More Golfers Wanted: A Letter From Coach Gondak

Make Coach Groves happy!

The Sprints: All-Time Best 10

AND don't forget to golf with us and mingle with Coach Groves at our Reunion and Golf Tourney this weekend! Coach is counting on a big turn-out.

All-Time Outdoor Distance Top-Ten Lists*

This group has the highest concentration of Track Alumni Golfers. 17 of them!  RIP Charlie Maguire, I'm sure you would have joined us.

*As of 4/2015.

Top Ten Performances Keep Coming*

* As of 4/2015.

Practice? PRACTICE?

It is time to get your golf clubs out of the garage!

• The Good News:  No stink bugs in the bag this year.
• The Bad News: No golf balls left over from last year's last place appearance. I must head to the dollar store to see if I can replace them.

Again, I did not practice once since last year's worst ever performance.

AND I'M STILL ON THE COACH GROVES CUP!  You too should golf with us for your chance to become immortal.

More Top Ten Performances For The Men (Well, Top 5 For Relays)*

And time to get those clubs out of the garage!

* I await the corrections to the #5 4 x 400.

Top Ten List Continues! Mens Outdoor All-Time

* Al Bates   1928!

Said Better Than I Ever Could

Director of Youth Development and newly minted Board Member Artie Gilkes released a missive to all our brethren (and sisters!) to attend our reunion.  And remember, we had to hound him to the ends of the earth to finally golf with us!

The golf outing reunion is a great time! It is a great time to meet up
with fellow Nittany Lions from many different eras. It also, gives us a
platform to help support the program. We need to get scholarships endowed and
we specifically need to get the Harry R. Groves scholarship endowed! The money
raised from the golf outing/reunion is a step in that direction.

On a more personal note I can honestly say the friendships I made while a member of
the Nittany Lions squad are as important to me as family. Furthermore, the
friendships I've developed with alums I would other wise not have met if not
for the reunion have become some of the most valued relationships in my life. I
would love nothing more than for as many of us  as possible to expirience the
same thing. It is more than comical the amount of cross over personalities
there are between eras. There is a lot of satisfaction an espri di corps when
members of different eras get together. I would rather be with you lot than the
finest people in the world... And I'm just going to throw this out there too,
the joy Coach gets from having everyone together is immeasurable!

We're closing in on the date and if possible I urge one and all to make it back. If
you can't make it this year, make it next year... Check out the attachment
below Clark put together. And if you're like me and not a golfer I can assure
that golf is the least of what goes into the weekend...
Rusty Boots...
-Artie

14th Annual Harry Groves Golf Outing / Track and Field Alumni
Gathering –
ONE WEEK AWAY!!
Greetings All, Here’s the Agenda for the Weekend
– please note the changes (mainly the Coach Horner service):
FRIDAY’S (MAY
15th) EVENTS:
- Meet and greet at Damons (Located in front of the Hampton Inn)
from 7-10pm (appetizers and soda’s will                        be provided –
Booze is on your own, sorry!).  Will be a bar crawl afterwards – destinations
TBD…
SATURDAY (MAY 16th) EVENTS:
- The Alumni run will start at the track at
9:oo am for anyone interested in a short jog or a loop around campus.  Coffee
and Donuts served at the track – Coach Groves will be the official starter…
-
There has been a memorial service scheduled for Coach Jackson Horner (State
College High Coach) that starts at 11:00 for those interested in attending
(Grace Lutheran Church in State College).
- The Golf outing will be held at the
Elks Club again this year with the putting contest taking place at 12:15
followed shortly thereafter with the outing beginning at 1pm.  There will be a
group gathering to hike Mt. Nittany or take a campus tour meeting in the lobby
of the Hampton Inn (also at 1pm) - for those not interested in golf (Leader of
that tour(s) will be named Friday Night).
- The dinner reception (after golf)
will take place at Damon’s – Banquet room yet to be determined (though we’re
trying to get the upstairs room for Coach) – beginning at 7pm – Cash Bar.
We
have a block of rooms reserved (under Penn State Track and Field alumni) at the
Hampton Inn with a reduced rate of $99 / night (1101 East College Avenue (814)
231-1590) – they will hold this block until Tuesday May 5th so jump on that now
as it jumps another $30/night otherwise .  All checks for golf and dinner will
need to be sent to me this year at 112 Coachlight Circle – Chalfont, PA 18914
(we’re not sophisticated enough to run this through any kind of a credit card
yet though we may explore Pay Pal in the future)…
The fees this year are the
same as last - $150 for those attending the outing and the receptions – the
“newbie’s” will again have a reduced rate of $100 (anyone graduating in the past
5 years).  Those of you “flying” in (by plane – need to clarify that for Black
since he thinks driving 90 mph should be considered flying) will enjoy the same
reduced rate (unless your name is Bill Malchano). If you choose to attend the
Friday night function alone, the fee will be $25 – Saturday alone, $50.  Costs
for those with children (under 18) attending the reception(s) - $5 on Friday
night and $10 on Saturday.
This event is open to both men and women (large hint
there) and friends of PSU alumni - the more the merrier!  Do not feel as if you
would embarrass yourself if you have no golf game (we’ve been embarrassing
ourselves for 13 years now and enjoy laughing about it…).
Dave, Harry and I are
happy to announce the inclusion of Brian Fuller, Artie Gilkes and Ken Brinker to
the golf committee – so feel free to yell at them for whatever reason you’d
like!  Did I mention contributions for both the endowment fund and golf outing
are gladly accepted!
If you should have any questions or comments, please let
me know – Hope to see you this year!            
CH

PSU Top Ten Mens Outdoor Performances All-Time: Throws and Decathlon (yeah, the Shot Put Isn't There!)

800M Madness And Other Highlights

It was a fine day for PSU's 800M runners yesterday.  In the land of Mike Sands (Bahamas), Casimir Loxsom blazed a 1:45.59 split for the USA 4 x 800M team (7:04.84) in becoming a World Champion for the first time.  He was teamed with Robby Andrews, Eric Sowinski and Duane Solomon.  The Americans were never really challenged after Sowinski's second leg.

The top of the podium.

But Cas's performance was equaled by Brannon Kidder on the Left Coast at the Payton Jordan Invitational in Palo Alto.  Brannon snagged the #1 time in the NCAA this year in the 800M with his 1:45.58, making him the #2  PSU performer of the event all-time, passing #3 Randy Moore (1:45.96) and just behind the aforementioned #1 Cas Loxsom (1:45.28).

Premiere middle distance coach John Gondak greets Brannon Kidder after the race.

That wasn't all in the PSU performance category for 5/2/2015 either!  Robby Creese just happened to run the #2 performance in the NCAA this year with his 3:39.02 1500M placing him at #3 all-time at PSU with the familiar names of  #1 Brannon Kidder (3:38.82), #2 Steve Balkey (3:38.99) and #4 Larry Mangan (3:39.25).

And Tori Gerlach became only the 2nd PSU Woman under 10:00 for the 3000M Steeplechase with her 9:57.47!  #6 in the NCAA this year.

#2 Tori Gerlach and #1 Bridget Franek.

The Full Schedule Of Events At The 14th Annual Track Alumni Reunion and Coach Groves Golf Tourney

 There is still time to plan to attend.  Heck, we welcome last minute attendees as the proverbial prodigal son (and daughter)!

Friday May 15th:

• 7:00PM - 10:00PM:  Alumni Reunion at LettermanS (formerly Damon's) Soft drinks and appetizers are covered.  Cash bar. Video of the 1980 US Olympic Trials will be shown! The Cup will be on display!
• 10:00 - ?:  Roaming State College and raising heck with your old and new friends.  Be careful out there!

Saturday May 16th:

• 9:00 AM  - Alumni "Run" at the Outdoor Track.  Activities can include standing around with others who managed to awake in time to an actual campus loop with the hardiest among us.  The "Run" starts with a lap of the track started by Coach Groves himself.  Coffee, stickies and donuts are available courtesy of your Herder of Cats.
• 11:00AM - Memorial Service for former PSU XC Captain and State College High School Coach Jackson Horner at Grace Lutheran Church.  There is a luncheon to follow.
• 12:00 (Noon) - Putting Contest for those golfing at the Mountain View Country Club.  This is a 50/50 raffle.  Come see someone sink a 40-footer for a bunch of cash!  One year,  our  Le faucon d'orange actually just missed a second 40 footer!
• 12:00 (Noon) - There is an annual Climb of Mt. Nittany for those not golfing with the better half of the Herder of Cats in charge.  This meets at the Hampton Inn lobby before heading over to the mountain trails.  It usually ends with a trip to the Berkey Creamery where you may even purchase the newest of Recovery Drinks!
• 1:00PM - The Coach Harry Groves Golf Tourney at the Mountain View Country Club (formerly the Elks Club)  The premiere event of the weekend where you can get your name on The Cup.  This is a best ball scramble event that even the worst duffer will enjoy.  Veterans of the event will badger and harrass those who are too shy to sign up during the Reunion evening.  You'll be glad you finally relented!
• 7:00PM-10:00PM - The Awards Banquet is the penultimate event of the weekend.  Founder Clark Haley will hand out the awards, we'll make fun of everyone (mostly me) and have a nice meal at the new LettermanS (formerly Damon's).

LettermanS Replaces Damon's As Reunion Headquarters

The location of the 14th Annual Penn State Track and Field Alumni Reunion and post Coach Harry Groves Golf Tournament Awards Dinner stays the same, but the name is different.  Damon's is no more and has been replaced by LettermanS, owned by locals.

Renovations and alterations to the menu will probably be complete by the time our Group graces its banquet rooms.