Volume 117 | October 2020 Download a PDF of this newsletter here! The OTC leadership and the newsletter team extend our deepest sympathies to our neighbors throughout the state who have lost human and animal lives as well as property and structures during the recent forest fires. As an all-volunteer, community-driven nonprofit, we thank the firefighters, emergency responders, and the generous people in our community who have stepped forward to help those in need. Check Out the New OTC Website The Oregon Track Club has a new and improved website! The new site went live in early September after many meetings and discussions about a new online resource for the Club. The site provides general Club information and news, as well as specific information about the OTC Masters group, OTC Youth activities, OTC business members, the OTC Elite team, and track and field officials. The helpful events calendar remains an important feature. The new online store for OTC branded gear is not yet on the website but will be available soon. Important: The new website has a different web address than the previous site. The new address is oregontrackclub.com. If you bookmarked the old website on your browser, that link will take you to the old OTC site. Please bookmark the new website address. Thank you to Jake Willard with TrackTown USA, who was the prime designer and builder of the site. OTC Executive Committee Senior Vice President Erin Regali and Membership Vice President Ian Dobson were also key participants in the project. New Members are Welcome Time to Renew Your OTC Membership! A new Hayward Field, the NCAA Championships, new Club programs, a growing number of Club benefits, youth activities, and much more. Now is the time to renew your membership and help the Club expand its positive impact on Track Town and the community. If you are a current individual, family/couple, youth, or business member, you can renew your Club membership for 2021. All 2020 memberships have the same expiration date: December 31, 2020. GO HERE To Renew By renewing your membership, you will continue to belong to one of the most well-known and respected track and field clubs in the nation. Club membership is open to everyone. Help the OTC continue a 62-year tradition of supporting the sport of track and field, road racing, and local community service New members can also join the Club now and receive a bonus extended membership that includes the remaining months of this year plus full membership through 2021. Jordan Honored with Legacy Award Tom Jordan, the longtime Prefontaine Classic Meet Director and OTC member, was honored recently with the 2020 Sports Legacy Award. The award was presented by Travel Lane County and the Eugene, Cascades & Coast Sports Commission at their 2020 Visitor Industry Celebration virtual meeting in September. The award recognizes Jordan for sharing his talent, dedication, and passion with Eugene and the world-wide athletics community. He has been a major force in track and field and the growth of the TrackTown USA brand. Go here to view a video tribute to Jordan. Read about Tom’s accomplishments Nike Store Will Open for All OTC Members The Nike Company Store will be available to all 2020 OTC members between October 19 and November 1, the perfect time to get a jump start on your holiday shopping. The OTC Executive Committee has decided to allow all current members to visit the Nike Store due to the lack of volunteer opportunities this year. Normally only Club members who met the Club’s volunteer requirements would be eligible to access the Nike Company Store in Beaverton and take advantage of deep discounts on Nike merchandise. The store is not open to the public. You must be on the guest pass list. Individual Youth OTC members must be accompanied by a parent or guardian when they visit the store. Members can contact the OTC office if they have a question about visiting the Nike Store: [email protected]. Please do not contact the Nike Company Store directly; doing so will jeopardize your visitation. Please do not attempt to visit the store prior to October 19 or after November 1. Last Run/Walk Set for October 8 The last OTC Run/Walk for 2020 is scheduled for Thursday, October 8 with a start time of 6:00 p.m. The event is a 5K on Pre’s Trail. The start is located on the gravel path next to the canal (opposite end of parking lot from the shelters). The Run/Walk will comply with social distancing protocols, including staggered starts. The event will be limited to 100 runners and walkers who pre-register. Registration is free for Oregon Track Club members and $5.00 for non-members. Register here until 3:00 p.m. on Oct. 8. There will be no on-site registration. Read the full article Out of the Blocks: Membership starts from within By Kevin Marbury, OTC president Happy October. I intended to focus this month’s article on encouraging each of you to get involved in recruiting new people as a part of this year’s OTC membership drive. I had already challenged members of the OTC Board to each recruit two new members. But then, the fires struck. The fires substantially destroyed the towns of Blue River, Detroit, Vida, Phoenix, and Talent. The fires also impacted people in a number of ways in other places around the state. From the heavy smoke and ash which made it even more difficult to go outside, to the dangers faced by emergency personnel that battled the fires, it seemed like the fires added to the feelings of separation we were already experiencing from the pandemic. Kevin Marbury Many of you were directly or indirectly impacted by this latest crisis. At our last Executive Committee meeting, we talked about scanning our membership rolls to see if we could identify current members that had addresses in any of the towns I mentioned. The goal was to reach out and check on them. This effort was going to be complicated because of the likelihood that the communication methods we have previously used with these members have been compromised. Despite the challenge, we decided to continue the effort because they are not just members of our Club, they’re members of our family. Of course, the same sentiment applies to each one of you impacted by the crisis. All of this has expanded my perspective on the focus of our membership drive. Read the rest of Kevin's column Professor Shontz Leads UO Track & Field Journalism By Don McLean Lori Shontz is often on the move. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA, she graduated Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude from Penn State University in 1991 with a B.A. in English and a minor in sport history. She then worked for various newspapers in Pittsburgh, Miami, and St. Louis, mostly in the sports department. She covered the Olympic Games four times (summer and winter) in eight years for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. She then returned to Penn State to earn a master’s degree in adult education, editing the alumni magazine, and teaching journalism. In the summers, time permitting, Lori and her husband, Matt Herb, editor of a Penn State sports magazine, would travel throughout California and Oregon. In 2014, Lori got her dream job at the University of Oregon, where she is now a Professor of Practice at the School of Journalism and Communication (SOJC). She is a member of the Board of Directors for Emerald Media Group, the UO’s independent student news organization. Also she was mentor and copy editor of the Emerald’s marvelous new book, Hayward Field: Legends and Legacy. Describe the duties of a copy editor, especially working on the book Hayward Field: Legends and Legacy? Read about the Track & Field Journalism Class Masters Pizza Party is Canceled The OTCM annual pizza party, originally scheduled for October 14, is canceled this year due to the pandemic. The annual event, held at Track Town Pizza in Eugene, has always been a well-attended opportunity for OTC members to relax, eat some great pizza, and socialize with other Club members. Depending on the pandemic situation, it is possible the event might be held early next year. Watch this newsletter for information. Oregon Track Club MASTERS News Stotter Competed in Masters Virtual Challenge The 2020 World Wide Virtual Masters Challenge was held from July 18 through August 2. In the September issue of this newsletter there was an article about OTCM members who competed in this track and field challenge. Go here to read that article. Daniel Stotter (59) is another OTCM member who competed but was not mentioned in the previous article. He competed in three events in M55 Category C (Accuracy Varies). Here are his marks and time: Javelin, 16.87M, Shot Put, 6.32M, and 400 Meter Run, 1:47.54. Oregon Track Club MASTERS News Meet Opportunities for Masters Athletes Upcoming October and November Cross Country/Track and Field meets for Masters athletes and for the OTC Athletics Team are below. Some of these meets may have qualifying standards. Some of these meets require pre-approval from the meet director to enter as an “open” or noncollegiate athlete. Entry deadlines are provided when day of event registration is not allowed. Please check with the meet director for entry requirements. Due to Covid-19 concerns many meets have been canceled or postponed. Before participating in any meet, please consider your health and safety and the safety of others.