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V 1 N. 27 An Uplifting Story for This Time of Year, or Anytime for That Matter

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      In these times when hate is spewed more than kindness and good will, I tend to get rather depressed when I open my computer.  I lost one of my best friends this year when Bill Schnier the former coach at the U. of Cincinnati passed away.  Then two months ago I received an email from the wife of one of my other all time best friends Walter Mizell, that Walt had had a serious stroke. Walt and I were teammates at the U. of Oklahoma from 1961-64 when he graduated and then went to Viet Nam as a second lieutenant.    Walt lives in Austin, Texas and is a former lawyer now retired.  In track he was a half miler, running about 1:51 for the 880, and he was a regular placer in the Big 8 meets in those days.   He had been on a trip near Farmington, New Mexico when the stroke occurred.  The doctors in Farmington were unable to locate where the clot in his brain was located, because he had had a stent in his brain or neck prior to the st...
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V 1 N. 26 To Hijab or Not to Hijab, That Is the Question

 Don't Organize A Marathon In Iran If You Are Going To Allow Women To Run Bare-Headed Two Marathon Organizers Arrested for Not Enforcing Hijab to Be Worn by Women Runners  :link This story appeared in today's The Guardian about a low key marathon event run on the island of Kish off the south coast of Iran.  Some photos of women running and not wearing a hijab led to the arrest of two of the race organizers.   Before I get going on this I want to say that I think that the name of the country 'Iran" is the absolutely coolest name for a nation participating in our sport.  When you finish a long run, a race, or a time trial  what might be the most common thing that comes into your brain but the words.  "I ran.  I ran"   In the US we often even pronounce the name 'Iran' as if it were spelled as two words,  "I ran".   Okay I know that's not the acceptable way in the King's English, that's sort of the Appalachian or West Te...
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V 1 N. 25 Fred Abington, An SEC Runner Before The SEC Was a Contender

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  In my previous post about the old photo in New York City,  my long time correspondent John Perry sent a photo in from the 1968 Olympic trials in which he names one of the runners, Ray Arrington.  That name rang a bell in the dust covered cells of my cerebral cortex.  Ray Arrington,  Ray Arrington,  where did I hear that name?  Didn't I do an article about Ray Arrrington?   I looked through the archives of Once Upon a Time in the Vest and there was no mention of Ray Arrington.  Then another cell vibrated and the name Vanderbilt came up.  Not Vanderbilt the wealthy American family but Vanderbilt the university.  So I put Vanderbilt in the search engine and up came the article and the name Fred Abington.  There was the connection.  Abington was the runner from Vanderbilt, and he has an incredibly interesting life story.  I'm not sure if he is still alive, but those cortexian cells say he is not.  But his stor...
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V 1 N. 26 Info on Jumps and Throws Training Guides and Histories

  Track & Field Publications The following information on this page was supplied to us by Larry Knuth       * Triple Jump Encyclopedia  by Ernie Bullard, Larry Knuth  … most extensive American book on a field event and first American TJ publication, includes 55-photo sequence pullout of Saneyev, 3-time Olympic TJ Champ; Recommended by: former world record holder Willie Banks; former USA record holder Sheila Hudson; ’84 Olympic champ Al Joyner… in 1200 libraries!!...$20 includes postage          *Wilkins vs. Powell, A Comparative Discus Analysis  by Ernie Bullard, Larry Knuth w/ Wilkins, Powell (1975, internationally reviewed, praised…”Mr. Discus” Al Oerter bought extra copies for friends!...$15    *Calif. Community Colleges T&F Hall of Champions  (2010) by Larry Knuth…463 photo-rich pages, career profiles of over 100 Olympians, World Championship competitors that came out of the Calif. Comm...
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V 1 N. 26 Card Sharks

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                                                      Clarke, Mills, Snell, Jazy, Schul                                                 When?  1964?              Where?  Tokyo?                  Over the years I've collected many, many photos of track and field stars and also rans.  This is one of the most interesting because I have no idea where I found it.  But what a gathering of greats.  Looks like Bob it teaching the lads to play black jack.  I don't see any money on the table.  Those were the last days of amateurism.  
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V 1 N. 25 John Cobley Creator of "Racing Past" R.I.P.

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 George Brose,  John Cobley, and Geoff Williams     Yesterday I received an email from John Cobley's partner, Linda, that John had passed away peacefully in his sleep on October 6.             When I visited with John last Spring, he told me his heart was giving out.  He didn't dwell on it or ask for sympathy, he merely stated the fact.  We had a pleasant lunch together near the town of Sydney, BC.  It was a lunch I would love to repeat today instead of writing this note to you.  There was never a wasted word or annoyance in our meetings.  It was always full of humor and sharing of stories of past events.  Little if anything on the future except perhaps the spectre of what awaits all of us around some unpredictable next corner.  It was a meeting I should have repeated more often.        I have known of John almost from the time I started writing this blog fourteen years ago...
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V 1 N. 24 A World Class Photo New York 1870's

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                                                                New York City   1870's One of George Brainerd’s most remarkable action photos of runners sprinting on a New York track, snapped in the late 1870s. Brainerd was experimenting with improved handheld cameras and faster dry-plate technology, which drew him more and more to action scenes. Photograph: The Brooklyn Museum  The Guardian   In the October 14, 2035 issue of The Guardian a review of an about to be published collection of photographs by the 19th century photographer   George Bradford-Brainerd was shown.  The opening photo was this stunning, when you consider the date it was taken, photo of two runners on a curve.  By looking around, several possible stories can be derived by a visionary observer.  Test yourself, w...
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