ContentZone
July 31, 2000
Send comments and hate mail please! ;-)
mike@millenniumfire.com.
OK I lied. I’m Back!!
C’mon its Olympic time, I couldn’t help myself…
Actually, I realized I have no Journalism degree. I have no other outlet to do this. In fact I don’t even have any friends anymore since I started writing this column. So shoot this is all I got!!
SI INDOOR TRACK FACILITY
OK People its time to put up or shut up! We need everyone to get involved here. The revitalized Armory in Washington Heights has been the best thing to ever happen to track and field in NYC. And with everyone's help here, this Indoor Facility can be the same for Staten Island. But it is time for everyone to get involved. From the beginning its been made clear that this project isn’t bound to S.I.A.C or N.Y.C.R.R or this club or that club. This Indoor Facility is for the entire community. For the young and the restless, the retired, the elderly, track freaks, and anyone else will benefit from a facility on Staten Island. With the hard work of some incredible people, the project has grown from a Rasta dinner thought to a Guy Molinari promised reality. As we enter a period where many decisions are being thought, discussed, planned, and realized, we now need the effort and support of everyone on Staten Island who wants to be a part of this historic development. We need more ideas, more assistance, more input, more thought process, and more importantly more VOICES!! This project is far from completed, and without the thousands of Track & Field and running people on Staten Island who we need to step up now and support this, we will face a steeper climb to completion. If you want to be able to run or enjoy an excellent indoor facility in the future, then get to the meeting at Moore HS on August 9th at 7:30 for starters. Find out then how you can be a factor in this project. Come and find out where we are, and where we want to be. Find out how you can help this become a reality. There are many highly respected Track & Field people involved, and you can work with them. See you on August 9th at Moore HS.
OLYMPIC TRIALS OR DRUG TRIALS ???
I enjoyed the Olympic Trials recently. I guess I did ?
What the heck is happening in T&F ?? The Worlds greatest athlete gets
hurt and is out, hmmm! One of our best vaulter’s (starkey) is home.
Our supposedly 2 best 200m pull up lame ?? 110HH 12.97 whew! 100H 12.33 man!
Women's Vault 15’2” ouch! Women's discus 211’, then 215’
oooof! Men's SP 72’ Ahhh!
Its like there was blue light special on American records at the
trials.
Shoot, more like blue pill special!!!
How come when people start breaking records like this anywhere else in the world (E.germany, Russia,etc) everyone yells drugs, but when American records are dropping like black crows with the west nile virus, everyone cheers ????
Are athletes just so much better now?? Are the training methods just so much
superior now??
Is Met-Rx really that good ?? Hey it helps Mike Piazza hit that good !!
The wacky results are all about timing. Some good timing and some bad timing. The good timing can produce some blue light specials, whereas the bad timing can produce those incredibly coincidental leg injuries that probably staved off some athlete possible career embarrassment with bad test results.
I look at some results and think are we people just ants in a world of anteaters,
or do we just eat differently. And if we eat differently, what the hell are
they eating ??
I think its clear, they are not using MET-RX.
Am I just over reacting ?? What the hell is my problem anyway ?? We live in a world where a guy who never hit more than 15 homers in a year, hits 50, and people say he really had a good off-season. Some other guy is hitting 70 homers. Single hitters are hitting 30 homers in July !! Baseball doesn’t drug test for performance enhancing drugs. But baseball players don’t take drugs!! Right ?? The NFL drug tests all the players, right ?? Thank god because if they didn’t, who knows what that Linebacker who weighs 260 and runs a 4.4 40 yd dash, squats 990 lbs would look like ??
Everyone else is doing it, so why not T&F ?? I don’t know.. There have always been selected athletes who have taken Performance enhancing vitamins, but I feel its so much more widespread now. Its almost as if everyone is. I recently talked with a highly respected T&F runner with which we discussed this issue, and he advised that “Everyone is doing something”. You talk to most athletes who have competed on the level just under the Olympic level, and they’ll say the same thing “Everyone at the top level Is doing something”
But you know what ? As much as I love T&F, all this stuff takes away from the sport for me. At least at this level. When records last a while, it makes sports more exciting. There’s always something to shoot for, and everyone is trying to beat it. Today, these records are broken night and day, and now its who can break it today or by a greater margin. Let me get off this subject, I am getting bored…
OLYMPIC TRIALS THOUGHTS
Act like you didn’t read the last article when you read this. It was nice seeing Marion Jones and Jackie Joyner-Kersee competing in the LJ. JJK is a class act, not at her best, but nonetheless out there trying to make the team, passing the torch. Marion Jones really looks like she’s having fun out there and genuinely a nice person. I enjoyed watching her. Gotta love Regina Jacobs, who is just full of confidence, and another great person. Hope she medals in Sydney. Gabe Jennings was a classic ! Something out of Woodstock. Those short strides, I love it! A friend in my town could have made the javelin team at 252’ it was so weak!! Amazing… Michael Johnson cruising in at 43 and change. That’s sick!! My favorite vaulter Lawrence Johnson winning the vault!! Proving that BLACK MEN CAN JUMP, with a pole that is, unfortunately most do it in that other sport with all the money! ;-) Too bad for Bob Kennedy with the recent car accident! Too bad for Steve Holman, who proved once and for all that you do need your mind to run, just as much as your legs. Gotta feel for him! Bob Kersee was himself in the stands, classic emotion!! Our best vaulter no heights ?? Didn’t he ever hear of Dan O’brien ??
SI OLYMPIAN
Will we have another T&F Olympian ?? Its been 24 years and counting.. Charlie Marsala was about as close as you could get a few years ago.
BLACK LIMO
If you are reading this, you will show up at Moore Catholic HS on August 9th at 7:30pm or you'll be receiving a visit at your house from a black limo. Alright, only kidding about the black limo, it’s a 97’ Jetta. No only kidding, Just show up and become part of the team to help make this Indoor Facility the best thing since Windows2000. THIS HAS BEEN A SUBLIMINAL MESSAGE
ETC
This has been a nice summer for running! Not too hot… So why the hell haven’t I been running ??
I really need to start running consistently. I remember when I moved to Staten Island in 83’ I was on this Zola Budd kick thing and I used to run to the Verrazzano Bridge down Hylan Blvd all the time BAREFOOT! ; -) I don’t even run to the bathroom anymore, with shoes! ;-)
Am I the only cheap skate out here that refuses to spend 100.00 on a pair
of running shoes. I find the coolest ones I can for around 50.00. A hundred
bucks on a pair of running shoes. Am I just getting old ??
What's the difference between the 100.00 and 50.00 reebok’s ?? Rocket
Boosters ??
I found out this week that New Dorp does have some Track & Field athletes. I saw some good ones too. I spent some time there during the Big Apple games, giving a few clinics. Once you get past the initial invisible wall most of them keep up, you realize that these kids are just like any others, and maybe they have been just believing that “CANT” word for a little too long. Once you show them that they “CAN”, they respond well. I got the feeling that a lot of them were afraid to show the others that they were trying hard or enjoying it. Like it wasn’t cool to do good or something, but after a while I saw athletes recognizing that they could actually do this well. It’s amazing when you treat people like people, and not by reputation, they respond like people.
Talk to you soon….
And remember when competing to LET IT RIP!
Mike