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By ELLIOTT DENMAN
As four-time Olympian Joetta Clark Diggs told her audience, “to me this is just a dream come true.” And her dream is just perfectly located. It was “Joetta’s Day” at the gala gathering recently held at the all-new and sparklingly-inviting New Jersey Hall of Fame Entertainment and Learning Center. Just where exactly is this new attraction located? At The American Dream Mall in East Rutherford, New Jersey, of course. For far too long, “New Jersey jokes,” have been material for entertainers seeking an easy target. The American Dream Mall tells them “you’re all so very wrong.” It’s a short hop, step and jump away from the stadium that is home to the New York Football Giants, the racetrack that has been site of an array of top-line thoroughbred and standardbred racing events, and the former arena where she delighted crowds with her middle-distance track and field racing feats. In her long and brilliant track and field career, at Columbia High School, the University of Tennessee, and far beyond, she was a 1988-92-96-2000 800-meter USA Olympian, 12-time USA champion and, most amazingly, a star competitor for 28 consecutive years. Joetta and the Clark family are track and field royalty. Dad Joe Clark was a distance runner at Montclair State, then the famed educator of tough-love “Lean on Me” film fame. Sister Hazel Clark and sister-in law Jearl Miles-Clark were multi-Olympians and record-breakers, too. Famously, the trio comprised the full USA 800-meter team at the 2000 Olympic Games. Brother J.J. Clark, now head coach at Stanford and one of the most honored mentors in college track, is a Villanova grad and 3:41.5 1500-meter runner (3:59 mile pace.) They have been inducting – the finest of the fine in sports, enterprise, arts/entertainment, historical and general categories – into the New Jersey Hall of Fame since 2008 – but at last/at last their talents and achievements have a permanent home. Joetta Clark Diggs’s class of 2013, was saluted that year along with President Grover Cleveland, and the music world’s Dionne Warwick and Whitney Houston. Mobile Hall of Fame exhibits had toured the state for years before “this dream came true.” The American Dream Mall is an enterprise that its developers, the Triple Five Group, tell you is “ an unparalleled mix of world-class entertainment, retail and dining,” a three million-square foot home to such leading attractions as DreamWorks Water Park, Nickelodeon Universe Theme Park, The Gameroom Powered by Hasbro, Sesame Street Learn & Play, The Dream Wheel 300-foot observation wheel overlooking the New York City skyline, and an array of leading shopping and dining opportunities. And, oh yes, The Big Snow indoor skiing hill. Itching to slalom in mid-August? Here’s your spot. Now the New Jersey Hall of Fame joins that roster of attractions. A few questions: Where exactly is the New Jersey Hall of Fame located at American Dream? It’s on the third floor, near the the Nicelodeon theme park, the new Toys R Us, and DreamWorks Water Park. What’s one of the the first items you see on arrival? The historic Model T. Ford car that charter Hall of Fame inductee Thomas Alva Edison received from Henry Ford in 1933. Stepping inside, you see that the spacious New Jersey Hall of Fame, termed the first such state-focused facility in the nation, is fully inter-active, and loaded with immersive activities and virtual-reality tours. Governor Phil Murphy said he was “incredibly excited” at recent Grand Opening Ceremonies. Thomas Alva Edison, of course, had to be a charter-class inductee back in 2008. So many basics of 2024 electro-life were first turned to realities at his West Orange and Menlo Park laboratories. That brilliant Class of 2008 also included Albert Einstein, Clara Barton, Buzz Aldrin, Malcolm Forbes, Robert Wood Johnson, Frank Sinatra, Bruce Springsteen, Meryl Streep, Toni Morrison, Norman Schwartzkopf and Harriet Tubman. Beyond those immortals of “the real world,” they were joined by the sports world’s Bill Bradley, Yogi Berra and Bill Bradley. The very first USA Olympic Team (1896 at Athens) primarily consisted of New Jersey guys – Princeton trackmen recruited by Professor William Milligan Sloane. So it’s totally appropriate that the state’s fastest and mightiest track people have found their Hall of Fame niches. That list now includes Carl Lewis (2010), Milton Campbell (2012) and Joetta Clark Diggs (2013.) Oh…and such famed Olympians (of other sports) as Christie Pearce, Heather O’Reilly and Carli Lloyd (soccer), Anne Donovan and Patrick Ewing (basketball), Dick Button (figure skating) and Laurie Hernandez (gymnastics.) There’s some “over-lapping” here, too. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin had been a West Point pole vaulter. Baseball Hall of Famers Larry Doby and Monte Irvin had been high school trackmen, Entrepreneur Peter Cancro (of Jersey Mike’s fame) is well known for his lifetime dedication to track and field. And 2018 enterprise category honoree Tim McLoone is well recognized as a Seton Hall Prep/Harvard University/Shore Athletic Club distance running great. The non-stop, forever multi-tasking McLoone still finds time today to coach the champion track and cross country athletes of Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School. Wisely, the Hall of Fame creators at American Dream have left plenty of room for further expansion. Ladies and gentlemen of the selection committee may I thus nominate for the future honors list such thoroughly qualified fellow Garden Staters as: Renaldo Nehemiah, Johnny Hayes, Horace Ashenfelter, Tom Flemlng, Andy Stanfield, Dave Sime, Ron Freeman, Marty Liquori, current superstar Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone…and some more. So stay tuned. As Hall of Famer Joetta Clark Diggs reminds, the American Dream and its hallowed Hall of Fame "did not happen overnight." And only the best of the best of the best have “made the cut.” ####
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I am incredibly honored to be the 2024 winner of the Bob Hersh Memorial award for "a llifetime of service to the sport of track and field.”
Sincere thanks to the Track and Field Writers of America and President Jack Pfeifer for the award and the handsome certificate. It will surely occupy a place of special honor here in the West Long Branch, NJ residence of the Denmans. We all know that esteemed colleague Mr. Bob Hersh did incredible things in his lifetime devotion to the sport we all cherish and I guess I've done my share of things, too. The extreme honor I had of being a member of the 1956 USA, Olympic team and the many doors that have opened in the years since then, have been major motivators for me in "giving back" to the sport for going on to seven – plus decades. Of course, dear Jo (my wonderful bride of 62.3 years) and family have stood by me every kilometer of the journey and the many –many great colleagues/teammates/track folks encountered along the route have been a big part of it, too. So let me again say "thanks/thanks/thanks" to one and all. The many starting guns I've heard over the years, still resound in my ears and I hope to hear a lot more. And to Mr. Bob Hersh, let me say, "Hi Bob, hope all is well 'up there.' and congrats again on your dossier of distinguished deeds. Subject to ratification, of course, you’ll always be atop our podium." BEST WISHES TO ALL FROM ELLIOTT DENMAN BY ELLIOTT DENMAN
Maria Paul is my clubmate. She’s the tall, always-smiling pride and joy of the Shore AC Masters team, a state champion on the track, and occasional shot putter, too. So when Maria’s smiling over the latest round of Olympic events, I’m smiling, too. Monday’s conversation went this way: Said Maria: “They’re always asking me, ‘why don’t I talk Spanish?’ “So I ask them back, ‘why should I?’ “And they say, ‘but I thought everybody from the Dominican Republic spoke Spanish.’ “And I tell them I’m from Dominica, not the Dominican Republic, and they speak English in Dominica. “And they say, ‘are you telling me they’re different places?’ “And I tell them ‘yes-yes-yes, they certainly are different places, very different.’ “And they say, ‘well I never knew.’ “ My friend Maria will have to enlighten the world a lot more from here on out. One more of the Olympic Games’ most enduring values is this: There’s nothing better than an Olympic gold medal to teach a geography lesson. And triple jumper Thea LaFond, representing Dominica, turned herself into a world-class teacher at Stade de France last Saturday night. By triple-bounding meters 15.02 meters/49 feet, 3 ½ inches, the 30- year-old LaFond, not only inscribed her name in the golden list of super Olympic achievers, but put the name of her home island-nation into those archives forever and ever, too. “Oh, I am sure there will be a big parade for her when she gets back home,” said my teammate Maria. “People on Dominica always like parades. “Any time they have a happy occasion, they have a parade.” Actually, Maria wasn’t born on Dominica. She first saw the light of day in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. She then spent many of her growing-up days in Dominica, before coming to the U.S., which doesn’t make her any less of a Dominica ambassador. Thea LaFond had some similar travels. She came to the U.S. as a kid to build a better life, too. The LaFonds settled into Maryland and she attended John F. Kennedy High School in Silver Spring, just outside Washington, DC, and then the University of Maryland in College Park. She’d been a promising young dancer until lessons became too costly. But all that classical footwork would pay off – big-big time – once she discovered track and field – and the horizontal jumping arts. Under the coaching tutelage of Aaron Goodson – who is now her husband - she improved by leaps and bounds, but incrementally. She’d been a star collegian for the Maryland Terps and made her debut on the global stage at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She didn’t make it out of the Rio qualifying rounds, but upped to 12th at the 2021 Tokyo Games. And when she hopped-stepped-jumped to the gold medal at the 2024 World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, it was clear she was ready for much bigger things in Paris. She spanned 14.32/46-11 ¾ in the opening round of the finals and improved to 15.02 second time down the runway. With heavy rains in the offing, Gadson, nearby in the stands, told her, “you have to do something big now.” It went down that way exactly. The 15.02 would stand as the gold medal mark. And so there was simultaneously joy in Roseau, her home town in Dominica; College Park, home of the Terps, and Long Branch, NJ, Maria’s hometown. The U. of Maryland track program – underfunded compared to its Big 10 rivals – once had to be rescued by an alumni appeal. There coulda-woulda-shoulda have been big Olympic news for Terp track 44 years ago – until then-President Jimmy Carter’s boycott edict kept Renaldo Nehemiah, the world record-breaking 110 high hurdler, out of the Moscow Games. But Marylanders’ Olympic track ties continue. Terp head coach Andrew Valmon, perhaps the greatest 4x400 relay leadoff man in track history, collected gold medals in the 1988 Seoul and 1992 Barcelona Games. And in 2012, at London, Valmon made more history as the first gold medalist to return to the Games as head coach of the USA men’s team. Back in New Jersey, ambassador/teacher Maria was being called up for more geography lessons: “Dominica is a very small place in the Caribbean. We don’t even have an international airport. They’ve been talking about building one since I was a kid and they still haven’t done it. “I want to tell you, though, it’s a beautiful place. So they call it ‘The Nature Island.’ “After this gold medal, I think a lot more people will find out about it, and want to visit.” Dominica lacks a proper track, too. As the new Olympic champion put it, “I’m really hoping this medal lights a fire under all the government officials to get that done.” And sometime soon. Maybe, just maybe. By ELLIOTT DENMAN
Are these the gloriest of track and field’s glory days ? Just ask the “yes” voters. They point to: The whole sport gone truly global. Top stars earning (well, relatively, speaking) good money, on the track and off it. Huge crowds (well, Europe, anyway.) TV cameras everywhere. The whole planet wired. Results to the 100th of a second available within 100th of a second in 100s of nations. Super shoes. Super tracks. Lots more. And a cast of global celebrities. Noah Lyles, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Femke Bol, Mondo DuPlantis, Ryan Crouser, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Sifan Hassan, Faith Kipyegon, Rai Benjmin. Karsten Warholm. Grant Holloway. Gabby Thomas, Yaroslava Mahuchikh, Valarie Allman. And a wealth more. But it still goes far beyond all that. Specially so to those of a deca-bent. Not very long ago – and certainly in my earlier days – track and field’s decathletes were forever – and rightfully – saluted as “the world’s greatest athletes.” The American deca-guys most certainly so: Bob Mathias, Milton Campbell, Rafer Johnson, Bill Toomey, Bryan Clay, Ashton Eaton. They ranked above and beyond the best of the best of all those other sports out there. They had the speed and the strength and the skills that would have made them all-stars in all those other athletic activities. Now fast forward. Sad to say, these deca-greats are mostly an afterthought in 2024. Specially so despite the obvious: They’ve risen to the top 10 different ways – at an Olympic Games designed to determine the kings and queens of all athletic realms. There’s only so much NBC/Peacock time for Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky, Leon Marchand, Summer McIntosh, Novak Djokovic, Ariarne Titmus, Xander Schauffele – or track’s own Lyles, McLaughlin-Levrone, Bol, DuPlantis, and Crouser, et al, - to monopolize. Getting straight to the point, there’s not much of the media spotlight left out there to shine ona man named Markus Rooth. He’s a solid 6-2. He’s 22, he’s the first Norwegian to win the Olympic decathlon title since Helge Lovland in 1920, and he’s going to get a lot better. The 8,796 deca-points he rolled up over two days of action at Stade de France may be just the beginning. “Altius, Citius, Fortius?” Yes, for sure. In the years ahead, he’s destined to get faster, jump higher, and strong-arm his favorite implements some really prodigious distances. He opened Friday by dashing the 100 in 10.71; long jumping 25-7 ¼; putting the shot 50-0 ½; high jumping 6-6 ¼, and dashing a lap in 47.69 seconds. That still left him in seventh place, behind early leader Leo Neugebauer, the University of Texas NCAA champion and record-breaker competing for Germany. But just wait. His best was just ahead. Rooth really got into gear Saturday, leapfrogging over six men by running the 110 high hurdles in 14.25; flipping the disc 163-5; pole vaulting 17-4 ½; spearing it 219-4 and having enough zip to run 1,500 meters in 4:39.56. Give a big assist to Norwegian teammate Sander Skotheim, who’d no heighted in the PV, but came back to help Rooth get through the 1,500. Said Rooth: "I'm so lucky that I had my friend to run with me. “I was exhausted. It's mentally hard. I just ran as hard as I could. It was great." As Neugebauer began to fade (to an eventual silver medal) and Grenada’s Lindon Victor (a Texas A&M grad and ex-NCAA king, too) was snaring bronze, the applause for the Norwegian – understandably – got louder and louder, Euro-fans have no trouble expressing their emotions in this sport. They rooted home all three medalists and every one of their pursuers. Would Rooth still have climbed to the top of the podium if French super-hero, Kevin Mayer, the world record-holder for the last six years with his 9,126 total, had not bailed out beforehand with injury? Or if Canadian Pierce LePage, the 2023 world champion, hadn’t taken a similar exit? Or if Canada’s defending Oly champion Damian Warner, or Norweigan buddy Skotheim, hadn’t no-heighted in the PV? Didn’t matter. Do it on the day or don’t do it at all. And Rooth sure did it. He woke up Saturday morning “feeling great.” And the zip in his legs and oomph in his arms reached golden heights by early evening. The Oslonian –“is that the word?” – who trains with the IK Tjalve club - has some terrific athletic genes. His mom is a champion at team handball. His sister and cousins run the hurdles. Two uncles were Norwegian international runners. He ranked 8th at the Budapest World Champoinships just a year ago, so top of the world just a year after represents amazing deca-progress. Will he soon be racking ‘em up at over 9,000 points and chasing Mayer’s world record sometime soon? Will he be planning – by LA2028 - to join Mathias (1948-52), Britain’s Daley Thompson (1980-84) and Eaton (2012-16) on the very brief list of men who’ve ever been Oly deca-doublers? Yes-yes. But the parallel question remains: Will he be properly recognized as “the world’s greatest athlete?” In Norway? For sure. Elsewhere in Europe? Quite probably. In the USA? Don’t risk the rent money on it. The 50,000 World Athletics bucks he collected for these two days of heavy lifting may help him acquire improved residential quarters. Of course/of course/of course, that would be “The House That Rooth Built.” PARIS OLYMPIC RACEWALKERS DRAW BIG CROWDS TO TROCADERO AREA; THEIR SENIORITY DESEVES MORE RESPECT.8/11/2024 By ELLIOTT DENMAN
Fact: Men’s racewalking has been in the Olympic Games since 1904. That means it’s been on the Games track and field program, in one form or another, longer than the javelin throw (which joined the card in 1906), and the 5,000 and 10,000 meters, decathlon and both 4x100 and 4x400 relays (which all commenced in 1912). And, of course/of course, long before every women’s event. You’d think that form of seniority would have accumulated heaps of respect all these years, wouldn’t you? You’d think that the rest of Olympic sport would have learned to appreciate its elders. You’d think that the great champions of racewalking all those years would be occupying pedestals as high as their immortal running-jumping-throwing colleagues. You’d think that, in this day and age of Olympic “urban” inclusion, walking would be embraced as the most “urban” activity of them all. Heck, there are 'interval training devices' in every big city's downtown. You know, those signs that say "walk now" and "don't walk." Well, keep on pondering. The first two racewalking events of the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad are already in the books. The men’s 20K and the women’s 20K were staged on the first day of August over anL-shaped one-kilometer loop course in the Trocadero area of Paris, in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. They were huge successes, great shows, attracting thickly-packed crowds on the sidelines, generating great TV coverage, and good racing news that was quickly dispatched to some of the far corners of the planet. But too many allegedly close followers of this sport – the one called athletics in virtually nation but our own – chose to look the other way. The first of August? Great day for them to do some sightseeing. In some other arrondisement. And Paris surely has so many sights to see. Or to catch up on their laundry. To these folks, the Olympic track and field slate began on the second of August. What a show they skipped. Listen to two-time (1992-96) USA Olympic racewalker Allen James: “Day one represented the most globally competitive event in the Olympic program….and that’s not just track and field. “Look at the men’s 20 km. walk. “All six areas (of World Athletics’ geo-categories) were represented in the top 11 finishers. “The separation between 9th to 11th was less than 1 second. “The race had constant lead changes and negative splits throughout the course of the race. “It was beautifully negotiated by Ecuador’s Brian Daniel Pintado. (1:18:55) with Brazil’s Caio Bonfim second (1:19:09.). That meant a great day for South America. “Then came Europe, 3,4 and 9 – Spain’s Alvaro Martin, Italy’s Massimo Stano, and Aurelien Quinon of France, the home team. “A North American was fifth (Canada’s Evan Dunfee, ) “An African walker was sixth (Misgana Wakuyama of Ethiopia.) “Then Asia 7-8-10 ( Japan’s Koki Ikeda and Yuta Koga; China’s Jun Zhang) “Then Oceania 11th ( Declan Tingay, Australia).” The women’s 20K immediately followed the men’s race – and get this – was even more global. Said James: “We had five areas in the top five.” It was Asia (China’s Jaiyu Yang 1:25:54), Europe (Spain’s Maria Perez 1:26:19) and Oceania (Australia’s Jemima Montag 1:26:25) on the podium, with South America (Lorena Arenas of Colombia) and North America ( Alekna Gonzalez of Mexico ) fourth and fifth. “When does that happen other than the walks?” asked James. His answer, of course, was “never.” As James saw it, “Yang was phenomenal breaking the field very early as she set off on her own. The chase pack did everything they could to pull her back, but Yang was technically flawless and executed her solo journey to perfection. “Perez and Montag made it much closer at the end, but it was all Yang. “If anyone can find another event in any Olympic sport that comes close to this sort of high quality representation from across the globe, please take up my challenge. “ They’d fall short, by eons, by kilometers, by any measure. Other observers chimed in (electronically.) Sandi Lake: “Racewalking is hard.” Jim McFadden: “We saw some great racing under tough conditions.” Milton Brents Witty: “Awesome sport.” Monica Zaragoza: “I need to learn how to do this.” And this one aimed at racewalking’s critics: Saul Richardson: “Yet people see nothing peculiar about swimming breaststroke or even swimming backwards.” Bottom lines: These global ambassadors of the racewalking game are the truest of sportsmen. Their event is underappreciated but they would never want to detract from any other’s specialty, either. They just don’t like being kicked around by some of the folks in their sport’s hierarchy. Are you listening, you moguls of the media? Are we getting through to you, Lord Coe? Et al. PARIS OLYMPIC RACEWALKERS DRAW BIG CROWDS TO TROCADERO AREA; THEIR SENIORITY DESEVES MORE RESPECT.8/7/2024 By ELLIOTT DENMAN
Fact: Men’s racewalking has been in the Olympic Games since 1904. That means it’s been on the Games track and field program, in one form or another, longer than the javelin throw (which joined the card in 1906), and the 5,000 and 10,000 meters, decathlon and both 4x100 and 4x400 relays (which all commenced in 1912). And, of course/of course, long before every women’s event. You’d think that form of seniority would have accumulated heaps of respect all these years, wouldn’t you? You’d think that the rest of Olympic sport would have learned to appreciate its elders. You’d think that the great champions of racewalking all those years would be occupying pedestals as high as their immortal running-jumping-throwing colleagues. You’d think that, in this day and age of Olympic “urban” inclusion, walking would be embraced as the most “urban” activity of them all. Heck, there are 'interval training devices' in every big city's downtown. You know, those signs that say "walk now" and "don't walk." Well, keep on pondering. The first two racewalking events of the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad are already in the books. The men’s 20K and the women’s 20K were staged on the first day of August over anL-shaped one-kilometer loop course in the Trocadero area of Paris, in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. They were huge successes, great shows, attracting thickly-packed crowds on the sidelines, generating great TV coverage, and good racing news that was quickly dispatched to some of the far corners of the planet. But too many allegedly close followers of this sport – the one called athletics in virtually nation but our own – chose to look the other way. The first of August? Great day for them to do some sightseeing. In some other arrondisement. And Paris surely has so many sights to see. Or to catch up on their laundry. To these folks, the Olympic track and field slate began on the second of August. What a show they skipped. Listen to two-time (1992-96) USA Olympic racewalker Allen James: “Day one represented the most globally competitive event in the Olympic program….and that’s not just track and field. “Look at the men’s 20 km. walk. “All six areas (of World Athletics’ geo-categories) were represented in the top 11 finishers. “The separation between 9th to 11th was less than 1 second. “The race had constant lead changes and negative splits throughout the course of the race. “It was beautifully negotiated by Ecuador’s Brian Daniel Pintado. (1:18:55) with Brazil’s Caio Bonfim second (1:19:09.). That meant a great day for South America. “Then came Europe, 3,4 and 9 – Spain’s Alvaro Martin, Italy’s Massimo Stano, and Aurelien Quinon of France, the home team. “A North American was fifth (Canada’s Evan Dunfee, ) “An African walker was sixth (Misgana Wakuyama of Ethiopia.) “Then Asia 7-8-10 ( Japan’s Koki Ikeda and Yuta Koga; China’s Jun Zhang) “Then Oceania 11th ( Declan Tingay, Australia).” The women’s 20K immediately followed the men’s race – and get this – was even more global. Said James: “We had five areas in the top five.” It was Asia (China’s Jaiyu Yang 1:25:54), Europe (Spain’s Maria Perez 1:26:19) and Oceania (Australia’s Jemima Montag 1:26:25) on the podium, with South America (Lorena Arenas of Colombia) and North America ( Alekna Gonzalez of Mexico ) fourth and fifth. “When does that happen other than the walks?” asked James. His answer, of course, was “never.” As James saw it, “Yang was phenomenal breaking the field very early as she set off on her own. The chase pack did everything they could to pull her back, but Yang was technically flawless and executed her solo journey to perfection. “Perez and Montag made it much closer at the end, but it was all Yang. “If anyone can find another event in any Olympic sport that comes close to this sort of high quality representation from across the globe, please take up my challenge. “ They’d fall short, by eons, by kilometers, by any measure. Other observers chimed in (electronically.) Sandi Lake: “Racewalking is hard.” Jim McFadden: “We saw some great racing under tough conditions.” Milton Brents Witty: “Awesome sport.” Monica Zaragoza: “I need to learn how to do this.” And this one aimed at racewalking’s critics: Saul Richardson: “Yet people see nothing peculiar about swimming breaststroke or even swimming backwards.” Bottom lines: These global ambassadors of the racewalking game are the truest of sportsmen. Their event is underappreciated but they would never want to detract from any other’s specialty, either. They just don’t like being kicked around by some of the folks in their sport’s hierarchy. Are you listening, you moguls of the media? Are we getting through to you, Lord Coe? Et al. Rick Lee, the 62 year old masters distance ace for the Shore A.C. claimed four gold medals
at this year’s Pan American Masters Track & Field Champions which were held in Cleveland, Ohio, July 13-21. Top athletes from North American, South America, Canada and a variety of 70 other countries participated in this year’s event. Lee ran in four events, winning the 1500 meters in 4:38.48, the 2000 meter Steeplechase in 7:27.38, the 5k in 17:49.60 and the half marathon in 1:22:25.66. In addition to winning the 60-64 title, he also finished third overall in the half marathon. He won by large margins in each of his 60-64 races, and his time in the Steeplechase was just seconds short of the American record in the 60-64 age group set by the great Nolan Shaheed of California a number of years ago. Dr. Ivan Black, the club’s masters great sprinter/jumper specialist, 76, cruised to wins in the 80 medal hurdles (18:49), The long jump (11’ 5”), and the triple jump (25’ 83/4”), as well as winning a close silver medal in the 100 meter meters in 16.78 all in the 75-79 age group. Another runner in the 75-79 age group who did well was Dr. Harry Nolan. He led wire to wire to win the 800 meter run in 3:15.94. Over the two previous days, the 77 year old, who was coming off a minor case of pneumonia a few weeks before, had landed second places in both the 1500 meter (7:06.53) and the 2000 meter Steeplechase (10:52.60). The clubs top octogenarian, Rob O’Rourke, 81, who was recovering from a minor hamstring issue, limited his running to the 800 meter. Despite limited training over the last few weeks, he came through by winning the 80-84 race in a quick 3:18.64. Former Shore A.C. runner Christie Patla, running in the 50-54 age group landed a fifth place in the 5k race in 24:15.07, a day after placing in the triathlon event. WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – The second Paris Olympic Games in 100 years (and the third in 124) is just seven-plus weeks ahead.
The second USA Olympic Track and Field Trials in four years at the brilliantly recrafted Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon (and the eighth in Eugene in 52 years) is just two-plus weeks away. And now the second straight Elliott Denman International Meet held Sunday, June 2, at the Joe Compagni Track at Kessler Stadium on the Monmouth University campus, is in the books, too, as a stepping stone to what’s to come in those big ones just ahead. First staged in 1987 as the Bob Roggy Memorial Meet, the meet evolved into the New Jersey International a year later and now, in its 37th year, continues its original mission of displaying some of the sport’s top talent. Over 850 athletes – from at least 10 nations and 15 states - took part and they ranged from young boys and girls to upper-age-division Masters athletes. Following meet tradition, almost all events were named for greats of New Jersey / New York Metropolitan track and field over the years. Six athletes reached USA Olympic Trials standards; 16 Kessler Stadium all-time facility records went into the books; three all-time NJ International Meet records were set. At least 20 individual and corporate sponsors stepped up to make it possible. But – of course/of course/of course – just as meet directors Joe Compagni and Dave Friedman, meet coordinator Erin O’Neill, and their corps of Shore Athletic Club volunteers planned it, it was the elite-category athletes who stole the spotlight. There were highlights galore. *** Nick Dahl, a former Heptagonal/Ivy League champion at Yale and Atlantic Coast Conference mile champion for Duke, needed an all-out final 50-meter spurt to take the Dr. John Connors men’s 1,500 meters – concluding event in the meet – with a 3:39.73 clocking. (For all you Imperial distance-centric fans out there, Dahl was running 3:56 mile pace.) Hard on his heels were Georgetown grad Jack Salisbury (3:40.41), Mount St. Mary’s alumnus Colin Kelly (3:42.07), former Colorado runner Andy Kent (3:42.36) and 13 more. The first four are New York City-based Empire Elite Club teammates and training partners. “I passed Jack (Salisbury) with about 250 to go,” said Dahl. “Then he passed me at 150. But I passed him back at 50.” Spectators loved it, and so did the athletes. “I love running in late evening races like this,” said Dahl. “Conditions were perfect. And the meet was great, too. Really glad I was here.” *** Elite Feats Club’s (and Puerto Rico’s) Miles Lewis sped to a 10.26-second win in the men’s Frank Budd Memorial 100-meter sprint. **** The Chrissy D’Alessandro Shaheen Memorial women’s 1,500-meter race was a dazzler, too, with ex-Tennessee runner Taryn Parks (4:10.67) outracing New Mexico alum Stefanie Parsons (4:11.41) and Columbia’s Nicole Vanasse (4:11.95.) *** Dueling it out for top honors in the Rich Kenah men’s 800 meters were North Carolina’s Andrew Regnier (1:47.61) and Clemson freshman star Blaik Slavinski of Point Pleasant (1:47.75.) The companion Joetta Clark Diggs women’s 800 went to Delaware’s Kadence Dumas (2:15.44.) *** Saint Peter’s University/Shore AC star Casheive Blair claimed the Larry James Memorial men’s 400 meters in a quick 46.65. And it was Union Catholic High’s Isabella Murray (57.23) first over the line in the Aliann Pompey women’s 400. *** Both 3000-meter steeplechase races honored the memory of Glen Ridge’s Horace Ashenfelter, the historic Olympic champion of 1952 – and saw North Carolina’s John Tatter (9:13.72) and Boston AA’s Andrea Rodenfels (9:29.36, a meet record) take the men’s and women’s titles, respectively. *** In half-lap sprint action, Tennessee’s Nigel Green won the men’s Andy Stanfield Memorial 200-meter title in 20.82. A double women’s sprint winner was Silveri Hernandez (12.04 and 24.86.) A tight Renaldo Nehemiah men’s 110-meter high hurdles battle went to UConn star Terrell Williams (13.86) holding off Oral Roberts U. grad Israel Nelson (13.85) and Shore AC’s Tayshaun Chisholm (14.29.) *** Meanwhile, field event stars were not to be denied their share of the spotlight. Field action began with the men’s Ira Wolfe and women’s Oneithea “Neni” Lewis hammer throw events on the Saturday, June 1, prelude card. And Penn State’s Samaria McDonald got things rolling with a 212-9 win in the women’s event and Tyler Williams with a 245-4 whirl of the men’s ball-on-a-wire. The event name honorees, both of Shore AC, excelled, too. Multi-World titlist Lewis won her Masters, hammer, shot and discus titles. Wolfe medaled in the men’s Masters hammer. ** Rutgers University athletes, past and present, played key roles in Sunday’s seven-event field program. Claiming men’s victories were current Rutgers star Sincere Robinson, who took the Dr.Phil Shinnick/Herb Douglas long jump at 25-6 ¼; and recent Rutgers grad Perry Christie with a 7-0 ¾ clearance in the Mike Pascuzzo men’s high jump. Shore AC’s James Plummer, the past Penn Relays, IC4A and Big East discus champion for Rutgers, and former Central Regional High School great who’d been a finalist in the 2021 Olympic Trials, opened his 2024 season with a 186-0 spin-win in the Art Swarts men’s disc. Lehigh grad Lucas Warning (58-8 ¾) and Monmouth alumna Prisca Blamon (42-3 ¼) took top honors in the Al Blozis Memorial men’s and women’s shot put events. Errol Jeffrey, a former IC4A throws champion for Monmouth, returned to his old campus and netted seconds in the shot(56-3 ¼) and discus (163-9.) ***The memory of Bob Roggy, the meet’s original namesake, was saluted in the men’s javelin throw, won by Duke’s William Kahn at 212-4. The Barbara Friedrich Parcinski women’s javelin, named for the Manasquan High and Shore AC star who was the 1967 Pan-Am Games champion and 1968 Olympian, went to Rhode Island’s Julia Camezato (168-7.) *** The meet was hosted by Shore AC, in cooperation wth Monmouth University officials, and an array of Shore AC competitors turned in solid performances in all divisions of the meet. Not to be outdone by the youngsters, the Shore AC women’s quartet of Nora Cary, Debbie Braithwaite, Diane Rothman and Susan Stirrat raced to a women’s age-65-up American record of 13:50.83 in the 4x800 relay. The men’s Masters 4x800 crown went to Shore AC’s Brian Hill, Chris Rinaldi, Rafael Rivera and Dan Campbell in 11:18.44. Three-time racewalk Olympian Michelle Rohl lowered the U.S. 55 mile run record to 5:23.30 taking the Mary Conry Memorial women’s Masters mile, while Dickson Mercer ran off wth the gold in the Harry Nolan-Dr. George Sheehan men’s Masters mile in 4:42.90.. Dr. Norbert Sander Memorial 5,000-meter titles went to Shore AC’s Troy Hill (15:04.49) and Freehold Township’s SophiaBriggs (19:42.97.) *** Racewalkers made it a big day, too. A 35,000-meter (21.7-mile) walk opened the long Sunday slate and Marist University’s Marissa Scotio and Mansfield grad Angelina Colon seized the opportunity to claim Olympic Trials qualifying marks. Scotio walked her 87.5 laps in 3:42.39, Colon in 3:43:46. Later in the program Canadian Masters star Dmitrey Babenko won the men’s crown and Shore AC’s Maria Paul of Long Branch led the women in the Elliott Denman one-mile racewalk. **** Cheering all this at trackside were at least two dozen members of the extended Denman Family and Friends team. The meet again honored Elliott Denman, the West Long Branch resident who covered track and field, the Olympic Games and all sports in a much-honored 35-plus-year career as an Asbury Park Press sports writer and columnist; served as president of the Track Writers Association of America; was a “founding father” of the “new” Shore Athletic Club in 1964; served Monmouth then-College as its first Varsity track coach 1966-68; led Shore AC athletes to an array of state, national, world and Olympic honors; guided Shore AC and USA National track squads on multiple international trips, and served as a state, national and world track official. All this, along with his own career as a racewalker in which he was a 1956 USA 50K Olympian; 3K and 50K USA national champion in 1959; USA record-setter over the 52.8-mile London to Brighton, England distance, and raced to 33 straight NYC Marathon completions (1979-2011). “This was certainly a great meet,” said Denman, now 90. “But we’ll still try to make next year’s meet even better.”  By: John Spinelli ‘22
If there was a modern-day David vs. Goliath, this middle-distance runner would certainly be “David” in the iconic underdog story. This year at the 2024 Elliott Denman International Meet we honor a young woman who needs no introduction to New Jersey and USA Track and Field. Shore AC honors Professional Runner Allie Wilson ‘19. Before she gained national attention, she began her journey right here at Monmouth University and the Shore Athletic Club. During her time as a Monmouth University student, she worked as the Operations Coordinator for Shore AC under (then) President Walter MacGowan. “The Shore A.C. has had five different Monmouth Track & Field student-athletes work with the club over the last ten years, and they have all been super valuable in that role,” said former Monmouth University Head Coach and current Shore A.C. Vice President Joe Compagni. “Allie did an excellent job with the club and was also an amazing teammate at Monmouth. Wilson made history this winter by becoming a national champion this year in the 800 meters at the USA Track and Field Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico Feb. 17 with a time of 2:00.63. Before the gun went off, Wilson was not predicted to be a contender for the national title. Unlike her competitors, at the time she was not sponsored by any professional club or agency. She had also never won a national title nor had she run in a World Championship. But after that race before she knew it, Nike would be calling her agent to get a deal ASAP. Only two weeks later she represented Team USA in Glasgow, Scotland, finishing fourth in her preliminary heat at the World Athletics Indoor Championship, an opportunity that was long overdue for her. Currently ranked top fifteen in the world in the 800-meter by World Athletics, Wilson will have to face some stiff competition to make Team USA again, however this time with better odds. Some of her friendly professional competitors include other well-known New Jersey athletes, like Ajeé Wilson (no relation) from Neptune Township and Olivia Baker from South Orange. Just recently to sharpen the iron, she ran 2:00 again at the elite Drake Relays in Iowa. Allie Wilson’s career first began to spark with the Monmouth Hawks under coaches Chris Tarello and Joe Compagni. For the first time during her senior year in 2018, she qualified for the NCAA Championships. Only one year later, while earning her MBA at Monmouth in 2019, she joined the All-American club with a 5th place finish at NCAAs in a time of 1:59. Even in college, representing a lesser known Division 1 school like Monmouth University, she has always been used to being overlooked in the discussion about national title contenders. . This critical year she now hopes to qualify again for Team USA at the United States Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, June 21 and earn a plane ticket to Paris, France for the Olympic Games. But with this time compared to her attempt in 2021, the odds are much more in her favor. When I was a freshman, I had the pleasure of being her teammate on the track team at Monmouth University. Wilson exemplifies what it means to be a member of Shore AC: working hard to live out your dreams, giving back to the community to inspire people to give Track and Field a chance, and being humble and kind. She also proves what it means to be resilient. In the buildup to the Olympic year, she left the Atlanta Track Club to stay with her coaches, Amy Yoder Begley and Andrew Begley, as they moved to Indiana. This meant being unsponsored leading into an Olympic cycle, a risk that paid off as she was able to train on her own and pull through to win a national championship. There are many lessons to learn from an inspirational athlete like her. Good luck to all the competitors today, and remember never count out the underdog! Shore Athletic Club and Atlantic Physical Therapy Center Forge Exciting Partnership for 2024-20255/10/2024  [Sea Girt, April 1, 2024] – Shore Athletic Club (Shore AC) and Atlantic Physical Therapy Center (APTC) are thrilled to announce a dynamic partnership aimed at elevating the health, performance, and community engagement of athletes throughout the region. This collaboration brings together two esteemed organizations committed to excellence in athletic development and wellness. The primary goal of this partnership is to foster a collaborative environment where athletes can access top-tier services and resources to enhance their performance and overall well-being. Atlantic Physical Therapy Center offers a wide range of sports performance services including Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Running Gait Analysis, VO2Max Testing, Medical Body Composition Analysis, Pulmonary Function Test, Gait Analysis, AlterG Treadmill, Dry Needling, Myofascial Cupping, Kinesio Taping, Blood Flow Restriction, and EPAT. As part of this partnership, Shore AC members will have exclusive access to complementary Medical Body Composition Analysis. Full-paid Shore Athletic Club members can receive up to 4 body composition analyses throughout the duration of this partnership, from March 1, 2024, to March 1, 2026. Additionally, top finishers at Shore AC’s premier races will win a VO2Max Testing Appointment at Atlantic Physical Therapy Center. This comprehensive test includes a thorough evaluation of cardiovascular, respiratory, and metabolic health. Athletes will also receive a pulmonary function test, medical body composition analysis, HR training zones, and a 3-month training guide. Shore Athletic Club “We are very excited about our new partnership with Atlantic Physical Therapy,” said Shore A.C. President Erin O’Neill. “Their locations throughout New Jersey and the services they provide will be a valuable partnership for our 300+ club members. Their presence at and sponsorship of our events during the year will also give those within and beyond the club an opportunity to benefit from their expertise in training and cutting-edge performance.” Atlantic Physical Therapy Center “This is such an exciting alliance for us at Atlantic PT Center. Shore Athletic Club is the leader in our area for all things running. They have supported the running community for decades and we are eager to support the 500 members of the Shore AC! Our missions align, with both organizations driving to help clients / members improve their lives and their performance! This is a true win-win for our organizations and for the people in our Jersey Shore communities.” Mike Manzo, PT, MPT CEO of Atlantic Physical Therapy Center. For more information about Shore Athletic Club, please visit https://www.shoreac.org/#/. To learn more about Atlantic Physical Therapy Center and its services, visit https://atlanticptcenter.com/ For more information performance testing, contact: Jeremy Kuper, EdM, MA, ACSM-EP Director of Exercise Physiology & Center for Running Excellence Atlantic Physical Therapy Center [email protected] 732-528-3850 |
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September 2024
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