PSU is 300U!

I came across this video of the 1987 Penn Relays 4x800M Championship of America posted by Mike Anderson honoring Chris Mill's third Penn Relays watch!  Good stuff.

 

But then, I saw another member of 800U dominating in another sport.  Imagine the 800M/Bowling biathlon with Dom Perretta on the line! 

 Dom Perretta 300!

 

This Palindrome May Be Penn Relay's Best Record!

Yesterday was 7/11/17.  And that's 71117 both frontward and backward!  So I decided to steal Steve Shisler's Facebook post yesterday to highlight the significance of the event.

It is also the Penn Relay's 4 x 800M Collegiate Record by the Penn State quartet of Vance Watson, Steve Shisler, Randy Moore and Chris Mills.  7:11.17  The record is now 32 years old. Maybe the last time Coach Groves cried too!

Here are a few other remembrances of the relay victory in 1985:

"The Race" 1

"The Race" 2

"The Race" 3

There Is No Snow In Miami

Following the record snowfall in Central PA (I actually ended up with 30 inches here in York!) I have a coveted day off work.  I would normally just sit around and take phone calls from confused, little old ladies cancelling their appointments for the next 3 months anyway.

So I am running a two-a-day workout like the days of old.  Well.... ummm, kinda.  A 3 mile run slowly on my treadmill followed by a 2 mile run slowly on my treadmill later after I recover a bit.  But hey, it counts!

Doesn't it?

Here's a few other people who are doing much more than I am:

• 800U's Chris Mills ran the Miami Half-Marathon with his State College boyhood friend Darryl Washington.

• Group Friend and Honorary Member Dane Rauschenberg lectured at the Miami Running Expo AND ran the Marathon.  The next day he found his way to the South Beach launching point for The Raven's daily run.  (Every day at 4:00PM, 5:00PM in summer, for 40 straight years, regardless of anything!)    (Raven Run)

Still Another First Hand Account Of "The Race"

We have had previous remembrances of The Race before, from Randy Moore and Steve Shisler. Here's another remembrance of that specific race from David Zeiters, who had just finished his Sprint Medley race and was with Coach Groves along the wall.  Dave even managed to take some pics of the aftermath with one of those old-fashioned film cameras the kids today know nothing about!  Thanks for letting me steal all of this to make the blog with it all more complete!

Vance Watson, Steve Shisler and Chris Mills.

I'm actually in this pic in the first row near the orange guy!

Vance Watson and Randy Moore. "Give me that baton!"

"Thirty years ago today, I saw one of the greatest track events in my life when the Penn State men’s 4x 800m relay team won at the 1985 Penn Relays with the best time in the world that year! A smoking 7:11.17!I had just finished my 200m leg in the Sprint Medley relay race, grabbed my sweats, and rushed back out to the track to watch the highly anticipated men’s 4x800m relay race. We all knew we had great 800m runners and it would be a good race. I ended up standing on top of the back of a bench leaning up against the north brick wall next to Coach Groves. I remember Coach with his Spiked Shoe ball cap on had his notebook and stop watch ready to call out the splits. Vance Watson was our first leg and started the race. I remember Coach yelling, “let’s go Vance!” After a great first leg, Vance handed the baton off to Steve Shisler in first place. As Steve rounded the first turn in front of us Coach yelled “beat’m to the curve Steve!” Steve ran a blazing second leg and handed off the baton still in first place to our young freshman stud, Chris Mills. All the while Coach is barking out split times for Judy or Joe to write down. Chris just went out and ran probably his best 800m split of the year. Chris finished a strong leg and handed off to our All-American 800m runner, Randy Moore. Then it happened. It was one of those perfect runs you maybe see a few times in your lifetime. Randy busted out an unbelievable 800! As he fought off the Georgetown runner on the last lap down the straight a way we were screaming our lungs out until he crossed the finish line in first place. I looked over to Coach and he had this elated amazed look on his face and said, “my God he ran a 1:45.”As the four guys started their victory lap, I grabbed my camera and snapped some pictures as they jogged past us. I was standing by Coach and remember Vance yelling over to him, “Coach we did it!” I saw Coach have a tear in his eyes and a smile from ear to ear. I have never seen Coach happier. Thirty years ago today."

 
-David Zeiters.

The Cream Of The Crop: Penn State At The Penn Relays

From the vast Penn Relays web site, here are the most celebrated Nittany Lions of all-time:

Elaine Sobansky, 1984.

"The Race", 1985.

Casimir Loxsom, Athlete of the Meet 2013.

Horace Ashenfelter with Horace the Golden Putter.

Barney Ewell.

Lee Talbot, PSU 1909.

Alan Helffrich

"Anchored the Penn State 2-Mile Relay team to a world record at the Penn Relays in 1923."

Wall of Fame Inductees 2000 1985 4×800m Relay Vance Watson, Steve Shisler, Chris Mills, Randy Moore 2007 Lee Talbott (1910) 2008 Elaine Sobansky (1984)
Olympic Gold Medalists participating at the Penn Relays 1920 Antwerp Larry Shields  3000 Team 1924 Paris Alan Helffrich  4x400 1948 London Barney Ewell  4x100 1952 Helsinki Horace Ashenfelter  SC
Athletes of the Meet 2013 CM-R Casimir Loxsom

"The Race" Was 30 Years Ago

 "We made Harry cry"

-Randy Moore.

There's a great article in the Philadelphia Inquirer about our 1985 4x800M Relay Championship of America victory at the Penn Relays.  They really did a wonderful job, and we helped just a little bit here at the blog with it all.

Two were walk-ons, two were from the local high school!

Penn Relays record still intact for Penn State foursome 30 years later

The photo is from Walt Chadwick's vast stash.  And Walt does have extensive ties to our group from multiple angles.  Randy Moore's recollections of the event in the article come from an exclusive essay he provided to me for use on the blog.  It was a well written, humble and enlightening piece of prose from the most elusive of the 4. You need to read it all.

Other aspects of our blog were used for background also.  Be sure to check out all our previous posts on the topic.

Don't forget, you can still get your "PSU is 800U" t-shirts in the group store.  This single item both inspires and pisses off all the right people.

Fast Times From State College High

See what I did there? har har. Disclaimer: I will be tooting my own horn in this post.

The connections between State College Area High School (800 High) and Penn State (800 U) are staggering. Start with our own Steve Shisler coaching the current of record breaking high schoolers.

I am proud to say my alma mater has a new school record in the 4x800 meter relay (I was on the old record setting team). Their time of 7:57.49, run this past weekend at the Kevin Dare High School Invitational, broke our 8:01.50 from the Indoor State Meet my senior year. The time we beat was 8:02.4* and had two future Penn Staters in Nick K. and Bob Hudson. By the way my high school also produced Randy Moore and Chris Mills. 800 High indeed. Oh and by the way again, future 800 U representative William Cather broke his own school record in the open 800 with a 1:54.05. He will be attending Penn State next year and will continue the tradition of State College distance talent to run for Penn State.

*Was probably run on a flat 160 yard hybrid basketball court/track instead the banked 200 meter mondo surface we have now.

It's a Long Way To Tipperary...

And also California.

Several PSU Track Alums came all the way from the Golden State to reunite and deserve accolades from some us us who complained about a two-hour drive.

Vivian Riddick came from LA and brought the family with her. They even climbed Mt. Nittany with my dog Pooky. (That's Mt. Nittany in the background!)  I'm sure they all had a good time.  She joined other women in welcoming back Coach Gary Schwartz to Happy Valley, who was no slouch in coming all the way from Arkansas!

Coach Groves and Coach Schwartz.  Photo by Mark Hawkins.

And a 50% Reunion of the 1985 Penn Relays 4 x 800 M Relay occurred on Friday at the Reception.  Chris Mills is actually from State College, but still traveled from near Modesto, California to meet up with teammate Steve Shisler and all the rest of us. Chris golfed with us on Saturday and posed in front of the rest of his foursome with Coach Groves.

Coach Kevin Kelly, Bob Gabel, Coach Groves, Che Arosemena with Chris Mills. Photo by Mark Hawkins.

It's Penn Relays Week! Coach Groves' Birthday Too!

Chris Mills to Randy Moore, 1985.

Randy Moore at 400 M with Miles Irish trailing.

Funny how a 1:45.5 leg reduced Miles Irish to a distant shadow!

Greg Fredericks, circa 1972.

Greg Fredericks, circa 1972.

All photos are courtesy of Walt Chadwick, our great friend and historian.  Visit his web site for more vintage photos.  There are more coming from our incredible sources!

April Means Penn Relays, And Other Notes From Early Season Track

Steve Shisler to Chris Mills, 1985

1. I still haven't been to a track meet with the temperature above freezing.  I missed the one where my daughter Anne placed in the 200 M.  Yeah, the 200 M!
2. This is the 28th Anniversary of "The Race" (7:11.17 4 x 800 at Penn).  Read some memories of those times Here, Here, Here and Here.
3. The current 800 M men stepped up in distance en masse at the Bison Invitational.  The results were rather good!  
   

     1 Creese, Robby       3:41.32 (3:58.8)*
     2 Kidder, Brannon     3:42.07 (3:59.6)*
     3 Corkedale, Tyler    3:45.93 (4:03.7)*
     4 West, Ricky         3:46.33 (4:04.2)*
     5 Dawson, Owen        3:47.20 (4:05.2)*

    11 Fischer, Matt       3:49.36 (4:07.5)*
    12 Masters, Sam        3:49.40 (4:07.6)*

    17 Watkins, Za'Von     3:50.05 (4:08.2)*

   *Mile equivalent according to 2012 IAAF Scoring Tables 

4. PSU was 2nd in both the Men's and Women's competition at LSU's Battle of the Bayou.  Brian Leap won the College long jump (23' 8.75") and triple jump (50' 2.5") competitions.  Leap, jump, get it?  I'm sure he's never heard that before!    Mahogany Jones won the 100 M (11.55) in a very good field.
5. I have sent the entry in for my Alumni Weekend and Coach Groves Golf Tournament.  Have you?
6. I will have the complete set of 1985 4 x 800 M Penn Relays (the longest running record at Penn!) photos for all to see.  They belong to Steve Shisler and I have failed to deliver them several times already.  I'm an idiot, I know.
   
   

PSU is 800 U: Millrose Edition

On an "off week" the Nittany Lion quartet of Brannon Kidder, Casimir Loxsom, Za'Von Watkins and Ricky West (with Ryan Brennan as the alternate) bettered both the Millrose Games and Armory Facility Records in the 4 x 800 M Relay. Their 7:21.37 exactly ties the Indoor Penn State Record of the quartet of Steve Balkey, Dave McMillan, Chris Mills and Ray Levitre set in 1987.

Zavon Watkins 1:51.1
Brannon Kidder 1:51.6
Ricky West 1:50.1
Casimir Loxsom 1:48.8

                        Watch more video of 2013 Millrose Games on flotrack.org
                    

25th Anniversary of "The Race"

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the 4 X 800 masterpiece of 7:11.18! This still stands as the college standard and the No. 2 All-Time mark. The quartet of Vance Watson, Steve Shisler, Chris Mills and Randy Moore stand to hold the oldest record at the Penn Relays soon. Older posts detailing the race, remembrances of the race and a video celebrating the race have already appeared on the blog.

PSU is mounting an attack on the record, or so it seems to this lowly blogger. At the Penn State National Invitational, 4 Penn Staters placed highly in the 800 M race. Led by Ryan Foster's School Record 1:47.48, all 4 added up to a combined 7:14.58 indoors. (Casimir Loxsom 1:47.98, Owen Dawson 1:48.97, and Lionel Williams 1:50.15).

1000 Meters from Hell: A Devil of a Race

The PSU Mens and Womens teams held their Blue-White, season opening warm-up meet this past week-end. In my day, we didn't have a Blue-White meet as it was so cold we all kind of turned gray (grey for you United Kingdom fans!) from frostbite whether we were blue or white. (Remember the Wolfe twins from Kane PA!). There were several good performances, but one stood out as intriguing to me. That would be the 2:23.69 1000-meter time of Ryan Foster from Tasmania, Australia. Chris Mills (an aspiring returning PSU Track Alumni Golfer!) holds the PSU record at 2:23.05. (Although records are sketchy and Malmo, official blog laureate, may be able to help us out on this one.)*

The 1000-meter, having never run it, seems to be a cruel middle-distance event. No half-miler I have ever met seemed to want to run an "extra" 200 meters. And any miler I know was always wary of the distance because it seems to favor the half-milers way too much. Stuck in the middle of two diametrically opposed factions, as it were. It is mostly an indoor event which means the turns are tighter also. I would love to hear from some of you who have run the event. (Larry, Steve, Randy, did you ever run the 1000?)

* Blog readers have responded! The PSU Record is now 2:22.42 by Sam Borchers, with second place being Matt Lincoln at 2:22.50. But we still love you Chris! (Steve Shisler puts in an effort to dethrone Malmo or at least join him as c0-laureate.)

Steve Shisler also adds to the Manley Field House lore, as his 1000-meter PR of 2:28 was set there, despite faltering in the final steps to a hard-charging Steve Balkey (although that's not how Steve put it). In addition, Steve's family shame was revealed at last. Beth (Stever) Shisler is the only All-American in the household!**

** A little birdie (with 2 new hips) tells me Randy Moore ran a sub-2:18 1000-meter after graduation while in Europe!

Great Performances #2:

Last time we checked in with great performances, Don Ziter braved the wrath of Coach Groves by running a trio of fraternity races unrivaled in modern history. Unfortunately, anyone checking the facts realized I had taken some liberties with the timing of the events. The basic gist of the report was accurate, however. I have since fired all the fact checkers working for the blog! Also, anyone paying attention realizes I incurred brain damage in 1978 when I tore my groin in fencing class, causing me to remember a meet with Villanova that apparently never happened.

Finally, I can report on a great performance without having to make it up! In one of the greatest performances in Penn State History, the 1985 4X800 team of Vance Watson (1:49.2), Steve Shisler (1:47.9), Chris Mills (1:48.5) and Randy Moore (1:45.5) won the Championship of America at The Penn Relays. The time (7:11.17) still stands as the Number 2 All-Time Collegiate mark. At the time, it was the Number 1 ranked 4X800 in the world. The 4-man team was elected to the Penn Relays Hall of Fame in 2000.

I was actually there, in the front row, exactly opposite the start/finish line. It was the best race I have ever watched. (And I watched the Rono/Salazar XC duel in '79 and Craig Virgin in the World XC Champs at The Meadowlands in 1984.) It was either that year, or in 1983 when PSU won its first 4X800 Championship, that Barb Black saw Coach Groves up in the stands with tears in his eyes, asking her not to tell anyone. That lasted about 4 minutes until she found me!

Steve has golfed with us every year but one, I believe. I have pestered Randy to come next year and I have him in the "possible" category along with Larry Mangan. Give them all a shout-out by email to encourage them to come next year. Chris and Vance aren't on my email lists, so anyone out there in "the internets" could help us out by contacting them. Let's get them together for an "after" photo!

And now, what's a great story without a really cliched movie to go with it. Quit complaining, it is only 1:25 long.