Bean Counters Threaten To Close Ottawa’s Only Track
Looking for a potential savings of $125,000, beaureaucrats in Ottawa, Canada’s capital city, are threatening to close down the Terry Fox Athletic Facility, the only track in Ottawa. The facility is named after Terry Fox, the Canadian runner who – despite having one leg amputated because of cancer – ran across Canada to raise money and awareness for cancer research. Read more at: [Ottawa Citizen][Wikipedia]
College To Honor Larry James, ‘68 U.S. Olympian
Larry James, part of the gold-medal-winning 4×400m relay team at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, will be honored by the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. James has worked at the college as a track coach, athletic director and finally as Dean of Athletics. James, an African-American, came out publicly against the infamous protests at the games by other black athletes. Read more at: [The Star-Ledger - NJ.com, NJ]
Evel Knievel Was A Track Athlete
You might not have known this, but Evel Knievel, who died yesterday at the age of 69, was an outstanding track & field athlete. The death-defying daredevil, an exceptional athlete who played hockey and ski jumped, was also a pole-vaulter on the Army track team. Read more at: [NY Times][Wikipedia]
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Liu Xiang’s Legs Insured for $13.3 million
Chinese insurance company Ping An, a sponsor of China’s Track & Field team, has donated coverage of national hero Liu Xiang’s legs worth $13.3 Million. Calling his legs “priceless,” the 100m hurdler said, “I don’t care how much it is. Naturally, I hope never to collect this money and just keep on staying healthy.” Read more at: [Malaysia Star]
Lack of Interest Submarines Felix’s Bid for IAAF Athlete of the Year
IAAF director of communication Nick Davies stated that American’s lack of interest in Track & Field caused Allison Felix to lose in her bid to become the IAAF Athlete of the Year, saying, “the public vote on internet counts for 30percent of the final mark. But the Americans were completely uninterested in contrast to the Chinese who voted for Lui Xiang and the Croats who went into action for Blanka Vlasic.” Read more at: [AFP]
Tribute to Pioneer African-American Ultra-Runner Eddie Gardner
In the build up to the upcoming Seattle Marathon, Seattle Post Intelligencer reporter Casey McNerthney pays tribute to Eddie Gardner, a Seattle-based ultra-runner who was one of five African-Americans to compete in the historic 1928 trans-America footrace dubbed the “Bunion Derby.” Overcoming death threats in Oklahoma and Texas, Gardner finished 8th out of 199 starters. Read more at: [Seattle Post Intelligencer]
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More than 20 Maine residents are slated to compete at this week’s 2007 USA Masters Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Orono, Maine, giving the meet a terrific local flavor.
Held this year from August 2-5, the USA Masters Outdoor Championships annually showcases extraordinary demonstrations of speed, power, skill and endurance by many of the world’s finest masters track and field athletes, proving that age is no barrier to lifetime fitness. Athletes compete in five-year age divisions, beginning at age 30. In 2007, the meet will be webcast live at www.usatf.org
Maine residents slated to compete include William Donnell, 75 from Sedgwick, a sawmill operator competing in the hammer throw, and Doug Allen, 66 from Orono, a Yale track standout in the 1960’s, now University of Maine philosophy professor, competing in M65 5,000m. Reverend Richard Camp, 70, Freeport, will compete in the 100m, 200m and discus. Camp was a member of the world record indoor
4×200m relay team (M70-79) this past winter and won the 65-69 100m dash at the 2003 Penn Relays.
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