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

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.

All Kinds Of News

More awards for Stephen Shisler, as he wins the Pennsylvania Outdoor High School Coach of the Year Award from the USTFCCCA!

Coach of the Year!
And Here!

Dave Felice (center) with Steve Shisler and Nick K. (right)

And Tyler McCandless has thrown his cowboy hat into the ring and will be entering the New York City Marathon.  Good luck, Tyler.

 New York Marathon Field

Coach Groves continues to receive multitudes of visitors to his Juniper Village home.  Recently Track and Field aficionado Dan Curran (father of Coach Mary Kate Curran!) stopped by for more great track and field stories.

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.

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.