News about people, places and things in Masters sports

File under D for "Duh"
Masters athletes will not be surprised by the results of a recent study by Cambridge University, which found that people who don't smoke, eat their veggies, exercise regularly and drink alcohol in moderation tend to live an extra 14 years on average. What's been ignored in most press coverage of the study is that those extra 14 years are more likely to be lived in good health -- not in a nursing home -- because if you keep using your body and treating it right, it will, in turn, stay useful and treat you right.

Comeback update
Masters Athlete's AMS Comeback Athlete of the Year for 2007, Sandy Scott of Seminole, Fla., burned up the cycling events at the Florida State Senior Games in December. Scott entered four races: the 5k and 10k time trials, and the 20k and 40k road races. He won both time trials in the men's 65-69 age group, setting a record in the 5k event, and snagged third place in the 20K road race.

Still racing
James Hylton, who was last year tried to qualify for the Daytona 500, is back at it. This year Hylton, who finished third at Daytona 1967, is going to race for EM Motorsports in the 2008 ARCA Daytona 200 on Feb. 9. (ARCA is a minor league stock car circuit). Hylton is also going to give qualifying for the Daytona 500 one more shot. Hylton is 73 years old.

We're waiting, too
Late last year tennis legend Martina Navratilova, 51, was named a "health and fitness ambassador" by AARP, which, like this magazine, shares a goal of changing attitudes about aging. Navratilova is happy to help, but realizes it may take awhile to change minds on Madison Avenue about having older spokespeople. "Let's just say I'm still waiting to get a call from Wheaties," she told Advertising Age magazine.

Virtual cross country
Marian E. Washington, University of Kansas women's basketball coach, has launched a Web site, TrackandFitness.com. Originally a national champion discus thrower at Kansas, Washington developed her Web site to encourage people to get in shape and stay in shape. Intended to be a motivational tool, Web site can convert a person's daily run into a virtual run across the country, for instance, and the site's technology tracks the person's "progress" from town to town and state to state.

Go the distance
U.S. Masters Swimming introduced a new program in 2007 that was aimed primarily at fitness swimmers, rather than hardcore competitors. Called Go the Distance, the program entered its second year on Jan. 1. In the program, swimmers track the distance they swim throughout 2008. Once a swimmer reaches a distance milestone, awards -- including swim caps, certificates, patches and t-shirts with the event logo -- will be available for purchase for a minimal fee to recognize the achievement. For more information, visit usms.org.

Masters club of the year
The Cross Creek Cycling Club of Fayetteville, N.C., was named Masters club of the Year by USA Cycling. The club was recognized for its program that places juniors under the mentorship of Masters riders. Additionally, the club conducted three Masters-specific racing clinics. The Cross Creek Cycling Club was also named Masters Club of the Year in 2005.

Running to Maryland
The Potomac Valley Track Club will host the 2009 USA Masters Indoor Track & Field Championships. This national championship meet will be held at Prince George's Sports and Learning Center in Landover, Md., on March 20-22, 2009. The national championship meet has been held in Boston 11 of the past 12 years, but the Reggie Lewis Arena had a conflict and could not host the meet in 2009.

Sailing away
CEO Challenges continues to expand, now offering tennis, race car driving and other sports in addition to triathlon competitions for high-level corporate executives. Among the latest CEO Challenges' offerings is a CEO Sailing Challenge slated for April 24-28 at the Bitter End Yacht Club in the British Virgin Islands. 

In every issue of Masters Athlete this column will let you know about interesting people, places and things in Masters sports. Let us know what's going on in our Masters sports arean by emailing: geezerjocks@masters-athlete.com.