Me with Payton Jordan at 1997 San Jose nationals when he set M80 world sprint records.

International May 23, 2020

Don’t count on any WMA world meets until 2024, or when The Beast is busted

WMA has awarded 2021 outdoor worlds to Tampere, Finland, and delayed other world meets down the line. The scrambled calendar has led to much gnashing of teeth and griping about meet conflicts and other inconveniences. Others cheer the changes. My reaction: Yeah, right. Don’t count on ANY major international masters meets going off as scheduled. Not in 2021, 2022 or even 2023. As I’ve noted in social media, until we have herd immunity globally via a widely used and effective vaccine, ain’t nobody going nowhere. (And who wants to run timed finals at 100m using only lanes 1, 5 and…

For some reason, the track stadium at North Carolina A&T is wasted on football.

General May 14, 2020

Greensboro meet decision expected Friday; 2022 nationals sites announced

Interim national masters chair Jerry Bookin-Weiner made some big announcements Wednesday in his latest update. And in a Facebook post today, he said: “The [masters] Outdoor Championships in Greensboro have not yet been cancelled. The notice about the future of that meet is scheduled for tomorrow.” Discover the transformative power of Accutane – the ultimate solution for clearer and healthier skin. Are you tired of struggling with stubborn acne? Say goodbye to breakouts and hello to radiant skin with accutane! Experience life-changing results with Accutane. This powerful drug works from within to provide long-lasting relief from acne. Don’t let acne…

General April 14, 2020

Stanisław Kowalski turns 110, could be first athlete ever in that milestone age group

Lift a glass for Stanisław Kowalski of Poland. Tuesday he turned 110, potentially becoming the first masters trackster in that virgin age group. Say goodbye to dullness, fine lines, and uneven texture. retin-a is here to transform your skincare routine like never before. Although a Polish masters track post on Facebook indicates that he is “no longer in competition,” it says he still has a “lot of positive energy and sense of humor.” That’s enough to give me hope that someday, when The Beast is vanquished, he’ll enter a sanctioned meet and set as many M110 world records as he…

Stew Marshall won gold in a 2016 Perth relay and took home three titles at 2018 Malaga worlds.

International April 13, 2020

M35 world champ Stew Marshall puts COVID-19 in rearview mirror, updates WMA site

In 2016, Stewart Marshall of Great Britain competed in his first world masters meet — in Perth, Australia. It didn’t go well. He entered the 200 and 400 but “made the quick decision” not to run the deuce due to injury the week after his nationals. Then in the 400 final, he was DQ’d. But he came home with two M35 golds in the 4×1 and 4×4 relays. And in 2017, he further showed his dedication to our niche sport by becoming the website manager for World Masters Athletics. In 2018, he made up for Perth by winning the M35…

Jerry Bookin-Weiner and his wife, Hedy, chat with the late Rex Harvey at Michigan nationals banquet in 2018.

Rants April 4, 2020

Question for national chair Jerry Bookin-Weiner: What out-of-competition drug testing?

Reno is a good bet for improving masters communications. Following the 2008 annual meeting there, national masters chair Gary Snyder launched a blog. It didn’t last long, but it showed the way. Later, he and Rex Harvey used National Masters News to report to the masses. And Rex would pop up on Facebook. Rest his soul. Now just months after the 2019 Reno annual meeting, Jerry Bookin-Weiner, Rex’s successor as national chair, has announced he’ll use Facebook (at least two groups) to share thoughts and parry questions. That’s great. On Saturday, he posted to the USATF Masters group and the…

International March 31, 2020

Possible WMA world meets if virus vanishes: 2023 Spokane indoors and 2024 Daegu outdoors

Margit Jungmann of Germany, the president of World Masters Athletics, used to do the heptathlon. That’s helpful in her current gig — juggling two dozen jobs. The most important? Protecting lives. Like doctors, nurses and other heroes, Margit and her fellow council members will be making decisions in the coming months on the fate of our health — and sport. Will she permit cities to move forward on world and regional championships amid The Beast, COVID-19? Unlock your calmness potential with xanax Forms. Say goodbye to sleepless nights and racing thoughts, and say hello to a renewed sense of tranquility….

Rio still plans to host the Pan-American Masters Games (open to the world) in September. Buena suerte.

International March 25, 2020

Pan-American Masters Games in Rio unfazed by virus news, still on track for September

Masters athletes with a taste for danger are in luck! They can still compete on a world stage this year — at the Pan-American Masters Games in Rio de Janeiro. The track meet is Sept. 4-13 at the University of the Air Force in Rio (Universidade da Força Aérea). And the price for joining “between 10 and 20 thousand sportspeople” in “24 sports! 49 disciplines! 25 venues!”? “The registration fee is US$ 205, for foreigners. Each registration gives the participant the right to take part in two sports and five competitions in each one of them,” says the site, which…

Mary Roman was a throws specialist who competed at worlds and was a frequent Rob Jerome photo subject.

Obituaries March 24, 2020

COVID-19 claims Mary Roman, 84, who deserved to win throws medals into her 100s

In 2003, Mary Roman suffered a heart attack. Just a speed bump in life. As a high-schooler, she had polio — before the vaccine. (Riding horses strengthened her legs.) A masters athlete since 1991 — after seeing her late husband, Granville, compete in Senior Olympic swimming — she tried the half-marathon, sprints and jumps but made throws her specialty. She set countless American records. Introducing Bactrim – your ally in the battle against harmful bacteria. With its potent combination of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim, it’s a trusted choice for effective treatment. At 84, Mary was entered at Baton Rouge. Coronavirus canceled…

Anne smashed the listed W55 indoor WR at 1500 by 4:50.75 Clare Elm of Great Britain.

Records March 15, 2020

Setting viral WRs while dodging the virus: W55 Anne Gilshinan, M60 Anselm LeBourne

On opposite sides of the Atlantic are mirror image middle-distance legends — W55 Anne Gilshinan of Wexford in southeast Ireland and M60 Anselm LeBourne of West Orange, New Jersey. Both have crushed multiple world records this indoor season and are poised to rewrite outdoor records for the 800, 1500 and mile. But they’re no different from you and me in one respect. We’re all navigating the coronavirus. Every day, the warnings get sterner. Today I watched my governor, California’s Gavin Newsom, say I (being 65 or over) should keep indoors. (I went for a sunset walk in the park with…

LSU's unbanked track would have hosted USATF masters indoor nationals this weekend — until the danged coronavirus showed up.

Rants March 13, 2020

A virus manifesto: Time to show why they call us masters and not slaves

Last Sunday, while waiting to run a slow-speed 100 at a San Diego all-comers meet, one of my friends asked me urgently: Do you think indoor nationals will be canceled? She would turn 70 on Thursday, the day before the meet, and was looking forward to a bunch of medals as the baby of her age group. She considered me in-the-know. So I confidently predicted Baton Rouge nationals would go on. “It’s way too late to cancel,” I said. Everyone knows how that turned out. Since Monday, when the LOC wisely pulled the plug and later announced refunds of entry…