It Always Ends Up In An Interconnected Web

So it was the NCAA Regional XC Weekend at Lehigh, and the Nittany Lion Women won their race to qualify for the NCAA Championships for the 10th time in 11 years.

WOMEN'S TOP FIVE TEAMS
1. (AQ) #18 Penn State, 73
2. (AQ) #28 Villanova, 77
3. (RV) Georgetown, 91
4. Princeton, 93
5. West Virginia, 122

But I was much further north in Canton NY for the Division III Regionals with Daughter the Younger.  It was 14 degrees at the start and the whole course had to be plowed earlier in the week!

Daughter the Younger

In the Mid-Atlantic Division III Regional at Lehigh, two other Penn State Track Alumni Golfers had daughters competing.  Well, Rob Whiteside's Daughter the Elder and friend of the group's Martha White Collins's Daughter were competing.

Phoebe Whiteside placed 28th for All-Region Honors for Swarthmore and Valerie Collins was the 5th runner in 42nd for Carnegie Mellon's qualifying team.  Smart and talented!

All-Region!

And as we learned 4 years ago, Rob and Phoebe had hiked a substantial portion of the Appalachian Trail with Valerie Collin's Uncle.  I'm telling you, there's always a web!

Forty-one Years Is Long Enough

Friend of the group, Martha White Collins (U of Virginia) ran 10:09.2 for the 1978 two-mile State Championship.  The PA record stood for the past 41 years until Marlee Starliper ran a 9:54.75 3200M (9:58.2 2-Mile) yesterday at the Glenn D. Loucks Games in White Plains, New York.  (Doesn't a PA record have to be run in PA!!!)

On that day in 1978, Gary Black won the 1-Mile State Championship leading to the headline...

Black and White Win Gold!

NCAA XC Regionals Weekend

There was consistently cold and windy conditions across the East.  The weather added an extra challenge for the Nittany Lion Women.  But they came through and attained their 9th out of 10 years moving on to the Finals.

And Danae Rivers has added to her already great resume by placing first for the Women despite falling in the early race.  With her newly aquired range, she is becoming one of the greats of PSU Middle and Long Distance running.

Photo by John McGraw.

Oh, the carnage I! John McGraw photo

Oh, the carnage II! John McGraw photo

Brave and dedicated Alums! John McGraw photo

 In other news of the weekend...

• Mary Cate Curran's St. Lawrence team advanced to the Division III Finals at Dream Park in Southern Jersey.  I saw her at one point, but was unable to say hello.
• Daughter the Younger ran in her first XC NCAA race and learned the valuable lesson about going out too fast!  Hartwick improved on last year's performance.
• Rob Whiteside's daughter Phoebe placed highly in the Mid-Atlantic Regional in Bethlehem,  PA for her Swarthmore team.
• Martha White Collin's daughter Valerie also placed highly in the same race with her Carnegie Mellon team moving on to the Finals.
• John Ziegler and I suffered mightily through a long weekend of Podiatry CME lectures.  John's rewards were many, however.  I took him to lunch at Wegman's for Kung Pao Chicken and got him 50% off on a new pair of shoes at the King of Prussia Roadrunner Sports store! 

Daughter the Younger before the start.

Spouse the Better and John Ziegler.

Another Mish Mash of Submissions

My posting has been erratic at best, and quite pitiful at worst.  I have received submissions that I couldn't get to in a timely fashion.  And I'm lazy besides...

But,

First up, a submission from KKOB which brought to mind the yearly realization of small game hunting season only as we heard gunshots very near to us while running in THE GAME LANDS in early October!

These guys actually saved a lost hunter while out on a run!  (Thanks, Kelly)

Salute to the Cuba High School XC team. 

Next, another a submission about a high school team coached by from Friend of the Group Martha White Collins in Wellesley MA, the halfway point of the Boston Marathon. Martha coaches the girls team. The boys are actually coached by former Olympian Tim Broe! And Here. These students don't do the old-fashioned blogging like this curmudgeon.  They put together videos about their exploits on a You Tube Channel, The CoolDown!  Good job, Jason Norris.

The CoolDown

In this epidode, they torture a sprinter while trying to get him to run a 7-Minute Mile. Hee hee hee 

Last but not least, Greg Fredericks sent along word of another member of our group retiring.  This time it is from his job, not the track.   Congrats to Joe DeStefano on retirement from the Penn State Justice and Safety Institute.  Joe was a highly recruited discus thrower from Waltham, MA who graduated in 1971.

Joe DeStefano.

Progeny In The Endurance Ranks

This post features the offspring of friends continuing family athletic exploits in Division 3 Endurance Sports.  I have to say Endurance Sports because noted crackpot and our Erwin Shroedinger Endowed Chair for Advanced Physics has a daughter who apparently received slightly more than 50% of her genes from him!   (Just kidding, Ron Moore.  Ultra-Trail running isn't even slightly crazy.  Wink Wink.)

First up is Elizabeth Moore, who is a triathlete in the new sport of Women's Triathlon at Transylvania University in Kentucky .  She has won all three events so far as a Freshman, and is qualified for the National Championships.  I have a feeling we will be seeing more of her in the future.

Elizabeth Moore

Second up is Phoebe Whiteside, who we all know from her trek of the entire length of the Appalachian Trail with her dad, Rob Whiteside, 2 years ago! Remember, I have also trekked the entire width of the Appalachian Trail and have a t-shirt to prove it. She runs for Suburban Philly Swarthmore College.

Phoebe Whiteside

Third is Valerie Collins, daughter of Group Friend Martha White Collins.  She runs for the Tartans of Carnegie Mellon University in the Burgh.

Valerie Collins, 87

Last, but not least is Anne Baskwill, Daughter the Younger, who has found a new love for running at Hartwick College near Cooperstown, NY.  With her previous hurdling activity in high school, she may just run the Steeplechase for the first ever year of Track at Hartwick.

Anne Baskwill, front left

Please forward news and pics of any more progeny in the college athletic ranks!

Another Reunion

Mad Mex was the scene of another reunion last night, with a 75% Nittany Lions concordance.
It was actually a Reunion of the State College Little Lion 4 x 880 yards PA State Champs in 1978!
This included from right to left, Martha White, Bev Pazur, Terry Sweitzer, and Paula Froke. Only Martha left State College for the pastures of UVA.

This Gem Brings Me Both Joy And Shame

Our superb William and Mary Connection and current coach of Gettysburg High School, Brian Mount somehow dug up a gem of an article from the Centre Daily Times from the days before color was invented, 1978.

This article includes me and gives me both joy and shame at the same time.  As most of you know, I am not afraid to point out my poor performances whenever I can, but this one probably can't even be called one of them!  This was during my "great groin pull" (now known in medical circles as a high ankle sprain, I believe?) of 1978 from a stupid choice of fencing as a Phys ed class.  (I did end up taking second place in the class tournament with a superb 3-phase parry and thrust to win my Semi-Final and earn an "A" in the class. Can't remember the world renowned fencing coach who ran the class, but he said it was a great showing that last day.  So I got that going for me anyway.)

Joys:

• The mentions of great friends Ted Lyon, Jim Clelland, Kevin Kelly O'Brien, Pete Bortolotti, Brian Boyer, Gary Black and Tim Backenstose. Both Glenn Chumley and Mark Stephenson were friends, but I did not know them as well as the others.
• Only the second race that I can confirm beating Gary Black.
• The mention of my daughter's namesake and great friend Martha White (Collins) and Nittany Lion great Kathy Mills (Parker).

Shame:

• Again losing out to Kelly, Jim, and even Ted.  I swear I beat them some of the time, but no one ever produces evidence of those times!   hee hee hee
• Placing right behind Glenn Chumley, An HALF-MILER!!!  Glenn was famous for running a 1:53 half on Wednesday at practice and then 1:55 for the meet on Saturday. (hee hee hee)  That, AND making the front page of the Collegian by streaking during a snow storm.  Coach could never prove it was him because the photo was from behind, but we all knew just by his running style.  One time years later, I saw him ahead of me jogging in Fairmount Park.  I caught up with him and it was certainly him.  I recognized him by his distinctive running style even after a few years.  Someone out there will comment on just what this was.  I can't seem to place it in words right now.  Anyway, Glenn, I tip my hat to you for beating me in an XC race.

It's A Small World, After All

Without even realizing it, Rob Whiteside and his daughter camped with a nice husband wife combo somewhat related to our group early in their trek up the spine of the Eastern United States.  They got along well enough to be invited to stay at their house in New Hampshire toward the end of their quest.

But because you are known by your Trail Name when hiking, they never got any further along to find out they were hiking with the brother-in-law and sister-in-law of another Group friend and familiar face.  It turns out that Wonder and Santa are related to Martha White Collins, a familiar name to most of us (and the namesake of Daughter the Elder!). Cheryl and Kelly Collins are currently in the 100 Mile Wilderness.

Even further shrinking the small world, one of the Collins' daughters graduated from Allegheny College in Meadville (near Harmonsburg) , where Rob is from! Allegheny Run For Fun!

Wonder and Santa

From their Journal:

White Rabbit and Large

We have been hiking with a father/daughter pair from Princeton, NJ. He used to make his girls walk the streets with him because they were "practicing to hike the AT". White Rabbit finished high school a year early, got accepted to Swarthmore and then took a gap year to hike. She got her name because she's fast, times herself and is obsessed with time. Her dad came with his trail name. She hikes in and gets set up then waits for her dad. He is usually in about 2 hours after her. White Rabbit makes him dinner and fusses over him. Some hikers have named them Large and In Charge. She usually determines how far they will go each day and he goes along with the plan. It has been really fun getting to know them.

To further make the world small enough for us, the latest visitor to Coach Groves was a high school AND PSU teammate of Greg Fredericks at Wilson High School.  Scott Hagy was a national caliber javelin thrower and occasional long jumper in the PSU Class of 1971.

Coach Groves and Scott Hagy.

One Update And Possibly Another

It turns out that the world is always smaller than we thought.  As Rob Whiteside (Large) and his daughter Phoebe (White Rabbit) trekked on toward the finish of their thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail they met another pair of hikers, Wonder and Santa.  Turns out they are the in-laws of Group Friend Martha White Collins, Kelly and Cheryl Collins!  Wonder and Santa are finishing things up in the 100-Mile Wilderness.

And as I head to State College in Mobile Blog I to move Daughter the Elder into an apartment for the Fall Semester, I will take Nano-Drone 800U for possible pics of the progress of the Outdoor Track refurbishment.

Extinct Eating Establishments in State College

It has been more than 30 years since college, and the average lifespan of restaurants is around 4 or 5 years.  So many have come and gone since the good ole days.

Some of my favorites are long gone:

• Wuv's - Where a Taco Bell now resides on College Avenue.  They had the first ever unpeeled fries and pretty good milkshakes. (Lets not talk about their Wuv Juice!)
• The Hot Dog Hut (or Weiner World?) Actually Weiner King- Located where Baby's is now.  They once had a 25 cent special which included a hot dog and knit cap (various styles) on a pre-meet Thursday.  We traveled back and forth from the locker room at Rec Hall with quarters to buy as many as possible.  Everybody had a selection of caps that year, which delighted everyone.  Friend of the Group Martha White (Collins) actually worked there, and did not eat hot dogs at all.  Must have been a miserable job!  Maybe she can fill us in? Martha has chimed in that it was indeed a tough job for her!  Which will stimulate another blog post on bad jobs I have had, with a few good ones thrown in...
• Pedro's - Also located at the current location of Baby's when the Hot Dog Hut closed down (They ran out of hats or something?)  This was also a prominent Thursday meal, sometimes both lunch and dinner.  Thirsty Thursday gave any size drink with a $1 purchase. Taco, chili and chips x2 with a large Mountain Dew was a great meal.  
• Roy Rogers - Where a Chipotle's (or something like that) is on College Avenue.  A holster of fries at 1:00AM was a staple.
• The Cattle Car - Where a Jimmy John's (formerly CC Peppers) is now on College Avenue. (This post was stimulated by Darryl Jones' memory of the best sandwich shop of all.)  Introduced me to "The Cosmo", a heated sandwich like in Europe, "cosmopolitan style".  Usually I got the Club with turkey, roast beef and ham with Swiss.
• The HUB Cafeteria Training Table The Terrace Room - The team at one time could eat here if they were late for the dorms, which happened often when we had our locker room at the Stadium.  They gave free glasses with the Nittany Lion performing various sports during one term.  I'm sure there are a few of you that still have some of them.  The privilege was rescinded for non-scholarship peons and walk-ons once Coach Groves caught heck for our actions.  From then on we hustled to the dorms which were kept open for us and they invariably served us fried perch because the good stuff was gone! (From an anonymous source - Track athletes were allowed $8 less per meal than the football team and $6.50 less than the soccer team.)
• Arbys - At the corner of Atherton and College. Nothing special but the scene of an everyday dinner by my brother when he lived across the street.
• Hardees - On Atherton where a dry cleaners is now located.  They had a $2 special of 2 roast beef sandwiches, fries and a drink.  When 2 of them were combined, it was a glorious feast.
• Hooters - At the current Irish Tavern on College Avenue near University Drive. Formerly Greek Pizza.  This was the scene of an impromptu Awards Dinner in the early years of the Coach Groves Golf Tourney!  We actually had one of the waitresses drive Coach in the Drink Cart at one of the Tournaments also.  I'll hunt for the photo again...
• The Olde Original Diner - Still there but a mere shell of its former self.  Long lines and late night dinners of Road Kill (omelet with everything) and a pound of fries...
• The Eutaw House - Just off 322 near Seven Mountains (Potters Mill). My HS Coach treated me to a steak dinner there after the State XC Meet in 1977.  I was still burping that steak early in the Harrisburg Marathon the next day! Edgar Allan Poe actually ate and stayed there one time. Or maybe not. (Check the link.)
  
• Train Station Restaurant - The Herlocher keystone restaurant above the Cattle Car.  Introduced the world to Herlochers Dipping Mustard. I don't think I ever ate there. The Herlochers actually closed down all of their restaurants suddenly and moved to Florida.  It was a major shock to the State College community.
  
  

That First Olympic Marathon For Women

People sometimes forget that the very first Women's Olympic Marathon wasn't that long ago.  Joan Benoit underwent meniscus surgery in her knee just 17 days before the Trials, which were held in Olympia, Washington.

When looking over the 1984 Trials Race, I was blown away by the depth of the field and the competitiveness of dozens of women.  Group friend and UVA grad Martha White (Collins) ended up 8th in that initial trials race, within 1:43 of an Olympic berth (2:34:09). Despite faster trials since then, no trials race has had the overall depth of that initial year. Martha now lives near the 1/2 way mark of the Boston Marathon.  PSU Coach Jane Welzel was 14th in the race at 2:35:53.