See you in Lincoln, RI, everybody
Sunday, June 13, is the date. The event is
our biggest race of the year, the 15
Kilometer National Championship at 10:30 a.m.
in Lincoln Park, which is located off Route
146 northwest of Providence. Top walkers from
around the country, many of them looking for
a tune-up before the Olympic trials, are
expected to be in the field, and we want to
put on a good show.
Which means that in addition to competitors,
we need volunteers aplenty. If you can help
with counting laps, setting up the course,
registering competitors, serving as course
marshals, or working the water/aid table,
please contact the New England Track and
Field office at 617-566-7600 or e-mail
volunteer@usatfne.org
Please also let the Track and Field office
know if you can lend chairs or tables to the
cause. For an entry form, go to
usatfne.org
or call the New England Track and Field
office at 617-566-7600.
This is it - the last snail-mail newsletter
The time has come. In the interests of
timeliness and efficiency, the New England
Walkers club is discontinuing mass mailings
of the printed newsletter after this issue.
We will rely on the Internet to keep members
informed.
Many members already read the newsletter
online on our web page at
http://newalkers.tripod.com
or
http://newalkers.com
And members who have subscribed to the
newalkers electronic list receive an e-mail
notification when a new newsletter has been
posted.
Subscribers to the list also receive regular
postings on all matters related to
racewalking, and anyone can contribute to the
discussions. Most of the New England Walkers
are already subscribed.
To subscribe, users go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/newalkers/join
or they may look for the "Subscribe to
newalkers" and Yahoo Groups icon on our home
page.
Wide participation in these electronic
outlets will assure that everyone is
receiving up-to-the-minute information on
racewalking activity in our region.
We have heard from two subscribers who do not
have Internet access and wish to receive
paper copies of the newsletter. Any others in
this category should inform Charlie Mansbach,
25 Larkspur Road, Newton, MA 02468. He will
see to it that printouts will come to you in
the mail.
Best in print 1982-2004
A look back at our publication as it passes
into history
Tom got in the first words.
The New England Walkers Newsletter, like the club itself,
originated with Tom Knatt. Membership was small in the early
days, written communication was irregular, and Tom wasn't above
dashing off a missive by notepad. "For those of you who had
trouble reading my handwriting," Tom declared in his Winter
1982-83 issue, "I have decided to show you how terrible my typewriting
is."
Gradually, readership grew, mailings became
more frequent, and a succession of editors
tried to build on what Tom had begun. Ken
Mattsson brought us detailed looks at the
national and global racewalking scenes and
worked steadily to identify and meet club
members' needs. Joe Light added colored
paper, wide-ranging reports, thoughtful
commentary, and our first listings of
members' e-mail addresses. I chipped in with
roundups of New Year's resolutions and
glances down Memory Lane. We all attempted to
broaden the perspective as often as possible
by coaxing other members to write for us.
As years came and went, we always had plenty
to say - sometimes more than we had room for
without increasing the postage cost. Our
countless thousands of words went in many
directions, but here were the constants:
If you raced, we told everyone
From the beginning, the newsletter was the
publication of record for New England Walkers
competitors. We listed results from
international and national championships,
events held on members' neighborhood streets,
and everything in between. Joanne Dow, Bob
Keating, Brian Savilonis, Steve Vaitones, Joe
Light, Tom Knatt, Meg Ferguson, Gretchen
Eastler-Fishman, Maureen Danahy, and Marcia
Gutsche won national titles. Others captured
regional or local crowns, took age-division
honors, shared in team medals, reached
individual goals, or simply exulted in going
the distance. Glories big and small got equal
reverence. Sometimes the turnout was in the
hundreds or more than a thousand; many times
it was in double or even single figures. One
race featured five judges and five walkers;
twice we reported on track events with a
field of one.
And for us, race results meant more than a
walker's time and place. We told you about
the hills, the wind, the downpours, the
searing heat. One winter, we noted that more
than half the course in Brockton was covered
with packed snow. Another winter, we said
that there was no snow but that walkers had
to navigate around ducks and geese.
In one year alone, we told of how Ken was
brought to a stop in his winning performance
in a Lancaster, MA, 5-miler when a train
passed in front of him; of how a 10K in
Marlborough, MA, was suddenly shortened to
5.8 miles when the lead vehicle took a
premature turn; of how a 5K national
championship course in Hamden, Conn.,
featured speed bumps, a 90-degree angle and
an unsteady rubberized ramp that most walkers
bypassed in favor of the abutting grass.
We reported on walkers missing a turn and
screeching to a halt in front of a dumpster
in a dead-end parking lot; of walkers getting
so lost that a search party was dispatched;
of walkers staying on course and discovering
that they were going through an annual Polish
picnic. Even track races had their surprises;
one year the 3K competitors at Harvard were
informed after the race began that they had
to do an extra lap because the wrong starting
line had been used and the event was being
changed to a two-miler.
We could - and we did - go on and on.
Whatever your favorite racing memory, chances
are the newsletter helped share it with all.
We went by the numbers
Statistics, it is said, are the lifeblood of
sport. And so the newsletter didn't stop with
listings of walkers' times.
We gave you splits, performances by age,
personal bests, comparisons with
international age-graded tables. In 1997, Joe
published two pages' worth of the tables
themselves so walkers could see what their
times would be measured against. Six years
later, we printed an interview with Bev
LaVeck to explain how the tables came into
being and why they seemed to favor older
walkers.
In 1992, long before we discovered the
tables, we proudly announced our first Grand
Prix competition, which based a score on the
walker's position in the race and the number
of competitors. To avoid confusion, we
included a formula:
And that was child's play. Two years later,
Brian led us into the mathematical big
leagues by explaining racewalking performance
prediction with an equation to relate time
and distance and an explanation touching on
natural logarithm, slope and intercept. At
the end, Ken tacked on an editor's note that
said: "A bit confusing? You're probably not
the only one" and invited readers to have
Brian do all the calculations for them.
Brian, in fact, calculated everyone's Grand
Prix scores for years before passing the
baton to Bill Harriman. And these guys always
had the answers.
What to do when the 2001 Clamdigger 8K turned
out to be 360 meters too long? Bill
resolutely hauled out his calculator,
multiplied our official times by 0.9569378,
and never looked back.
And when people voiced trepidation about the
unfamiliar 20K course at Ninigret Park, we
offered these words of assurance: "The area
is scenic and the course is pleasant and
flat. The loop is 1,375 meters, which means
we will race 14.75 laps to cover the 20
kilometers. Our finest mathematicians will be
on hand to help you determine your target
pace per lap."
Add it all up and it is clear that when it
came to statistics, we were Number One.
We went beyond the numbers
Ultimately, though, racewalking is not about
integers as much as it is about
flesh-and-blood people. So club members
shared their experiences with us, bringing
the events alive in ways that mere race
results never could.
Disneyphiles Sheila and Stan Sosnowski took
us to the Magic Kingdom's marathon, where
their goal of winning Mousecars turned into a
five-year quest. "Sunday morning 6 a.m., time
to wish upon a star and make a dream come
true," Stan triumphantly wrote in 2002, when
the ultimate fantasy became reality. Tom
reported regularly from the National Senior
Games, grand occasions where the organizers
were often long on ambition but short on
execution. "Number pickup for the 1500M
consisted of a fellow calling out your name
over a barely audible megaphone," he told us
from the Baton Rouge games. "Because they ran
out of computer chips for the 5K racewalk,
although the road race had them, times were
not recorded for the males in the race." Joe
gave us the special joys of the National
Invitational 20K. "Have you ever gone
one-on-one with Michael Jordan?" he wrote one
year. "Played a match against Tiger Woods?
Shagged home run balls with Mark McGwire and
Sammy Sosa? Gone head-to-head with an Olympic
gold medal winner? I have - the last one,
that is, and head-to-head means his head
whizzed by mine 3 or 4 times, but no matter.
Racewalking is an incredible sport in that
anyone can literally rub shoulders with world
champions and party with them afterwards."
In interviews of our own and in material we
reprinted from other media, we brought you
accounts of Joanne's life as she competed at
the world's highest levels. Bill Purves told
us about making international teams as Hong
Kong's only racewalker: "If that sounds
glamorous it's because you've never raced 20K
on a track deep in mud at the Philippine
Championships. That was in Davao. The Muslim
separatists were shooting at anyone who left
the hotel, and it was 36 degrees centigrade
at race time." I reported from world masters
competitions in Ontario, Canada, and
Gateshead, England, and from the
International Racewalk Grand Prix in Rio
Maior, Portugal. You even tolerated (perhaps
barely) my account of a racewalking workout
amid cows and madcap traffic in Jodhpur,
India. The longest and most spirited piece we
ever ran came from a member who hadn't
racewalked but only observed: Joan Burguess
attended the 1996 Olympic track and field
trials in Atlanta, loved every minute of it,
and filled two full pages with her report.
The special demands of long-distance races
got extended looks in our pages. Bill
Harriman contributed a three-part report,
spread out over six months, on training for
and competing in a 50K. Many walkers went the
26.2-mile distance in the Boston Marathon and
then went to varying lengths to tell us about
it. Bob Ullman wrapped up the experience in a
paragraph, Maureen took up a column, and Ken
used nearly two pages. Submissions at any
length were always welcome. And no one
reflected the human dimension more than
Michael Hoffer, whose annual reports on the
Leukemia-Lymphoma Society's Team in Training
program showed how athletic inclinations,
hard work, and good will can touch many lives
deeply.
We were full of advice
Racewalkers are always striving to improve,
and we tried to help. I reported from a
Howard Jacobson clinic and titled it "The
World According to Howard." Meg later gave us
two pieces from a Martin Rudow clinic and
called them "The World According to Martin."
Brian took us into the coaches' world with a
regular column on training. Over the years,
his advice encompassed goals and
periodization, cross-training, basic walking
drills, and the aforementioned performance
prediction. Bill gave us the thorough list of
pointers that he offers to newcomers at
Danehy Park. I wrote an article on avoiding
injury that may seem, in retrospect, to be
composed of equal parts solid advice and
wishful thinking.
Our information could go far. One year, we
reprinted an article from the Boston Globe
about the benefits of racewalking. The Ohio
Racewalker reprinted our reprint. A year
later, someone mailed another reprint of the
same story to the Ohio Racewalker, and the
Ohio Racewalker reprinted it again. In 1992,
we published a map of the intricately winding
Taunton course. Emily Hewitt clipped it out
and carried it with her for the entire 11.7
miles of that year's race.
We wrote about changes in the racewalking
rules and the difficulties that older walkers
might encounter in following them. We
reported in detail about judges' duties and
the steps one must take for certification. We
told people how to get to races, how to join
USA Track & Field, where to find books,
articles, and instruction sessions they might
find useful. Letting no aspect of racewalking
go uncovered, Joe even printed Meg's recipe
for wild rice salad, the hit of our potluck
post-race meal at Tom's house.
We were there in spirit
Words of encouragement rang out from the
beginning. We were constantly exhorting
people to attend clinics, join in workouts,
compete in races, and indulge in grand meals
once we got the racewalking out of the way.
We listed members' training schedules and
invited others to join in, and periodically
published names and numbers of walkers to
contact for advice. We welcomed new members
by name, sometimes more than once. With the
words "if you've been wondering, meanwhile,
who all these New England Walkers are," we
printed rosters of the entire membership to
try to foster togetherness.
To encourage more activity, we announced in
1991 that we would award patches to members
who totaled at least 50 miles in
club-organized workouts and selected races in
a calendar year. We took the team-look
concept further the next year by printing
four prospective logos for NEW singlets and
T-shirts and asking for a vote. After an
underwhelming response, we went back to the
drawing board and presented a fifth logo, the
one we are still using.
Occasionally, a hint of frustration would
creep in. "1996 has been a puzzling and
rather discouraging year for racewalking in
New England," Joe wrote. "One one hand,
interest in racewalking seems to be high. We
have added many new members to the club. Yet
attendance at races is, for the most part,
down." We could even pretend to sound tough.
"This year," coach Savilonis wrote in a 1996
pep talk, "I plan to serve as Team
Coordinator and getting out my whip to ensure
that we are represented at all the nearby
nationals."
But most of the time we were decidedly upbeat. We'd kick off
each year by heralding a full schedule, a wealth of racewalking
opportunities, something for everyone. At the start of the millennium,
we said we were embarking on our biggest era yet. And that's
the route we will keep trying to follow.
*****************
Clearly, our interests and goals are much the same now as
they were in the beginning. But our ways of connecting with
each other have undergone a sea change. It was as recently as
the early 1990s that Justin Kuo rushed postcards to the entire
membership to make sure we knew about a late-scheduled race.
And it was as recently as 1996 that I worked the phones like
a crazed telemarketer in order to drum up a full field for our
final Taunton race. But that was also the decade in which Justin
set up our New England Walkers web site and then led us into
using our electronic list. Now, the system unites 99 percent
of us. And the computer screen, not the postal system, is where
members look first. When Pat Yingling and Heidi Duskey organized
the New England one-hour championships last September, I quickly
sent out a newsletter with the details and an entry form. By
the time people received the mailing, virtually everyone had
already learned about the event on-line. Only two of the nearly
20 of us who competed in the race clipped out the entry form
from the newsletter; everyone else downloaded it.
We can't foresee the next changes, of course, any more than
Tom could have guessed what things would be like now when he
was pounding away on his typewriter more than 20 years ago.
But whatever the technology brings us, rest assured that our
traditional newsletter, or something very much like it, will
be along for the ride.
Charlie Mansbach
Race results
Danehy Park 5K - Cambridge, MA, May 9. Bill
Harriman reports on the start of Year Six of
the popular series:
Dan Pendergast came all the way from
Farmington, Maine to nail a PR and men's
course record with a quick 23:39 on a cold,
windy morning. Dan is the first product of
the Maine high school racewalk program to
come to Danehy and flashed the fine speed and
technique that so many of the Maine walkers
feature. Holly Wenninger won the women's
division. A total of 13 walkers finished
before the rain ruined the post-race clinic.
That clinic may be repeated later this year.
|
1.
|
Dan Pendergast (22)
|
New Sweden ME
|
23:39
|
|
2.
|
Steve Vaitones (48)
|
Waltham MA
|
28:06
|
|
3.
|
Holly Wenninger (39)
|
Malden MA
|
31:37
|
|
4.
|
Justin Kuo (49)
|
Brookline MA
|
32:29
|
|
5.
|
Pat Godfrey (57)
|
Winthrop MA
|
32:55
|
|
6.
|
Bob Campbell (59)
|
Merrick L. I. NY
|
33:20
|
|
7.
|
Heidi Duskey (51)
|
Medford MA
|
33:40
|
|
8.
|
Pamela Hoss (55)
|
Brookline MA
|
33:48
|
|
9.
|
Bob Kittredge (59)
|
Newton MA
|
35:48
|
|
10.
|
Tom White (71)
|
Milton MA
|
36:13
|
|
11.
|
Mari Ryan (49)
|
Watertown MA
|
36:25
|
|
12.
|
Pat Yingling (60)
|
W. Roxbury MA
|
36:25
|
|
13.
|
Christine Rafal (37)
|
Cambridge MA
|
40:08
|
Clamdigger 8K- April 25, Westlerly, RI. Nice
day, well-run event, good performances. But
it was our smallest turnout in nearly a
decade for this traditional event.
|
1
|
Bob Keating
|
41:27
|
|
2
|
Marcia Gutsche Rutledge
|
41:44
|
|
3
|
Brian Savilonis
|
43:27
|
|
4
|
Bill Harriman
|
49:34
|
|
5
|
Charles Mansbach
|
52:06
|
|
6
|
Justin Kuo
|
53:00
|
|
7
|
Joanne Harriman
|
54:03
|
|
8
|
Bill McCann
|
55:12
|
|
9
|
Louis Free
|
56:56
|
|
10
|
Heidi Duskey
|
58:39
|
|
11
|
Florence Dagata
|
73:27
|
one DQ
Judges: Bill Banks, Ross Dagata, Joe Light,
Stan Sosnowski
Volunteers: Sheila Sosnowski, Greg Rutledge
2004 race calendar
As always, our listing of racewalking events
is not engraved in stone. Some races are
added during the season, others are changed
or canceled. It's always best to verify the
time, date and location with the race
director before setting out.
June
6 - 5K, Danehy Park, Cambridge, MA, 10
a.m. Contact Bill Harriman at 978-640-9676
(before 9:30 p.m.)
13 - National 15K, Lincoln Park,
Lincoln, RI, 10:30 a.m. New England track and
field office, 617-566-7600. Click for
details and entry
form..
18-19 - Massachusetts Senior Games for
competitors age 50 and older. 1500-meter and
5K racewalks at Springfield College.
413-748-3812
19 - New England Junior Olympics,
Durham NH. 1500m walk age 18 and under
20 - 3K, USATF-NE Outdoor
Championships, MIT track, Cambridge, 12:50
p.m. 20-minute limit. New England track and
field office, 617-566-7600.
26 - USATF East Region TF Meet, New
Jersey. 5000 meters
July
4 - Dedham 5-miler, Dedham, MA. An
unjudged walking division as part of the
town's holiday road race.
10 - Bay State Games, MIT, Cambridge
MA. 3000 meters, 9:00 a.m. 781-932-6555.
11 - 5K, Danehy Park, Cambridge, MA,
10 a.m. Contact Bill Harriman at 978-640-9676
(before 9:30 p.m.)
24 - Easter Masters 5K championship,
Springfield College, MA. New England track
and field office, 617-566-7600.
August
8 - 5K, Danehy Park, Cambridge, MA, 10
a.m. Contact Bill Harriman at 978-640-9676
(before 9:30 p.m.) September
12 - 5K, Danehy Park, Cambridge, MA,
10 a.m. Contact Bill Harriman at 978-640-9676
(before 9:30 p.m.) October
17 - East Region one-hour, Bentley
College, Waltham MA New England track and
field office, 617-566-7600.
??? - Connecticut Racewalkers 10K
The New England Walkers
Send material to:
Charlie Mansbach
25 Larkspur Road
Newton, MA 02468
E-mail address: mansba@globe.com
For membership information,
contact
Justin Kuo at 617-731-9889