Nation’s best to compete at USA Masters Indoor Championships

The USA Track & Field National Masters Indoor Track and Field Championships will be held March 11-13 at Jacksons Track at the Idaho Sports Center in Nampa, Idaho.

Over 500 of the nation's best masters (35-90 year old and over) track & field athletes will be competing. At last year's meet in Boston, 14 world records and 38 American records were broken. The fast track at Jackson should provide repeat performances from last year.

Admission is free to the public and all members of the media are welcome. The USATF Masters website (www.usatf.org) has the race schedule and a complete list of competitors by age group. Please contact meet director Mark Murdock, Rich Harris, or Janet McCarthy at (208) 386-9017 for meet details, or National Masters Media Chair Bob Weiner at 202-361-0611 for further information on media coverage, interviews, and the masters program.

For pre-meet coverage, media may wish to attend the opening track event, the 3,000 meters, Friday, 5 p.m. and the sprints and field events beginning Saturday at 9 a.m. The meet continues Sunday at 9 a.m.

Local top stars include:

Patty Gray Bellan (W40-45): placed third in the USATF cross country championships in Portland, Oregon. Winner of Barber to Boise 10k, 36:16 in 2004. Winner of the Pearl St. Mile masters division in Boulder, CO. in 2004 and also the masters division of the Main Street miles in Boise. Patty is a three time NCAA DIV. II Outdoor Track Champion at 3000m, 5000m and 10,000m. She was a silver medalist at the World University Games in Kobe, Japan 1985 in the marathon. Patty is a two time qualifier for the Olympic trials in 1984 and 1988. She currently is a Health and P.E. teacher at Riverglen Junior High and has two children.

Bill Platts (M76): Entered in the 60m and 200m. Believe it or not, Bill has only been participating in track and field events for the past ten years. In that time, he has won 49 medals. He holds the national record in the javelin and in 2004 claimed the fastest in the nation in the 200m. Bill continues his career in track in field to keep in shape in for the fall hunting season. Bill is awe inspiring but humble, particularly after being a two time cancer survivor.

Mike Carlson (M45): Entered in the mile and the 3000m. Mike has a long standing running career in Idaho. He was the mile champion in high school in 1976 with a time of 4:25.9. Mike's PR for the mile is 4:20, set in 1979, and his PR for the 3000m is 8:54.9, set in 1980. Mike is a five time winner of the Race to Robie Creek, claimed to be the toughest race in the Pacific Northwest. In 2002 he was the 12^th American and 3^rd master at the 50 mile trail US Championships in Green River, Washington (7:47:59). In 2004, he won the 3000 at the Idaho's Masters Classic with a time of 9:10.8.

Ralph Haynie-(M50): Entered in pole vault and high jump. Ralph is originally from Arizona but has called Boise home for the past 15 years. Ralph's PR for pole vault is 18'2 ¾". He was at the Olympic trials in 1980 and was ranked 3^rd in the nation. More recently, Ralph won the pole vault and the high jump at the Senior Games in St. George in 2004.

Blas Guerra- (50M)-Ontario, OR: Entered in the 3000m. Blas is another multi-winner of the Race to Robie Creek, deemed the toughest race in the Pacific Northwest. Blas is a track and field and cross country coach at Treasure Valley Community College.

Boise is also looking forward to brilliant performances by Reid Harter in the 800m, mile and 3000m and also Christine Olen in the mile.

Nationally ranked Master athletes to watch:

Nolan Shaheed (M55): Pasadena, CA. Entered in the 3000, mile, 800, and 4x800m relay. He is a Masters Track and Field Hall of Famer and multiple world record holder. He will be pursuing national and world records in his new age group in four events. The formidable 3000m WR of 8:58, set back in 1980, will be Nolan's first challenge on Friday night (6:15 PM). Two days and three events later, Nolan will go head to head with his closest rival and current 800m WR holder from Jamaica, Alston Brown.

Jeanne Daprano (W65): Fayetteville, GA. Entered in the 400m, 800m and the mile. Hall of famer.

Tony Young (M40): Entered in the 800m and mile. Out of Union County HS, Kentucky. State-LA, Tony won the masters 800 at the Olympic Trials last year.

Joy Upshaw Margerum (W 40): Los Altos, CA. Entered in the 60m, 60 hurdles, 200m and long jump. Brilliant performer in the sprints, hurdles and jumps over the years. Out of California state-Hayward, Joy is the sister of 2003 U.S. long jump champion and 2004 Olympian Grace Upshaw. Her father, Monte, broke Jesse Owens' national high school long jump record in 1954.

James Chinn (M45)- San Marcos, CA: Entered in the 60m, 200m, 400m. This West Coast performer opened a lot of eyes last summer at the Nationals in Decatur with brilliant performance in the sprints.

Bill Collins (M50)- Houston, TX: Entered in the 60m, 200m, 400m. All-American at Texas Christian University, he was later a member of the US National Team that set a world mark in the 4 x100. He owns countless world masters championships, has been called the fastest man in the world over age 50. Bill is 54 and is probably the 2^nd greatest male masters sprinter of all time after legendary Payton Jordan.

Steve Gallegos (M50)- Golden, CO: Entered in the 800m, mile and 4X 800 relay. Very few men alive can claim to have withstood Steve's devastating kick. He does not like to lead, but once he sets it down, it's over! Steve has performed brilliantly at the world and national levels.

Stan Whitley (M55)- Alta Loma, CA: Entered in the 60m and 200m. Stan is from Kansas and is famed for long jumping 25' or more 17 years in a row. He will forgo the long jump for sprints while at Boise and will be extremely tough to beat.

Paul Edens (M60)- Portland, OR: Entered in the 60m and 200m. Paul has tasted gold at the world masters championships and won't want to lose at Boise.

Marie-Louise Michelson (W60)- Stony Brook, NY: Entered in the 200m, 400m, 800m, mile, and 3000m. Dr. Michelson is out of the University of Chicago. She is currently a mathematics professor at University of NY (Stony Brook). She has broken numerous records in the past five years and went gold at the worlds in 2003.

Emil Pawlik (M65)- Jacksonville, MS. Entered in the pentathlon, 60m, 200m, 60hurdles, long jump, high jump, and pole vault. A brilliant performer at the hurdles, high jump and decathlon and, Emil was recently inducted in the Masters Hall of Fame. He has won "multi events athlete of the year" award numerous times.

Audrey Lary (W70)- Frederick, MD: Entered in the 60m, 200m, long jump, triple jump, weight throw, and super weight throw. Winner in the 2003 Worlds.

Jim Stookey (M75)- Dickerson, MD: Entered in the 60m hurdles, long jump, triple jump, high jump and the pentathlon. Jim is a veterinary pathologist out of Auburn University. "Dr. Jim" has been named the masters athlete of the year in the U.S. three times. He is in the Hall of Fame and should win everything he enters before returning to Maryland.

Phil Raschker (W58)- Marietta, GA. Entered in the women's 60m, 200m, 400m, 60hurdles, long jump, triple jump, high jump, and the pole vault. The only masters T&F athlete in history to be a Sullivan Award Finalist, last year (2004), for the nation's finest amateur athlete regardless of sport. A multiple world age group titlist and record holder, Phil has helped redefine what it means to be a fit women over age 50.

Robert Thomas (M38) - Indianapolis, IN. 2004 35-39 athlete of the year 2004, Won the 200 at the World masters indoor in Germany. World indoor rankings 2004: 1st in the 200, 1st in the 400, and fourth in the 60. Never beaten in a 200 or 400 indoors in a masters race.

James Robinson (M51): Entered in the 800m, mile and the 3000m, and 4x800 relay.

Dave Clingan (M50)- Portland, OR: Entered in the 800m, mile 3000m, and is targeting 4x800 relay record.

Robert Richardson (M51)- Carson, CA: Notable performances include a runner-up finish in the triple jump at the 2003 masters outdoor championships, and the 2000 title.

Becky Sisley (W65-69)- Eugene, OR: Entered in the high jump, pole vault, 60 hurdles, and triple jump. Becky holds many US records as well as being a world record holder in the outdoor pole vault at 2.32m. Elected into the USATF Master Hall of Fame in 2001.

Don Drummond (35M)- Fresno, TX: Was the 2003 USATF 30-35 athlete of the year. At the 2003 Masters Indoor Nationals he was the record holder for the 60m hurdles with the time of 7.93. He is a five time national Indoor Masters Champion in the 60m hurdles.

Dexter McCloud (M44)- Norcross, GA: 2004 Indoor World Masters Champion in the 60m hurdles and ranked 8^th in the World Indoors in the 200m.

Dolfe Berle (M42)- Pasadena, TX: In 2004 was the silver medalist in the National Decathlon Championships and took the gold for the National Heptathlon Championships. Dolfe also won the silver for the national indoor pentathlon championships. In 2003 he was the silver medalist at the worlds in the pole vault.

Relays: Will be WORLD RECORD attempts; Noteworthy will include 50+ 4x800 meters (Steve Gallegos, Nolan Shaheed, James Robinson, Dave Clingan).

Among the highlights of every masters track championship are performances by our oldest competitors:

**NOTABLE NINTIES AND ABOVE!**

Frank Levine- Norristown, PA. 90 years old and entered in the 200m, 400m, 800m, mile and the 3000m.

Clarence Trahan- Hemet, CA. 90 years old and entered in the 60m, 200m. long jump and triple jump

Leland McPhie- San Diego, CA. 91 years old and entered in the 60m, long jump, triple jump, high jump, shot put, weight throw and the super weight throw.

Max Springer-Knoxville, TN. 91 years old and entered in the 200m, 400m, 800m, mile, long jump and triple jump.