The Meadowbrook Woods Sporting Times 30 June 2012

Surging Towards the Olympics!

Prologue – June 1972

After the foot race, Evriman shook hands with While on vacation the previous summer, Perfontaine and decided it was time for a dip nineteen year old Genevieve Evriman in the pool to cool off. On the diving platform, received word of her selection to train with the she met gold medal hopeful Cynthia Potter – U.S. Olympic team. During the months that a high diver from Texas. Potter executed a followed, Evriman got acquainted with some picture perfect swan dive and Evriman of the country’s finest athletes who were followed. Considered by some to be the best recently featured in Life Magazine (see diver of all time, Potter would go on to 28 attached photos). national diving championships and a bronze

medal in the 1972 Olympics. As the sun rose on this particular morning in

June, Evriman peered at the track and knew When she surfaced for air, Evriman found she would have to hurry. – herself face to face with the world’s fastest a distance runner from the logging town of swimmer. Mark Spitz – who had recently Coos Bay, Oregon, would be her running begun wearing goggles to protect his eyes partner. For 4800 grueling meters, Evriman from chlorine – had 24 world records to his kept the pace. However, Prefontaine pulled credit. At age 22, he seemed undefeatable in away in the final 200 meters and finished well both the freestyle and butterfly. They swam a ahead of Evriman. few laps together at a leisurely pace.

Everiman had a feeling that Spitz would do For a while, Prefontaine was the face of well in . (He won an astonishing seven American distance running. He made bold, gold medals.) brash predictions - and usually backed them up. At one point, he held every American After lunch, Evriman decided to hang out with record from 2,000 to 10,000 meters. Yet he never set a world record and failed to win an the athletes. Standing Olympic medal in 1972 (he finished fourth in 6’-1”, Al Fuerbach was the shortest of the the 5,000 meters). See photo below. world class shot-putters. Fuerbach had overcome his apparent height disadvantage by many years of diligent training. Al wasn’t sure when he first started the sport, but his mother could pinpoint the date. Like many moms in those days, Doris Fuerbach had difficulty keeping the lawn looking good with an active son in the family. She noticed that Al first turned the lawn into a crater filled moonscape in 1962 when he was 14 years old. The neighbor ladies on DeGroat Street in Preston, Iowa, complained about those "awful ugly holes."

After ruining his parents' lawn, Feuerbach Closer to home, Evriman watched the drama followed the thudding ball from Preston unfold last Saturday as the MBW Makos (population 950) to Emporia College in provided a late surge to defeat visiting Ben Kansas. He then crossed the U.S. and Lomond (2300-2261). The victory made it two heaved his way through Europe. On four in a row for MBW heading into this week’s separate occasions, he had throws of over showdown at Wellington. 70-feet. Fuerbach did not place at the 1972 games, but set a new world record in 1973 As is customary, sub-plots are unfolding as with a toss of 71’-7”. the season progresses. For starters, “DQ’s” appear to be on the endangered list. Dubbed Evriman threw the ball and watched it roll to by this publication as “Mr. Fixit,” head coach the track. There she noticed speedy hurdler Eric Sargent is on a mission to eliminate Rod Milburn who was carrying a string of 66- disqualifications and maximize swimmers’ straight victories into the games. A native of potential. The hard work paid big dividends Opelousas, , he was recently last week. Working closely with the coaching awarded the Track and Field News Athlete of staff, first year swimmer Mike Gerhart the Year Award. At the 1971 outdoor AAU completely retooled his breaststroke during championships, he became the first man to the practice week and dropped an amazing officially run 13 seconds flat for the 120 yard 24-seconds off his 50m breaststroke (an hurdles. Milburn went on to win the gold unofficial club record). He later teamed with medal in the 100 m hurdles in Munich. up with Carter Guice, Riley O’Neal, and Jason As they sat down to dinner that evening, Smith to win the 10U 50m Freestyle Relay Evriman was inspired by folks like boxer (1:17.01). Mike also chipped in a PWB time in Duane Bobick. At just 21 years old, Duane the 50m freestyle while his younger sister – was looking to following in the footsteps of Sarah – lowered her 25m backstroke by 3- Floyd Patterson, Muhammad Ali and Joe seconds and has PWB times in both the Frazier. freestyle and backstroke in the 8U division.

The Americans would soon test their dreams The 18U girls were at full strength and looked of glory before a watching world as the 20th sharp on Saturday. Reagan Goulla, Rhyanna Olympiad was to begin in Munich. A splendid O’Neal, Grace Broderick, Camille Derderian, Devin Kaucher, Shelby Ingram, Erin McEvoy, $450 million complex of buildings, pools and Claire Loper, Aubry Naujoks, Rebecca stadia had been constructed for the games. Baumstark and Lauren Sargent figured into While Evriman did not make the Olympic the mix all morning long. Derderian – a rising team, getting to know the athletes changed Junior who was featured recently in the O.P. her life forever. yearbook for her volunteerism towards cancer June 2012 research fundraising – dropped her 50m freestyle by a half-second. Sargent provided Forty years have passed since Aunt Jenna one of the closest finishes in club history trained with the U.S. Olympians. The past when she touched just ahead of BLST’s year had been a whirlwind of activity for her Natalie Purnell in the 50m Fly (31.97s). (No niece Mary Jean Evriman who is a sports need for Mr. Fixit in this group.) journalist. In addition to her usual coverage of the Meadowbrook Woods swim team, Featured Races Evriman had been assigned to follow the U.S. Olympic Team that was preparing for the Short-course action continues this week at London Games. She was particularly Wellington which will feature some very close intrigued by 12-time medalist Dara Torres th races. In event 10, 7-year old Zach Marks will who is trying to make her 6 Olympic swim battle WST’s Owen Kaess in the 25m team this summer. Freestyle. Abbey Willever, Maggie Stade, Sarah Gerhart, and Lauren Crawley are in position to take the top four finishes in the girls 8U 25m Freestyle if they can hold off WST’s Chloe Wolf. Bailey Case will likely race WST’s Kelly Luetkenhaus to a photo finish in the girls’ 10U 100m IM.

Faces in the Crowd

Shown here at 2011 Divisionals, Devin Kaucher – a rising Junior at Osbourn Park High School - has been one of MBW’s most consistently improving swimmers during the past decade. Last Saturday, she helped the 18U 200 Medley relay team lower their seed time by 2/10-sec in route to a first place finish and 47-team points. With wins over Stonewall Park and Ben Lomond, the MBW Makos have managed to keep their heads above water during the first two weeks of the 2012 summer swim season. MBW will kick off the holiday week festivities For the Record with a meet at Wellington this Saturday. The two clubs last met on June 25, 2011 and Versus Ben Lomond, Matthew Healey Wellington came out ahead by a score of lowered the 14U 50m Fly club record to 2597-2417. The Dolphins are coming off a 31.71s from the previous mark set by Eric narrow loss to Ridgewood last week. Sargent in June 2005 (31.89s).

Author’s note: Inspiration for this edition

of the Times came from the used book

store in Old Town Manassas where an

original copy of the August 18, 1972,

issue of Life Magazine was found

gathering dust beneath a priceless first

edition printing of Timoshenko’s Theory

of Elastic Stability in a small alcove just

past the Civil War section.

Steve Prefontaine

Cynthia Potter

Mark Spitz

Al Feuerbach

Rod Milburn