December 2016 Track and Field Contents Writers of P. 1 President’s Message America P. 3 2017 TAFWA Awards (Founded June 7, 1973) P. 4 TAFWA Pictures P. 5 USA Track and Field Agrees to 8-year Deal with NBC PRESIDENT Jack Pfeifer P. 5 Montreal Grand Prix Returns in 2017 216 Ft. Washington Ave., P. 6 Stan Huntsman, Track and Field’s Mentor and Passionate Defender, Dies at 84 NY, NY 10032 Office/home: 917-579- P. 8 Man, Not Meme, Eli Moskowitz Recovering After NCAA XC Accident 5392. Email: P. 10 The Best is Yet to Come for Cheserek [email protected] P. 12 Breaking Up With Twitter VICE PRESIDENT P. 14 Aksana Miankova to be Stripped of Beijing 2008 Hammer Gold Doug Binder P. 14 IOC Strips 10 Athletes of Olympic Medals in Doping Retests Email: P. 15 Budapest, Los Angeles and Paris Offer Contrasting Olympic Visions in Race [email protected]. Phone: 503-913-4191 That Could Yet Prove a Classic P. 18 The Myth of the Sports Scholarship TREASURER P. 23 How a Ragtag Crew of Almost Journalists Created Running’s Most Tom Casacky P.O. Box 4288 Controversial Website Napa, CA 94558 P. 27 ‘I’m Ready to Face This’: Cathy Freeman Opens Up About Her Family’s Deepest Scars Phone: 818-321-3234 P. 28 New Cars, Cooking Lessons and All the Lego You Can Buy: What It’s Like to Go Email: [email protected] Pro in Track & Field as a Teenager SECRETARY P. 31 WADA Report is Microcosm of Everything Wrong With Rio 2016 and IOC Jon Hendershott P. 33 Partial Fixtures List Email: [email protected] Phone: 669-231-4177 President’s Message - December 2016 FAST Dave Johnson Given that November is usually a slow month for T&F, there’s been a lot of Email: [email protected] news the past 30 days. Phone: 215-898-6145 WEBMASTER For one, Vin Lananna, the former Oregon coach and current president of Michael McLaughlin TrackTown, is now also president of USATF. He was selected at the recent Email: [email protected] convention after Jackie Joyner-Kersee withdrew her candidacy. (No word on Phone: 815-529-8454 the reason for that.) He replaces the outgoing and oft-controversial Stephanie NEWSLETTER EDITOR Hightower. Shawn Price Email: [email protected] Many more drug violations have been reported as a result of the retesting of Phone: 979-661-0731 samples from the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. Some of them are reported here. Chaunte Lowe, who finished 6th in a HJ, is now a medalist. Most of the viola- tions come from the Eastern Bloc. This is, as we all know, all about the $$. No one’s ever returning a nickel of their ill-gotten gains. The reputations of the IOC and IAAF sink by the day, where they join the Russian Federation in the muck. Only dark humor remains. It’s too late to say that the sport’s credibility is at stake. It is what it is. At the college level, there were exciting championship races in cross, especially the thrilling, upset, 1-point victory by the Oregon women over Michigan and favored Colorado in Div. I. There was also plenty of behind-the-scenes noise in the NCAA – some major rules changes involving how to struc- ture and operate a college meet, rules so Byzantine that they threatened the viability of a number of existing major meets on the circuit. Few coaches knew of the changes when they were announced, as they had been reviewed and approved not by the Coaches Association but by a committee. Under an onslaught of protests, the NCAA was forced to “postpone” the changes, announcing that they would be put in place a year from now. From what we at TAFWA HQ hear, good luck with that. This is a knife fight over the future of college TF. We’ll keep you posted. Social Life TAFWA has also been busy on the social scene, with accompanying photographs to prove it. • The great Frank Litsky, a former TAFWA president as well as a winner of the Jesse Abramson writ- ing award, turned 90 and had a splendid party at Coogan’s Restaurant, on Broadway in NYC, with past colleagues from the NYT. In the group photo, that’s Frank center front. At the far right is Gay Talese, who, yes, was a Times sportswriter for a time and said he loved every minute of it. • A huge reunion of Power Memorial Academy alums, at a Catholic church in Douglaston, Queens, where TAFWA was an interloper. (Jewish kid from a public school!) A good time was had by all. For a school that’s been closed more than 30 years, the alumni (it was an all-boys school) have a lot of staying power. Matt Centrowitz, a Power alum, brought along his son, now the Olympic champion at 1,500, and the place roared its approval. The other photo is of the members of a famous Penn Relays championship DMR squad – Andy Walsh, Tony Colon, and Peter and John Lovett – along with Barbara Reilly, whose late brother was coach of that Power Memorial team. • Our friends Walt Murphy (left) and Dave Evangelista at a get-together at the Penn Club on 48th Street in Midtown Manhattan. Because he arrived later, the Penn Relays’ Dave Johnson failed to make it into the photo! Deadlines Please note that the deadline for making nominations for several of this year’s TAFWA awards is the end of this month. For others, you have until May. There is also a reminder in this issue that is time to pay 2017 Dues of $30. This can be done as easily as a few clicks on Paypal. TAFWA Membership Dues for 2017 It’s never too early to think about your TAFWA dues. For 2017, they will remain at $30, and will buy you a series of excellent newsletters, the 2017 FAST Annual, and privileged entry to special TAFWA social events at New York’s Millrose Games in February, the NCAA Championships in Eugene (our yearly breakfast with athletes and coaches), and at the USATF meet in Sacramento. Don’t miss out! You can send a check, payable to TAFWA, to PO Box 4288, Napa, CA 94558, or use PayPal, to the address [email protected]. TAFWA Newsletter - Page 2 - December 2016 2017 TAFWA Awards Recognizing excellence in track & field journalism, announcing, photography, film & video, blogging, broadcasting and books in 2016 as well as ongoing cooperation with the media General information: These awards will be presented in February 2017 in New York and June 2017 in Eugene and Sac- ramento for work in 2016 unless otherwise noted. Self-nominations are allowed. Please include nominee’s name, address, e-mail address and phone. James O. Dunaway Memorial Award | For excellence in track and field journalism, both in print and online Award Chair: Jack Pfeifer ([email protected]) Nomination Deadline: January 1 Sam Skinner Memorial Award | For ongoing cooperation with the press Award Chair: Jon Hendershott ([email protected]) Nomination Deadline: May 1 Note: Submit name of nominee and a brief narrative Announcing Awards | For excellence in track and field announcing Scott Davis Memorial Award: presented to a current announcer Pinkie Sober Award: presented to a retired announcer or posthumously Award Chair: Dave Johnson ([email protected]) Nomination Deadline: May 1 Rich Clarkson Photography Award | For excellence in track and field/cross country/running still photography Award Chair: Jack Pfeifer ([email protected]) Nomination Deadline: May 1 Note: Submit an electronic portfolio with a minimum of 10 photos and maximum of 20. Bud Greenspan Memorial Film & Video Award | For excellence in track and field/running film & video production Award Chair: Nancy Beffa ([email protected]) Nomination Deadline: January 1 Note: This award will recognize outstanding achievement in film or video on track & field or running during 2016. Criteria: contact Nancy Beffa for details. • Submissions are judged based on innovation, impact and creativity • Entries must have been released, televised or copyrighted in 2016 • Must be at least 25 minutes in length • Submit 5 DVD copies of the film or a link to the work online. Note: A second award recognizing works shorter less than 25 minutes will be inaugurated in 2018. Adam Jacobs Blogging Award | For excellence in online personal writing on track and field, cross country or running in 2016 Award Chair: Parker Morse ([email protected]) Nomination Deadline: May 1 Armory Foundation Book Award | For the leading book published in 2016 on track and field, cross country or running Award Chair: Peter Walsh ([email protected]) Nomination Deadline: May 1 Note: Please submit three copies of the book for review to Peter Walsh, Coogan’s Restaurant, 4015 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10032 Cordner Nelson Memorial Award | For a body of work writing about track & field and running. Award Chair: Peter Walsh ([email protected]) Nomination Deadline: January 1 H. D. Thoreau Award | For excellence in track & field broadcasting Award Chair: Jack Pfeifer ([email protected]) Nomination Deadline: January 1 TAFWA Newsletter - Page 3 - December 2016 Top: 90th birthday party for Frank Litsky, a former TAFWA president and a winner of the Jesse Abramson writing award. Left: Power Memorial Academy alums included Matt Centrowitz, who brought along his son, now the Olympic champion at 1,500. Also in attendance were members of a famous Penn Relays championship DMR squad – Andy Walsh, Tony Colon, and Peter and John Lovett – along with Barbara Reilly, whose late brother was coach of that Power Memorial team. Right: Walt Murphy (left) and Dave Evangelista at a get-together at the Penn Club on 48th Street in Midtown Manhattan.