Four Champions And A Boot

 

The turnout at this month's Penn State Track and Field Alumni (Golf) Reunion was very good.  It included 1980 Olympian Greg Fredericks, PSU High Jump Record Holder Paul Souza and 1976 Olympic 400M Hurdle Silver Medalist Mike Shine.  The Rusty Boot came back from its long hiatus in Coach Groves' possession.  And, oh yeah, Mike's rad Harley-Davidson photobombed the whole set-up!

Random Thoughts And Results Of The 19th Annual Reunion And Golf Tourney

1.  We had a very good turn-out considering the world we currently find ourselves in. There were 40 or so attendees for both the Reception and Dinner.  There were 6 foursomes on the golf course.  And there were many attendees for Vivian Riddick's Zoom Presentation and the Coach Schwartz Celebration for the Women's Team.  Coach Groves finally got his 2009 wish of more women attendees for our celebration of Penn State T&F/XC.
2. The Mountain View Country Club hosted the tourney and were excellent in their support of our efforts.
3. I sorta/kinda won for the 3rd time in a row.  Because Steve Brown's sons golfed with him, we had a team of "ringers" without a hacker like me.  According to the rules set up by Clark Haley decades ago, this team is forbidden.  All teams must be rigidly, strictly chosen randomly on Friday night, except when sufficiently bribing of the Officers of the Group has been undertaken!  The Browns managed 5-under par, with my foursome scaring them with a 4-under par back 9 after an even front nine.  (Please realize I am being mostly funny with this, but I won't know for sure until I see the engraving on The Cup next year.)  I hit few shots with my wonky wrist, but I suppose 4 of my shots actually counted.  For all you non-golfers out there, you would do much better than this without ever having golfed before.  Come golf with us next year.  It was a pleasure golfing with Harry Smith, his son Ian Smith and Coach John Gondak this year.  
4. There was a paucity of potential in the running for the "numb-nuts" award, with the absence of Kevin Kelly O'Brien.  Just joking Kelly, you were missed.
5. The Triathlon at the track, which has replaced the Alumni Run, was won by Steve Balkey, with individual events won by one of the Fullers (I never know which one; it's definitely a problem of mine!) and Greg Fredericks, Master of the Hula Hoop.
6. Speaking of the Fullers...  They all golfed together this year.  It was honestly only by chance, I swear to God.  Bob Gabel became an honorary Fuller to fill up their foursome.
7. Paul Mundy won the Longest Drive contest, which he does nearly every year Beth Shisler does not golf .
8. The dinner menu was excellent (flank steak, grilled chicken with Parmesan sauce, and a chocolate cake that brought a smile to Paul Mundy).  The selection of four different flavors of chicken wings on Friday night was also quite splendid.  Free draft beer and a full cash bar got the crowd in just the right spirits to meet new friends and regale old friends with white lies about the days of yore.
9. There are stories of great times had by many (after my bed-time) at The Phyrst on Friday night and Pickles on Saturday night.  I managed to host Rock and Roll Legend Paul Souza to nearly 11:00PM on both nights before tag-teaming and handing off to Night-Life loving Clark Haley.  I think we have a convert to our efforts in Paul, with maybe even a Rock and Roll Reception in our future!
10. Ken Brinker became only the third recipient of The Rusty Boot, the highest honor that can be bestowed on any PSU Track Alum.
11. Two hardy members of the group drove their Harleys fairly long distances to join us.  Both Mike Shine and Paul Mundy looking good BTW!
12. Coach Gondak won the closest to the pin contest on a hole which is normally his nemesis at his home course. A six-foot putt led to one of our birdies to close in on the Leading Brown group.
13. Kay Warfel made multiple homemade gifts for raffle and Coach Gondak supplied numerous items to add to the mix from the team's supplies.
14. A tour of the new locker room was given by Ryan Foster.  It's good to have him back.
15. The Ghost Award went to Paul Souza who finally joined us and says he will be back every year from now on.  Speaking of future years, we have decided to alternate between May and August in the future, just to see if we can entice a few more reluctant attendees.  More on that to come. 
16. Quite a few attendees climbed Mt. Nittany again this year, in addition to touring the Sports Museum and Berkey Creamery.  Remember, the golf is optional but highly recommended!
17. State College has taken Covid hard by what I have seen.  The entire block containing The Saloon, Hi-Way Pizza, The Deli and the Lions Den has been closed and empty.  Baby's is closed and for sale.  I would love to have enough mullah to buy it and bring back Pedro's! Anyone wishing to join me in investing in this opportunity, let me know.
18. My Nittany Lion Hawaiian Shirt was a big hit.  The Lion's Pride came through for me again this year.  Several others went on Saturday to find the stock already depleted.  Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man happy, healthy and Hawaiian Shirted.
19. The Longest Putt on Hole 18 went to Ian Smith of my foursome with a 9' 1" effort.
    

    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    

The Brotherhood Loses Another

Ted's attire at this year's St. Pat's solo concert.

We lost another brother yesterday.  Ted Lyon was truly a remarkable individual.  With intellect and incredibly varied talents, he was truly one of a kind.  Exactly the way I describe the generic Penn State Track Alumni (Golfer).

I first got word via  Paul Souza and Facebook.  My reaction was eerily similar to my reaction after the passing of Steve Black, my brother-in-law, last year. The empty feeling in my chest, and yet the rapid and fluttering heart rate indicated to me that all of us in the PSU Track Alumni Family are truly brothers. (That includes all you women too, damn it to the new-fangled gender gobblety-gook we have to deal with! We are all a family, no matter what other differences we may have.)

Ted had incredible talents.  His running resume brought him to Penn State to follow Ricky Garcia, both from the famed high school of Remember the Titans fame, TC Williams.  While at PSU, his guitar talents united him with Paul Souza.  They teamed on several bands in State College, including The Trend and The UP. (Incredibly, Steve Black played rhythym guitar with Paul and Ted at one time also!)

Ricky Garcia Lane 1 and Ted Lyon, lane 2 for TC Williams.

Paul Souza, left with Ted Lyon, right.

Following graduation, Ted and Paul both hightailed it to Boston to form a band called Beat Surrender. For 7 years they led off for bands like Santana, Cheap Trick, Bruce Hornsby and the Range and Natalie Merchant.

When the band finally broke up, Ted moved to Williamsport and started another phase in his eclectic life.  He was recently married and has 2 kids from a previous marriage.  My condolences to everyone.

I am deeply heartened that I had the opportunity to golf with Ted in a recent Coach Groves Golf Tournament and we had a ball, as we both were there more for the comaradarie than the actual golf.  We reconnected after many years apart, but still started right where we had left off.  Make sure to make it to our Track Alumni Reunion this year.  You could be missing out on something you won't have a second chance to enjoy.

Ted warming up behind me and my dad, 1979.

Let it be said that Ted was still a better golfer than I.  (But then so are you!) RIP,  friend.

Keep On Rocking In The Free World

Paul Souza has returned to his Metalized incarnation for his next album.  Melia Rage's "Idol Hands" debuts in April, followed by a tour.  Stay tuned.

"Make no mistake, Idol Hands is a veritable feast for power metal fans, complete with Nichols' unmatched rhythmic mastery and Souza’s versatile voice."

Meliah Rage, Paul Souza, center.

No amount of time on the couch will fix Paul Souza! (Just kidding, Paul.)

There's stars in his eyes.

Nittany Lions Are Dam Near Everywhere!

Recently, Paul Souza ventured to the city of sin (but only for a basketball tourney for his son!).  He took a break one day to tour the Hoover Dam.  And lo and behold, he was greeted by a Penn State Track and Field t-shirt draped over Nittany Lion Trainer Nate Althouse.  Certainly a small world.

Nate Althouse with Paul Souza.

On my only visit to Las Vegas, our plane banked over the Grand Canyon and the Hoover Dam on the way into the airport.  I immediately chalked them up on my "Saw that" list.  When others in the group wanted to take the tour of the dam, I told them "I already saw that" and took a nap instead.  It was a wonderful nap BTW.

A Return To Heavy Metal

“I’m really looking forward to getting back to making some loud music and doing some long overdue live dates with the band.”

-Paul Souza 

Penn State's high jump record holder Paul Souza has reunited with Meliah Rage for its upcoming album and tour.  Paul was previously their lead vocalist in the early 2000's.  Although his PSU era long locks are replaced with a contemporary sophisticated slick sheen, the voice is still in top form.  Now if we could just get him to one of our reunions!

All-American: Like Father, Like Son

Great friend of the group and future Track Alumni Golfer Paul Souza still owns the Indoor High Jump Record at PSU.  And proving the importance of genetics in the scheme of things, his son Hayden just came in third at the USATF Youth National Championships!  His 4' 11" tied for the best jump, but he lost out on more misses.  Honestly, I never understood the high jump at all, but it is fun to watch.

Maybe Paul should buy him a jacket or some t-shirts from the Kelly Sports Store?  But he would have to use the code PSUTFAL!

Stephen Dwight Black 11/16/1958 - 4/1/2017

Stephen Black's funeral mass was celebrated at St. Bridget's Church in Richmond, VA on Friday, May 19, 2017.  It was a beautiful service celebrating the life of a very uniquely talented friend and family member.

Among Steve's talents were entirely self-taught musical abilities on bass guitar and keyboard,  Steve appeared in the very first band to perform at the PSU Dance Marathon, Milo Thunder and the Road Hogs.  He was also the bass guitarist in Paul Sousa's first PSU band with Ted Lyon on lead guitar.

Later Steve turned to acting.  His credits include multiple parts in John Adams: The Mini-Series ( Steve actually appeared next to star Paul Giamatti on the front page of the USA Today article about the series!) and multiple appearances on the television channel Investigation Discovery.  He appeared annually as George Washington in Richmond's historical reenactment of Patrick Henry's Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death speech.

I include multiple examples of Steve's acting gigs.  I hope you will view them and say a prayer for him and his twin sister Barbara.

Wicked Attraction: Live Free or Die - Steve had a large part in this episode as the boyfriend and chief suspect in the murder of his girlfriend. (Hint: he didn't do it!)




Monsters and Mysteries in America: The Mill Race Monster - Steve plays a bemused cop doubting everything about the reports from teenagers about a 7-foot tall green monster.  He actually ad-libbed the bit eating and drinking coffee and the director liked it and left it in.

The Magenta Shamrock:  NOT SAFE FOR WORK due to sexual content (not by Steve!) Steve has only a brief appearance in this well-made short film, which is, in the end, a kinda sorta love story.

The Gravediggers: Hang 'em High:  This was a self-directed and self-written short film about the hanging of Nathan Hale. Steve appears as one of the gravediggers and you can spot Gary Black playing a Redcoat! 


 

Our Members Flood Into Indianapolis

Today marks the first time PSU is represented in the Big Ten Football Championship Game in Indianapolis, and our Group will be well represented there.

Included in the fans urging on a Nittany Lion victory will include Vivian Riddick, Larry Mangan, Paul Souza, Don Skerpon and Harry Smith.  Any others?

I am happy to hear of the enthusiasm for the team, even though I will probably nod off during the first quarter of action.  I will await more photos from the middle of the country!

Larry Mangan and Paul Souza BEFORE the tailgate!

It's Still Hot In LA

The Olympic Trials Marathon and the LA Marathon have come and gone, but not all the Nittany Lions have left town.  Since I rarely do anything of interest or fun, I figured I would pass along the exploits of Paul Souza in La La Land.

First, some one dug up this blast from the past featuring two very young Nits.  Notice that Ted Lyon may have given Paul the hair styling tip!

Paul Souza, left. Ted Lyon, right.

And it turns out that Paul was in LA for the Marathon and the Grammys!  With some down time to shoot some hoops with his son.

And apparently Paul is only the second most interesting man in the world!

Addendum:  After several years of waiting, my time has finally come.  Plan 9 has arrived in America.  Plan 9 is a remake of "the worst movie ever made", Ed Wood's 1959 "Plan 9 From Outer Space".  This is the movie that Director John Johnson thinks that Ed would have made if he had the money (and talent) at the time.

Plan 9 has put me on the Big Screen (in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand so far).  And I am now listed in the IMDb  (International Movie Database!!) as a Producer.

The movie is a B-movie (shown in the old days before the feature) with plenty of gore and some bare female chests in the tradition of such fare. It will not be a great film, but a fun diversion for those who remember the original and can bear the tumult of blood and gore and schlock.

Plan 9 can be rented or purchased on all the various film distribution sources, Hulu, Netflix, Google Play Store, Amazon and WalMart etc.  Hulu and Netflix will be coming in 90 days!

A Call To The Hall

Velveteen Playboy's Frontman and PSU vertical leaping record holder Paul Souza will be inducted into the Wheaton College Athletics Hall of Fame in October.  Paul led the Division 3 powerhouse to many titles before taking up his music full-time.

Did You Know: Paul was once in a band where Ted Lyon played lead guitar, and both had the best hair in the band!

Ted Lyon, Larry Mangan, me and Bob Gabel at early VP Concert.

Did You Know: Paul's first PSU band had my brother-in-law Steve Black on bass guitar.

Did You Know: Paul's Indoor PSU high jump record of 7' 4 1/2" in the Ice Palace (Lasch Football Complex now)  is the best ever PSU jump!

NORTON, Mass. – The Wheaton College Department of Athletics and Recreation is proud to announce the 2015 Wheaton College Athletics Yowell Hall of Fame class of 2015, who will be inducted on October 23rd at 7:00 p.m. in Wheaton’s Emerson Dining Hall.

 1999 WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD TEAM – Head Coach: Paul Souza

The first-ever national championship team in Wheaton College history, the Lyons scored 43 points to start an historical five-year national championship run in NCAA Division III women’s track and field history. Wheaton went on to win a total of eight titles between the indoor and outdoor seasons from 1999-2003 winning all five indoor NCAA championships during that stretch to become the first Division III team of either gender to capture five straight titles. Deshawnda Williams ’00 won the 400-meter dash crown in 1999 to highlight the championship squad, while the Lyons racked up 10 All-American honors total en route to the first-ever national title in Wheaton College history. Williams led the team with three All-American accolades, while Tenille Johnson ’01and Colleen Myrie ’01 earned two honors, and Amy Swanson ’99, Beth Castagno ’00, and Angela Mullins ’00 claimed one All-America award each.

More Photos From Everywhere For Memorial Day

State College High 4 x 800 Relay, 7:41, coached by Steve Shisler.

PIAA 3200M Gold Medalist Dominic Hockenberry, coached by Bill Kvashay.

State College Triple Jump Gold, coached by Artie Gilkes.

Photo from Greg Reyner.

Photo from Greg Reyner.

Photo from Greg Reyner.

Photo from Greg Reyner.

Paul Souza and Mark Hawkins at the Indy 500.

I Did Not Cry and Other Notes

Yesterday was a very busy day for many Penn State Track Alumni Golfers.  It was the biggest day of College drop offs in the nation.  There were many at PSU Main Campus and still more at PSU branch campuses across the state. Still more I have become aware of across the fruited plain.  I joined in for the very first time, and I must say it was a very difficult thing to do.  I didn't cry, but whatever the state of emotion is just before crying, I was certainly there.  This was a very first time for such an emotion since Daughter the Elder's premature birth and the potential loss of my entire family that it entailed.  I'm happy to say that both pulled through with resounding success and I can't beat either of them on a running course today.

Nittany Lion with Daughters Younger and Elder.

The hardest part was the last moments when she said "goodbye" to her dog, who we took along for the trip.  Pooky actually took it harder than any of us.   I've never seen her as despondent as I did on the way home.  She spent the night with Daughter the Younger, and I don't know yet how that turned out, although Pooky seems better this AM.

The dorm room was bigger than any I had and her roommate played basketball for the same high school I did.  Her parents live right near where I had my first job as a gopher for a solar-powered condominium complex.  And he works with a patient of mine who helped take my school record in the 4 x 880Y (4 x 800M by then) and a childhood friend that lived 3 houses away from me.  Which means my daughter lucked into a very fine roommate indeed.  (I was never so lucky as a Freshman in McKean Hall in 1977.)  Thank goodness Doug Kent took me in as a Sophomore (translated as wise fool, indeed).

The deja vu continued when Cross Country Coach Bill Preston showed up and we had discussions about all the people our lives have in common.  Coach Preston didn't know I've known Paul Souza since 1978 and told a great story about Paul singing the national anthem spontaneously at the NCAA Division III Track Championships one year when the tape player (or record player!) broke.  Coach Preston said Paul has a good voice, with which I concurred!  Maybe that makes us both Groupies for the Velveteen Playboys.  We also both concurred that Paul has a lot of difficulty staying still.  Kinetics play a major role in his life.

Even better, Coach Preston presented me with a gift.  It turns out that his wife and Jim Ryun's wife are friends, and speak frequently.  He presented me with a signed copy of his book "The Courage to Run".  I told Coach that I was the very first person to ask him about his Congressional Career at the Walt Disney World Marathon following his election victory but before his taking office.  All the other questions were the very same ones he has been asked 1,000s of times before about his running career.  He told me he appreciated my question about his Committee Assignments (which had just been announced the day before) and what he hoped to accomplish as a Congress member.  He delighted in answering the question and centered on his commitment to small business, something he did keep his campaign promises on.  I never got his autograph at the time, but I have it now.  Thanks Coach.

Alumni in the News! (Well, my news anyway...)

Back on the track!

Bridget Franek has returned to the track.  It's almost like she never left, as she won last weekend's Portland Classic 3K Steeplechase.  This comes after graduating from MBA school at Oregon.  Yeah, she's sorta kinda a Nittany Duck! Congrats Bridget.

Paul Ryan becomes a Velveteen Playboy fan!

Paul Souza sure does get around.  And although I don't know Paul's politics, I'll bet they don't completely align with Mr. Ryan.  This also gives me an opportunity to espouse a piece of mine.  We should all relish that we can live in a Country that has at least 2 opposing political heritages.  When I look around the world and try to find places that have only 1, I am amazed to realize that there isn't a single one of those places I would choose to emigrate to. The best example is, of course, North Korea.

Which reminds me....  Former javelin heaver Todd Leggett is now spending 2 weeks every month in the area just south of that blank spot in the center of the map above.  He is doing business there in a big way.  And he has a few thoughts about South Korea:

So I am in South Korea for two weeks every month !!! I have had a great experience so far and learned so much in a short period of time!!
1. No bars carry Makers!! I found one.....
2. The people here are very awesome, hard working, helpful and super nice to dumb foreigners.
3. Traffic sucks
4. Skype sucks here but is a must
5. Sling box really works....
And is a must for traveling
6. Jet lag is real...
7. The subways and airports are very efficient in Seoul
8. You must Learn to drink soju
9. Coffee is a drug here
10. Too many people smoke in Seoul

My best to everyone back in the States!!!
Todd

American Track League Comes to H-Town

The American Track League made a stop in Houston, TX over the weekend with Shana Cox taking 3rd place in the 400 meter dash. Clocking time of 52.19.

The meet was held at Rice University and I am sure the traveling track circuits house band, the Velveteen Playboys (featuring Paul Souza), rocked yet another town.

Full Results

All Kinds of Alumni Action From Coast to Coast

First up was Tyler McCandless again demonstrating that he is in good shape, even while furthering his Meteorology pursuits.  His 4th Place finish at the USATF 25K Championships (Third River Bank Run) will raise PSU's barometric pressure!  1:17:52.09 

Interview Here

Paul Souza broke out a new suit to take the stage at the 2nd meet in the American Track League meet in Charlottesville VA.  The weather kept the crowd down, but there were some fine performances again. (Podcast with Paul Here)

Now that's a suit.

Tim Johnson took part in an Ultra Relay from Hull, MA to Ragnar, Cape Cod, MA.  That's 192 miles with 550 teams.  And his team won the whole thing!  And he wore his Alumni Singlet! I'm pretty sure that won't help his golf game.

The Oregon Twilight Meet had at least 2 former Lions highlighted.  Cas Loxsom laced up the spikes in the 800M while Bridget Franek stepped down in distance to the 1500M.  (You can convert her 1500M time of 4:20.91 to the mile here.)

Women 1500M:

 1 Lauren Johnson    4:16.97  
  2 Annie Leblanc    4:18.05  
  3 Aisha Praught    4:18.23  
  4 Alexi Pappas     4:20.26  
  5 Bridget Franek   4:20.91 

Men 800M: 

 1 Harun Abda        1:47.33  
  2 Cas Loxsom       1:47.47  
  3 Tyler Mulder     1:48.76  
  4 Charles Jock     1:48.97  

Track and Field is Starting to Heat Up Mid-Season

The season has hit the mid-way mark with a bang in the Penn State World.  And not on just one front.

• The American Track League started in Bloomington yesterday with Penn State well represented.  That's the limited Track and Field Meet punctuated with the music of the Velveteen Playboys with front-man Paul Souza. There were 2 season world-leading performances even despite there being only 10 events. (18 feet, 8 ¾ inches in the pole vault by Mark Hollis and 8 minutes, 33.89 seconds in the 3,000-meter steeplechase by De' Sean Turner.)
• Fawn Dorr was 6th in the 400 M hurdles with 1:00.32.
• Shana Cox was 7th in the 400 M in 54.44.

There also happened to be a NCAA leading performance by a Nittany Lion at the Kehoe Twilight Track and Field Meet at Maryland by Kiah Seymour! With some other strong performances:

• Kiah Seymour won the 400 M hurdles in 55.88, tops in the NCAA this year.
• Darrell Hill continues to crush the Shot Put with a PR 64' 5 1/4", which is #3 all-time for PSU! 
• A sweep of the 400 M! (Brandon Bennett-Gree, Alex Shisler, Bernard Bennett Green and Aaron Nodolsky).
• Dual Javelin victories from Michael Shuey and Laura Loht.

And the 800M/1500M stars will be lacing up their spikes at the prestigious Payton Jordan Invite at Stanford on Sunday.

The American Track League Starts With a Rockin Paul Souza

"The American Track League is an abbreviated track meet, so it is almost like watching an athletics concert," -Paul Souza.

This weekend marks the beginning of the American Track League in Bloomington.  An abbreviated track meet punctuated by the musical fury of the Velveteen Playboys with our very own high-jumping Paul Souza on vocals.  I was unable to make it there to play the cow-bell, but someday...

Apparently my interview with Paul wasn't enough to satisfy the masses, so he interviewed with Spikes, a British Athletics Magazine.

Podcast #3: The Smart One

You would think that I would be getting better at things.  But alas, things didn't quite go as well for me this time.  I think that software conflicts and 3 different microphones somehow combined to make a fool of me.  But then I thought, what the heck.  If I'm highlighting academics and intelligence in our group, I might as well appear stupider than usual.  I pretty much just editied out pauses and "ums and ahs", and let the rest go.  So you have a podcast where the answers sometimes come slightly before the questions. Just like Jeopardy! And Jeopadry is smart, right? Feel free to make as much fun of me as you wish.

Ron Moore in the Tevatron with an Alumni Wrist Band.

This Podcast is a conversation with Ron Moore about both track and field/cross country and Physics.  What could go wrong, right?  Well I screwed it up, but the gist of it still comes through. Penn State Track and Field Alumni (Golfers) can be brainiacs too.  (Present company excluded, apparently.)

Ron Moore happened to be a fine runner for PSU in both cross country and track while maintaining good academics in a duel major in Physics and Mathematics.  Good enough in both to earn Academic All-American status in cross country and Phi Betta Kappa in academics!  He's a role model for everyone out there.

His career in Physics has taken him to Big Ten rival Michigan to France at the CERN facility to the Director of the Tevatron in the Chicago suburbs to Mass General Hospital in Boston.  I'm tired just typing that out, but Ron was just getting started after finishing our conversation.  He was heading out for a 3 hour run right afterward in his fledgling ultra-marathon running career.

Ron Moore (right) running the 4-mile loop above the Tevatron.

Ron will become our Official Physicist as soon as he returns to State College for a Reunion or a Coach Groves Golf Tourney.  And he knows I'll keep badgering him until he does!

This one is shorter than the previous ones, like I promised.  I added another song from our House Band, Paul Souza's Velveteen Playboys at the end.  (Darkest Hour from the Album, Shaken, Not Stirred.)

From our Unofficial (only because I'm thinking of an appropriate ceremony!) French Translator in the far reaches of Canada...

I'm sure you noticed Ron Moore's T-shirt read  (in French)   "Without a Clue, but never without Beer"  

George Brose

Podcast #2: The Rock and Roll One

Penn State Track and Field Alumni Golf by Skwilli is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://psutafalumnigolf.blogspot.com.


Here is the second podcast, this time with Special Guest Paul Souza of the Velveteen Playboys, talking about a myriad of things from being recruited to Happy Valley, to Heavy Metal,  to coaching,  to the American Track League.

I have to apologize up front, as the length of the podcast is even longer than the first one.  But in my defense, the time went by quickly and you'll enjoy the whole thing quite the same. I threw in a whole song, "The Big Rock Wall" from the Playboy's album "Shakin' Not Stirred".

Paul Souza.

In the Ice Palace.

Addendums:  1. I know I don't identify myself on the Podcasts!  It's on purpose.  This isn't about me so much, I'm just skwilli, the second-string runner lucky enough to have had Coach Groves allow me to run with the Big Dogs from 1977 to 1981.  And I'm forever grateful.   2. Paul Souza coached Wheaton College to many titles in Division 3 Track and Field.