I only have sporadic memories of this. We've gone over this before, but some new information has come to light. While I remembered Villanova coming to town for a duel meet,but it really was Maryland. I mistook Mark Belger for Renaldo Nehemiah, I suppose! I was injured at the time and I don't even have record of running anything at the meet. It was held at Westerly Parkway Junior High School of all places, as Beaver Stadium had been lifted up and seats were added in front, obliterating PSU's former track.
The unfolding demise of Maryland Track and Field (men only!) is a sad reminder that the bottom line is often the bottom line. When we met on the track for a now extremely rare scored duel meet, Maryland was at the zenith of its Track existence. The team that trudged off the buses in the Junior High parking lot were the champions of the ACC many times straight (24!), and were to go on to a top 10 finish in the NCAA Outdoor Track Championships in 1979. They were repeat 6th place finishers indoors.
But a funny thing happened that day. The only part I remember is that PSU beat them on the day's final event. It was the pole vault, which always seems to take forever at these meets. The all-day gray skies and drizzle made for difficult conditions. The difference was that Maryland's two 17 foot pole vaulters could not quite get comfortable and two PSU vaulters managed to make their usual heights (high 15's?? low 16's??) and we won the meet by a few points. Goliath got back on the bus and made their way back to suburban Washington DC (not Philly!). This David went back to his dorm room and promptly forgot nearly all of it!
Monday, December 19, 2011
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The actual reason we were running at the junior high track was because our new track opened that year but not quite as planned. Mother Earth created her own jump pit and steeplechase water pit by taking a huge chunk of track via a sink hole. KKOB
ReplyDeleteDid not know that! (But no comment on "Noisy Jim's" singing career?)
ReplyDeleteWe need more duel meets
ReplyDeleteI remember running the steeple that day and, since there was no water pit at the Jr High, they simply turned regular hurdles backwards!! Didn't we run at least one other meet there as well that year? LTM
ReplyDeleteCoach Groves agrees that this is the best way to improve the sport.
ReplyDeleteI am still perplexed at my lack of memory of this event. Brain cells have obviously died, and yet my large intellect remains otherwise intact! I have no recollection of the steeplechase at that meet. And my running log doesn't have any mention of other meets. I was injured at the time from fencing class. I tore my groin and sustained what is now referred to as a "high ankle sprain".
ReplyDeleteI just looked at my log and Pitt was also there (May 6, 1978), so it was probably a double dual meet. LTM
ReplyDeleteWe were still throwing the hammer over at the circle by the meat cutting lab, then had to come over to the track to throw the shot and discus (although, we may have thrown that on the east side of the stadium, can't remember so long ago.) It was a nasty fun time.The discus sector at State High went uphill to one side, and slightly downhill to the other. A fun time was had by all.
ReplyDeleteI keep learning more and more things! Downhill discus sounds like a winner to me! Would definitely improve my all-time best.
ReplyDeleteI remember Nehemiah slowing down in the 200 to help a teammate win the event, but the guy couldn't close fast enough.
ReplyDelete