Fullers And An Aussie Lion-To-Be Dominate Harrisburg Mile

 The Fullers arrived and kicked butt at the Harrisburg Mile yesterday.  Brian Fuller led the Elite Mile, while brothers Kevin Fuller and Mark Fuller placed 3rd and 14th.  In addition Katie Fuller won the Open Womens Division.

 Incoming PSU Freshman and Australian sensation Hayley Kitching won the Elite Womens Mile!  Welcome to Central PA, Hayley.

In a glaring failure on the part of the Interns, I failed to notice that Wendy Nelson Barrett won the Womens 50-54 age group! 

 

Whine And Dine

 First up, the announcement by Clark Haley of the one-time rules change for the 20th Annual Coach Harry Groves Golf Tourney brought howls of protest from the "real" golfers among us.  The cacophony from the rabble rose to such levels at our reception, that I was worried there would be intervention by the authorities.

 

Announced as a 2 club maximum for each golfer in the foursome, it was soon amended to 3 clubs per golfer.  Still, chaos reigned.  Clark held firm at the 3 club maximum and not the "3 clubs and a putter" demand from the influential group of Fuller Brothers!

The anonymously sponsored open bar added to the general good cheer throughout the night.  The night concluded with a putting contest win by Mike McCahill.

The dawning of a new day led eventually to the start of the Coach Groves Golf Tourney.  While this was happening, an intrepid group continued the traditional climb of Mt. Nittany (started by Spouse the Better) followed by a trip to the Creamery.

Rain held off until well into the outing, and the torrential rains only lasted for one hole, followed by summer-like heat and humidity.  We always see a myriad of conditions on the Mountain View Country Club, although conditions were excellent overall.  The brief shower came over Skimont (or whatever it is called now), as if Bear Meadows knew that PSU distance runners were there and just wanted to say hello.

The 3-club maximum for each golfer led to strange shots throughout the day.  Try putting with a 5-iron! My "bag" consisted of a 5-iron, a pitching wedge and a putter; my 3 best clubs.  None of which I can still hit on a consistent basis.  I did, however, have a number of shots that counted and saved par a few times for our foursome.  The new rules added a fun element, and brought a new strategy and synergy to each foursome.  This format brought everyone closer together, which has always been one of Clark's stated goals.  

The longest drive was recorded by philanthropist Ken Brinker.  The longest putt of more than 22 feet was recorded by co-director Harry Smith (garnering the Smith family another year with the purloined Golden Putter).  Tim Brown placed his shot closest to the pin on the ninth hole.  The furthest traveled alum was Brian Boyer, who brought his family from Vienna Austria!

Overall, scores turned out better than anyone had predicted and there was a tie between 2 foursomes at one-under par for the victory.  The rules for ties were eventually thrown out and it was decided using a complex formula involving Elon Musk's new Twitter algorithm and the volume of whining from each group.

The foursome of Paul Mundy, Harry Smith, Gary Black and  Tom Shiffer were given the nod and will have their names engraved on the cherished "Cup".

The Awards Dinner was held at The Hyatt Place Hotel, and entailed a very good spread of grilled chicken, flank steak, baked potato bar and all kinds of other things.  The chocolate cake was especially enjoyed by Tourney Winner Paul Mundy. We had an inspirational speech from former XC and Track and
Field captain Che Arosemena, now attending the Army War College in Carlisle.

Where Have The Fullers Been?

Well, everybody knows I can't tell any of them apart!  They missed this year's Reunion and Golf Tourney for sanctioned and approved reasons. They have been getting married, having babies and buying houses, is all I know.

And now one has snagged a trifecta of races culminating in the York White Rose Run. ( I ran the first of these, oh so many years ago!)

Brian Fuller, the handsome one, (hee hee hee) won the 5-Mile race in 25:31.  The fact that he was wearing our Alumni Singlet garners him extra mulligans in next year's Golf Tourney.

Two Wonderful Additions To The Penn State Track Alumni Family

First up is the recognition as Track Athlete of the Year from the Big Ten Conference for 800U's Isaiah Harris.  In a week he will be on the line at the USATF Championships.  Will it be a continued headband, an Alumni-like Singlet, an alumni Wristband or maybe all three?

And the world got a little bit better last week by 7 pounds and 7 ounces.  Luke Fuller was born to our very own Brian and Emily Fuller.  Brian's excuse for missing this year's golf outing has therefore been sanctioned by unanimous consent of the hierarchy.  Congrats Brian and Emily.

A Fuller Christmas For Everyone!

 Our William and Mary Connection and State College native, Brian Mount picked up this item from the Cumberland Valley Race Series last week. It's a great start to the Winter for the PSU Track Alumni Golfing Community.  Total domination at both distances!

10K:

      1st    32:55  Brian Fuller
      7th    36:34  Mary Fuller
     14th   42:05  Emily Fuller 
5K:

      1st    16:10  Mark Fuller 
      2nd   16:30  Kevin Fuller 
      9th    19:36  Katie Fuller

Thanksgiving Means Turkey Trots

My family again braved the cold and ran the York Turkey Trot with the other 5,000 hardy souls.  I again spun the treadmill for my 25 pitiful minutes.  But what the heck, I'll bet that beats most of the rest of you!

Here's a sampling of other Penn State Track Alum (Golfers) who burned calories before heading to the table...

Tori Gerlach.

Casimir Loxsom

Tyler McCandless

Bob Radzwich's 32nd Berwick in a row!

Brannon Kidder.

All 3 Fuller Bros. WITH ALUMNI SINGLETS (thanks to Jeff Sanden for this annual pic!)

Turkey Trots And More

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 the John 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!

A Brotherhood. We Are!

And by Brotherhood, I mean all of us, women included.  If that is allowed in this politically correct world? (Even if it isn't.)

And speaking of brothers, I saw quite a few families represented yesterday at the Coach Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational.

• The Fuller Brothers manned 60% of the Alumni Team.  And you all know that I can never remember which is which! (Fuller Harem member Mary Dell finished 4th in the Women's race.)

Psu Alumni
  643    30  Brian Fuller               27:36    5:18
  644    64  Mark Fuller                30:07    5:48
  732    65  Nick Scipro  (?)              30:15    5:49
  645    71  Kevin Fuller               31:05    5:59
  731    73  Sam Masters                32:29    6:15

Fullers with Harem. Which is which?

•  Owen Dawson represented the Dawson twins!
• Middle distance recruit William Ashenfelter, grandson of Horace Ashenfelter of the Ashenfelter Bros. was there.
• The McGowan brothers were representing PSU  (5th - Tim, John - 27th)

Visit the store and buy some stuff, Please! 

 Remember the rules:

1. Go to www.kellysteamsports.com
2. Click on    SHOP YOUR TEAM STORE
3. Type in the password:  PSTFA16

All orders must be placed by  September 19th!!!!!!!

Distance Night Performances

Here's all the PSU related distance results from the 2016 Penn Relays by place (just to mess with your mind).

• Tessa Barrett                  2nd place   5000M        16:08.11
• Jillian Hunsberger          4th place  5000M    16:27.39
• Brian Fuller (Alumni)    7th place  5000M    14:38.25
• Colin Abert                     9th place   5000M         14:10.66
• Ean Disilvio                    9th place   3000M SC    9:06.25
• Timothy McGowan       11th place   5000M      14:10.94
• John Dugan                    13th place  3000M SC    9:13.90
• Kyle Dawson (Alumni) 14th place   5000M  14:46.33
• John McGowan             20th place   5000M     14:23.09
• Wade Endress                24th place   5000M     14:28.83

And a special note for Don Skerpon's daughter Elyse Skerpon, who was 2nd in her heat of the 400M H!

• Elyse Skerpon                32nd place  400M H     1:03.53
• Rachel DeCecco             44th place   400M H     1:04.89

Diamonds (are a) Girls, Best Friend(s)

Joe Kovacs added to his haul of awards this year with the Diamond League Championship in the Shot Put Competition.  "Hey Joe, where are you going with that trophy in your hand..."

The Womens Team won the Coach Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational in State College against some higher ranked competition.   They were paced by race winner, Tori Gerlach.

The Mens Team performed well, placing third behind Syracuse and Michigan. Ean DiSilvio placed 7th to lead the Lions.

The PSU Alumni Team placed 5th in the team competition with Brian Fuller leading the way in 22nd place.  Others on the team were Joey Walls, Mark Fuller, Kevin Fuller, Chris Cipro and co-blogger Matt Groves.  Casimir Loxsom acted as coach, trainer and captain for the squad.  Thanks for representing the rest of us sloths!

Cas Loxsom, Kevin Fuller, Mark Fuller, Brian Fuller, Chris Cipro, Matt Groves and Joey Walls.

I missed the meet as I was in Pittsburgh for my daughter's PSUAC race in McKeesport.  It turns out 2 of her best friends and high school teammates were also there.  ( running for University of Pitt Johnstown, Mt. Aloysius College and Penn State Mont Alto.)

Marta, Lauren and Daughter the Elder representing York Suburban High.

Reunion And Golf Tourney Board Member Places 21st At Cherry Blossom 10 Miler

Even though they have added many other race distances into the mix, the 10 Miler is the classic race in Washington DC for the Cherry Blossom Festival.  You really do need to see the blossoms at least once in your life.  The last time I saw them was at 75 mph as I streaked by on the way to Reagan Airport to fly to China for my adopted Daughter the Younger.  Seeing just a glimpse of them in that fashion taught me that all would be OK on the trip.  Except for the food poisoning...  That story is for another day.  It's a long one.

Brian Fuller is now on the Board for our Golf Tourney and Reunion Committee, and had a very good run this year even though the race was abruptly shortened due to a car accident on the course.  His 48:01 9.5 to 9.75 Miler is estimated to be a 50 minute 10 Miler.  They will remeasure the course in the coming days for all of us OCD types.  And he is a much better golfer than I also.  Damn.  Nice run Brian.

21      BRIAN FULLER   48:01    CAMP HILL, PA

Join Brian and me at the 14th Annual Reunion and Coach Groves Golf Tournament on May 15, 16. Possibly get your name on the Memorial Cup with both of us even if you have little to no golf experience!  See this post from 2 months ago for all the info you need.

I Suppose I'm The Biggest Turkey

It seems everyone ran in a Turkey Trot yesterday.  The entire clan here at Blog Central braved the cold and slippery conditions and joined 4,300 others in the annual York Turkey Trot.  I stayed home and took the day off from running.

But plenty of others in our group jumped into turkey trots of their own:

Kara (Milhouse) Foster and Ryan Foster (17th, 49:06) jumped into the Run for the Diamonds in Berwick, PA.  Kara won and set the course record in winning another diamond (50:33).  Group friend Nicholas Hilton won the whole darn thing in 44:39.

Twinkle, twinkle...

Ryan and Kara with author of Run For the Diamonds Mark Will-Weber

And Tyler McCandless took some time off from decorating his new place to go after his coach's record again in Colorado.  He just missed in besting 10,000 other runners in  19:39 for the 4 miles of the Denver Turkey Trot.

And it isn't a Camp Hill Turkey Trot post without some Fullers!

A Friend In Need, Is a Friend Indeed: or My Day in Happy Valley

It was a whirlwind of 24 hours from start to finish, and I was admittedly at less than my best.  And my best isn't usually that good!  But I'll attempt to bring you the highlights of my travels through the Alumni World of PSU Cross Country.

First up, we must discuss the herculean efforts that are being made by members of our group in helping Coach Groves rehabilitate from his pneumonia and broken ribs.  I can't fathom better friends than Roger "Gunny" Roll*  and Greg Fredericks, who have spent endless hours with Coach and helped him with all his daily tasks AND MORE.  Each an every one of us owe them a thank you for what they continue to do.  These efforts show the very best of Track Alumni Golfers and humanity itself.  I can't say enough in praise of them.

Roger "Gunny" Roll manned the finish line at the PSU National.

My family visited Coach for a 1/2 hour and we enjoyed a spirited talk about many topics.  I think he would appreciate a visit from all his athletes.  They apparently boost his efforts at rehab.  Those who have broken a rib know the pain involved.  Throw pneumonia on top of that and you can understand the poor hand he was dealt.  Gunny and Greg are there constantly motivating him to get better, much as he did with each and every one of us.

Second, I got to talk with many alums before and during the Penn State National Cross Country Meet.  Despite the early rain, the day turned out to be quite nice.  I spoke with several friends while at the meet, always a highlight of the day.

I got to congratulate Coach Gondak on his new duties.

The Skerpons, Robbin and Don, stopped by to see my daughter run! They haven't changed in 30 years.

John McGraw took time away from Field Hockey to watch the meet!

Former foursome teammate Coach Fritz Spence.

The meet itself was anti-climatic, as both the men and women held out top runners for next week's Pre-National Invitational in Terre Haute, Indiana.  With the reduced number of runners the Division I race was merged with the PSUAC Championships (The Penn State University Branch Campus Conference).  The Alumni team, defending champs, cobbled together a team at the last minute with Brian Fuller leading them with a 5th place finish.

The Alumni Team gets ready.

Brian Fuller places fifth overall for the Alumni team.

The PSUAC Championships were for the PSU Branch Campuses across the state.  Penn State Scranton won both team titles.  The newest team from Mont Alto managed 2 first team All-Conference runners and one second team All-Conference runner.  Martha Baskwill placed 7th in the 6K earning a trip to the USCAA Nationals in Syracuse in November.  Joining her for the trip will be the mens 4th place finisher in the 5.2 mile run, Joe Fletcher.  In addition, boxer and MMA fighter James McKeithen placed 13th.  James had no prior competitive running experience prior to last year.  The 27 year old does have a history of 2 tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, though.  One tough runner who has improved with every run of the year.

Joe Fletcher, PSU Mont Alto, 4th.

James McKeithen, right.  don't pick a fight with this runner!

Martha Baskwill, aka Daughter the Elder, conquers the White Course hill to finish 7th.

*People have pointed out that the Label for Gunny has 3 "l's" at the end, which was an error in the initial typing.  I have decided to not go back and change each and every example of it.  The third "l" now stands for "Loyal".  Thanks Gunny, for your service to Coach and to the Nation.

Calm Before The Storm

The following photo comes courtesy of Kevin Fuller and Brian Fuller. Sporting their Alumni singlet's as they brave oncoming Hurricane Iselle while on vacation at the island of Maui.

There's a hurricane on the horizon!

Another storm, the NFL season, is coming. The Philadelphia Eagles held an open practice yesterday at legendary Franklin Field. For those who don't know the Birds played at the home of the Penn Relays from 1958-1970. Winning their last championship at the venue in 1960 against the Green Bay Packers (only team to beat Vince Lombardi in a playoff game).

Photos via PhiladelphiaEagles.com

 



The "Other"Team at (+9): Not Losers Either!

My foursome was so bad that we couldn't even get losing right!  It turns out that our 5 straight bogies to end the round were just enough to tie Keeper of the Cup Harry Smith's team.  Despite their youth compared to the geriatric team I was on, they managed to make their +9 score spread out evenly over the whole round.

Tom Shiffer, Harry Smith, Brian Fuller and Tim Johnson

I think all 4 of them are much better golfers than I, and yet they somehow managed one of the worst scores in our tournament's history (+10 being the worst).  I can only chalk this up to story telling, inattention or possibly adult beverages?  We may be hearing more on this and other things from our beat writer Tim Johnson.

What A Weekend

Another superb Penn Relays in the books. It was great seeing old teammates again, this weekend has really evolved into a mini reunion for us. The first ever Reconnect at the Relays was a success as well, a great event for alumni attending the Relays to connect with one another. The perfect prequel for the big reunion in May.

On the track, we were represented by three alums competing in distance events. Brian Fuller DNFed in the men's Olympic Development 5000 meters. He was feeling under the weather but being the Penn Relays, you line up and give it a shot. Kara Foster got a new mile PR with her 14th place 4:43.97 in the women's Olympic Development Mile. Owen Dawson lined up for the men's Olympic Development Mile, last year he ran his first sub 4 here, and went for the win holding first place with 200 meters go. He ran 4:00.13 for 5th place.

Per usual the Nittany Lions had multiple event winners.

Congratulations to:

Leigha Anderson 10000 meters COA division

Laura Loht javelin COA division

Will Barr discus college division

Michael Shuey javelin COA division

Steve Waithe triple jump COA division

Bernard Bennett-Green, Brandon Bennett-Green, Alex Shisler, Byron Robinson 4x400 IC4A division

Of course part of what makes the Penn Relays great is the scene outside of Franklin Field. I will leave you with this video of the party.

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

I'm not sure which is worse?  But, I'm not making this up...

Daughter the Elder's first movie with her parents in a Hotel room was The Full Monty  OR
Daughter the Younger's first movie with her parents at home was The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

Parenting isn't my forte.

The Good:

PSU Track Alumni Golfers were well represented at the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler in Washington DC yesterday.

Tyler McCandless     8th Place      48:21 (with splits of 23:55 at 5-Miles and 29:41 at 10K!)

Brian Fuller              33rd Place     51:38 (with splits of 25:34 at 5-Miles and 31:51 at 10K!)

The Bad:

Sometimes life isn't fair.  Those at last year's Reunion met Kimberly Hicks, a PSU trackster from the mid-90s from Plainfield, New Jersey.  Director of Youth Development Artie Gilkes alerted us to the news recently that she passed away suddenly at the young age of 38.  Condolences to her family and friends from everyone in our blog community.

The Ugly:

UPS Drivers probably don't make good track runners! They just aren't used to making left turns!

Outdoor Is Here

The multi-eventers got the ball rolling last week while this weekend marked outdoor tracks full opening. The men and women were split up this weekend with most going to Alabama for the Crimson Tide Invitational and some distance runners getting PR's at the Stanford Invite.

We all love a good team battle and lucky for us the Crimson Tide meet was scored. The women won the meet over Alabama 162-119 while the men came in second with 111 points to Bama's 163.

Our alumni distance running studs were active this weekend too. Tyler McCandless was at in again at another national championship. He ran 48:21 for 8th at the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run which served as the USATF 10 Mile Championships (results and recap from LetsRun). Brian Fuller was in D.C. as well, running 51:38.  Kara Foster competed at the Stanford Invite running 15:48.82 for 5000 meters.

Another split squad next weekend with some going to Arizona State for the Sun Angel Classic and others taking the short drive up Route 45 for the Bucknell Invitational. Penn Relays in 17 days!



 

SPOLIER ALERT: Steve Rogers aka Captain America would have won the race. If you have seen the Winter Solider you know what I am talking about.