15 Disparate Musings About The 2023 Track And Field Alumni Reunion

1. Apologies go out to my fabulous foursome this year. Three of the finest friends and long-term attendees whom I both admire and respect. I did nothing but bitch and moan the whole golf round, while contributing nothing but missed putts and bad vibes. I am truly sorry.
2. Talked Mike Shine into golfing for the first time. I believe he enjoyed himself and had 4 shots that counted.
3. The dinner was excellent again this year. Ribs, BBQ chicken breast, fusili Mac and cheese, garlic green beans and Paul Mundy Memorial triple chocolate cake.
4. Got to speak with Ryan Foster and his father. Two delightful people. I think I convinced Ryan to get a third cat. The interactions and interesting behavioral changes that occur with the addition of each new cat are worthwhile. I forgot to inform him that the equation for the proper number of litter boxes is (# of cats + 1).
5. The Hyatt Hotel is an excellent venue. The expense is worth it.
6. Clark and Harry are great at what they have done to keep this independent movement going. Check how many other schools are doing as much. It isn't many. And if they attempt to add me to those who deserve praise, only believe 10% of it.
7. Finally got to meet Joe Head, the first Nittany Lion to run in the Olympic Trials Marathon. He was a full-fledged member of our group before it was founded.
8. The Coach's Remembrance was just right. I especially liked Ken Cooper's, Ryan Foster's and Artie Gilkes' presentations.
9. I live streamed the ceremony on our Facebook (Meta) page. Eight people watched live, but it has already been viewed more than 100  200  300 times since.  I actually hurt my back and tired my arms holding the phone up for 2.5 hours. Too stupid to think of a stand...
10. Coach Schwartz was my assistant coach for XC in 1977.I immediately knew he was the ying to Coach Groves yang at our first meeting. Total and complete respect.
11. This weekend reinforced my opinion that members of our group are the most interesting, the most accomplished and the most intelligent people I have ever known.
12. Coach Gondak is an excellent inheritor of the position once held by Coach Groves. I first met him at one of our early Friday receptions where I brought the potato chips and Clark Haley was truly the Keeper of the Beer in the small meeting room at the Hampton Inn.
13. Ken Worthen is apparently the finest golfer in our tournament history. I heard many people telling me his play was outstanding from hole 1 to hole 18. I did not get to speak with him, but I want to thank him for dragging Don Ziter to his third tournament championship! Harry Smith also.
14. The monies we collect for the weekend may seem steep to some, but that is never the case. In low turnout years we break even with Officers often adding significant funds behind the scene. In high attendance years we do have a surplus, which is given in its entirety to the Penn State Men's and Women's Track and Field and Cross Country teams. (Not the Coach Groves Scholarship Fund). In these surplus years, the funds are often given to an individual employed by a company that matches charitable contributions. This is not done to earn Nittany Lion points for someone to get better parking or tickets for football games etc. The only funds ever mismanaged by our group was the $4.24 lunch at Wendy's I was once allowed by a donation from Paul Mundy made to our blog. BTW the Mountain View Golf Club has changed the hole where Paul hit the tractor trailer on 322. I miss those days.
15. Got to speak with Brie Berkowitz for an hour on Friday. I have known Brie since she was a young lady. Her mom was our kids' school nurse and a running partner of my wife. Her dad was a XC coach in our county. They have already endeared themselves in the PSTAFXC community, and Brie is an outstanding PV coach for the Lions. Truly a small world!
16. More to come... 

More Christmas Goodness From Penn State Track Alumni

Artie Gilkes and Rebecca Donaghue are happy to be a long-standing part of the First Night State College running scene.

First Night State College is a family-friendly New Year’s Eve celebration that has taken place in downtown State College since 1994 and has become an annual tradition for many. For area runners, part of that tradition means lacing up their sneakers and taking part in the First Night 5K Resolution Run, a race started in 1997 as an addition to the daylong festivities.

For couple Rebecca Donaghue and Artie Gilkes, who are both runners and State College Area High School track and field and cross-country coaches, the First Night 5K Resolution Run has been a tradition since they moved to the area 16 years ago.
“We moved to this area because running led us here,” says Gilkes, a former Penn State track and field athlete, who explains that the couple relocated to central Pennsylvania as Donaghue’s professional running career was taking off.

Thanks to Greg Fredericks for sending me the link!

A Trip To States, A Birthday Card, And I Break One of Coach Groves' Favorite Rules

I made it to the PIAA Championships for the first time in many years.  I saw a few friends and missed many others.

Group Friend Henry Klugh and Franklin.

Coach Artie Gilkes and Hannah Humphreys

And PSU Great Curt Stone's 97th birthday is next week.  Greg Fredericks has a plan to send him a big birthday card from us.  I figured everyone should send a greeting to Curt on our Facebook Page and we will include them with a nice greeting from the entire group.

Finally, I purchased a new pair of running shoes from The Inside Track vendor (Henry Klugh's store between Hershey and Harrisburg).  They happened to be a pair of the most talked-about shoe in the world, the Vapor Zoom Fly.

After my first 2 runs in them, I can assure everyone that they do indeed have springs in them (a series of carbon plates in the midsole).   This reduced my heart rate by more than 5% during my treadmill runs at the same miserable speed I have been running all along.  This, of course, violates a rule that Coach Groves holds above nearly all others.

The Marquess of Queensberry rules were adopted long ago for the sport of boxing.  Coach Groves somehow has adopted them for use in running and general life and discussed them many times with me.  Officers of the Group even adopted them for use by our Annual Golf Tourney.  (For those unfamiliar with mirth, this is all tongue-in-cheek!)

One of the rules is that springs are not allowed in boxing shoes!  It remains to the brainiacs of the sport to decide whether they are in running shoes.

Coach Artie Gilkes Gets A Double

The State College Boys team won the PIAA Class 3A team title yesterday at Seth Grove Stadium in Shippensburg.  They exceeded their expected point total with 47 overall points.

That makes Coach Artie Gilkes the State Champion Indoor and Outdoor Coach of 2019!  Needless to say, Artie has the team believing and performing at their optimum level.  Those of us who know him best, saw this coming.  Having a mentor like Coach Groves and the support of the "soon-to-be largest and most active track alumni group in the world" gives great dividends.  Artie is aided by several other PSU Track Alumni (Golfers) including Chris Cipro, Tom Kleban, Matt Groves and Nick K.

The story of the 41st and title-clinching point shows what Artie brings to the table for the athletes he is charged with mentoring.  There are numerous future Nittany Lions coming through his tutelage. Congrats Artie.

Each Point Counts

Coach Of The Year, Athletes Of The Year, And Another 800M Champion!

First up, Artie "Knute" Gilkes became the PIAA Boys Indoor Coach of the Year with his Little Lions victory at the State Meet.  Artie excels at coaching the jumps, of all things, but Nick K. tells us he gives a very good "Gipper" speech as well!  Congrats Artie.  And don't forget to golf this year!

While there is no video, I had the pleasure of hearing Artie’s pre-meet speech.  He comprehensively laid out the scoring possibilities so the team could see for themselves what had to be done in a way that empowered them to take control of the outcome.  No emotional BS.  

(Steve) Shisler’s mission was to re-establish, in his words, “a culture of achievement.”  Gilkes is extending and deepening that ethos.  As an SC alumnus, I am really grateful the young athletes again have outstanding coaches - including the event coaches, who genuinely care about guiding kids to steeper life trajectories through track and field.  During that championship Sunday, one could literally see guys mature and take a big step forward as they competed - not everything went as planned - and then put their hands on the prize.  Inspiring!     -Nick K.

State College Shows Off Depth

Not to be outdone by Penn State Track and Field Alumni, two present team members garnered awards for the season as well.  

Maddie Holmberg continued her great career and won the Mid-Atlantic Field Athlete of the Year.  She then set a PR at the NCAA Championships to place 9th in the Pentathlon. 

 Last, but not least, Danae Rivers backed up her Mid Atlantic Track Athlete of the Year award by winning the 800M at the NCAA Championships!

Danae used the tried and true tactic used by Dave Wottle in 1972, even splits, which took her from the middle of the pack to the victory in dramatic fashion.  Thus accentuating PSU is 800U! 

 Danae wins the 800M

A Guest Post From One Group Officer About Another

Our Chief Laundry and Morale Officer forwarded this from a wayward intern about our Director of Youth Development.  Both are Yinzers, but maybe the rest of us can follow along...

“One of the new interns, currently working on top-secret, autonomous Cross Country van project deep in the bowels of CMU’s Robotics, Propulsion and Isaly’s Klondike Lab, found this hidden jewel in the recesses of the internet.  Finally a story about something good happening in Cleveland!”

The Days of Our Lives

PITTSBURGH, PA - Sometimes I wish I could go back on a rollercoaster ride, when life's just a game. One of Queen's lesser-known songs, "These Are The Days of Our Lives" is the perfect tune by which to remember those times we have left behind us. Everyone of us, at various points in our lives, takes those fateful trips down memory lane. Some of us look back with a smile, and some look back with a sigh of regret. Yet look back we all do, and it is about this that I write today. While hopping about the internet the other day, I happened upon the official Shady Side Academy Cross Country Page, and the memories came flooding back. Reading the tales of the accomplishments of the past year's cross country team, as well as some of the history of the team at Shady Side, I was reminded of how old I had gotten, and how long it had been sonce I ran along those rolling hills of Fox Chapel. How many years it had been since I had taken the long bus ride to Mercersburg, PA, with a dozen or so of us rocking along with Freddy Mercury and Queen in the back. When the last time was that I gathered with my teammates for a pre-race trip to the sacred Pizza Hut. Needless to say, I was quite thrilled to have found this tiny corner of the cyber-world, for it has inspired me to recall the lasting legacy of a man I feel was the greatest runner ever to don a Shady Side uniform - Arthur Scott Gilkes.
It is not the easiest thing to enter high school, a highly regarded cross country runner, the year after a state championship. Having graduated a majority of the major players from the 1988 State Championship team, Shady Side Academy was in a rebuilding year, which still left the team quite competitive by league standards. Artie Gilkes was immediately thrust into a leadership role on the team, surging into a top five position from the onset. The graduation of still more seniors that year thrust the spotlight on Gilkes and his sophomore teammates in the 1990 season. After a strong showing in the state meet that year, where Gilkes finished fourth, the team, which placed three sophomores in the top four slots on the team, appeared destined for something great.
Gilkes' junior year featured more of the same, as Gilkes was rapidly becoming a household name in cross country circles in Western Pennsylvania. As he raced to numerous titles in local invitationals, the team nonetheless found itself in the all-too-familiar role of bridesmaid in the league and state meets. The core of the team, now comprised of three juniors - Gilkes, co-captain Bruce Jacobs, and myself - and a freshman - Andy May - could not get over the huge hurdles in its path, and Gilkes was forced to settle once again for individual achievement. He was victorious in the league championship meet, and he placed second at the state invitational. Would his senior year hold more of the same heartache? Or would his team finally rally around their defiant leader?
Magic Johnson is considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time, not only for the skills he possessed on the court, but for his ability to make those around him better. Artie Gilkes discovered in himself that same desire and that same will. He would not let his team lose, doing everything in his power to propel his team to victory. He only lost one race during his senior year, a state-wide invitational in early September of 1992, but it was his dedication to the team that made him a lasting legend at Shady Side.
Never having known the joys of a team victory at the Interstate Prep School League championships, Gilkes was faced with the unenviable task of weighing certain personal glory against potential team gain. Victory was almost assuredly his, if he so desired it. Yet if he went out and demolished the competition, the team might again find itself in second place. The chief competition, Western Reserve Academy, had two top runners - Hastings and Masiella - who would most likely find themselves in second and third place if Gilkes ran away early. I had never beaten these two runners in three years of head-to-head competition, and as the team's second-best runner, my ability to stay with these two was crucial. Working two-against-one however, the W.R.A. runners had a significant edge, and passing me at the end was a likely outcome. Assistant Coach Tom Graham explained to Gilkes that he would have to risk defeat if he wanted the team to have a chance to win: he would have to hold back, running in a pack of four, only to sprint at the end and take me with him down the victory chute. The decision was not even a decision at all.
Encouraged by my teammate's presence against the two W.R.A. giants, I was able to stay in the lead pack for almost two and a half miles. The four of us had rapidly distanced ourselves from the rest of the field, and it was becoming apparent that Hastings and Masielle were gaining confidence at having kept up with Gilkes. With a half mile to go, Coach Graham signaled for Gilkes to make his move, and motioning for me to come with him, Gilkes took off across the barren Ohio fields. I am not sure to this day why I went with him at the moment, or how I had the strength to do so, but I did, and he pulled me right along with him to the finish. Gilkes had run the race perfectly, and he and Coach Graham had known precisely when to make the final kick. That willingness to sacrifice on the part of Artie Gilkes earned us the league championship.
Artie Gilkes went on to win the state championship as well that year, even though the team finished a close third in the most competitive field in the tournament's history. He went on to star with Penn State University, running track and cross country in the Big Ten. People look back on high school with a variety of memories, from the prom to past girlfriends to pre-college anxiety. I look back on high school and see one race, run late in October, in chilly conditions, just outside of Cleveland, OH. I remember crossing the finish line, profoundly aware that the league title was ours, knowing that the man fifty yards in front of me was responsible. I raced my entire career with Artie Gilkes, always one step behind, and I never met a better runner, or a better leader. Even while just jogging around my Virginia neighborhood, I can still see his face, nodding to me that it was time to go. Run, then, Artie. Run to your place in history. I will be right behind you.
Submitted 7/30/98.

If The Election Doesn't Destroy Us, Maybe CERN Will: (With State College XC Accolades)

The election is thankfully over today.  And while I believe this is the dawn of a new era in the USA, those doomsday forecasters prophesying the coming of SMOD (Smoking Meteor of Death) were wrong, so maybe the Large Hadron Collider in the Swiss/French alps may have to come to their rescue.

An act of Physicists?

A bizarre conspiracy theory has it that the latest plasma blasting experiment at the CERN facility is causing the spike in significant earthquakes in Italy.  The original experiments before the power was turned up failed to manufacture the proposed black holes, so earthquakes will have to do for those determined to see the world end.

And hats off for the State College High girls team led by Rebecca Donaghue and Artie Gilkes who placed 4th in the AAA XC Championships.

Special accolades to Jayson Jackson's and Matt Groves' St. Joseph Academy girls team, PIAA A XC Champions!

A Tribute And A Dedication

There has been so much happening lately in our Universe.  The beginning of Cross Country Season, the Olympics and a passing of note are just some of them.

First up, we lost an honorary member of our group Friday with the passing of Paavo Wildthorn Donaghue-Gilkes.  The Vizsla was the long-time family member of Artie Gilkes and Rebecca Donaghue. Paavo has run more miles than many in our group and was better looking than almost all of us.  RIP Paavo.

Next, and I'm not making this up.  In his first interview after finishing, much credit was given to Happy Gilmore for the Bronze Medal accomplishment by Galen Rupp.  Perhaps , despite 3 (?) kids, he hasn't really grown up yet.  We can only hope!



And future  Official Physicist Ron Moore traveled back to western Pennsylvania for his high school (Hempfield) cross country Alumni Run.  His ninth place finish despite a sore hamstring probably schooled a few of the youngsters in the crowd.

And speaking of high school Alumni Runs, here is the Big Dog Run for Daughter the Younger's York Suburban XC team.  Quite a field turned out!


 

Finally!

Artie, Rebecca and Paavo.

That rumbling and earth shifting you felt yesterday was the union of Rebecca Donaghue and our group's Director of Youth Development Artie Gilkes. These are the only two people I know who took longer than I to finally tie the knot after meeting their significant other.

All of us at Blog Central congratulate them but remind Artie of the wisdom instilled upon me by my father-in-law 28 years ago...  "No married man wants to live to be 100." RIP Leonard C.  Black.  hee hee hee

A Hat-Tip To Coach Groves: Penn State Track And Field Alumni Golfers Make Great Coaches: Part 2

It was a bang up day again across the fruited plain for Coach Harry Groves' coached athletes.  Honestly, I think this has a little to do with Coach Groves himself.  He instilled a love of the sport(s) in each and every one of us.  He taught us values, organization, goal-setting, and hard work, even when we disagreed and b*tched about it among ourselves.  All of us came out of it much better off than when we entered his domain.  (Even prodigal sons are welcomed with open arms to our Group!) Here are a few of the recent coaches achieving great things on cross country courses with a little help from Coach's past tutelage:

• Coach Mark Haywood's Class A Camp Hill boys won the PIAA State title for the first time in school history. Here's his wife's thoughts on this.  I was at their wedding and did I mention it was a great affair?

  

  Mark Haywood, right.

• Coach Jayson Jackson's St. Joseph's Academy won the PIAA Class A girls title.  Jayson is another Nittany Lion I have had the pleasure to meet because of my efforts at herding cats to our Reunion and golf outing.  You should think of attending too so you can realize just how great members of our Group are! Absolutely everyone is invited to join.

  

  Jayson Jackson's St. Joseph Academy victors.

• Matt Lincoln's Chandler Wolves won the Arizona Division 1 title.  A Canadian in Arizona via Happy Valley!

  

  Matt Lincoln, right.

• The State College boys were 9th in the PIAA Class AAA race.  Coaches Steve Shisler, Dave Felice and Nick K. keep the Little Lions near the top of the game!

  

  Dave Felice, Steve Shisler and Nick K., right.

• The State College girls were 5th in the PIAA Class AAA race with Artie Gilkes and Rebecca Donaghue guiding them.

  

  Artie Gilkes, Rebecca Donaghue, left.

• Dominic Hockenberry repeated as Class A Champion and will be headed to Syracuse in the Fall.  Dominic was is coached by Bill Kvashay until his retirement this year.

  

  Bill Kvashay, left.

• Gettysburg's lone runner placed 10th in the PIAA Class AA race.  He is coached by Group Friend and William and Mary liaison Brian Mount.

  

  Brian Mount, center.

• I'm sure I missed some.  Let me know!
• John Mahoney, Assistant Coach of Central Bucks West, helped his team to 3rd in the PIAA AAA race.  (Thanks to Beth Shisler for the update!) 
• Here's an update from Tom Rapp on his season: 
  

  Hey!

   

  I wanted to bring you up to speed on our recently-concluded season. After winning the state meet last year, we stepped into this year knowing we were a bit depleted by graduation. Add in a couple of injuries and illness and basically we lost numbers 1,2 5, 6 and 7 from last year. Still we had a very successful season winning our league, district and regional (SW Ohio - one fourth of the state) meets. We scored the second lowest total ever at regionals - 35 points.

   

  We finished runner up at state to Cleveland St. Ignatius, a perennial power currently ranked #10 in the country. We actually scored 25 points less than our championship team last year but couldn't quite match St. Ignatius. In Ohio, only two teams make the podium and receive medals and trophies. We were thrilled to be one of the two. We have been on the podium three out of the last four years. I feel like this might have been my best team ever, but part of winning a championship is picking the right year to be good. Guess we didn't quite do that. We lacked a solid number one and had four different guys at that spot this year. However, our 1-5 split was usually between 15 and 25 seconds. Lots of pack running which made it fun, but sometimes hard to coach during a race because they would all zoom by at the same time - tough to give individual instructions like that.

   

  Anyway, thanks for reading.

   

  Run Happy!

   

  Tom

Nittany Lions Make Excellent Coaches And Parents

It was a bang up several days for PSU Track Alumni Golfers in the Coaching ranks.  And let's not forget the parental ranks either!

First up is great friend, teammate and class-mate Mark Haywood, who coaches the Lions of Camp Hill.  The boys won the Class A District 3 title and the girls were 4th.  Mark also coaches our Grand Exalted IT Czar Jeff and Mary Sanden's daughter Carissa Sanden!

Carissa Sanden thumbs-up for her parents Jeff and Mary Sanden.

Mark Haywood, rear, and his Winning Team.

Lisa and Mark Haywood. Their wedding reception was awesome.

Next up is the Little Lions of State College High, who are coached by 5 of the greatest PSU Track Alumni Golfers of all!  The Lions won District 6 in both the boys and the girls.

Rebecca Donaghue, left  and the victorious women. Where's Artie?

Here's Coach Artie Gilkes with Coach Rebecca Donaghue!

Coach Dave Felice, center, with Coach Steve Shisler and Coach Nick K. to his left.

More Photos From Everywhere For Memorial Day

State College High 4 x 800 Relay, 7:41, coached by Steve Shisler.

PIAA 3200M Gold Medalist Dominic Hockenberry, coached by Bill Kvashay.

State College Triple Jump Gold, coached by Artie Gilkes.

Photo from Greg Reyner.

Photo from Greg Reyner.

Photo from Greg Reyner.

Photo from Greg Reyner.

Paul Souza and Mark Hawkins at the Indy 500.

Said Better Than I Ever Could

Director of Youth Development and newly minted Board Member Artie Gilkes released a missive to all our brethren (and sisters!) to attend our reunion.  And remember, we had to hound him to the ends of the earth to finally golf with us!

The golf outing reunion is a great time! It is a great time to meet up
with fellow Nittany Lions from many different eras. It also, gives us a
platform to help support the program. We need to get scholarships endowed and
we specifically need to get the Harry R. Groves scholarship endowed! The money
raised from the golf outing/reunion is a step in that direction.

On a more personal note I can honestly say the friendships I made while a member of
the Nittany Lions squad are as important to me as family. Furthermore, the
friendships I've developed with alums I would other wise not have met if not
for the reunion have become some of the most valued relationships in my life. I
would love nothing more than for as many of us  as possible to expirience the
same thing. It is more than comical the amount of cross over personalities
there are between eras. There is a lot of satisfaction an espri di corps when
members of different eras get together. I would rather be with you lot than the
finest people in the world... And I'm just going to throw this out there too,
the joy Coach gets from having everyone together is immeasurable!

We're closing in on the date and if possible I urge one and all to make it back. If
you can't make it this year, make it next year... Check out the attachment
below Clark put together. And if you're like me and not a golfer I can assure
that golf is the least of what goes into the weekend...
Rusty Boots...
-Artie

14th Annual Harry Groves Golf Outing / Track and Field Alumni
Gathering –
ONE WEEK AWAY!!
Greetings All, Here’s the Agenda for the Weekend
– please note the changes (mainly the Coach Horner service):
FRIDAY’S (MAY
15th) EVENTS:
- Meet and greet at Damons (Located in front of the Hampton Inn)
from 7-10pm (appetizers and soda’s will                        be provided –
Booze is on your own, sorry!).  Will be a bar crawl afterwards – destinations
TBD…
SATURDAY (MAY 16th) EVENTS:
- The Alumni run will start at the track at
9:oo am for anyone interested in a short jog or a loop around campus.  Coffee
and Donuts served at the track – Coach Groves will be the official starter…
-
There has been a memorial service scheduled for Coach Jackson Horner (State
College High Coach) that starts at 11:00 for those interested in attending
(Grace Lutheran Church in State College).
- The Golf outing will be held at the
Elks Club again this year with the putting contest taking place at 12:15
followed shortly thereafter with the outing beginning at 1pm.  There will be a
group gathering to hike Mt. Nittany or take a campus tour meeting in the lobby
of the Hampton Inn (also at 1pm) - for those not interested in golf (Leader of
that tour(s) will be named Friday Night).
- The dinner reception (after golf)
will take place at Damon’s – Banquet room yet to be determined (though we’re
trying to get the upstairs room for Coach) – beginning at 7pm – Cash Bar.
We
have a block of rooms reserved (under Penn State Track and Field alumni) at the
Hampton Inn with a reduced rate of $99 / night (1101 East College Avenue (814)
231-1590) – they will hold this block until Tuesday May 5th so jump on that now
as it jumps another $30/night otherwise .  All checks for golf and dinner will
need to be sent to me this year at 112 Coachlight Circle – Chalfont, PA 18914
(we’re not sophisticated enough to run this through any kind of a credit card
yet though we may explore Pay Pal in the future)…
The fees this year are the
same as last - $150 for those attending the outing and the receptions – the
“newbie’s” will again have a reduced rate of $100 (anyone graduating in the past
5 years).  Those of you “flying” in (by plane – need to clarify that for Black
since he thinks driving 90 mph should be considered flying) will enjoy the same
reduced rate (unless your name is Bill Malchano). If you choose to attend the
Friday night function alone, the fee will be $25 – Saturday alone, $50.  Costs
for those with children (under 18) attending the reception(s) - $5 on Friday
night and $10 on Saturday.
This event is open to both men and women (large hint
there) and friends of PSU alumni - the more the merrier!  Do not feel as if you
would embarrass yourself if you have no golf game (we’ve been embarrassing
ourselves for 13 years now and enjoy laughing about it…).
Dave, Harry and I are
happy to announce the inclusion of Brian Fuller, Artie Gilkes and Ken Brinker to
the golf committee – so feel free to yell at them for whatever reason you’d
like!  Did I mention contributions for both the endowment fund and golf outing
are gladly accepted!
If you should have any questions or comments, please let
me know – Hope to see you this year!            
CH

Drama, As One Alumni Golfer Tries To Steal Another's Record

In my large stack of submissions, this one caught the eye of our Morale and Laundry Officer and makes for a great quick post before I head off to work.

"Ryan Foster, who earned All-American honors and a Big Ten championship for Penn State, won the State College First Night Resolution Run 5K on Jan. 31 in 15 minutes, 17 seconds, just two seconds shy of fellow Penn State alum Artie Gilkes’ course record.

His wife Kara (Millhouse) Foster, a two-time 10K champion for Penn State, took the women’s title in 17:13."

State College First Night Resolution Run 

Coming Soon: Coach Groves' Stories Podcast

I recorded a few mp3's at the Coaches Reception on Saturday night, with various Alums telling a "Coach Groves" story.  Ryan Foster's story is among them.  And considering that Ryan came to Penn State after Coach Groves retired, somehow his story will still ring true with everyone coached by him from 1968 through 2006.  The stories were coaxed from about a dozen people at the event, some willing, some reluctant and a couple quite resistant.  The caveat was they had to be R-rated or equal to what TV censors would allow on the TV show 2 1/2 Men.  That left a few of them out, as you can imagine.  All of them reflect Coach in a wonderful light, his ever present non-PC self shining through in each and every one. One even entails the day our Co-Blogger and Administrator Matt Groves came into this world!  I'll try to get to work putting them into a mini-podcast soon.  If anyone wants to add one let me know and we can arrange a Skype call to record it.  I may even add one or 2 of my own, which many of you have heard a million times. 

It's Mega-Submission Sunday! Our Members Are the Best

As our ranks have grown, along with the enthusiasm for our purpose, I have been receiving more and more submissions for posts.  I can't tell you how great I find all of them.  I truly appreciate each and every idea, even the nasty ones that occasionally come in.

Rather than space them out and make my week's posts easier than ever, I'm going to present them all at once, like the Idiot I am.  We are truly gaining momentum and will surely have the largest and most active Track and Field Alumni Group in the World shortly.

First, let's pat ourselves on the back a little bit.  When Director of Youth Development Artie Gilkes alerted me to Elizabeth Herndon's victory and world record at the recent First Annual Beer Mile World Championships, we scooped everyone with the knowledge that she was a Penn State Track and Field Alumni (Golfer).  That's despite the fact that I couldn't immediately get a post up due to the constraints of an unfair world.  So thanks, Artie.  A job well done.  Burrrrp...

Second, our Tennessee connection, or should I say one of our Tennessee connections, Dick Geiger, brings us word that Joe Kovacs has won USATF's Al Oerter Award as Thrower of the Year!



Third, with Christmas coming there had to be some Holiday-themed runs, and our William and Mary link Brian Mount happened to be a course marshall at the Chambersburg Christmas Dash For Cash when all 3 Fullers dashed by at the front of the pack at 3 miles.  I have somehow misplaced the actual results he sent me, but will be reporting them in an addendum when I can find them.  I think he said Brian Fuller was in the lead as he blurred past.

The Winning Team, full of Fullers.

Fourth, PSU is 800 U's Steve Black finished filming an appearance as Officer Charlie in the Destination America Network presentation of "The Mill Race Monster", part of its Monsters and Mysteries Series. This will air in the Spring of 2015.  Steve has other appearances coming:

• AMC's "The Turn" episode 4.
• "Liberty or Death"  -300 appearances.

And I haven't even gotten to all of them!  Next up, A true Rusty Boots story.

Cross Country Is a Great Sport

Actually, as pure a sport as there is.  A lone, individual effort, transformed into a very nice team sport with a scoring system easy enough to understand and yet complicated enough to be interesting.

I have been to many levels of the sport so far this year:

• Junior High/Middle School practice
• High School Junior Varsity races
• High School Dual Meets
• High School Invitationals
• Division III Invitationals
• Division II Invitationals
• University Club Meets and Invitationals
• Open Invitationals

And I'll soon be visiting Happy Valley for a Division I Invitational the same day as the Penn State University Athletic Conference Championships.

Yesterday I saw several races at the Carlisle High School Invitational in Carlisle, PA.  There were more than 100 teams there from Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, New Jersey and  New York.  And that's the States I'm sure about.  There may be more!  All of them converged on a high school in the middle of Carlisle, PA!  There were 7 separate races run, one of which had more than 500 runners. (217, 356, 189, 527, 157, 397, 435 for a total of 2,278 runners!)  Go ahead, I know someone will check my math...  My daughter's team placed 2nd 4th in the whole meet! (The Boys team did get 2nd overall!)

1/4 of the start of the Girls JV race. Freshman Daughter the Younger somewhere to the left... the same slot that the PSU Alumni team will have at the Penn State National!

Just the first of 7 races.

 Penn State Track and Field Alumni Golfers were there in force, but I only had the opportunity to see a few because there were so many people.  (Yogi Berra would say "You can't see anyone, there are too many people!")  But I did run into Artie Gilkes and Rebecca Donaghue, coaching the State College High School Little Lions.  Artie has been hired as my personal security force for the next golf outing also.  He's bringing the foil.

Artie "Knuckles" Gilke

Rebecca Donaghue

Literally, a 1/10th of the buses involved.

Artie had come from spending time with Coach Groves at his hospital room on Friday.  He assures me Coach is feisty and they won't be able to keep him long.  All of us at the blog with it all are wishing him a speedy recovery.

800 High

800 High lived up to the name at the PIAA State Championships. Coached by former Penn State standout Steve Shisler, and led by future Nittany Lions Will Cather and Kyle Adams, the Little Lions won the AAA 4x800 in a new school record of 7:41.99. They broke the old school set all the way back in 1969.

The 4x8 was just the start to their weekend, as both Kyle and Will ran on the schools 6th place 4x400 while Will placed 6th in the open 800 with a 1:54.56. Indoor and outdoor 4x8 State Champs, the pipeline from 800 High to 800 U continues!

One proud coach

 

Steve isn't the only Penn State Track Alum developing young athletes at State High. Despite his background in the long stuff, Artie Gilkes has made a nice transition to jumps coach. Under Artie's tutelage, Bryce Williams jumped himself to a 9th place (22' 5") and 3rd place (47' 7 1/4") finish in the long jump and triple jump respectively. Bryce will also be attending Penn State next year. I always love seeing local athletes going from State High to Penn State.

*If we are missing any Alums who had athletes at the State Meet please let us know in the comments section.

UPDATE: Steve Shisler with corrections.

Kyle Adams is headed to run for Bucknell next fall.

It's Mason Post headed to 800 U with Will Cather. All 3 of these guys ran on the 4x400 and Mason anchored with a 48.8 split.

Jump Guru Artie Gilkes also coaches the girl's jumper's at State. Veronika Karpenko, a soph, took 3rd in the Triple in a new school record 39 feet and 12th in the Long Jump on Friday

The Victors Enjoy the Spoils! The Winning Foursome

Owen Dawson, Doug Kent, Artie Gilkes and Curt Allison.

These guys managed to best the rest of the field with ease at 3-under par in the wet conditions.  I'm pretty sure that Clark Haley's friend Curt Allison was a ringer, but at least Clark isn't getting on The Cup (tm) again!

With the random format fully in place, Artie Gilkes and Owen Dawson, who tell me they aren't golfers, lucked on to The Cup on the backs of Curt Allison and my ex-roommate Doug Kent.  And I couldn't be happier.  Doug is one of the greatest guys I have ever met and one of the best golfers to have ever slashed the greenery of Happy Valley with us.  We're actually lucky to have him, as each year he has to leave early for another Real Golf Tourney the next day!  Artie keeps telling us he can't golf, but now his name will be displayed forever on the trophy alongside other non-golfers like me and Brian Boyer!

Owen not only got his share of the $200 pay-out for his victory (in the olden days this would have disqualified him forever as a professional!), but he then went and won the Golden Putter (tm) with the longest putt on the 18th green. Here he is with Horace, the Golden Putter (in honor of PSU's Greatest Steeplechaser!) and three previous winners of it.  All four are on record as returning to try to win it again next year! Make sure you join us.

Owen Dawson, Jeff Sanden, Bob Gabel and Che Arosemena, with the Golden Putter (24k)

There's a lot more to come on the Reunion weekend!

What A Weekend

Some other alumni who couldn't golf with us this weekend, all with equally good excuses. While we were at hacking around Mountain View Country Club, these folks were busy globetrotting.

On the other side of the world in China, at the Shanghai Diamond League meet, Joe Kovacs and Ryan Whiting were part of a United States 1-2-3 sweep. With Joe throwing a personal best of 70' 1/4" (21.52m). Joe and Ryan notched 2 and 1 Diamond Point(s) respectively. Some big money to be won if they finish yeah atop the Diamond Points standings.

Rank	Athlete	Nation	Result Wind		Diamond Points	Diamond Ranking			1.	2.	3.	4.	5.	6.
1	CANTWELL Christian	USA	21.73	MR	4	1			21.06	x	20.56	21.18	21.73	x
2	KOVACS Joe	USA	21.52	PB	2	2			20.64	20.50	x	20.94	21.52	20.85
3	WHITING Ryan	USA	21.31	SB	1	3			19.98	x	21.31	20.86	x	x
4	STORL David	GER	21.09						20.76	21.09	x	x	20.46	x
5	MAJEWSKI Tomasz	POL	20.93						20.25	20.59	20.59	20.66	20.93	x
6	ROBERTS Kurt	USA	20.60						19.34	20.37	20.60	x	20.59	20.33
7	MARTIN Cory	USA	20.11						19.87	20.11	19.89	x	20.02	x
8	IVANOV Georgi	BUL	20.06						19.15	20.02	20.05	x	x	20.06
9	RICHARDS O'Dayne	JAM	19.78						19.13	19.78	x
10	WANG Guangfu	CHN	19.18	SB					19.18	19.09	19.05
11	CHANG Ming-Huang	TPE	19.18						x	19.18	x
12	TIAN Zhizhong	CHN	18.33						18.33	17.92	18.20

In Puerto Rico, at the Ponce Grand Prix, Cas Loxsom took 5th in the 800 in a time of 1:46.79.

Event 112  Men 800 Meter Run IWC
=========================================================================
       World: @ 1:40.91  8/9/2010    David Lekuta Rudisha, Londres,GBR  
    Ponce GP: # 1:45.41  5/12/2012   Rafith Rodriguez, COL              
       NACAC: % 1:42.60  8/28/1985   Johnny Gray, USA                   
    National: * 1:44.64  4/19/2014   Wesley Vazquez, Barcelona, ESP     
    Name                     Age Team                         Finals
=========================================================================
Finals                                                                  
  1 Duane Solomon                United States            1:44.79#
                      
  2 Wesley Vazquez               Puerto Rico              1:45.40#
                           
  3 Harun Abda                   United States            1:45.55
                                   
  4 Charles Jock                 United States            1:45.90
                                  
  5 Casimir Loxsom               United States          1:46.79
                              
  6 David Torrence               United States            1:47.25
                              
  7 Mark Wieczorek               United States            1:47.27
                              
  8 Tayron Reyes                 Dominican Republic      1:47.55
                                  
  9 Jozef Repcik                 Slovakia                 1:48.15
                               
10 Richard Jones                United States            1:49.78
                                   
-- Matt Scherer                 United States                       DNF

The American Track League made its third stop of the season in Atlanta, GA where Fawn Dorr competed in the 400 meter hurdles. Running 1:00.39

There is also much to discuss from the Big Ten Championships, where the women won yet another team championship. Their ninth overall, second consecutive outdoor title, and second Big Ten win of the year. They took the team title at the indoor championships as well. More to come on Big Ten weekend later.

Also worth a mention. The State College High track team won it's first boy's PIAA District 6 AAA championship in 19 years. Worth mentioning because Artie Gilkes and Steve Shisler are on the coaching staff.