July, 2006

Friends & Fellow Sprinters:

Since the last Newsletter, Mass Velocity flexed its muscles at the Rhode Island and Mass. Senior Games. We had a good turnout at each meet and often filled entire heats with red from lane one through lane eight. Although there were mid-month e-mailings with the following links to commentary and/or photos, I thought it couldn't hurt to supply them one more time: Massachusetts Senior Games | Ocean State Senior Olympics.

In this Newsletter we'll meet some new members, get the proper procedures for securing club affiliation, read a report on the New England Outdoor Championships, find out how to get a MVTC T-shirt, learn who has a birthday this month, read some notable quotes, discover some track meets you might not know about and get invited to a party. So let's get to it!

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Please welcome the following people to the team:

Abraham Bernstein

68 from Manhasset, NY

Bob Matteson

79 from Bennington, VT

Spencer Parrish

69 from Waterbury, CT

Mary Roman

70 from Norwalk, CT

Henry DeForest

71 from Hopkinton, MA

Kimberly Williams

51 from South Portland, ME

I am very pleased that Mass Velocity now has increased our representation in the 65, 70 and 75 age groups and that we have added two more women to our ranks. I have had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know almost all these fine athletes and they will be a great addition to our club. Please make them feel welcome when you meet them on the track.

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I know I've been harping on the team affiliation issue lately, but with Outdoor Nationals coming up and an infusion of new members, we all need to know how the process works. To help us, Steve Vaitones from the USATF New England office has supplied me with the following list of those people who are officially attached to MVTC:

First Name - Last Name - City - State - DOB - Age Verified by Birth Certificate

Laura Barre West Lebanon NH 11/07/1969 verified
Carroll Blake Boston MA 04/23/1950 verified
Bob Brown Woburn MA 11/11/1953 verified
Tom Cunningham Middleton MA 02/18/1950 verified
Roy Currie Jr Granby MA 02/25/1955
Paula Fortuna South Hampton NH 10/31/1960
Thomas Gillen Jr Sharon MA 07/17/1954 verified
Kevin Gleason Holland MA 06/13/1962
Warren Graff Merrimac MA 07/24/1945 verified
Lee Hess New Boston NH 03/31/1949 verified
Gail Johns-Rees Salem NH 02/10/1955 verified
Charles Kelley Woburn MA 04/21/1954 verified
Vincent Kotowski Barre MA 04/01/1966
Lawrence Libow Springfield MA 05/23/1949 verified
Tim Michitson Haverhill MA 03/07/1961 verified
Roger Pierce Essex MA 10/04/1944 verified
Robert Porcaro Medfield MA 09/05/1954 verified
Thomas Ranuga Sr New Bedford MA 07/17/1938
John Saxelby Lowell MA 07/31/1952 verified
Robert Segal Somerville MA 04/06/1953 verified
Ralph Souppa Swampscott MA 04/24/1947 verified
Tucker Taft Lexington MA 03/04/1953 verified
Michael Travers Watertown MA 06/29/1958 verified

We have 50 dues-paying members, but only the above 23 are officially USATF attached! Steve offers this insight into the process:

"For anyone living outside of the New England association states - those being MA, NH, RI, VT - who already have a membership, they must have their Home Association changed from that association to 02- New England. At that point, they lose all eligibility for that Home Association's programs - they can compete as a 'guest' , but can't score for a team, can't win awards, aren't eligible for monies or programs that are for that association's athletes. Then the athlete must contact our office and ask that their club be changed to MVTC.

Note that this transfer is not automatically granted to athletes - Maine is pretty good, CT has held up some when that athlete in question has represented a club down there, or received some sort of development funding or prize, and then the athlete turns around shortly after and says 'good-bye and waive me over to NE.'

And there is a 90 day wait period where the athlete must compete unattached if they were on another club.

For local NE athletes, the club affiliation came right from the membership profile - being listed unattached meant the athlete didn't have MVTC as their club. If you see any individuals that are not listed, the athlete (not you) needs to contact me directly (via email is okay) to add the club to their profile."

So if you are from MA, NH, RI or VT and your name is NOT on the list please contact Steve ASAP and request your club affiliation become Mass Velocity, club #02-0273.

If you are from any other state, you will need to contact your Home Association and request that your USATF Association be switched to New England (#02). I do not know what sort of hoops you will have to jump through, but I will be available to assist in any way that I can. I find this Home Association requirement to be counter-productive to creating a regional or national track club, but we must play by the rules.

Remember, the switch in Home Association and club affiliation is so you can score points for Mass Velocity as an individual or as a member of a relay team. A relay composed of three legit members and one non-member is considered an "ad-hoc" relay which can compete but will not score points. Please take a few moments to get your club affiliation in order.

MVTC was represented at the USATF New England Outdoor Championship meet on June 18, 2006 at the MIT track. The weather was very hot. This was, of course, the day after the Mass Senior Games, so most MVTC-ers were resting. Ah, but not all:

Laura Barre turned in a remarkable day to put MVTC tied for 2nd out of 9 teams in the women's competition with four performances: 100M 13.47, 200M 28.58, 100HH 15.19, Long Jump 16'7". At that rate, we might have expected her to run a relay by herself!

In the men's competition, Tom Gillen and Rob Porcaro got a few points for MVTC with Tom's 400M in 60.06, and Rob's 100M in 13.26 and 200M in 26.90.

So the team in red is seemingly everywhere!

Based on the T-Shirt survey, we will have Mass Velocity T-Shirts available for purchase at the Masters Eastern Championships at Springfield on July 22nd. We will have shirts in Medium, Large, Extra Large and XX Large. The shirts are heavy red cotton with a large, white Mass Velocity Track Club logo on the front and the club name, "Not Far - Just Fast" slogan and web address in smaller lettering on the top back.

Cost is $15.00 a shirt and all profit from the shirts will go back to the club. I ordered a limited number of shirts because the survey response was low and I'm still unsure how many of you would like a shirt. They will be a great to take to Charlotte. If you would like me to set one aside for you, just CLICK HERE and let me know your name and size. Bring cash or a check made out to Mass Velocity Track Club to Springfield on July 22nd.

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- Tom Gillen (17th)
- Thomas Ranuga (17th)
- Warren Graff (24th)
- John Saxelby (31st)

Sorry, I forgot to mention John Oleski, Mike Travers, Jim Schoffman & Kevin Gleason for June birthdays in the June Newsletter.

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"Thanks for the pictures. You are doing a great job for your team." - Jeff Weatherhead,
Hartford Track Club
"Excellent piece, Charlie - Thanks for saying so well what the rest of us feel and sense but are not able to express. It also, I think, confirms why we participate and belong to this club. Keep these gems coming." - Warren Graff
"I had a great time on Saturday, and what made it great was the camaraderie, and the feeling of creating and being a part of something special. We are developing something bigger than ourselves, something bigger than the sport; we're building a team, with friendship, mutual support, and collective success as its foundation. I know this sounds a little sappy, but its true. We're creating something special. It is inspiring to be a part of a team filled with such decent and giving folks." - James Morton
"Hi Larry, Thanks for moving so fast in soliciting helpful information from the members. The guys wasted no time in coming to my aid. I hope I will be able to give them a good victory present in the near future when they see me doing wonders on the track. That is the only way to say thanks to supportive sprinters! Many thanks for your help" - Thom Ranuga
"Wow! A sea of red! Our 50-59 age group is so totally stacked now it's unbelievable. MVTC is a power!" - Bobby Segal
"I was too young to compete with all of you at the Mass Senior Games - but felt like I had been there after looking at the photos. I did drive down to MIT for the USATF New England's Open meet and managed to score 13 points and place Mass Velocity in a tie for second on the team standings. This managed to get the Mass Velocity name out there for women as it is on the USATF NE site. I am beginning my women's recruiting as of today - you have inspired me. Thanks." - Laura Barre [Note: No photos of this one-woman track team in action?!! You inspire all of us, Laura]
"Larry, these shots are superb! How did you know red would photograph the best? The captions are great too. Aside from telling the story, they serve as name badges. I know a lot of these faces, but didn't always know the names - very helpful in getting everyone known to everyone. You are a unique combo of: Good sport - Good organizer - Good motivator - Good journalist - Good paparazzi - Well spoken - Selfless - Tireless hard worker
- Dedicated to health, fitness & sport - Last but not least: fast! Thank you and keep up the good work! - Bill Dean [Ed Note: Fast?! Perhaps because Bill is one of the few people kind enough to compete who I am able to beat. Thank you sincerely Bill for all your kind words.]
"Just checking about Charlotte. I will be available available for the relay's on Sunday, 4x100 or 4x400. I'm looking forward to being part of a team after running unattached. Also, do you know if anyone is looking for a roommate?" - Jim Schoffman [Note: Anyone looking for a roomie should contact Jim directly by clicking on his name]
"I am interested in joining Mass Velocity. I like the idea of a masters sprint club and I was so impressed with your newsletter story about helping out the school track team. I am a former road racer (15 years of running) but am concentrating on sprinting now. - Kim Williams

There a number of people I want to thank for their donations of track spikes, singlets, speedsuits, warm-ups, etc. which will be used by the kids on the High School of Commerce track team next year. I hope I haven't lost track of anyone, but Butch Blake, Rob Porcaro, Gail Johns-Rees, Warren Graff, Roger Pierce - Thank You! If you've got some clothing or equipment you're no longer using, I've got a deserving group of kids that will gladly put it to good use. Bring it with you to Springfield on July 22nd.

Speaking of which ... I am working hard on getting ready to return to the track on July 22nd and intend to compete, even if I have to run with crutches (is that allowed?). I hope we have a big turnout and the weather cooperates. Don't forget, we plan on a series of fun relays against our good friends from the NY area. Look for the two blue canopies with the Mass Velocity banner and come on over. See you soon.

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