would require a heart transplant. Oerter dismissed the suggestion.
"I've had an interesting life," he said, "and I'm going out with what I have.""
There is no doubt he is the discus GOAT (Greatest of All Time). In the Athens 2004 Statistics Handbook, Mark Butler
picked his all-time greatest athletics Olympians and picked Nurmi, Lewis, Oerter, in that order. So we don't lose
someone of this calibre very often."
Annual Meeting Report
The Annual Meeting of the USATF New England
Association took place on Thursday, September 20 at the Newton Marriott Hotel. The meeting began with the past
year's Athlete of the Month Awards. Mass Velocity's Brian
Rowles was the recipient of the August
AOM award and Brian (and his family)
was there to receive the award. Mass Velocity's James
Morton was the recipient of the March
AOM award and Carroll Blake was there
to accept on behalf of James who was unable to attend because, as a recent appointee by Gov. Patrick to the Springfield
Financial Control Board, he was at an important community meeting.
Elected to the position of Masters Track & Field chair was MVTC's Mike Travers and Larry Libow was elected
to a second term as Athlete Representative. John Oleski remains in his position as USATF-NE Vice President.
The turnout was pretty light, no doubt because of conflicts
with the worlds and the recently concluded nationals, but a few of the "comeback kids" made it to Portland,
Maine for the Maine State Senior Games: Bob Marchetti, me (Bob Segal), and Dr. Bill Wright Jr. Kim Williams, a
local resident resting on her laurels from the summer season, stopped by to root us on as well.
It was a long, hot, humid day with no shade to be had and no cool breezes off the water, but we all managed to
huff and puff our way to medals. We also handed out Mass Velocity cards to several other performers, including
Steve Snow (who bettered his 200m time by almost 2 seconds) and Arthur Murray, a 61-year-old from Lewiston who
ran a 27.4.
Just a few pix of Bob M., Dr. Bill, and Arthur before my camera went dead, plus a good one of Dr. Bill from the
coolrunning site:
http://www.coolrunning.com/results/07/me/Sep8_2007Ma_set1.shtml
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobbysegal/sets/72157602137586093/
The Indoor Season isn't that far away and I am working on the winter calendar which
will be posted on our web site within the next few days. Things are still a bit hazy as many of the usual events
haven't officially posted their meet and registration information yet. Be aware that the Dartmouth Relays, The
Northeastern Winter Carnival and the Harvard Invitational are all earlier than they have been in the past.
Carroll Blake is working on our indoor practices at the Reggie. We hope to have them on Tuesday nights like last
year and once Carroll has worked out the details, we'll get word to everyone.
This past year took a toll on many club members and there are lots of us still nursing injuries. We
have seen many of our members, people like Lee
Hess and Bob
Segal, come back from injuries that kept them
away from competition for extended periods. Where others might have simply hung up their spikes, and faded into
the background, the dedicated will find a way to heal and keep going. So for all of you out there who struggle
to keep going, who question whether the practices, the aches and pains and the competition is worth it, I
offer you Coach
Larry's inspirational quote of the month:
"The greatest danger for most of us is not that
our aim is too high and we miss it, but that our aim is too low and we reach it."
- Michaelangelo
Peace, speed and good health,
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