High level meetings were held this weekend following the
Penn State National Cross-Country Meet between top officials of
Penn State Track and Field Alumni Golf and representatives of
The Nittany Lion Club and
The Varsity "S" Club. Actually, I talked to both group idol
Ken Brinker and
Mike Milliron of the Varsity "S" Club at the reception at
Damon's following the race. High level meetings sounded so much better!
One of the great benefits of having thrown myself into
"the herding of cats" by blogging about all things PSU Track and XC, is the great people I have met along the way. No other group I have ever been associated with has more intelligent members, more interesting members and more passionate members. Ken and Mike both fit that description. In our wide-ranging discussions it became evident that the Athletic Department is thrilled with what our little group has accomplished with our meager resources. From our founding by
Clark Haley and continuing with great leadership under
Harry Smith and others, our group has always given
100% of our proceeds back to the program,
and they have noticed. The resources of the
Varsity "S" Club and
Nittany Lion Club will be utilized to reach out to all 1500 members of the PSU Track Alumni (second only to Football in numbers) through email and newsletters. Members of both groups and the Athletic Department are poised to golf with us this year.
They asked whether we could handle 30 foursomes this year! We can always dream. Participation this year will bring automatic inclusion in both groups, as we already designate all our proceeds toward the endowments for Track and Field/Cross-Country scholarships. There may come a time when the track and xc programs are completely self-funded (like the new Hockey Program!). If monetary donations are not in the cards for you (I can certainly understand!),
enthusiasm and participation is all that is asked of you. We are a group that accepts all members, and everyone is treated to the same level of loving ridicule as Olympians, All-Americans, or plain shlubs like me.
And in keeping with the mirthful theme of our group, I must present some interesting observations about the recent
Penn State National XC Meet. I had been unaware of the changes to the course made in the last few years, and was taken aback by the inclusion of a narrow bridge along the course. (I'm all for it, by the way!) And when evidence of grievous bodily injury to 2 Alumni Team members due to a mishap near the half-mile mark, I assumed a guardian at the bridge was restricting passage. Now, photographic evidence has emerged showing
Coach Groves somewhere along the route near the bridge prior to the start. Could it be that Coach Groves is actually
The Black Knight of Monty Python fame, and
"None Shall Pass" (at least without a fight)*? I'm more intrigued by the fact that the two have never been photographed together.
Photos include the Alumni Team with
Coach Sullivan, the infamous bridge and Coach Groves somewhere along the course...
*Coach Groves is certainly not The Black Knight and no disrespect was intended with the joking speculation. Everyone knows that Coach is a White Knight in all matters.
Photos courtesy of
Dennis Pollow and
Teddy Quinn.
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