Footlocker, More Marks, and Those Damn Orgs

It's only fair that I report on the Footlocker XC meet held yesterday.
After all, I did the same with the NXN.

The expected winners came through..
Grant Fisher and Anna Rohrer both easily won.

Fisher had probably the greater challenge, with such guys as Alex Ostberg, John Dressel, Elijah Armstrong, and Austin Tamagno tagging along.
Although NXN winner Tanner Anderson wasn't in the race.
But when a 4:02 miler decides to kick, there's not much others can do, and that was the case here over the final 800.

The girls ran it a bit differently.
After Makenna Morley took it out fast, Rohrer than powered to the front, and held her lead all the way.
She had some good foes, but missing was the NXN winner, Allie Ostrander.

One difference between the boys and girls--the boys 40 runners were all 11th and 12th graders.
The girls had 4 sophs and 3 freshmen.
And 3 of the sophs and 1 frosh finished in the top 11 (of the 40 runners).

Bottom line is that the distance running Renaissance of the past few years is continuing, despite the absence of Mary Cain, Sarah Baxter, Elise Cranny, and Alexa Efraimson!
And this year, it looks like the BOYS might have a hot season ahead of them too!

Speaking of that 2014-2015 INdoor season, I have more good marks to report.

Following in the wake of that fabulous Women's 5000 in Boston, two more 5K's can be added to the list.

Rachel Johnson, who SEEMS to make the 3000SC her specialty, showed she has wheels in flat races too.
The Baylor Senior ran a solo (2nd was 30 seconds back!) 5000 in 15:40.45 in College Station TX.
This makes her 17th A-T Collegiate.
And it makes her 20th A-T US!

Remember who the shock winner of the USATF 12K race was for the guys?
Brian Shrader?
Well, he can run on INdoor tracks pretty good also!
He opened his season with a good 13:40.94.
It missed the Top 24 Collegiate list by just 3.91 seconds!

The Weight Throw is starting off solidly.
The guy with the unspellable name--Chuk Enekwechi--threw the Weight 75-6.
It would make my list, but he has a better mark from last season!
Two or 3 other guys have marks of 70-0 or more.
As well as one woman!
But none of those make the list.

However, speaking of the WT, I have some new info on a top mark from last year----or rather, earlier this year!
Remember when this blog reported the WT by Michael Lihrman of 79-7.50 last February?
And I said I didn't know his birthdate, but that I was SURE his mark would be a new Age 21 or Age 22 record?
Well, I found out his B-date!
He was 22 then, and so his mark is the Age 22 record!
Better late than never, eh?

Two other good marks came in this weekend.
While neither makes my lists, they're good marks for this early in the season!
Erica Twiss did a Pentathlon, scoring 4136 points, just 117 short of my Top 24 Collegians.
And a 9th Grade girl named Tatiana Marsh TJ'ed 39-3.
Is that good?
Yes!
The 9th Grade Class record is 40-2.50.

Finally, Laura Thweatt and Ryan Hill took the individual honors at the USATF Club XC Championships!
Second in the Women's race was NOP girl Tara Erdmann.
She seems to be back from a relative off year in 2014.
And in 19th place was the first 40-and-over woman, Jen Rhines.
Second to Hill was Jake Riley, followed by another "comebacker", German Fernandez!

Now about "Those Damn Orgs"!
You know them by their acronyms, IAAF and USATF.
Here's why I call them "DAMN" orgs!

IAAF
You've no doubt heard that the 2019 WC will be held NOT in Tracktown USA, but in Doha, Qatar.
Despite......
1. Doha planning a late September-early October meet!
2. the potential HEAT, even with most of it being held in the "cooler" hours,
3. the fact that Eugene's ENTHUSIASM and T&F KNOWLEDGE far outshine that of Doha's!
4. the UGLY burkas women there have to wear, and the general attitude towards women that's the RULE in Qatar!

Check the T&FN Message Board thread that EXPLODED with NEGATIVE comments even BEFORE the vote was announced!
Our only hope is that there will be a reversal of that vote sometime in the next 5 years!

(There's tons of other "IAAF SUCKS" stuff I could enumerate here, but I'll leave them be for now!)

USATF
For me, it began at the 2013 USATF INdoor meet.
Just think of the names of Gabe Grunewald and Andy Bumbalough, and you'll be needing a few dozen Tylenol pretty damn quick!
Or more to the point, think of Alberto Salazar!!

Well, the winter (even though it's still FALL!!) meeting of USATF finally "resolved" the issue of Bumbalough.
(Jordan Hasay, bless her heart, took care of the Grunewald "problem" by sweetly withdrawing from the WIC, thus allowing Grunewald to take her RIGHTFUL place (in Sopot) as the winner of that USATF 3000!!)
USATF reinstated Andy.....more than 9 months too late!!
(A baby could have been conceived.....and born!!.....in that time, with room to spare!!)

Okay, half a point for at least doing that much!
But what about the Bob Hersh-Stephanie Hightower affair?

Here it is in a nutshell.
(And I don't even follow all this Inside Politics shit surrounding these Orgs!)

They were voting about who would represent USATF when dealing with IAAF issues.....I think!
For several years, Board of Directors member Hersh had been that person.
But Ms Hightower, a former stud hurdler and currently Prez of something or other at USATF--I think!!--wanted Hersh's position!

OK, so far so good!

So a vote was taken with the GENERAL MEMBERSHIP voting!
After all, that's how it's done in a DEMOCRACY!!
Right?

The vote went overwhelmingly in Bob's favor, 392 to 70!

Then they tossed it back to the 12 or 13 CEO types---or whatever!!---and THEY decided on Hightower by an 11 to 1 vote!
An almost complete reversal!

So Hersh is out, and Hightower's in!

Is this democracy?

Or is this WATERGATE 2??

BTW, make sure you read the article written by Lauren Fleshman on this!
It's HOT!!!
And 100% right ON!!

Be back with more exciting stuff soon!!