Discussion: Paper on 1972 track season
in: Bags
Jan 4, 2020 2:54 PM
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Bags:
I wrote a paper, probably for Freshman English at U of Tulsa, about the 1972 track season. Here are times I found: some I remembered but not all. I wrote that conditioning was from March 2 to April 6 and racing started April 7 through June 10th.
April 7 Superior indoor. You ran under 10:30 and I ran 11:15.
April 12 Two Harbors around the hockey rink. I ran 12:08 in 71 in my first race ever. We battled it out some but you beat me by 13 seconds if I understand my rather poor writing effort...I ran 11:20.
April 14 Packy Packette. I was lapped though running well and had to drop out to my bitter disappointment.
April 29. Cloquet Invitation outdoor. My old home fall of 1969. I ran 10:35 for 7th and ole Dave Kunz was so excited for me after the race. He could not believe I had ran that fast. haha. It says there were 29 in the race! Like a Olympic 10K final!
May 6. Hibbing Doc Savage. I was supposed to run 2M and you the mile but due to obvious coach favoritism by Coach Pfingsten he switched us at last minute. It was 5 laps to mile. Ed Kleinman and I ran 64 for first lap and were not even near first place...I ran 4:56.3 to break 5 min by quite a bit. Then I ran at 58.6 or 58.8 (its blurry) less than hour later. I just remember last 60 yards or so the bones in my legs were bending as I tied up horribly. I guess I could have run a couple of seconds faster otherwise.
May 10 Big Ten Track Meet (close to Denfield?) I ran 4:57.7 in a heat. Jay ran 4:58 but he won his heat and claimed glory that was due me...and I noted in the school paper they even reversed out times stealing more glory from me.
Guess the field was so big they had to do that.
May 13. Jay and I ran in same heat (2nd of 3). I blazed to 4:52.3! I did not remember that time at all. I won the heat by 15 yards but did not place timewise for scoring.
May 18 Denfeld Dual. I was super nervous...I guess I was expecting a lot after my drop in time. I won in 4:55.6 but it took me until 3rd lap to go into lead...a red head guy blasted out super fast and psyched me out for awhile.
May 24 Dual with Morgan Park. Evidently it was a 3/4 mile race? Two other schools were having a meet too and I was not sure if all 4 schools would race together. We didn't. I won but I don't see my time and I noted my leg bothered me. This was the infamous tight left groin that lasted until Jan 1974...I know now I just needed to stretch...I was not actually injured...if I had stretched my calves and hamstrings more it would have been ok in short order.
Side note: I was young enough to be a sophomore. If (if if if) we had stayed in Duluth, and IF I had learned to stretch and IF I had just been a soph then I would have had 2 more season of track to run to HS glory and of course win a Oregon track scholarship (I evidently cannot spell scholarship or sophomore without spell check...so much for my scholarship abilities away from the track).
May 31. Mark Issacson prominent in notes here. I had missed running due to the strain. I mentioned only trotting 6 miles so not sure if that was 'the not running' or if I missed a day also. This was the City Meet to qualify for state also. Issacson took off, but so did several other runners so like earlier meets I was behind for 2 laps but then I made a 'huge' move on the 3rd lap passing dying runners rest of the way. Actually I was probably running same pace and they were all dying.
I ran 4:49.8 six seconds back.
June 10 State It ways there were two days so it must have been June 9 and 10. Issacson did not even run. Mr. Pfingsten laughed later that I was in last place by 10 yards at the first turn...and I was...the laughing I did not need...he was kidding of course. He really was laughing quite boisterously as he kidded about it though. My leg was tight and I ran 4:49 again and was last by 100 yards. Our first tartan track and I had hoped to run faster on it.
I did a joke at the urging of my cowardly 'friends' calling the desk and impersonating a coach had a 6am wakeup call for some of the older guys/sprinters including Dale Kusnierik who tried to give me a wedgie when everyone turned on me and betrayed my identity. This may be the dramatic version of events but it's as I wrote and/or remember them.
When I got home that day (reason I know we ran on 10th) mom and dad said we were moving to Colorado Springs. Double bummer to start the summer out.
April 7 Superior indoor. You ran under 10:30 and I ran 11:15.
April 12 Two Harbors around the hockey rink. I ran 12:08 in 71 in my first race ever. We battled it out some but you beat me by 13 seconds if I understand my rather poor writing effort...I ran 11:20.
April 14 Packy Packette. I was lapped though running well and had to drop out to my bitter disappointment.
April 29. Cloquet Invitation outdoor. My old home fall of 1969. I ran 10:35 for 7th and ole Dave Kunz was so excited for me after the race. He could not believe I had ran that fast. haha. It says there were 29 in the race! Like a Olympic 10K final!
May 6. Hibbing Doc Savage. I was supposed to run 2M and you the mile but due to obvious coach favoritism by Coach Pfingsten he switched us at last minute. It was 5 laps to mile. Ed Kleinman and I ran 64 for first lap and were not even near first place...I ran 4:56.3 to break 5 min by quite a bit. Then I ran at 58.6 or 58.8 (its blurry) less than hour later. I just remember last 60 yards or so the bones in my legs were bending as I tied up horribly. I guess I could have run a couple of seconds faster otherwise.
May 10 Big Ten Track Meet (close to Denfield?) I ran 4:57.7 in a heat. Jay ran 4:58 but he won his heat and claimed glory that was due me...and I noted in the school paper they even reversed out times stealing more glory from me.
Guess the field was so big they had to do that.
May 13. Jay and I ran in same heat (2nd of 3). I blazed to 4:52.3! I did not remember that time at all. I won the heat by 15 yards but did not place timewise for scoring.
May 18 Denfeld Dual. I was super nervous...I guess I was expecting a lot after my drop in time. I won in 4:55.6 but it took me until 3rd lap to go into lead...a red head guy blasted out super fast and psyched me out for awhile.
May 24 Dual with Morgan Park. Evidently it was a 3/4 mile race? Two other schools were having a meet too and I was not sure if all 4 schools would race together. We didn't. I won but I don't see my time and I noted my leg bothered me. This was the infamous tight left groin that lasted until Jan 1974...I know now I just needed to stretch...I was not actually injured...if I had stretched my calves and hamstrings more it would have been ok in short order.
Side note: I was young enough to be a sophomore. If (if if if) we had stayed in Duluth, and IF I had learned to stretch and IF I had just been a soph then I would have had 2 more season of track to run to HS glory and of course win a Oregon track scholarship (I evidently cannot spell scholarship or sophomore without spell check...so much for my scholarship abilities away from the track).
May 31. Mark Issacson prominent in notes here. I had missed running due to the strain. I mentioned only trotting 6 miles so not sure if that was 'the not running' or if I missed a day also. This was the City Meet to qualify for state also. Issacson took off, but so did several other runners so like earlier meets I was behind for 2 laps but then I made a 'huge' move on the 3rd lap passing dying runners rest of the way. Actually I was probably running same pace and they were all dying.
I ran 4:49.8 six seconds back.
June 10 State It ways there were two days so it must have been June 9 and 10. Issacson did not even run. Mr. Pfingsten laughed later that I was in last place by 10 yards at the first turn...and I was...the laughing I did not need...he was kidding of course. He really was laughing quite boisterously as he kidded about it though. My leg was tight and I ran 4:49 again and was last by 100 yards. Our first tartan track and I had hoped to run faster on it.
I did a joke at the urging of my cowardly 'friends' calling the desk and impersonating a coach had a 6am wakeup call for some of the older guys/sprinters including Dale Kusnierik who tried to give me a wedgie when everyone turned on me and betrayed my identity. This may be the dramatic version of events but it's as I wrote and/or remember them.
When I got home that day (reason I know we ran on 10th) mom and dad said we were moving to Colorado Springs. Double bummer to start the summer out.
Jan 4, 2020 5:13 PM
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Wow... brings back some memories for sure.
It's fun to find that old stuff.
(almost 50 years ago!)
It's fun to find that old stuff.
(almost 50 years ago!)
Jan 5, 2020 3:39 AM
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Bags:
I have other stuff that for some reason I just won't look for and read but this was in my Jr Year Central HS year book...on one hand I embrace the past but on the other hand it's becoming so long ago it is staggering. It's intimidating and worrisome to realize how long ago were...that sounds so obvious and simplistic but its true. On the other hand if I were not alive today then it wouldn't be true so I prefer that alternative. haha.
This discussion thread is closed.