Happy Birthday Coach Groves

The Cream Of The Crop: Penn State At The Penn Relays

From the vast Penn Relays web site, here are the most celebrated Nittany Lions of all-time:

Elaine Sobansky, 1984.

"The Race", 1985.

Casimir Loxsom, Athlete of the Meet 2013.

Horace Ashenfelter with Horace the Golden Putter.

Barney Ewell.

Lee Talbot, PSU 1909.

Alan Helffrich

"Anchored the Penn State 2-Mile Relay team to a world record at the Penn Relays in 1923."

Wall of Fame Inductees 2000 1985 4×800m Relay Vance Watson, Steve Shisler, Chris Mills, Randy Moore 2007 Lee Talbott (1910) 2008 Elaine Sobansky (1984)
Olympic Gold Medalists participating at the Penn Relays 1920 Antwerp Larry Shields  3000 Team 1924 Paris Alan Helffrich  4x400 1948 London Barney Ewell  4x100 1952 Helsinki Horace Ashenfelter  SC
Athletes of the Meet 2013 CM-R Casimir Loxsom

Meow Is The Time For My Penn Relays Story

My only run in with The Law was because of the Penn Relays...

In the early 90's, I was carefree and unencumbered by kids and old age.  I had been bragging to a running friend about how great the Penn Relays Distance Night was for track geeks and we decided to go down after work and check in for all the festivities.

It was a great night running in to old PSU friends, Podiatry School friends and even Coach Groves in his usual spot along the wall under the clock.  Jim Clelland was even running in the Corporate DMR!  We had a wonderful time and I explained to my friend how great the Cold Molsons Party was.  It was still going on at that time!  We had a ball.

We stayed way past what we should have and the events were behind schedule.  Both of us had work the next day. I had 3 surgeries the next morning starting at 7:00AM.  We got on the road at Midnight or so and I actually used a fuzzbuster to blaze the Turnpike home as fast as I could.

Finally back to York, I prepared for the exit, which was only 1/4 mile from home when I saw the lights flashing.  I pulled off the side of the exit ramp and waited as the cop behind me took more than 5 minutes to do anything at all.  When he finally came to the window, he announced I was going 75 mph, something I almost never have done.  Oh well, IT WAS THE PENN RELAYS AFTER ALL!

He asked for my license, insurance and registration, which I had at the ready.  I expected a ticket and the points to go with it and then be on my way.  But he was taking even longer sitting in his car behind me this time.  It was at least 10 minutes, and I was getting nervous.

Turns out that none of my information matched.  I had moved 3 times in the previous year and had not yet bothered to update anything.  The address on my license, registration and insurance were three diferent places and he was a little miffed at this.  I was really nervous now and he said, "Which is your current address?"

The answer was, of course, none of them!  I had moved just 2 weeks before and was at my fourth place.  The cop was now laughing, thank goodness.  He said he was kinda new to a situation like this.  He knew he should throw the book at me but he didn't know how to do all the paperwork.  Or he didn't want to do it!  So he told me that if I promised to update all of this in the next week he would let me off with a warning.  I didn't even get a ticket.  The Penn Relays are wonderful!
 

Alumni Singlets Bring Out The Best

Blog contributor Nick Scarpello has kept in touch with us with his frequent posts from his new life on the Left Coast.  Despite a new environment, a new job (welcome to the wild world of work, a four-letter word ending in k!), Nick is still burning up the roads and track and working out like a maniac.

Enough that he set a 5000M PR at the Mt. Sac Relays last weekend wearing his Alumni Singlet.  I thought someone here at the blog with it all should mention it.   14:14.83  ain't half bad for a working stiff!

And Nick also has started a new blog which I will link on the right sidebar.  It's always good for us ancient types to know what the youngins are up to.

Nick Scarpello's Blog

I hope this doesn't mean he'll forget all about us!

"The Race" Was 30 Years Ago

 "We made Harry cry"

-Randy Moore.

There's a great article in the Philadelphia Inquirer about our 1985 4x800M Relay Championship of America victory at the Penn Relays.  They really did a wonderful job, and we helped just a little bit here at the blog with it all.

Two were walk-ons, two were from the local high school!

Penn Relays record still intact for Penn State foursome 30 years later

The photo is from Walt Chadwick's vast stash.  And Walt does have extensive ties to our group from multiple angles.  Randy Moore's recollections of the event in the article come from an exclusive essay he provided to me for use on the blog.  It was a well written, humble and enlightening piece of prose from the most elusive of the 4. You need to read it all.

Other aspects of our blog were used for background also.  Be sure to check out all our previous posts on the topic.

Don't forget, you can still get your "PSU is 800U" t-shirts in the group store.  This single item both inspires and pisses off all the right people.

A Couple Of Nice Pics Before I Bore You With Another Personal Penn Relays Story: It's Penn Relays Week!

Doreen Startare McCoubrie shows off her Alumni Singlet!

 Another round of Alumni Singlet sales will be coming once us Idiot Officers get together at the Reunion and Coach Groves Tourney.  Join us on May 15 and 16!  Remember there are also T-Shirts available, and we may just add a jacket next time!  Let me know if you are interested.

A really great photo! Michael Shuey

The addition of the Javelin corps and the Multi-Eventers make the team even more formidable than the Indoor version!

There Sure Has Been A Lot Of Steeplechase Stuff This Year

And it continues, with Bridget Franek returning to the track in Oregon with a victory and an early season good time of 9:51.56

Gatorade And Muscle Milk (which has no milk) Better Watch Out!

There's a new Recovery Drink coming to the market, and the Big Boys better watch out!  Penn State's Dr. Pete Bordi has been working on the ultimate concoction for 13 years.  With the help of the PSU football team, Coach Joe Paterno and ex-star Franco Harris and his RSuper Foods company, the beast is about to be released to the public at the Berkey Creamery.  I'll be bringing a review when I get some during the Reunion weekend.

Our Group's very own Jeffrey Dover is intimately involved in the final stages of bringing it to the public through his job as Chef at the Bryce Jordan Center and in charge of the dietary needs of the Men's and Women's Basketball team training tables.  He raves about the stuff, and my Daughter the Elder (yeah I actually have progeny who maintains a near completely vegetarian diet!) can't wait to try the stuff.

 

Dr. Pete's Recovery Drink

There's Only A Week Until Penn Relays!

My favorite time of year!  And to start off the festivities here at the blog with it all is a photo from our very good friend Mike Fanelli from the garage of his California home.  Mike and I have crossed paths numerous times throughout our lives, and just missed meeting face to face probably dozens of times.  I wonder if actually meeting me will really disappoint him too much?  Mike even had the good sense to marry a Nittany Lion.

Anyway here's a pic of two runners from the early 1950's at Penn Relays:

 

The Army runner is Richard Shea, a very accomplished runner who paid the ultimate price for America on Pork Chop Hill in Korea soon after this.  Army's track is named in his honor, Shea Stadium. Shea won the 1952 2-Mile at the Penn Relays.

The Nittany Lion is Lamont Smith, a 1953 All-American teammate of the Ashenfelters and Curt Stone, who enticed many onto the teams that won many titles.  Lamont was second in the 1952 2-Mile race at Penn.

Mike Fanelli has such a large stash of memorabilia in his garage that he went looking for more on Shea and Smith.  Although he didn't (yet) find any more, he did come up with a great program for the 1952 Millrose Games:

This stuff is gold, isn't it?

Physicist Joins Monty Python

There is a connection between Penn State Track Alumni and Monty Python I hope one day to report, but in the mean-time, here's Stephen Hawking singing the Galaxy Song from "The Meaning of Life".

There Aren't Many 6' 9" Joggers In French Lick

But there is one.  Never knew Larry Bird ran Cross Country in high school.  And he continues to run 4 times a week until today.  Once ran a 32 minute 5 miler in Boston.  AND he was the penultimate fundamental basketball player of his era.  Great trash talker I also hear.

Reunion And Golf Tourney Board Member Places 21st At Cherry Blossom 10 Miler

Even though they have added many other race distances into the mix, the 10 Miler is the classic race in Washington DC for the Cherry Blossom Festival.  You really do need to see the blossoms at least once in your life.  The last time I saw them was at 75 mph as I streaked by on the way to Reagan Airport to fly to China for my adopted Daughter the Younger.  Seeing just a glimpse of them in that fashion taught me that all would be OK on the trip.  Except for the food poisoning...  That story is for another day.  It's a long one.

Brian Fuller is now on the Board for our Golf Tourney and Reunion Committee, and had a very good run this year even though the race was abruptly shortened due to a car accident on the course.  His 48:01 9.5 to 9.75 Miler is estimated to be a 50 minute 10 Miler.  They will remeasure the course in the coming days for all of us OCD types.  And he is a much better golfer than I also.  Damn.  Nice run Brian.

21      BRIAN FULLER   48:01    CAMP HILL, PA

Join Brian and me at the 14th Annual Reunion and Coach Groves Golf Tournament on May 15, 16. Possibly get your name on the Memorial Cup with both of us even if you have little to no golf experience!  See this post from 2 months ago for all the info you need.