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.

They Chose To Climb

In the early 90s, I had the opportunity to visit Zermatt, Switzerland for 2 days.  It was a good trip, even with the migraine headache from altitude and the fog-enshrouded Matterhorn, which I never did see.

I saw the town's cemetery, where many are buried who didn't quite make it to the top and back.  The best epitaph I saw was "He chose to climb", which echoes all the statements from relatives of deceased Everest climbers lately.

But these hardy climbers DID make it to the top and back (of Nittany Mountain!), renewing and strengthening the tradition of Penn State Track and Field Alumni (Non-golfers) started by Spouse the Better some years ago.  They have augmented the festivities by inaugurating the certification of success with a signature on a special t-shirt just for the bestest among us!

My Movie Producer Career Is Gaining Steam

The third movie that I have helped to produce is coming soon.  And it has a big Penn State Track and Field Alumni (Golf) connection.

To be honest, for the last two films, I have only participated in the crowdsourcing to get them made.  In the Bannister: Everest On The Track film, I helped fund the musical score for the film.  In an indirect group link to the movie, Nick K. worked with Roger's son in London.



But I was a full-fledged Associate Producer for the 2015 remake of the worst movie ever made, Plan 9 From Outer Space, from Ed Wood, who was played by Johnny Depp in the movie about him.



You can see my IMDb entry here.  And I am committed to the possible sequel to this science fiction/zombie movie.  In a link to our group, Steve Black appeared in the original trailer for the movie. Plan 9: 2015



Now, the latest of "my film projects" will be coming to the screen.  It stars our group's Hanna Humphreys' father, Joe Humphreys.  We are excited to release the official trailer for Live the Stream: The Story of Joe Humphreys - currently an official selection of Breckenridge Film Festival 2018 and Chagrin Documentary Film Festival 2018.


Live The Stream: The Story of Joe Humphreys - Official Trailer from Nomadic Studio on Vimeo.

A Weekend Without Football

My observation that the Nittany Lions always play better when I don't watch them was given a setback of sorts this weekend.  I spent the day in a practically empty State College with theam away in Columbus.  Almost no one had awakened by 11:00am as I arrived on campus.

My superstition against watching, (I didn't even listen!) so as to promote a win ALMOST worked for the 11th time in a row.  I find it amusing that although the Lions dropped 5 places in the polls, they rose in the Sagarin Computer Rankings to 3rd from 6th or 7th.  They now reside less than 1 point below Ohio State, which seems to me to be an accurate reflection of reality.

My jaunt around campus was rewarded with a plate of Kung Pao at the HUB Panda Express!

I think that's Hanna Humprey's dad on the mural fishing.

A Decent Weekend

I traveled to suburban Philly on Friday for a 12 Hour stint in the JTP.  Twelve hours in Jenkintown and 3 trips to the best convenience store experience in the nation, WaWa!

I was there to visit another Penn State Branch Campus, Penn State Abington.  Which happens to be undergoing a Renaissance in Cross Country under head coach Jim McClernand.  Jim happens to be a friend of Hugh Hamill since their 3rd grade year in the Suburban Philly environs.  They ran for the powerhouse Father Judge teams in a time before they invented color photos!  hee hee hee

Coach Jim McClernand with Daughter the Younger.

PSU Abington XC, 2nd at the Immaculata Invitational.

And in other Track Alumni News, Coach Ryan Foster backed up his victory in the Kilted Mile with a victory for the Edinboro Fighting Scots in the Womens PSAC Championships over Shippensburg.  The Mens team perfomed well, finishing second.

Ryan Foster, right and Kara Foster, 2nd from left.

And in that other weekend event, everyone needs to thank me for not watching at all, as that ensured the great performance.  I think it is now 11 times in a row that my watching or not watching correlated directly with the performance of the team.  I will be taking donations to ensure I don't watch the next one in Columbus.  Any takers?

An effective use of the Alumni T-Shirt by Bob Hudson.  With Hanna Humphreys, Vivian Riddick and Todd Leggett.

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

I added my modest monies in order for the film of Hanna Humphreys' father Joe to be made.  It's the third film I have helped produce.  Others include Bannister: Everest On The Track and Plan 9.  I'm even listed in the International Movie Database ! 

Live The Stream

Notes From The Reunion Weekend

1. The meal by PSU catering at the Indoor Complex was one of the best I have ever had at an event like ours.  The BBQ 1/2 chickens and ribs were complimented by several sauces, the raspberry chipotle being my favorite.  The mac and cheese was the absolute best I have ever had.  Even the salads were esquisite to this "occasional" salad eater!  The open bar kept many in the best of moods. Desserts were "to die for".
2. I couldn't fly the drone Airship 800U outside on Saturday because of the rain, but it did get some Thursday and Friday flights at the track with great results.  And I flew it indoors at the Ashenfelter Complex before the Alumni "Run" and only crashed it while landing!
3. Coach Groves came to all the events with his private chauffeur and had a wonderful time.
4. The rain didn't daunt the golfers among us.  Thirty-one of the thirty-two who signed up braved the conditions for the duration.  There was even sleet at the finish, just to welcome all of us home to State College.
5. We all are trying to make next year's event over-the-top great!  We will attempt to arrange the whole thing during the PSU hosting of the Big Ten Outdoor Track Championships next year.  That may even free up some of you who can't come normally because of High School District Meets.  Stay tuned...
6. Some of you had some nice things to say to me about the blog and all of our efforts to unite all 1,500 or so PSU Track and Field Alumni.  I thank all of you for helping to spread the word.  It is starting to have a real effect!
7. Tim Backenstose went out of his way to present to me a framed pic of me in the Penn Relays Marathon in 1979 (He won the whole thing!).  He needed the help of a professional photo enhancement specialist in Hollywood to pull it off.  It means more to me than he can ever know. It will be on display in my treadmill room along with my Rec Hall lockers and Letter certificate signed by both Coach Groves and Joe Paterno.  Thank you Tim!!!
8. Coach Groves received the very first presentation of the "Rusty Boot", an award symbolizing everything that's good about PSU Track and Field and Cross Country.  This was made by bronzing one of Coach Bill Whittaker's javelin spikes from 1970, a quite gnarly sight.
9. Coach Gondak received an Alumni Singlet through the efforts of our Faucon 'de Orange Mark Hawkins.  This was only the second such special singlet given out with the word Coach in the lower bar.  We all thanked him for having the Penn Relays 4 x 800M winning team wear the throwback singlets for the Championship of America race.
10. With the constant rain all day Saturday, we forgot to place the markers for the specialty holes on the course, so we don't have Closest to the Pin, Longest Putt, Longest Drive winners this year.  But I'm pretty sure all of those winners were in my threesome.  Nick K. won the closest to the pin, Clark Haley won the Longest Drive and I won the Longest Putt.  And I have the Golden Putter to prove it!
11. Those usually in charge of the Coach Groves Golf Tourney Championship Cup forgot it at the track after the event and it was retrieved by our Chief Laundry Officer and given to Tim Backenstose for safe keeping.  Thus, Tim is now our Keeper of the Cup, a title of honor in our group.  Tim also won the "Rob Whiteside" Brotherhood Award for actually golfing with us despite hating golf more than I do!  Rob Whiteside was unable to attend the event, as he just had passed into New Jersey during his through-hike of the Appalachian Trail.  This was the only certified excuse for missing the event.  Others take warning.  

Turns out that The Cup was left behind on purpose by The Keeper of the Cup Harry Smith so that Owen Dawson would place it in a display for all to see year round at the Track Facility!  There is no Idiot quite like a Track Alumni Idiot Officer, me included!

All photos stolen from Hanna Humphries and Jim McClelland!

Most of the attending Alumni.

Beth Shisler, Doreen Statare McCoubrie, Vivian Riddick, Elaine LaFramboise Pino, Hanna Humphries.

The Mall

Coach Groves, the Ladies Man!

Coach Jordan, center.

The Alumni "Run" was well attended.

Fun despite the rain! Eric Schwartz, Don Ziter, Jim McClelland and Coach Gondak.

Coach Groves, center court, with his chauffeur.

Kierrun O'Brien.

Coach Gondak with a Penn Relays Wheel!

Coach Groves with the Rusty Boot.

Let's Help Hanna Humphreys' Dad's Movie

Well, the movie about his passion anyway! 
 

Joe Humphreys.

My father always told me about his greatest PSU Phys Ed. Class while at PSU.  I never took the course because I took Coach Groves' Fitness and Games twice, but I know a lot of you had Fly Fishing as a 1 credit gym class.

They're making a movie about Joe Humphreys, father of State College Native and PSU Track Alum Hanna Humphreys.  You can help in the production of this worthy cause at Indiegogo.  I already have.