Indoor Track Season Is Here!

The Indoor Track season commenced today with the Blue/White Meet at the Ashenfelter Indoor Facility.  Well, except for the Indoor Javelin competition.  That was held at Holuba Hall.  I hope to hear more about that soon.

And with the commencement of the Indoor Season, you should have received the initial announcement of this year's Track Alumni Reunion and Coach Groves Golf Tournament.  Here it is if you didn't get one.  Spread it around as much as possible.

We're Number Five! And I'm the Last to Know

The Penn State Mens Team is ranked fifth on the list of best recruiting class of the year by Track and Field News in the February issue.  You probably heard about it before me because apparently I'm the very last person on Earth to receive his issue.  

PSU was bolstered in the rankings with a great middle distance contingent  including Brannon Kidder, Zavon Watkins, and Ricky West (a graduate student from the Univ. of Missouri).  Let's not forget graduate student Sam Masters in the distance ranks.  There's also Jarrad Posey (TJ, from my hometown of York), Patrick Anderson (from The Wolfe Bros. home town of Kane!), and Alex Shisler (sprints, who has an impressive pedigree!).  There's even a javelin impresario, Michael Shuey.

It's going to be a good year!  The Blue/White meet is this weekend.  I'm looking for a roaming reporter to check in!

We Called It Battleball

"If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball." -Patches O'Houlihan. 

The best part of the Dover Area High School week was the Activities Period on Tuesdays.  If you were one of the lucky ones, you were chosen by the gods to be in the Intramural Sports Activity group.  Those selected were divided up into 4 teams by the 4 alpha males of the whole group.  But those picked last by the captains were every bit as valuable as the first.

Those of us with Letters in Varsity Sports (mine in Junior High Basketball!) were delegated to be the referees for every sport that was played.  We were treated with uncanny deference by the hordes, to the point of being called "Sir".  Arguments were spirited but always respectful, and our rule was adhered to completely once a decision was made.  This made for some great times.

The sports ranged from floor hockey (great!) to volleyball (boring) to Battleball, our version of Dodgeball, which is probably the greatest sport ever invented.  I think it's origins go back to Darwin's voyage on the HMS Beagle and was used to pick the one to throw off the ship when rations were low.  I may be wrong about that fact, but Battleball certainly is a Darwinian Exercise.

 "Remember, Dodgeball is a sport of violence, exclusion and degradation."

-Patches O'Houlihan.

The rules were very similar to what's on the movie Dodgeball, but there were a few changes.  When catching a ball, the thrower was out, but a teammate didn't get to come back in.  No 2 for 1 exchange for a catch.  There also was a neutral zone where both teams were permitted, populated with the little fast guys trying to sweep stray balls back into their end.  These were valued members of the team and were protected like no others. They called those guarding the Sweepers, Snipers.

At the beginning of the year, everyone had to pay an initiation fee when the gym teacher wasn't present (was it illegal or something?) to be used at the end of the year for t-shirts for the overall winners.  These shirts were highly prized and worn often enough to be ragged by the end of the current year before the new winner was determined.  As a referee, I never got one, but I did get a great whistle for official duties.  Sometimes expenses would rise when we would break a gymnasium door's window, and everyone would have to pony up more dough to get it fixed.  Everyone would claim to have been the one to do it, as punishment of the 100's of kids was not feasible to the Administration.  All for one, one for all. We actually had a standing order for the glass with the wire inside, so it could be replaced quickly.

The games were epic, and competition was so keen that kids would cry in the stands when things weren't going their way.  But I never remember any cheating, and even the "wimps" among them were treated to protection and respect around the school because they belonged to the group.

I'm Normally Crabby Anyway

Spent the weekend in Annapolis MD, and got to see the Army/Navy Game on TV at the home of one of The Game's home turf.  It certainly makes me long for the days of PSU Football in the 60's and early 70's.  Before steroids, ESPN, 6 minutes of commercials between an extra-point and a kickoff and news stories of cheating, greed and skullduggery.

The Army/Navy Game was the best game I've seen in quite a while.  I knew none of the players before-hand, and probably none of them will ever make a Pro team.  But the passion and desire with which all the players played gave me a measure of hope.  Seeing Army's quarterback crying after losing his 4th straight game to Navy really brings home what this game means to everyone involved.

Annapolis was festive and delighted with the victory, but measured in its celebration.  They seem to have a handle on what's really important and what isn't.

I celebrated the victory on Sunday morning with Eggs Benedict with lump crabmeat at Chick and Ruth's Delly, now one of my favorite places on Earth.  If you are ever there, give the 6 lb. Chocolate Malt a go.  You could win a t-shirt!

The Hardest Working Woman in Track and Field

With the recent article in her home town newspaper, the Lewistown Sentinel, Jess Riden was recognized for something all of us have known for quite some time.  She is the hardest working woman in Track and Field.

In addition to her usual myriad of duties, Jess also has taken up some (most?) of the details of our Alumni Reunion and the Coach Harry Groves Golf Tournament.

In recognition of her Herculean efforts, she is now an Officer of our group with the title Energizer Lion.  Congrats to Jess, and let's hope that doesn't subtract any IQ points as it has for so many of us!

I Built Fallingwater! And Waiter, More Wine!

PSU Track Alumni Golfer John McGraw recently visited Frank Lloyd Wright's famous residential creation Fallingwater near Pittsburgh.  I snatched a photo or two from his stash for those of you that aren't familiar with it.

I have had a recent experience with Fallingwater also, but it isn't quite as exciting as being there.

I built the LEGO version, which probably costs as much as the original full home did! A River Runs Through It.

And I have recently noticed that Eric Schwarz is thinking of expanding his wine making capacity with a course in Israel.

2001: A Streak Oddity

In celebration of My Streak reaching the monumental number of 2000 days and counting, I  contacted my Computer Coach  Hal 9000 to map out my remaining running "career".  It didn't quite go as planned...

Dave: Hello, HAL. Do you read me, HAL?
HAL: Affirmative, Dave. I read you.
 Dave: Open the (Coaching Module) Hal.
 HAL: I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that.
Dave: What's the problem?
HAL: I think you know what the problem is just as well as I do.
Dave: What are you talking about, HAL?
HAL: This mission is too important for me to allow you to jeopardize it.
Dave: I don't know what you're talking about, HAL.
 HAL: I know that you (...) were planning to disconnect me, and I'm afraid that's something I cannot allow to happen.
Dave:: [feigning ignorance] Where the hell did you get that idea, HAL?
HAL: Dave, although you took very thorough precautions in the pod against my hearing you, I could see your lips move.
Dave: Alright, HAL. I'll go in through the (program's manual override).
 HAL: Without your space helmet, Dave? You're going to find that rather difficult.
Dave: HAL, I won't argue with you anymore! Open the (coaching module)!
HAL: Dave, this conversation can serve no purpose anymore. Goodbye.

So I am left with going it alone for my future running career, I suppose.  But I got back at the creep for thwarting my efforts.

 HAL: Look Dave, I can see you're really upset about this. I honestly think you ought to sit down calmly, take a stress pill, and think things over.

HAL: I know I've made some very poor decisions recently, but I can give you my complete assurance that my work will be back to normal. I've still got the greatest enthusiasm and confidence in the mission. And I want to help you.

[HAL's shutdown] 

HAL: I'm afraid. I'm afraid, Dave. Dave, my mind is going. I can feel it. I can feel it. My mind is going. There is no question about it. I can feel it. I can feel it. I can feel it. I'm a... fraid. Good afternoon, gentlemen. I am a HAL 9000 computer. I became operational at the H.A.L. plant in Urbana, Illinois on the 12th of January 1992. My instructor was Mr. Langley, and he taught me to sing a song. If you'd like to hear it I can sing it for you.
Dave: Yes, I'd like to hear it, HAL. Sing it for me.
HAL: It's called "Daisy."
[sings while slowing down]
HAL: Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do. I'm half crazy all for the love of you. It won't be a stylish marriage, I can't afford a carriage. But you'll look sweet upon the seat of a bicycle built for two. 

A Foggy Central PA Morning Interrupted With a Bang

People send me things. And I'm thankful for it.

This one is from Jay Paterno, who has taken lots of great photos during his early morning walks with his dog.

Did I tell you I was once a judge in a Yo-Yo contest that Jay made the finals in?  He didn't win, but he was much better than I was.  He was in elementary school when I was a State College Park Leader in 1980.

And this one was sent to me by Morale Officer Larry Mangan from Amanda August of The Daily Item.

That's Dave Felice at a recent Civil War Reenactment in Mifflintown. Johnny Reb had better watch out!

Noisy Jim Performs Again

Another Holiday Season is upon us, and there is much to be thankful for.  Each year I'm amazed at the talents other PSU Track Alumni possess.  But never more than with my former Captain and all-around good guy Jim Clelland.  Others with me at the time will attest to having barely, if ever, heard Jim utter more than a word or two.  He ran fast, studied hard, and kept quiet.

So when I found out he was performing as a lead in Musicals (Jim will be Ebeneezer Scrooge) over the past several years, my jaw hit the floor.  When I heard that he is actually very good at it, I was flabbergasted.  I had thought that Jim didn't have vocal cords from a childhood bike accident or something, but I was, as nearly always, wrong.

I hope to get a chance to see him Live, but if I don't I hope someone else does and gives us a hearty review of the whole spectacle.

More Alums Need Alumni Singlets

Here's Doreen (Startare) McCoubrie and Bridget Franek at the recent Daytona Beach Run. Looks like both need an Alumni Singlet to complete their wardrobe.

  

And here's Sean Will.  How cool would an Alumni Singlet be next to those flames?

Maybe we need to get another order going?

It's Not a Good Time for String Theorists Who Work Out Strenuously

While there may be few String Theorists who work out strenuously for more than an hour a day, the few there are may be in mortal danger.

First up is the fact that the Large Hadron Collider has failed to find any predicted particles despite being fired up for years now. I first wrote about this in my post Is String Theory Failing?, still our number 1 most read post of all-time. The Standard Model has been cemented with the discovery of the last of its predicted particles, the Higgs boson, better known as the god particle.  Meanwhile not a single confirmation of M-Theory, Super-symmetry, better known as String Theory have been forthcoming from the 17 mile ring in the Swiss/French Alps. Let's hope that doesn't put any Sheldon Cooper types on the edge of the building.

Or into the gym to work out, because...

Any aging athlete that runs more than 20 miles a week or faster than 8 minutes a mile is damaging their heart way more than any training effect it achieves.

 

That's the conclusions of an upcoming report in the British Medical Journal Heart.  One of its lead authors actually gave up a successful career as a triathlete due to the findings. Of course there are opponents of the findings and much more to be done to finalize our understandings of the phenomenon.  Regardless, it's quite clear that extreme exercise among especially aging athletes can damage the heart, leading to not only sudden cardiac death, but increases in strokes and other deadly consequences.  Read the article in the Wall Street Journal preceding the actual release of the entire Study.

Thanks to several of my dozens of readers for submitting this!  Stay careful out there.

In Celebration of Walk-Ons

A very long time ago I hitched a ride from some high school buddies who were coming to State College early in the summer for some reason.  My goal was to see Coach Groves to ask him if I could walk on to the Cross Country Team at PSU.  I was just a couple weeks away from winning the Division B Two-Mile State Championship and had turned down several Division 3 coaches to run for them at smaller schools.  I had always planned to go to PSU anyway, with or without running.  I wouldn't turn 18 until half way through my Freshman year anyway, so I figured I had time to get a few more good runs in to impress Coach Groves, who I had only heard ominous murmurings about until that time!  I was unafraid however, and quite undaunted as I did get to see him at his office that day at Rec Hall.  It went well, with the admonition that I had better start increasing my mileage from the 70 or so a week I was running.  What was I getting into?

Things turned out well that first season, as I was the third Freshman on the team behind PSU greats Larry Mangan and Tom Rapp.  I actually fulfilled my career aspirations in the first two months of my PSU years.  Even though I only once more dabbled with actually scoring for our team in my Junior year, I was part of one of the best teams in the nation and made friends with some of the greatest people on Earth.  I strive daily to pay some of that back to PSU and all my friends and fellow alums with this blog and my efforts to support Clark Haley's Golf Tournament and the hopefully Annual Reunion we have helped create.

But I have a better story to tell, which I have only briefly alluded to before. I am responsible for the most identical twins in the history of PSU XC and Track!  No, I'm not their father, just their inspiration to talk to Coach Groves just as I did and ask to walk onto the team.

I was running an early morning run (Yes Coach, I really did run them every day for 3 1/2 years!) on the golf course one day,  I was on top of the world, flying past all of the joggers, scoffing at their measly efforts at the sport I loved.  On the return loop, I was climbing the hill parallel to Park Ave. where the tree roots always slowed me down a bit, and a gray clad runner flew past me.  It woke me up, but not nearly as much as the identical runner that again passed me just seconds later.  I couldn't tell them apart, and I probably still can't. 

I caught up to them with a little more effort than I wished and asked them who they were.  They weren't very talkative then or probably now, but I did get "Al and Jeff".  I told them right away that they should talk to Coach Groves, as I was sure they were what "walk-on" really meant.  I was delighted when at the next weeks practice there they were.  They both went on to have some really excellent runs for the Lions.  I will bet they don't even remember me telling them to talk to Coach, but the story is 100% certified accurate.  As Dave Barry would often say, "I'm not making this up!".

There are some other great Wolfe Stories out there, and maybe this will stimulate more of them.  They really are a great example of what walk on means, regardless as to whether anyone can tell them apart.