THE GOLF IS OPTIONAL, THE MIRTH IS REQUIRED! The only blog detailing PSU Track and Field, (not always great!) Golf, Physics topics and great videos at the same time! An eclectic mish-mash (mess) of just about everything imaginable. Penn State Track and Field Alumni Golfers have honored PSU Track/XC, Coach Harry Groves and abused golf courses throughout Happy Valley since 2002. Help spread the word!
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"...a blogger, who is just a bullsh*tter with an IP address."
-Anonymous, Ace of Spades Blog, 2021.
"Gutless and talentless. (sic) It's your trademark since 1977."
-Redacted, 2021.
"Friendship, physics, and philosophy---this blog has it all."
-Anonymous, 2011.
"I enjoy what you are doing with this blog. It is truly the only reason to have a Facebook account." -Darryl Jones.
"Light yourself on fire and then roll in broken glass to put out the fire!" -from Isaiah Harris's Twitter Feed, explaining how to replicate the feeling after an 800M race. "Even pit bulls call him Coach." -Brian Mount, reacting to a visit to Coach Groves from Hunter Backenstose's pit bull, Blanche.
"Your blog is amazing and I’ve always loved your humor. Thanks for continually bringing me a smile." -Don Ziter, two-time winner of the Coach Groves Golf Tournament.
"Your blog is amazing." -Bob Trump.
"Keep up the great work." -Nick Scarpello, after winning the 2016 Carlsbad 5K.
"Goodbye to all that. (Politics) I am turning into Jeremiah Johnson, a shunner." -Rob Whiteside, walking the Appalachian Trail.
"I'd rather see you laying in a gutter with your head split open than to see you run like that." -Coach Groves, following a poor showing of 800M runners at a Beaver Stadium Meet, late 70's.
"You do a fantastic job." -Phil Caraher.
"You are amazing at blogging." -Walt Chadwick.
"Best blog out there." -Phil Passen.
"...it tops all sites I've seen with its sense of humor." -George Brose, author of the website Once Upon a Time in the Vest, about our humble blog.
"Great post as usual DFB!" -Darryl Jones.
"You just don't f*** with a f*****." -sage advice from Coach Groves, as told to Tim Backenstose and me, 5/17/14.
"When I was a kid, I saw an illegal dice game in the bathroom at Franklin Field." -Matthew Groves, 2013, remembering the Penn Relays Carnival.
"Don't sit next to Balkey and Artie at a track meet...You'll end up talking about hockey for 3 hours." -Coach Groves to Rebecca Donaghue, 2013.
"The first 45 mile week I ever ran, I ran in the first 3 days at PSU- Thank you very much, Bruce Baden!" -Larry Mangan, 2012.
"If it takes longer than a paragraph, you don't have anything to say anyway." -Coach Grovesat the 2012 Track Alumni Dinner
"If you can't get excited for The Penn Relays than damn it, you aint got no soul!" -Coach Groves, as reported by Matt Lincoln at the 2012 Penn Relays.
"Athletics is for education and recreation, nothing else. Winning is important only in that you learn more." -Coach Harry Groves, 5/21/2011 at the Alumni "Run". "... for a brief time, I'm the greatest Track Coach in the world." -Coach Harry Groves, at his Retirement 2006.
"You must do something about the cheating!" -Coach Harry Groves, after golfing two holes with each foursome in 2009.
"We made Harry cry." -Randy Moore, remembering the 1985 Penn Relays 4 X 800.
"Even my mother calls me Coach." -Coach Harry Groves, circa 1977, whenever a student/athlete dared call him Harry.
I would have been a pretty good hockey player in my day, if I had only learned to skate properly.
Joe Kovacs was lauded at the recent Lehigh Valley Phantoms game, and presented with a jersey of his very own. But I would bet that the prize he is really after is Performance of the Year in our Annual contest. Be sure to vote for the last Semi-Final before the Final 9 are announced! Only 1 day remains.
Addendum: For the first time in our history, the page views surpassed 17,000 in the last month. (That's more than 560 each day for you math majors!) Thank you for your blog support and keep spreading the news!
Well, if tradition is defined by the past dozen or so years!
Every single one of these family traditions are probably from the mind of Partner the Better, but no one is complaining around this house. Mind you, the religious significance of the event is not forgotten, although the church service chosen varies from year to year. For some reason, this year we chose the most densely packed Christmas Eve 4:00 PM Mass. The fifth year in a row that I have stood for the entire service. Ho Ho Ho! For anyone inquisitive about the best times for Mass at a Roman Catholic Church for Christmas, it's the earliest service on Christmas Day itself. You will always get a seat then!
First up in our secular world of Christmas is the annual trip to Sheetz for free coffee. I am abstaining this year to enjoy a Mountain Dew or two instead. There is room for change in our tradition!
Next, the incredibly sized potful of creamed chipped beef on toast (SOS in military terms). The ceremonial buying of the finest in dried beef occurs on Market Day closest to the day of days. Butchers compete in earnest to attract our 1 1/2 pound purchase. This year's award winner was Godfrey Bros. Meats. When completed with toasted English Muffins instead of toast, it is guaranteed to fill everyone up. And trigger somnolence and lactose intolerance for me for the rest of the day!
A minimum of family gifts is exchanged either before or after the Breakfast of Champions, also depending on church times. I don't think I have received a real gift in 5 years. The reason for the season means I don't mind. Besides, I know I will be getting just one present later on in the day...
Next up is a chance to jog on the treadmill while watching the continually running A Christmas Story on TBS. This run is notorious for its slothfulness and discomfort, (see SOS from above). Distance varies from the minimum 1 mile required for "streaking" and the 3 miles I promised my knee surgeon.
Most years, a nap can be had, as long as you sneak away and let no one know what you are doing. Or outright lie about it. I don't know how Joseph and Mary would feel about this lie. I'm pretty sure that at least Joseph would be on my side.
Some years, when Partner the Better loses her mind, we make a dinner and invite family members and others to help celebrate the season. This is always met with, "it isn't that big a deal" and ends with all-day activities involving hundreds. I'm also sure that Joseph would probably be rolling his eyes with me on this one. Today's feast includes a rib-eye roast and a spiral-cut ham both purchased from Aldi's.
The last, and certainly the coolest tradition is the final one. Bowling for Jesus is a family tradition that has taken the town by storm. Well, every year there are more and more lanes occupied next to us, anyway.
Everyone invited buys a present worth relatively the same amount (currently $50 or so) and brings it unwrapped to the Bowling Alley. (Always open because the adjoining bar is open for football fan clubs.) All prizes are placed on tables for perusal by the combatants. And then two games of usually rather poor examples are bowled by everyone. The totals are added up and the winner gets his (or her!) choice of prizes. The process continues until all the bowlers have their prize. Then the non-bowlers present randomly get to choose from the stack. No one is left unsatisfied, as everything is of equal value.
On those years that a dinner is not on the schedule, pizza and bar food suffices. This ensures that no one has to clean up their house or cook anything extravagant on the Big Day.
Feel free to adopt any of our family traditions. You can even join us if you wish. MerryChristmas.
UPDATE: This year my fourth place finish netted me an Amazon Echo Dot and Bluetooth speaker. Not really sure what any of that means? I was notably beaten like a rented mule by Daughter the Younger, while Daughter the Elder's hand has healed enough to almost beat me too!
Head on over to the most viewed Track/Physics/Golf web site in the world to vote for your top 3 in the last of the Semi-Finals for the 2016 Performance of the Year! All performances submitted during the year were randomly placed in the Semi-Finals by our crack staff of Interns. And Coach Groves is disappointed in the number of votes so far! Step it up, people.
Womens team winning the NCAA Cross Country Regional meet.
Olympic Silver Medal for Joe Kovacs.
Brannon Kidder, 4th at the NCAA 1500M.
Isaiah Harris, 4th at the NCAA Outdoor 800M.
Brian Leap's Big Ten title in the Triple Jump.
Tori Gerlach and Tessa Barrett, 2nd and 3rd in the Indoor Big Ten 3000M and 5000M.
Brannon Kidder, American Indoor 1000M Collegiate (NCAA) Record.
Isaiah Harris, Big Ten title in 800M as Freshman.
Isaiah Harris/Brannon Kidder both with opening meet 1:46 800M times.
Coach Groves wishes us all a MerryChristmas from State College. He is wearing his new t-shirt, hat, and jacket supplied by Terry Losch from Rapid Transit.
Be sure to go to the full web site,http://psutafalumnigolf.blogspot.com and vote in the second round of the Performance of the Year on the left sidebar. Vote for your top 3, as 3 will make it into the Final Round. Only 1 day before the 3rd Semi-Final appears.
Don't forget to vote in the second Semi-Final for the Performance of the Year 2016! You must visit the full web site and vote for 3 on the left sidebar!
Here'a a scene from many people's favorite Christmas Movie. It was a mild flop when it first opened, but gathered steam fairly well in the years since. This scene stars Sheldon Leonard (for whom the two main characters on Big Bang Theory are named) better known as an influential television producer in the years after.
"Look at me, I'm handing out wings!"
Some Things Coach Groves taught me:
"Athletics is for education and recreation, nothing else. Winning is important only in that you learn more." During an interview with him at the Alumni Run.
"Keep the damn window closed." Told to every one of his charges at one time or another.
Don't call him Harry unless he says you can. I still don't anyway.
"... for a brief time, I'm the greatest Track Coach in the world." This was said by him only in acknowledging all the great things said about him at his retirement dinner. He was paraphrasing a speech he saw Jesse Owens once give.
"Sometimes, hard work is your only reward."Told to me following a seeming failure of mine in my Sophomore year.
"You must do something about the cheating."Following the 2009 Golf Tourney where he golfed with every foursome for 2 holes.
"You just don't f*** with a f*****." This has been misconstrued by everyone since I purposely placed it on the blog. The "f****** involved was Coach Groves himself, and he was commending both Tim Backenstose and myself for never f****** with him. And I never have.
"The most important part of the course is the part just after the big hill."
Be sure to go to the full web site, http://psutafalumnigolf.blogspot.com and vote in the second round of the Performance of the Year on the left sidebar. Vote for your top 3, as 3 will make it into the Final Round.
Tessa Barrett wins the Regional NCAA XC Meet.
Isaiah Harris wins the 800M at the NACAC Meet.
Joe Kovacs and Darrell Hill both make the Olympic team.
Brannon Kidder's 9th Big Ten Title (1500M)
Mark Parker joins the Disney Board of Directors.
Rob and Phoebe Whiteside thru-hike the Appalachian Trail.
Cas Loxsom and Isaiah Harris both in the Finals of the Olympic Trials 800M.
Isaiah Harris wearing our Group Wrist Band and finishing 6th at Olympic Trial 800M.
Be sure to
vote in the first Semi-Final of the Performance of the Year on the left
sidebar of the full web-site! Only 1 day left before the second
Semi-Final appears!! We need more votes!
The event went from a hush-hush underground event to a sponsored professional tour in just a few years. Now there are even special shoes designed for the event!
Be sure to vote in the first Semi-Final of the Performance of the Year on the left sidebar of the full web-site! Only 2 days left before the second Semi-Final appears!!
I have met a few people in my 41 year running "career" that definitely don't support this theory. But since the exception usually proves the rule, maybe it's true?
And there is still more info on the Feynman Technique for learning anything. And nobody qualifies more as a "Thinking Person" than the great man himself!
Be sure to vote in the first Semi-Final of the Performance of the Year on the left sidebar of the full web-site! 3 days left before the second appears!!
Randy Moore originally coined the moniker for my efforts to entice all Penn State Track and Field Alumni to the Reunion and Coach Groves Golf Tourney created by Clark Haley in 2002. And it is certainly an apt title. Here's to hoping all of you help entice others to this year's event held in conjunction with the Big Ten Outdoor Championships.
And following the holidays,my movie will be available in DVD format! Get your copy at Walmart. Or you can order a copy via Amazon now. Be sure to look for my first appearance ever on the Big Silver Screen in the credits at the end!
PLAN 9
releases on physical media! The long awaited day has finally come. Plan
9 will be released JAN 5th, 2017 in 2600 Walmart stores. But if you
wanna get it early Amazon has it available NOW!!!
Yes, it's that time of year again. Be sure to go to the full web-site and vote in the poll at the top of the left sidebar. Vote for your top 3 in each Semi-Final. Three from each will advance to the Finals.
These performances are randomly selected from all the submissions during the year on the right sidebar. There is still more opportunity to submit more items to be included in the other 2 Semi-Finals.
Ron Moore's victory at the 100K Firecracker Ultra.
Isaiah Harris's school record and Big Ten Championship in Outdoor 800M.
Pre-Olympics Diamond League win by Joe Kovacs.
Brannon Kidder, Athlete of the Year at Penn Relays.
Bridget Franek making her 2nd 3000M Steeplechase Final at Olympic Trials.
Brian Leap, 6th at NCAA Triple Jump 52' 11".
Darrell Hill drafted into the Tracktown League by the Philadelphia team.
Tessa Barrett's dominance at the Spiked Shoe Inv. XC and USTFCCA Athlete of the week.
The big day is rapidly approaching, and I think I will revert to childhood and see if I can get a couple of toys for presents. Us old-timers remember the days when we rifled through the Sears or JC Penneys catalog for ideas on our Christmas lists. Now JC Penneys is barely limping along and Sears is about to bite the dust completely.
But the spirit of the catalogs lives on, at least on the internet of today, although it is muted by vast amounts of worthless material hogging most of the bandwidth. I found this new LEGO set is about to be added to the annals to go with the already available Big Bang Theory set! LINK FIXED
Either the Blue beat the White, or the White beat the Blue. I'm not sure which. And everyone ran weird distances in bizarre shirts. The only consistent thing was Owen Dawson rabbiting many events and rocking the Alumni Singlet! All photos were stolen from our great friend Bob Trump.
Michael Slagowski's debut on the Ashenfelter Track.
Penn State Track and Field Alumni GolferTom Kleban continues to make track and field better, both at the high school and college level. The former decathlete gives a perspective to the sport that almost no one else can.
Now he is a star of Town and Gown, my wife's go-to State College reference.
* Coach Groves once told me that the Kleban brothers, Tom and Rick, lived in his neighborhood as kids and once blew up his mailbox with firecrackers as a Halloween prank. The Interns have been unable to verify this claim.
I have bumped into the Fanelli family many times throughout my running "career". Our paths even crossed a few times, although I have never met Mike face to face. I have met Gary Sr., and even purchased bee pollen from him back in the late 70s at a road race or two.
Since I have become a certified, professional Movie Producer (Go ahead and look me up on IMDb!), my next project has been rolling around in my head for 2 years now. It is a rip-off of the current hit and my favorite TV show, The Goldbergs. I figure we could simply switch the "1980-something" catch phrase to "1970-something" and use the same suburban Philly motif and locations many of us are familiar with. Work in running in all its forms and the episodes would practically write themselves. The Fanelli family would literally become America's Running Royalty, and take us to many places where we would all smile ear to ear. Like I have said many times, I am just an idea person. I will put the Interns on the case to make something happen!
Anyhoo, here's the latest submission from Mike Fanelli that highlights PSU and my idol, who would certainly be offered a guest spot on my show, The Fanellis.
Steve Prefontaine, Donal Walsh, Don Kardong, Greg Fredericks, John Bednarski.
Notice that a certain "good" runner in Marty Liquori didn't make the podium and Mark Covert of Running Streak fame was a high finisher on the William and Mary course.
Also, that jacket with the old-school lion probably still fits Greg.
The Interns finally woke up today and got to work on the question of when Al Porto (1950 NCAA Championship team member mentioned in comments to the last post) won our longest drive contest! Turns out it was the 2013 Coach Groves Golf Tournament, the same one where Happy Gilmore made an appearance! (Now the Interns want an upgrade to the ObamaCare Gold Plan when I can't even afford the Silver Plan for myself, and the Bronze Plan has been banned by the State of Pennsylvania as Cruel and Unusual.)
Ryan Foster, Larry Mangan, Al Porto and Steve Balkey. Photo by Mark Hawkins.
Three of the four were/are PSU 1500M/Mile Record Holders and the fourth
happened to be an NCAA Cross Country Champion in 1949 and 1950 And let's not
forget that Al Porto happens to have won the Longest Drive competition in our Golf Tournament.
A fifth member of the group showed up at one point. Happy Gilmore made his appearance and impressed the group with a trademark running shot. No word on who he later punched.
We haven't had a new Officer installed in a little while and I came across this pic online...
This is Mercedes and Teddy Quinn's new dog, an adopted Jack Russell terrier (or as they will learn, terror!) named Bo (I think!). Seeing as Teddy is our group's Director of Fun, Bo is now our Ambassador of Fun! There is never a dull moment with a Jack. I look forward to this year's head-to-head match-up of Bo and my Jack Spott in the basketball bracket fiasco!
The Fanelli family from Jenkintown, PA is as close as America comes to Track and Field royalty. Mike brings us this great PSU tidbit from the last team championship for the Lions!
And coming soon will be more from the Fanellis AND one of our own Olympians when I reintroduce our 10 Questions feature (give or take a few!)
Instead of reading the obituaries of 60 year-old men way too often, it was great to see the odes to two giants of the food industry at the ripe age of 98.
Two 98 year old creators of dishes that the Center for Science in the Public Interest called "heart attacks on a plate". But then theCSPIadvocates dishes like kale salad and tofu turkey, the kind of dishes no family gathered around with smiles on their faces.
Chef Peng Chang-kuei passed away in Taiwan. In 1952 he created General Tso's Chicken, a dish that attracted fans like Henry Kissinger and much of the West. Although General Tso was a real Chinese leader, mainland China doesn't really know anything about the dish. I'm happy we can keep it to ourselves.
And Pittsburgher Michael James Delligatti also passed away at the age of 98. He invented the McDonald's Big Mac in 1967. The keys were the two patties of beef, the center slice of bread and his "special sauce".
I only made it to halftime, and gave up on them AGAIN. Every single prediction I have made about this team has been wrong. And I haven't seen 3/4 of their offensive production because I have either given up or fallen asleep during all the 8:00PM games, and maybe even some of the 3:30PM games.
I will let Major Payne explain what the Penn State Nittany Lion team is all about...
Today marks the first time PSU is represented in the Big Ten Football Championship Game in Indianapolis, and our Group will be well represented there.
Included in the fans urging on a Nittany Lion victory will include Vivian Riddick, Larry Mangan, Paul Souza, Don Skerpon and Harry Smith. Any others?
I am happy to hear of the enthusiasm for the team, even though I will probably nod off during the first quarter of action. I will await more photos from the middle of the country!
As the current team works out in preparation of the upcoming season, and the recruiting of future athletes continues to restock the team with more and more talent, I am left with a collection of submissions to fill my posts. But they are all good ones!
The new rule on entries to a NCAA track meet are horrendously written, and thankfully delayed for a year now. Read up on how horrible the rules committee screwed this one up. As I have said before, any four of us could do better in a hotel room with a keg of beer over a weekend.
I have told you many times that running does not injure your knees. That is still true, even though this article is merely feel-good clickbait...
How many times does this have to happen until authorities in our sport finally figures out how to handle it appropriately? Good people doing good things do not need punishment.
Everyone knows I do not take golf seriously (if at all!), but that doesn't mean others don't. For the record, I know the rules, I just don't follow them...
There's a lull in the action after Cross Country as the troops train and prepare for the Indoor Track Season. And it's too darn cold to hit the Links. So, what can a Track/Golf/Physics Blog do about that?
How about I put a post up with Physics topics that my hundreds of readers (12,000 page hits last month!!!) send me for possible inclusion! Sounds good to me. Put your thinking caps on, and not the tin-foil hats all of us have been wearing throughout this election season!
Barns are painted red BECAUSE OF PHYSICS!!!! This is some pretty cool stuff.
Ron Moore sends us some word on the horrible fires throughout the Southeast, this time centered on the loss of a piece of his Penn State world.
I'll let Ron tell it in his own words...
For
the 1992 Dogwood Relays, the PSU track team stayed in Gatlinburg.
Three of us were not scheduled to run on the first day, so we stayed in
Gatlinburg for the day. (If I recall correctly, it was me, Aidan
O'Reilly, and Andy Scott???). Anyway, the three of us played mini golf
on this course. Sad, very sad. I had told my family about this course,
but we hadn't played it since moving to Knoxville.
When I was married in State College in 1988, my "Bachelor Party" was a mini-golf outing where everyone was invited. I even won the "tournament of the known world" that evening. Now that Hillbilly Golf is no more, I invite Ron to a trip to Central PA and another unbelievable mini-golf haven, Village Greens as part of a package to the Alumni Reunion and Big Ten Championships! Bring the whole family and golf is on me! There are quite a few other Alums nearby and we could have another "tourney for the known world"!
Big news from Flo Track on a case of recurrent high school cross country cheating. But this kid takes the cake when he cheats in an 800M indoor race in the Armory!
Here's my speculation. I am basing this on nothing other than observations of Coach over the past 39 years. I'm hoping Greg or someone in State College can confirm or deny any of this!
Coach Huntsman and Coach Groves did not have a 100% friendly relationship.
They each had immense and grudging respect for the other.
Coach Groves still smiled a just bit when he found out, noting that he out-lived another contemporary.
From our future Blog Official Physicist, here's a couple of pics from theNCAA XC Championships from 25 years ago. It introduces a few new names to our Universe and demonstrates that Coach Groves did not devote much time in thoughts of being "dressed for success"! Penn State finished 10th in the Mens race and the Women were 13th.
Ron Moore and Coach Groves.
Phil Mellott, Andy Scott, Ron Moore, Rob Gough, Aidan O'Reilly, Coach Groves, Mark Wimmer, Austin Morrow.
As always, anyone getting in touch with any of these guys, be sure to invite them to our Reunion and Golf Tourney in May. This year we will be there in conjunction with the Big Ten Championships!!!
First up is the phenomenon known as the York YMCA downtown Turkey Trot. This year it brought in more than 5,100 runners for a brief tour of the city! There were acquaintances who joined in and told me it took them more than 5 1/2 minutes to reach the starting line!
I would bet that less than 5,100 people venture into downtown York in all 364 other days of the year added together. I have patients who live north of York and visit my office south of York and circle the entire city to get there. A significant number haven't been into the city once since 1969 and the riots. And as Dave Barry says, "I'm not making that up."
There are more than 5,100 behind that line!
Daughter the Elder and her ex-York Suburban teammates.
Mary Kate Curran dominated the snow, wind and the roads in Peru, NY with a dominating performance in theJohn P. Adams Memorial Turkey Trot 10K. And I already know she's on Santa's good list for a great gift in a month or so!
The Fuller Bros. (Inc.) again owned the New Cumberland Turkey Trot. Not sure if the entire harem was involved but Mary Dell also won the women's division.
The results photo was sent by Jeff Sanden (whose clan also can in New Cumberland) and turned in a world record time for someone just 2 or so weeks following an appendectomy! And although it was a week earlier, the Dawson twins also turned in splendid performances in the Philadelphia 8K! Close enough for a turkey! These results were supplied by our Chief Laundry and Morale Officer, who may begin his comeback in 3 years or so!
ROTHMAN INSTITUTE 8K RESULTS
Men’s 8K Results
Thomas Awad, 22, Philadelphia, PA, 00:24:00
Louis Serafini, 25, Brighton, MA, 00:24:11
Owen Dawson, 28, Coatesville, PA, 00:24:18
Jonathan Phillips, 23, Boston, MA, 00:24:24
Kyle Dawson,
28, Philadelphia, PA, 00:24:25
And not to be left out, Joe Kovacs gets into the holiday spirit by tossing some bird in this promotional photo from USATF!
Don't Forget to chime in with any Turkey Trot results you come across!
As the family heads off to the downtown York Turkey Trot with 5,000 other folks, I am preparing for my usual 3-mile treadmill run. Trust me, it's better off this way. I was once disgusted when I entered the Maryland Marathon in 1977 and realized there were almost 2,000 runners. I was disgusted by the sheer numbers of "joggers" in the field. I wouldn't fare well in a crowd of revelers wearing costumes and dragging children and dogs with them. At a cost of $25 per runner, with nothing in return but a modicum of police protection, at least while running...
Artist's conception of me in 10 years.
Besides, I couldn't keep up with the "joggers" anymore anyway.
And I always figured I wasn't smart enough to be a Physicist. Now, it turns out I'm not smart enough AND don't have the right ingredients either!
I will try to keep up to date with all the Bird Day shenanigans I come across from the Penn State Track and Field Alumni Golfers running Turkey Trots across the Nation. My family will join the 5,000 or so crazy people in downtown York. Minus me, of course. I am no longer that crazy!
Here's a story someone sent in a while back. I apologize because I can't remember which of my hundreds of readers it was, but I do appreciate the submission! It involves generations of the family of the very first Marylander to run a sub-4 Mile. Cool story, even if he was a Villanova Wildcat...
It didn't turn out quite like they hoped, but there was a silver lining at the end anyway.
Tessa Barrett ended up a DNF, although I did see her listed among the leaders until the 4K mark, right with her 2 teammates, Jillian Hunsberger and Elizabeth Chikotas. There hasn't been an explanation forthcoming, but we all hope Tessa is OK. With the loss of their #1 runner, PSU finished a disappointing 18th in the team competition.
Elizabeth Chikotas ended up in 15th place and Jillian Hunsberger 36th. That makes for 2 All-Americans for PSU!
Coach Gondak and Coach Reck surround PSU's latest All-Americans.
Tomorrow brings the end of the Collegiate Cross Country season with the NCAA Championships. Although the Men aren't there, PSU takes a top-ten team to the course in Terre Haute. And they will escape the blizzard affecting some of the Midwest. Could be quite windy, though!
I recently lost my dog, Montgomery, a really beautiful Pomeranian. He was a heck of an athlete, at least between bouts of emergency hospitalizations costing me thousands of dollars. I'm still paying some of those credit card bills...
Monty.
This little fella looks like Monty did on the run. I would bet Monty could take him though. He did up to 6 miles at a time in his prime. He had Kenyan roots somehow.
And the competition can be quite tough in cross country, with the competing runners, the weather and the difficulty of hill and dale. But now you must look out for wildlife too...
My interest in bringing new-fangled aerial coverage of the great sport of cross country led me down a road that finally piqued the interest of a major news source.
When I started filming cross country races from above I met with much scorn from people who don't understand the sport or the use of drones to film it. I realized then that in such a litigious society, it would be better if I had insurance over and above my home-owner's policy in case anything ever happened.
I did my research on the rules and gradually learned how to fly the drone at a level skilled enough to be NEAR groups of people such as at a cross country race. And I stumbled across a product that met my needs exactly, and was easy to use right off the starting line!
Verifly is an $1,000,000 insurance policy for drone flyers that can be purchased in hour long increments right from your cell phone and right before any drone flights. The app is easy to use and self-explanatory to even a novice like me. Those who will be joining me in the drone enthusiast club because of the dramatic drops in prices for the holidays, would be wise to bookmark this post. Soon the app will allow longer durations, wider coverage areas and even higher overall coverage amounts. It really is a fine product, and I recommend it highly.
After my first three meets, Verifly contacted me for a survey on my thoughts on their product. Following this, they contacted me directly for a more thorough understanding of my use and critiques. When they in turn were contacted by Reuters for a story of the need for drone insurance, my name was submitted as someone to talk to.
That's how I was contacted by Beth Pinsker, an editor for the Money section of Reuters. Our conversation was candid and comfortable and centered on why I felt a need for the insurance. The angle of a hobbyist like me using the drone for a purpose like cross country filming intrigued her.
As it turns out, her story was remarkably well-written and researched, and I recommend it highly for anyone interested in the topic. She was thorough and quoted me accurately in the article. My respect for the field of journalism was enhanced greatly by my experience with her. And it turns out we share a childhood in the Susquehanna Valley, although she grew up on the opposite shore!
I will continue to think about ways to bridge the gap between my drone ideas and the authorities who have safety in mind, but end up arbitrarily banning drones completely. I ask you, wouldn't it be great to have drone footage of PSU's greats on the cross country course? Imagine footage of Curt Stone, Horace Ashenfelter, Greg Fredericks, Alan Scharsu, Charlie Maguire and others, if only drones had been invented in time. We may be denying such footage of the current crop of athletes at PSU, who could well turn out to be worthy of the previous list of greats!
We have already covered the news of St. Joseph Academy's victory in the PIAA A Cross Country Girls Championships. Coached by Jayson Jackson and Matt Groves, the Lady Wolves also had the overall winner in Sera Mazza.
And it turns out that the team had an extra motivation for performing well. Coach Jackson's newborn infant Ophelia was hospitalized due to respiratory issues due to her premature birth in the weeks leading up to the State Meet. I am no stranger to the issue of premature birth. Daughter the Elder came 9 1/2 weeks early and spent her first 6 weeks in the ICU. She is currently in her PSU Junior year studying wildlife and fishery science. Hang in there Jayson!
Jayson Jackson, top left, Matt Groves, bottom left.
2023 Indoor National Champion, Olympic Silver Medalist 2016, 2020(21), 2024 2-time World Champion and 2022, 2023 Diamond League Champion, 2023 Bronze Medalist World Championship
"First Light"- I took the best photo of the Lion Shrine I've ever seen!*
click on photo to download and then go ahead and print a masterpiece on your own! *(except the one with the naked twins in the 70's!)
