Been collecting a number pieces and back burnering them. Now on the front burner.
First however, a note from Richard Mach, Flint, MI
Re: Grant Fisher’s 2 recent American Records: Did the math for both his ARs: 4:08.8/mile for 5 K and 4:16.2/ mile for 10 K. Kid from down the street in Grand Blanc and sub 4 in HS and top nat’l X-C runner in HS and won NCAA 5000 m as a Stanford soph.
Olympic 10,000m fifth-placer Grant Fisher smashed Galen Rupp's American record by over 10 seconds as he became the seventh-fastest man in history with 26:33.84. He only just won the race, having to overhaul Mo Ahmed, who took 25 seconds off his Canadian record with 26:34.14.
3-4 lbs lighter than in college it appears. Massive upper leg muscularity, especially for someone covering such appreciable distances that quickly. Without blazing leg speed, but, with 600 to go, he is running at 97-98%of his maximum flat-out speed and that has proven nearly devastating for those going w him in the race for the tape. He also seems to handle varying speeds well in the midst of a distance race. When with the best of the best, his choosing to control the pace; then going for broke with the ramping up towards home as the final touch while risky and always prone to failure, is, nonetheless, the ballsy tactics that will get into the heads of Kajelka, Beraga, Chelimo and Cheptegei. BTW: Kajelka took down El G’s very OLD indoor mile WR and was someone not given to running such short distances. Deference to the superior ‘on-paper’ runner has no place in track racing. You might as well be saying, ‘back here we’re all racing for second. I like Fisher’s head. He is smart … in school and demonstrates tactical savvy out on the race course. May we see more of him.
From Ernie Cunliffe:
Spent six days in Austin with the US team in the '74 20U meet with the Russians. Didn't see Willie but this right hand with which I am typing shook the hand of Darrell Royal. It was a handshaking procession for the coaching staff. Started with city councilmen, county officials, etc and worked our way up the chain of importance. Next to last was the governor and finally, leaving no doubt that we had reached the pinnacle, there was Darrell Royal.....There were five coaches who went out drinking every night, 3 whites, 2 blacks or maybe the other way around. We always had a good time....The other odd memory was the night after the second evening of competition. Early on everyone, Russian and US, had been given clothing and memorabilia. In that package were Levis. Didn't think a thing about that but, boy, the Russians did. You didn't get Levis in Moscow in 1974. That evening a Russian trainer offered me his attractive female assistant in exchange for my Levis. Didn't take him up on that as I was married and she was young and appeared afraid. Okay mostly she was young and afraid. Roy Mason, Ukiah, CA
What will Russia do now without McDonald's, Starbucks, and Payday Loans?
From Russ Reabold Trojan Force
From John Perry: "Blind Hand Off is Worth 0.2 Seconds. John Perry handing off to Tom Von Ruden 2 mile relay Kansas Relays, 1965 Where are the other incoming runners?
Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, MA, competes in track and field early in 20th Century.
A few weeks ago I posted a picture of young boys with visual challenges competing in the shot put.
Looked through the internet and found this description of competition in 1915
Room to run
Dr. Allen made the best use possible of the playground area on the South Boston campus, but the school simply needed more room. In 1912, Allen and the school’s trustees moved Perkins to new, spacious quarters with acres of open land in Watertown. The main building boasted a swimming pool and a bowling alley, and both Lower and Upper Schools had fully equipped gymnasiums. The following is a 1912 description of the new gymnasium in the Howe building:
“It is a hall two stories high and of 90 feet in length with a running track in the balcony about the sides, 15 windows light the hall from above the balcony while seven slits – on the floor level – aid the upper windows in giving illumination. Nevertheless, it is rather dark on a cloudy day. The gymnasium is well equipped with the best supplies, such as ropes, rope ladders, horizontal Swedish ladders, stall bars, adjustable parallel bars, the horse, wall machines (i.e., weights), parallel bars, dumb-bells, punching bag, etc. The running track has a railing with a special hand guide about it and in addition, the outer corners of the turns are raised. The floor is made of a linoleum preparation; and all the apparatus is removable, as was the case at Jamaica Plain.”
Team Perkins
Team sports and athletic events were a natural outgrowth of the renewed emphasis on physical education classes at Perkins. The earliest photograph of a school sports team dates from South Boston in 1908, with the caption, “Athletic Team, Boys Department.” Perkins participated in the First Outdoor Contest of the National Athletic Association of Schools for the Blind, held on May 16, 1908. The events included shot put, standing broad jump, standing high jump, three standing jumps, running broad jump, 50-yard dash, football throw, 50-yard three-legged race, and 50-yard sack race. Dr. Allen reported:
“Our boys took part in May in an interscholastic contest with 12 other schools for the blind, each on its own grounds, we’re holding our meet at the kindergarten. Their time and opportunity for practice had been so limited here that they were at a great disadvantage, but while they did not win in any event they made a creditable showing.”
In 1910 athletes from four schools for the blind (Overbrook, Batavia, Boston, and Pittsburgh) met at Overbrook, PA, and “contested in running dashes, broad and high jumping and shot putting. Perkins came out third.”
Victory
Just a short time after the move to Watertown, the boys’ athletic team hosted an indoor track competition against Framingham High School. Dr. Allen included this summary in his Annual Report to the trustees:
“In the gymnasium on March 12, 1912, the Perkins Institution boys defeated a team from Framingham High School in an indoor track meet, the score being 53 points to 9 points. The Framingham boys were point winners in but four events. This was the first time that the Perkins Institution boys ever contested with a high school in track athletics, but it marks a growing tendency among our pupils to abandon contests with other schools for the blind in favor of those with schools for the seeing, and in these meets, they neither ask nor expect concessions of any kind.”
The boys held competitions throughout the school year to determine the best football players. In June the “individual champions of the school meet those of the local high school and the team of the Pennsylvania School for the Blind.” (AR, 1922, p. 22)
Track
Later, the boys also competed with teams from the New York Institute for the Blind. Although the teams were not always victorious, such competitions offered other rewards. The following is Dr. Allen’s account of a meet in New York:
“On June 7, 1928, six of the boys and myself left for New York via the canal. The trip was delightful. Even the opportunity to dance was given to the boys, as there were some young ladies on board whom we knew. The track meet with the New York School was of the highest order. Our boys took their beating in the best of spirit; they were true sports and I am tremendously proud of them. No one could have wished for a finer meet, a better spirit, or a better group.”
And finally from today's headlines:
Thought this would be of importance to all our readers. From The New Yorker
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Satire from The Borowitz ReportManufacturers of Performance-Enhancing Drugs Impose Sanctions on RussiaA visibly rattled Putin said, “Anyone who attacks Russia’s ability to dope its athletes is striking at one of our nation’s grandest traditions.” |
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