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Masters Track & Field
GeezerJock and GeezerJock.com are the best places to stay up-to-date on Masters sports. At GeezerJock, it is our goal to provide the very best coverage of the sports you still play.
In this section, you'll get the latest news, results, event listings, trend stories, equipment reviews, personality stories and much more about Masters Track & Field.
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Drug scandal in Masters sports
By Ken Stone
KEN STONE'S BLOG (March 18, 2010) -- M50 world champion and world-record holder Val Barnwell of Brooklyn, N.Y., has been slapped with a two-year drug suspension, a huge embarrassment for him but a royal bummer for his relay teammates at Lahti, Finland, world masters meet in August 2009. He tested positive for banned substances at the last world meet. Although folks in USATF and some friends knew this for weeks, the official word came in a press release. Here's the USADA news release: . . . keep reading...>>
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Our sport is its fans
By Ken Stone
KEN STONE'S BLOG (Feb. 24, 2010) -- Dang if Pete Magill isn't the most thoughtful writer on masters running (while at the same time being a superstar in his age group). His latest contribution to the genre: a defense of Masters running against those who insist that geezers should hang up their spikes and help nurse the next generation of athletes. . . . keep reading...>>
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Up in the air
By Ken Stone
KEN STONE'S BLOG (Feb. 14, 2010) -- Pat Manson isn't that old -- a mere babe at 42 -- but he thinks it would be "neat" to say he vaulted 18 feet in four different decades. The 2010s are in his sights now, thanks to the confidence boost he got at the Air Force Academy two weekends ago. Pat says: "They tell me the 17-7 jump was perhaps enough for an 18-footer, so that is encouraging. I was on the right poles to go higher, anyway." In a wide-ranging interview conducted by email, Pat shows he's lost no enthusiasm for the event. (Actually, I shot him five or six questions, and he went to town.) Most interesting reply of all: "Perhaps soon I'll try some other events for fun, but not now." (That's like Liberace saying he'd like to play trombone.) Anyway, check out his note to me from Superior, Colo. . . . keep reading...>>
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Masters track athlete of the decade?
By Ken Stone
KEN STONE'S BLOG (Jan. 6, 2010) -- How do you measure greatness? Masters track has many yardsticks: Hall of Fame induction, Athlete of the Year honors, world titles, world records. But what separates the superstars? In recent days, my question of Who's the Masters Athlete of the Decade? has prompted some public discussion -- but also some private back-and-forth. One debate centers on Nadine O'Connor vs. Phil Raschker. Both Americans rewrote the record books between 2000 and 2009. Both won major public acclaim and gold medals galore. Nadine and Phil are as good as they get in the sport, but which is the best? . . . keep reading...>>
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The comeback
By Ken Stone
KEN STONE'S BLOG (Dec. 15, 2009) -- Reynaldo Brown's greatest leap wasn't the 7-feet-3 he straddled in September 1968 to make the Olympic team at age 17. It wasn't the 7-0 1/4 he cleared at Mexico City to take fifth behind the gold and silver of teammates Dick Fosbury and Ed Caruthers. His greatest effort came several years ago while hospitalized with kidney failure. After hearing a doctor say: "I hope this guy is still here in the morning," Rey vowed to jump out of bed and begin training for his life. . . . keep reading...>>
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Site update
By Ken Stone
KEN STONE'S BLOG (Dec. 8, 2009) -- Friday morning in Indy, the USATF Masters T&F Committee -- delegates from around the country -- awarded the 2011 indoor and 2012 indoor and outdoor masters nationals to three new sites. As previously telegraphed, Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois, won 2012 outdoors, but was "accepted tentatively pending confirmation of facility availability and dates," according to my mole at the USATF annual meeting. "Indoor 2011 is Albuquerque, March 4-6. The vote was 26 to 25 over Bloomington, Indiana" -- which then won the 2012 indoor meet unanimously. . . . keep reading...>>
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Mystery bidders
By Ken Stone
KEN STONE'S BLOG (Dec. 7, 2009) -- In recent days, I've been trolling for who is bidding for the 2012 USATF Masters nationals (indoors and outdoors) -- to be selected at this week's USA Track & Field annual meeting in Indianapolis. I've written to Gary Snyder, our national chair, plus folks in various cities with a history of interest. Finally, I got an absurd note from Mike Travers, USATF Masters Site Selection chair. . . . keep reading...>>
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Getting up there
By Ken Stone
KEN STONE'S BLOG (Nov. 24, 2009) -- Gérard Dumas, a British Columbian fluent in two languages (English and Canadian), also speaks vault. In fact, he's the pre-eminent historian of the event. He's also the most vertically traveled vaulter ever. Now 74, Gérard claims 1,000 competitions (not including beach vaults or meets where he recorded no heights), reports Roger Ruth. "Gérard has competed in a total of 1,048 meets, five of those beach and 38 no-heights, leaving a total of 1,005 officially recorded. A former French indoor champion, his career best was 4.53 (14-10 1/4) in 1967," says Roger, a former M40 WR man in the vault. Still clever after all these years, Gérard graciously consented to another interrogation after his historic season. My quickie Q&A with Gérard: . . . keep reading...>>
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Wide World of Doping
By Ken Stone
KEN STONE'S BLOG (Nov. 17, 2009) -- On October 23, Finnish media reported a doping violation at the World Masters Athletics Championships in Lahti, Finland. WMA and a German Masters site also joined in reporting the punishment. WMA said M45 Finnish shot putter Pekka Viippo, the silver-medal winner, was found "guilty of the following doping violation: presence of the prohibited substances Testosterone, Norandrosterone, Methylphenidate and Ritalinic Acid in his doping control sample." He was tested August 2 at Lahti. . . . keep reading...>>
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Sharing secrets
By Ken Stone
KEN STONE'S BLOG (Nov. 8, 2009) -- Oscar Peyton says he never ran track in high school or college -- and basically started sprinting after he turned 50. That explains why he's spilling the beans on his training regimen. (He didn't know that elites keep their workouts top secret.) Now Peyton, the M55 star who beat Bill Collins indoors and out this year, has launched a blog to divulge details of his preparations for 2010. He wrote me last week: "I just finished reading your blog about Bill Collins and Dr. Stephen Peters. A lot of people do not believe Dr. Peters when it comes to his training, but I do. Mine is similar except I throw in a few drills . . . and very rarely give 100% to any sprint or repeat. A lot of people have been inquiring . . . about my training, . . . and I have been gracious enough to share it with anyone interested in the masters track world." . . . keep reading...>>
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Kafka, Masters style
By Ken Stone
KEN STONE'S BLOG (Oct. 28, 2009) -- USA Track & Field has this funny thing about freedom of movement. You can move your legs down the track, butt over a pit or body across the ring. But try to move your association status on your membership card and Katie bar the door! The story that follows is true, and I don't even change the names. But a change in direction is called for -- a new national policy to address inequities in how Masters exercise their affiliation rights. It all began four months ago. . . . keep reading...>>
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Hammer time
By Ken Stone
KEN STONE'S BLOG (Oct. 22, 2009) -- Two years ago, Jud Logan was 48, and he told me that he was aiming for the M50 world records in the hammer and weight throw, plotting a two-year training program. A four-time Olympian, Jud said: "I am trying to surprise no one. Everyone that knows me is encouraging this attempt at the 6(KG) and of course the 25-pound weight. Jim Wetenhall (holder of the M50 AR in the weight throw) is my hero and the first to plant the seed." Jud turned 50 in July, so the only surprise is: What took him so long? Maybe he was waiting to compete in a meet Jim put on. . . . keep reading...>>
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Lovely (and fast) Rita
By Ken Stone
KEN STONE'S BLOG (Oct. 14, 2009) -- Rita Hanscom of San Diego and Guido Müller of Germany will be honored Nov. 22 at the IAAF Gala in Monte Carlo as WMA Best Masters Athletes of 2009. The Eurovets Web site revealed the news late Monday night. So did Annette and Robert Koop at their German Masters site. Finally, WMA Secretary Winston Thomas sent out the official word at 1:30 Monday morning. It's the second such honor for Guido, the M70 sprinter/hurdler who set a half-dozen world records this season, including several at Lahti worlds. He was IAAF/WMA Masters Athlete of the Year in its debut season -- 2004. Rita, the W55 multi-eventer who smashed Phil Raschker's heptathlon record at Lahti on the way to winning five gold medals, is the third American to claim this honor, after Phil in 2007 and Bill Collins in 2006. . . . keep reading...>>
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Waller heads Down Under
By Ken Stone
KEN STONE'S BLOG (Oct. 6, 2009) -- M50 sprinter Michael Waller was perhaps the breakout star of Oshkosh nationals last July, sweeping the 100, 200 and 400 and turning back three world champions in the process. Now he is heading Down Under for the Sydney World Masters Games. His local TV station gave him a nice (although error-filled) sendoff. Not his fault that KING-TV in Seattle said he's the fastest over-30 sprinter in America (or that he'd face 30-year-olds in Sydney). Born July 22, 1958, Michael says his all-time sprint bests are 10.57, 21.6 and 49.07 -- all from 1985. . . . keep reading...>>
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Marion in Masters?
By Ken Stone
KEN STONE'S BLOG (Sept. 29, 2009) -- Seth Brower, brother of world-class M50 hurdler Jeff Brower, is a meet organizer in South Texas of some repute. He's a great friend of Masters athletes and youth as well. And everyone knows how forgiving Masters are. We all have "issues." Now one of the top "issue" people of all time is coming to one of his youth meets in November. Here's how Seth shared the news in email: "I'm sure you all know the name Marion Jones. Marion of course got caught up in the illegal substance thing and paid the price. Well, she is on a path to do what she can to make sure kids don't make the same mistake. Marion will be doing some kind of youth talk and a clinic prior to the meet on Nov. 14." . . . keep reading...>>
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Clearing some hurdles
By Ken Stone
KEN STONE'S BLOG (Sept. 23, 2009) -- Nadine O'Connor of Del Mar, Calif., is a Masters pole vault legend and world-record holder in the W65 100-meter dash. She's run hurdles before, too, "but never more than five," she told me over the weekend. Well, she's no longer a long-hurdles virgin. Competing at Long Beach State University alongside Rita Hanscom, Linda Cohn and "a couple of guys," O'Connor on Sunday ran the 300-meter hurdles in 56.71 -- crushing the listed W65 American record of 62.49 by Barbara Jordan. Yes, it was her first-ever try at 300s. . . . keep reading...>>
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