Sketchy Details of Track Alumni Reunion Get-Togethers

Even those not golfing enjoy our weekend festivities because of the Friday Night Reunion and the awards Dinner following the thrashing of the Elks Club greenery.  In fact, people enjoy it so much, we have outgrown our old location and have moved over to the Damon's Meeting Room this year for both evenings!

In keeping with our goal of giving back to the Track Program and the Scholarships, it is necessary to charge a nominal fee of $10 for the Friday night meeting.  Costs for everything have risen each year and we have tried to make everything as affordable as possible.  Cost for the Saturday Awards dinner at Damon's is $20, but will be only $10 for those not having the ribs/chicken dinner.

We will also have several raffles on both evenings.  A 50/50 raffle will be held each night, so its possible to win all your money back in one fell swoop.  Also, don't forget the raffle for the Nike Driver (valued at $300!) for $10 a chance.  Also, I'll be holding a donation/raffle on Friday night to raise money for the blog/web site and for future enhancements to the Group.  Many prizes have been accumulated including State College Snack Packs, PSU Track and Cross-Country hats, Velveteen Playboys DVD and polos (High-jump record-holder Paul Souza's band), PSU greats posters, Rapid Transit gift certificates, and more!  I also will be giving away The Golden Golf Ball to somebody who sent us a wrist-band photo from around the world or someone who follows the blog loyally.

Special ceremonies for members of the Hall of Honor and others will be made, culminating in the Happy Birthday Celebration for Coach Groves on Saturday night.  Be sure to bring your very own Coach Groves story with you!

We were unable to afford the Velveteen Playboys for entertainment this year but our meager monies can afford an accordionist playing such hits as "Lady of Spain" for our delight!

30 Years For a Different Relay Record!

Larry Mangan checked in with a remembrance of another relay that resulted in a PSU record that has lasted longer than the 4 X 800!  I knew this, but it kept slipping my mind every time I came up with another post idea.  Thanks for the reminder, Larry.  That's Larry mixing it up with Eammon Coghlan, Ray Flynn and John Walker "on the boards" at Madison Square Garden.

 While it wasn't a winning time, or as grand as the 1985 4x800, the PSU DMR record set at Penn at the 1980 event still sits atop the leader board. I handed off to Paul Lankford who passed the stick to Mike Cook who turned it over to Alan Scharsu. Although we won at Dogwood two weeks prior, the 13:42 5K Alan ran the night before the DMR took just enough from his legs that those villians from Villanova and Georgetown (Maree and Gregorek) pulled away from him at the end. Here's to the 9:30.1!!

Alan Scharsu was a game runner at any distance, so you would think they could get his name right on the Record Board at the Ashenfeter Indoor Complex!  I'm still searching for the photo of how they mangled that one, and I'll post it here when I do!

Munya Maraire Has the Best Excuse

Munya Maraire braved the harsh conditions of the Elks Club in 2008 despite having never golfed before.  He held his on on the course because of the great equalizer, Best-Ball (Captain's Choice).  He won't be able to make it this year, and has the best excuse of all.  He won't be on this continent, as he is back in Africa helping talented youth athletes repeat his journey to Penn State! 

Munya's journey to Penn State is quite interesting and was a little more difficult than most of ours.  I salute him in his endeavors in South Africa and his native Zimbabwe, as I know his job is not easy.  Currently in Zimbabwe a $100 Trillion Zimbabwean  note is worth the equivalent of less than $7 American!

Emunael Mpanduki, a PSU freshman is adjusting well to the rigors of Central Pennsylvania and his first ever glimpse of snow!  We all wish him well.

Official Physicist Checks In: Will He Golf Again?

In addition to being "on The Cup", Brian Boyer leads an interesting life.  No one has more photos entered in our wrist band photo contest from various places around the world.  He would be the favorite to win The Golden Golf Ball if he shows up at the reunion!  He is also key to enticing more participation from the graduates in the 90's, the least represented decade in our humble group.  Let's hope he shows up for a chance at repeating last year's victory and snaring a berth in the Hall of Honor.

Brian is pictured with  Jay Wechler, the only man to be at both Trinity and Mike, the first tests of the A-Bomb and the H-Bomb.  Los Alamos is a unique place, and Brian relates an evening with a choice of speakers that would boggle the mind of a physics fan like myself, as well as topics everyone would find interesting  Here in York, I'm happy for a turkey meal at the local Fire Hall!.  He also sent in a few more wrist band photos which will be added to the slide show soon.

Here's an article from NPR (take that you Fox News Haters!) about Brian's work in "Radioactiveland".

And Another about the 29th Anniversary of "Near Catastrophe: Part Deux"

The answer to the last poll was "carrot shavings"( info supplied by Steve Black who worked during the food service strike of the summer of 1980).

Penn Relays 2010: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

Unofficial journalist Steve Shisler updates Saturday's action at Penn (with some extra useless comments from someone who only watched it on the computer!)

If you still need an un official report from Penn I'll give a brief review:

Saturday at Penn was the biggest mob scene ever with 54,000 fans in attendance.  Beth and I were there early to watch Alex run for State High in the 4x400.  He did a great job and brought the stick home for a nice 3rd place finish. It's almost as nerve racking to watch your kid as a parent versus running there, but not quite.

Usian Bolt was clearly the attraction of the day and had the fans going wild just doing a few striders on the infield more than an hour before the actual race.  When race time finally arrived the buzz was at a fever pitch.  A chant (I'm not sure if it was "U-S-A" or "Ja-mai-ca") broke out right at the star of the USA vs World 4x1. The starter had to bring the guys up and then scold the crowd to be quiet so the runners could hear the gun.

Jamaica delivered and won the race in 37.90 with Bolt being clocked in 8.79 for his anchor split.  What struck me as odd was the fact that Bolt then proceeded to take a solo victory lap.  I pretty sure there were 3 team mates who brought the stick around the track to him, but perhaps Bolt ran the 37.90 by himself.  The fastest human of all time appears to have never seen a camera he doesn't like. (The Ugly)

The Penn State women easily won the ECAC heat of the 4x200 which I believe awards watches for the victory.  3 of the 4 ladies came back late in the day and finished 4th in the Championship of America 4x400. (Fawn Dorr and the gang = The Good)

The Oregon Ducks without Andrew Wheating easily took the 4xMile title. 

The 4x800 has been hyped for many weeks as the race to watch on Saturday and it certainly delivered although not with the result we were cheering for.  PSU got out very strong on the first 2 legs with Freshman Cas Loxsom running an excellent 2nd leg in a 1:46.58 split.  Ryan Foster anchoring got the baton just off the lead in 3rd place behind Virginia and Oregon. The anchor leg turned out to be a repeat finish of the Indoor NCAA 800 final as Andrews of Virginia out sprinted Wheating of Oregon with Foster in a strong 3rd place finish for PSU. (Virginia and Oregon passing PSU in the last 100 meters = The Bad)

The 1985 4x800 record lives on through the Silver Anniversary.  It's kind of like a fine wine, it gets better and better with age. (Remember to turn the bottle 1/4 turn every few months and keep the temperature cool!)

Signed,

The Un-Official Correspondent

Early Action at the Carnival

Our unofficial correspondent Steve Shisler sends us an update from Friday's action at the world's greatest Relay Carnival:

Here is an update from my unofficial duties from Penn.

It was a beautiful sunny day at Franklin Field.  State High's boys 4x100 team of Dan Taylor, Jeremy Gilpin, Alex Shisler and Alex Kenney ran 44.58 for a fourth place finish in their Large School heat despite some less than ideal handoff's.

The Penn State women's 4x200 of Shavon Greaves, Caitlin DeFusco, Fawn Dorr, Aleesha Barber won their trial heat and qualified for the ECAC final Saturday missing the Championship of America final by 1/100th of a second. (Fawn Dorr ran amazing legs of both the 4 X 200 and the 4 X 400!)

Penn State had a strong showing in the Men's Distance Medley with a team of Samuel Borchers (2:56.96), Lionel Williams (46.74), Sam Havko (1:52.02), Vince McNally (4:07.76).  Borchers ran a very competitive leadoff 1200 leg to handoff in 2nd.  Williams flew through his 400 leg keeping PSU in second behind the Oregon Ducks.  Oregon broke away from the field on the 3rd leg and by the time Olympian Andrew Wheating got the stick for the Ducks on the anchor, no one had a chance. (Sam Borchers and Lionel Williams both ran great legs in the DMR)

It's off for another day at the races and there seems to be a lot of buzz in the air about the men's 4x800 and Penn State's chances to bring home another title in that event. (Official group representative Harry Smith relates Coach has received thousands of birthday greeting and is psyched for the upcoming golf outing.)

Signed,

The Un-Official Correspondent

Thankfully I'll be able to watch the 4 X 800 on Flo Track.  I may even run on the treadmill during the event for a little extra push, possibly even breaking 9:00 for a mile!  (I wish I was kidding.)

Happy Birthday Coach!

In a world increasingly governed by the politically correct, I'm happy I received the tutelage of someone allergic to the concept. " Telling it like it is" is a lost art, except in one corner of all of our experiences.  Coach Groves always told it like he saw it and never sugar-coated it in any way.

After running my best collegiate race and placing the highest I ever placed for the Nittany Lions, Coach Groves called me out in flowery language, likening me to a part of the female anatomy.  And he was of course correct, I should have won the race, not placed third.  It took me a number of years to realize it, but he was absolutely right all along.  (He did later compliment most of my race!)

So I figure for 80 years now the world has been blessed with a realist of the highest quality, a vanishing breed likely to be soon gone except for him and a few of us he coached.  I salute him on this monumental day.  I hope he cries again for the Championship of America 4 X 800 on his birthday (4/24/30).  Thanks, Coach.

Twenty-Five Years in the Making

It's been 25 years since PSU set the Penn Relays Record in the 4 X 800, and you've put up with me bringing it up many times.  But just one more time for old time's sake!

I know the 1985 quartet have their bets down on the finishing time of the race this year and I just want to get mine in before the deadline.  I'm going to predict a close finish with PSU edging out Oregon in 7:14.5, making the record one of the longest held records in Penn Relay Carnival history.  Steve Shisler can correct me on that one.

Here's a repost of Randy Moore's memories of the race that made Coach cry.  Good luck 2010 gang and PSU is 800 U!  Make the Coaches cry again.

And here's an excuse to hear Queen again, angering the powers-that-be in the music industry,  my "video" of the race.

Penn Relays Distance Night

I wish I could be there, but alas I'll be at a Junior High Track Meet!  Luckily, the wonders of the internets will possibly allow us to view the races on FloTrack.

Here's a vintage Program (from Steve Shisler's archives) cover to whet your appetite!

And an advertisement on the back cover which would draw fines in this age!  Say it ain't so, Joe!

Generation 1.0 at The Penn Relays

Steve Shisler sends us this great pic of his dad Earl Shisler at the 1948 Penn Relays in the 4 X 400.  Friday will mark Generation 3.0 at the Penn Relays for the Shisler family when Steve and Beth's son Alex runs in the 4 X 400!


Also here's a pic of Leonard Black, father of Barbara, Steve and Gary,  winning a race at Franklin Field in 1951 (before they invented colors, as my daughters say!).  Third Generation Martha Baskwill just started Junior High Track, so there is still time to work toward Penn!

And finally, here's a program entry from  1948 showing a certain entrant from Trenton Central High in the 4 X 800!

Memories of the Penn Relays Marathon (RIP!)

I previously related some of my experiences of the marathon (mostly of following other teammates to the finish line despite my PR in 1979!).  I also talked a little bit about the 1982 finish where Bill Kvashay was directed through the campus at the entrance to the Stadium, thwarting his 2:17 or 2:18 time and a Olympic marathon trial berth.  Certainly the longest 300 meters of his career!  That same race saw Barb Black enter the stadium with the whitest complexion I have ever witnessed.  Take a white sheet of paper and bleach it and you still wouldn't quite capture the whiteness.  Her PR placed high in the field despite the agonizing last miles, and she soon regained her normal color!  It is a testament to her fortitude that she continues marathons to this day.

Here's some more memories of the 1982 Penn Relays Marathon from Hall of Honor inductee Harry Smith:

I have no (good) memories of Penn Relays. I ran the marathon there in 1982!

But seriously, my memory of training and running with the Wolfe bothers (Al and Jeff) who guided Bill Malchano, Geoff Root, Jim Sellers and me all through to personal bests that year was a good memory!  Brad Althouse ran also but he decided to take off at mile 2 and we reeled him in between halfway and mile 15 as he had the proverbial bear on his back already from going too hard too early
We took the "leisurely" 6 minute pace through 5 (31:00) and 10 (61:30) as well as the halfway (1:19:20) as we started to pick it up a bit after 10 and even more so after the halfway marker.  I recall that my second 10 mile segment was 54:50 (which I only calculated well after the race) knowing I came through 20 miles at 1:56:20.

But the real memory was believing I had missed the entrance to Franklin Field. As I approached the stadium and the finish, after not remembering seeing any other runners since mile marker 21 when I passed one walking it in, I did not realize  the tricks my mind was playing on me (at this point in a marathon) having only "run" one previously and not counting the Nittany Valley Track Club December marathons "just for fun"!  As I started counting the corners as I ran around f Franklin Field knowing that at any moment I would go through a tunnel entrance to the stadium and onto the track to finish to a wildly cheering crowd of family and friends (or about 200 spectators). However, as one approaches Franklin Field from a 5 way intersection, I had not noticed that you go by the open stadium entrance first and make an entire loop around the outside of the stadium prior to entering for the final 300M on the track to the finish line. So I started counting the corners of the stadium. 1 and 2 on that first street and then a long straightaway. So my mind told me pick it up and make it around that corner up ahead you will turn right into the stadium. Well I made that 3rd turn or corner and no one was there directing me into the stadium. So I jogged on down to the 4th corner and that stadium door was closed. Do I turn back or go froward? The last time I heard a place I was in 21st or was it 22nd some 8 miles ago. I knew there were 25 medals to be awarded and my mind told me that no one had passed me in those last miles so not wanting to lose my chance at medaling at Penn, I went forward but this was the long South side of Franklin Field. Now I was tired and my mind told me I was not being allowed into the stadium. But I continued on and rounded what I felt was the 5th turn and finally the opening to the stadium was there with a race marshall directing me to run through the tunnel and finish my 3/4 lap backwards to the finish. 2 hours 37 minutes and 27 seconds was my finish time good for 13th place - so there must have been some runners who dropped out or I passed and lost count (probably both likely happened). The Penn Relays Marathon was "memorable" or at least the last lap outside of Franklin Field is one that I will never forget as I have never run a marathon since!

Regards,
Harry Smith

QUOTE FOR THE RELAYS...

"If you can't get excited about running at Penn, then you're just "F'N" dead"...
Coach Groves