Volume 102 | July 2019 Dow nload a PDF of this new sletter here! All Comers Meets in July and August The OTC All Comers Meets offer a full schedule in July, with the final meet on August 1. The seven meets in July are open to all ages, and kids are especially encouraged to enter. OTC members 18 and under can participate FREE, 19 and older for only $1.00. Non-members pay $4.00 for ages 18 and under, $5.00 for 19 and older. All Comers Meets are being held at Lane Community College due to the construction at Hayward Field. Registration is available day-of-meet only. OTC members ages 18 and under receive a free youth t- shirt. If you would like to volunteer, please email [email protected]. See the complete schedule for the Wednesday meets here. See the complete schedule for the Thursday meets here. OTC Grants Make "Magic on the Track" Editor’s note: The Oregon Track Club received the following letter from Ashley Reich, a teacher at Bertha Holt Elementary School in Eugene. The Bertha Holt school received a 2018 Grassroots Grant from the OTC. The school used the grant to host a recent track and field meet between Holt and Willagillespie Elementary. Brighten your day and put a smile on your face by going here and here to see the student thank you letters. – – – Thank you drawing by Malica Bailey, Bertha Yesterday was one of the most memorable days of Holt Elementary. fourth and fifth grade for many of my kids (including my own son!). The ability to have this track meet means so much to our school. I wish you could’ve been there to see the magic on the track! Many kids gained a love for track and field in just a two hour period of time. Read the remainder of this wonderful letter No July Run/Walk, There are Options There is no Oregon Track Club Run/Walk event in July. The series will resume on August 8 at Dorris Ranch Park in Springfield. Start time is 6:00 p.m. The OTC encourages you to participate in these July events: The Aquafina OTC Butte to Butte run/walk on July 4. Register online before 6:00 p.m. July 3 or register in person at the Eclectic Edge Racing Office, 750 Commercial St, Eugene before 6:30 p.m. July 3. No race-day registration. The popular OTC All Comers Meets at Lane Community College. These meets have something for every age group including track events and field events. Go here and here for information. OTC Special Presale, Olympic Trials Tickets TrackTown USA and the Oregon Track Club are excited to invite members of the Oregon Track Club to partake in a pre-sale opportunity for all-session ticket packages for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. This special offer will be valid only from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific time on Monday, July 22, 2019, so please mark your calendars now. Go here to read all the special offer details Steyer Honored, LCC Wins Title Lane Community College Track and Field Head Coach, Bill Steyer, was recently named the Men’s Track and Field Coach of the Year in the Northwest Athlete Conference (NWAC). He was also named the NWAC Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year. This is Steyer’s first year as LCC head track and field coach. He is a member of the OTC Board of Directors. The LCC men and women capped a successful season by crushing the Bill Steyer competition and winning NWAC team championships. The men tallied 227.5 points and finished 72 points ahead of second place Spokane Community College. The Titan women scored an eye-popping 240 points to second place Spokane’s 124. The title is the men’s eighth conference championship and seventh in a row. The women celebrated their seventh championship and broke Spokane’s previous streak of four consecutive titles. Coaching Position Open at LCC Lane Community College is seeking an Assistant Track and Field Coach to focus on sprints and hurdles. The part time position requires a minimum of two years of experience coaching at the high school level in the sprints/hurdle events or one year experience coaching at the college level in the sprint/hurdles. For additional information and to apply for the position, contact Bill Steyer, Head Track and Field Coach, [email protected] or (907) 399-1078. A Tale of Two Runners By Joey Blum Miles Higa and Echo Cooper met in the summer of 2018 while working as seasonal firefighters for the Oregon Department of Forestry. While they were in good shape entering the season, they felt their conditioning was not sufficient and began running to improve. In the world of firefighting, there exists the possibility that a mundane summer day may turn into a weeklong marathon of sleeplessness and great physical and mental demand when dealing with harsh and steep terrain under hazardous conditions. Read the full article Miles and Echo with some good friends. Out of the Blocks: Filling in the Blanks By Kevin Marbury, OTC President Happy July! By the time you read this, we will have completed this year’s Prefontaine Classic, held at Stanford in Palo Alto, CA. While I’m sure it was a wonderful event filled with phenomenal performances, we are already thinking about bringing the event back to its home at the newly renovated Hayward Field. It only seems appropriate that the number one meet in the world is held at the number one facility in the world, right? Read the full article Kevin Marbury Hogs, Raiders Win Team Titles Texas Tech won its first NCAA men’s team title with 60 points at the recent NCAA Outdoor Championships in Austin, TX. Florida was second with 50 points. Arkansas won the team title for the women with 64 points. USC was second with 57. The Oregon women finished fifth while the men tied for 12th. Duck women who scored points in the meet: Jessica Hull, 1500m (2nd place); Carmela Cardama Baez,10,000m (2nd); Susan Ejore, 800m (4th); Chaquinn Cook, triple jump (4th); Kerissa, D'Arpino/Venessa D'Arpino, Briyahna DesRosiers, Brianna Duncan, 4x100m (4th); Rhesa Foster, long jump (7th), and Hannah Waller, 400m (8th). UO men who scored points: Cravon Gillespie,100m (2nd) and 200m (2nd); Max Vollmer, decathlon (5th); Spenser Schmidt, Cravon Gillespie, Julius Shellmire, Oraine Palmer, 4x100m (6th). In related news, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association named the lady Ducks the Division I Women's Program of the Year. The honor is earned annually by the team with the highest combined national finish during the cross county, indoor, and outdoor track and field seasons. OTC Debuts Athletics Team Gear The Oregon Track Club Masters Board has approved a new uniform design for members of the OTC Athletics Team which is open to all adult OTC members of any age The Board has been discussing the concept of an updated team uniform for some time and settled on a color scheme after reviewing samples at a recent meeting. The Board responded to increased interest by a number of Masters athletes who have been competing on the state, regional, national, and international levels. “Several athletes have approached us about having a more unified look when representing the OTC,” said former OTCM President Trisha Kluge. Read the full article Gates Wins Gold​​ OTCM member David Gates won the gold medal in the men’s pole vault (Age group 50-54) at the National Senior Games held recently in Albuquerque, NM. Gates, 52, won the competition with a vault of 10 feet, 11 3/4 inches. Gates is a member of the OTCM Board of Directors and a member of the OTC Athletics Team. David Gates Oregon Track Club MASTERS Tuesday Workout Locations OTCM Workouts are normally held every Tuesday at South Eugene High School at 5:30 p.m. Due to warmer weather, workouts may sometimes be changed to Hendricks Park, area bark paths, or other locations. For updated information, please check the Tuesday Night OTCM Workouts Facebook page, or contact Trisha Kluge at 541-554-6673. The Facebook page requires a request (only once) to join the group. Oregon Track Club MASTERS Gates Joins OTCM Board David Gates of Eugene has joined the OTC Masters Board of Directors. He will serve a one year term. Gates, 52, is a long time OTC member and a member of the OTC Athletics Team. He is a top Masters athlete at the national and international levels. The Masters Board approved Gates as a new Board member and approved Mike Olsen as the new OTCM Vice President. Olsen is a former Oregon Track Club David Gates president. Oregon Track Club MASTERS Roger Robinson: When Running Made History by Don McLean Roger Robinson, 80, was born in Birmingham, England, and raised in suburban London. He obtained scholarships to an academic high school and then attended Cambridge University, graduating with an M.A. and PhD in English. Seeking a less urban environment and more opportunity, he moved to New Zealand. He taught English at the University of Canterbury. At age 35 Roger Robinson he became a full professor at Victoria University of Wellington where he spent most of his career. Highly regarded as a teacher, he also became Dean and Academic Vice Chancellor. Always a scholar, he wrote scores of articles and wrote or edited books, mostly concerning 19th-century English novels. His passion for words is similarly reflected in his many articles for Running Times and Runner's World and books on running.