Trouble Afoot!: June 2009

Thursday, June 25, 2009

SC Gov. Mark Sanford, the running angle on the story of the moment

I didn't really notice the story about Mark Sanford, the missing governor of South Carolina, until his staff issued the hiking alibi for his absence. "The Governor is hiking on the Appalachian Trail." I only lived in South Carolina for a year, and I'm not an expert on the Appalachian Trail, but I do know that the Appalachian Trail doesn't run through South Carolina. It's not a long drive from Columbia to the trail, but would it be politically astute for the Governor to take a hiking holiday out of state? It seemed unlikely, but it was interesting to think about running into the Governor on Rocky Mountain or near Hogpen Gap.

Unfortunately, that cover story didn't last long and then the squalid truth came out.

As it turns out, Mark Sanford was originally from Florida, so the Miami Herald printed some background on his life in this state. Born in Fort Lauderdale in 1960, Sanford attended Fort Lauderdale's Westminster Academy, where he ran on the track team "and was state ranked as a short-distance runner," according to the Herald. Well, earlier this month I posted some results of the 1977 Florida high school state track and field championships, and there's Sanford in the 1A boys' 880-yard run.

880-Yard Run
1. Bobby Wilson (Freeport) 2:02.7
2. Kelly Brown (Mount Dora Bible) 2:05.0
3. Stephen Chester (Tallahassee North Florida Christian) 2:06.2
4. Don Hubbard (St Augustine St Joseph's) 2:07.0
5. Mark Sanford (Fort Lauderdale Westminster) 2:07.6
6. Mark Johnis (Montverde Academy) 2:07.7

The 1977 track season took place at the end of Sanford's junior year at Westminster. Before his senior year the Sanford family moved to the South Carolina lowcountry. I don't know whether he continued to run high school track there, or if he ran at Furman University, where he did his undergraduate studies.

Links:

Results of the FHSAA Boys' Track and Field Championships
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2009/06/1977-fhsaa-boys-track-and-field.html
Westminster Academy Boys' Track and Field records progression
http://www.wacad.edu/rez/wastaff/kkey/Boys Records Progression copy.pdf
My own Appalachian Trail hiking plan
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2009/01/500-year-plan.html

A tour of the Apalachee Regional Park cross-country course

In order to tour the Apalachee Regional Park cross-country course, first you have to get to Apalachee Regional Park. The park is located at 7550 Apalachee Parkway, or about four-and-a-half miles east of US-319 on US-27. The map below shows the route from the intersection of US-319 (Capital Circle) and US-27 (Apalachee Parkway) to the park.

View Larger Map

Once in the park, the dirt road to Seminole Remote-Control Airfield also goes to the cross-country course, which is just north of the airfield. Be respectful of the pilots and their aircraft--these are not predator drones, but no one wants a remote-control plane or helicopter to hit you in the head. The course actually runs along the tree line north of the airfield, but the starting line is in another field to the west (i.e., on your left as you head north past Seminole Remote-Control Airport).

The starting line will be at the west end of the west field. Looking east you can see the first quarter-mile of the course, a flat straightaway across the field.

At the east end of the field, a quarter-mile from the start, the runners will have to pass through a stand of live oaks into the next field. In a race with a large number of runners, getting through this narrow "gate" may be exciting.

Once through the "gate," you're back in same field as the Seminole Remote-Control Airport, which will be to the runners' right. The course heads straight to the tree-line.

Having reached the tree-line, the course follows it along the north end of the field.

Continue to follow the winding north edge of the field.

Approaching the end of the first half-mile, the course starts making a turn to the north. You'll leave the field and the course will run along an unpaved road.

Near the half mile, the road is continuing to turn to the north. The road was still a clay surface when these photos were taken, but Leon County plans to add a layer of pulverized oyster shells, which should hold up better in wet weather.

Past the half-mile mark, the road runs almost directly north. You probably won't even notice it, but to the right is old Leon County landfill. To the left is a thickly wooded area that the second half of the loop runs through. Straight ahead, you can see that the road makes a sharp right turn to the east.

After a sharp turn, the course briefly continues on a road bordering the old landfill. Soon, though, the runners exit the road to the left to run through a field north of the road.

After leaving the road, the course heads north across a field and then into a pine woods.

Near the three-quarters-of-a-mile mark, the course winds gently through a pine woods towards Lake Lafayette.

Nearing Lake Lafayette, the course bends back toward the west.

The course continues to bend until you're headed south, away from the lake and back out of the pine woods.

Once out of the woods, the course runs along the edge of the field south of the old landfill. Up ahead, hidden by the trees, is a dip in the course, a challenge to runners' footing.

The dip! Be ready for it so that you don't stumble or make a face plant. Runners prepared for the dip won't experience anything worse than a brief break in their rhythm.

After the dip, the course continues west along the rim of the field, but on a shaded stretch that photographers will love.

Here's another view of the short canopied stretch of the course, just before it makes a right turn into the jungle.

The course turns right and slopes down into the jungle. the one-mile mark is coming up.

Past the mile mark, the course continues to descend gently downhill. Notice the root marked for removal with orange spray paint. This part of the course started out as a small trail hacked
out of the jungle. A lot of work went into bringing it to this state, and much more work is planned to improve it further.

Here you're coming up on the lowest part of the course. You can see it ahead because it has been elevated with gravel, like a similar stretch of hiking trail in Pine Log State Forest.

The rocks, a gravel stretch through a low spot of the course. The footing isn't good, but it's much bettter than the forest-floor muck on either side of the course. Additionally, the county plans to add a layer of pulverized oyster shells on top of the gravel, which should make for much better running.

Once the oyster shell layer is in place, the trees in the jungle will start to layer the top of the trail with leaves. A couple of seasons of fallen leaves will make this one of the best stretches of the course.

Here you can see ahead to the end of the rocks. As mentioned before, the rocks mark the lowest part of the course, so the rest of the loop will necessarily be more uphill than downhill.

Past the rocks, the course starts to climb gently upward through the jungle.

Climbing further, the course crosses an old berm. This is historically exciting, because it's probably left over from old agricultural use of the land, possibly ante-bellum cotton culture, or even pre-Columbian settlements. However, for runners it's just another place to stumble if you're not alert.

Beyond the berm, the course continues its gentle climb. If you're not tired, you might not even notice that the course isn't flat.

Ending its gentle ascent, the course makes a gentle descent to another low area, the second bridge. You probably didn't even notice the first bridge, did you?

Up ahead, the lighter-colored soil marks the second bridge--i.e., where a drainage culvert was added to channel water under the course.

Okay, maybe I'm over-selling it by calling it a bridge. But it does mark the last low spot on the loop. From here, it's all a climb back to the starting-line field.

Past the bridge, the ascent has started, gently at first. Because of the trees and the turns, the runners never see all of this hill at once, so it's difficult to gauge how long or tough it is.

The course continues up through the jungle on its way back to the west field.

Up ahead you can see a bright spot through the trees, marking an open area--the west field. Once the runners crest this hill they're almost done with the loop.

Back in the first field is the one-and-a-half mile mark of the course. Keep heading south.

Around the starting straightaway the first loop ends. In order to do a five-kilometer cross-country race, the runners will have to turn left (east) here and do a second loop, a modified version of the first loop.

Here's a map of the second loop, courtesy of Brian Corbin. The main difference between the two loops is that the second loop doesn't go as far east, omitting the pine woods.

For a five-kilometer run, at the end of the second loop the runners will continue south past the starting straightaway, heading for the south end of the first field.

At the south end of the field, the runners will turn left (east), following the edge of the field.

The finish line will be along the edge of the field.

That's how the course appeared when I visited in June 2009. Leon County will be doing more work on the course, and there will be at least one more volunteer work day out there this summer. Another thing that would improve the course is having people run on it. So head out to Apalachee Regional Park with your walking or running shoes, and see if the photos do the cross-country course justice.

Links:

A dedicated cross-country running facility for Tallahassee
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2009/05/dedicated-cross-country-running.html
Gulf Winds Track Club delivers financial support for cross country in Apalachee Regional Park
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2009/05/gulf-winds-track-club-deliver-financial.html

Help build a cross-country running tradition!
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2009/07/help-build-cross-country-running.html
A later (17 July 2009) set of photos of the course
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2681514&id=5215641&l=dd3a9d8acf

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

24 June 2009 Tallahassee 100-Mile Race Calendar

This is the Tallahassee vicinity road-race schedule for 24 June 2009. If that's more than a week ago, the latest schedule is always available via this link:

http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1

This is a listing of upcoming races within 100 miles of Tallahassee, Florida, roughly the area in the map below. If a race isn't listed, I probably haven't heard of it, so post a comment and let me know about it.

Map

27 JUNE 2009

Hot Trot 5K. 7:30 am CT. Washington-Holmes Technical Center, 757 Hoyt Street, Chipley, FL 32428. Stan Owens 850-547-2244
Sneads High School Fellowship of Christian Athletes Inside Out 5K. 8:00 am CT. Three Rivers State Park, 7908 Three Rivers Park Road, Sneads, FL 32460. Event web site. Entry form and flyer. Online registration on active.com.
10U Bay Bombers Disney 5K. 8:00 am CT. Pier Park, Panama City Beach, FL. Online registration at active.com. 850-774-7187.
Summer Sizzler 5K / 1 Mile. 7:00 pm ET (1 mile), 7:30 pm ET (5K). St. George Island, FL. USATF certifed course #FL99035DL. Entry form and flyer. Hobson Fulmer, 850-927-2510 or hobson@fairpoint.net

4 JULY 2009

Firecracker 5K. 7:30 am ET. Greensboro, FL. Entry form and flyer. Greensboro Kiwanis, PO Box 97, Greensboro, FL 32330.
Valdosta 5K. 7:15 am ET. Valdosta, GA. Five Points, North Ashley Street, Valdosta, Georgia.
Freedom Springs Triathlon. 7:00 am CT. Blue Springs Recreation Park, 5461 Blue Springs Road, Marianna, FL. Entry form and flyer. Terry Edwards (850)482-3415 or fst1@earthlink.net

11 JULY 2009

Greeks In The Streets 5K. 8:00 am ET. Langford Green, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL. Event web site. Online registration at active.com. Emmy Hunt, gettingreeksinthestreets@gmail.com

18 JULY 2009

Critter Run 5K. 6:00 pm CT. Westgate Park, 801 Recreation Road, Dothan, AL 36303. USATF certified course #AL86003JD. Event web page. Event entry form. Larry Dykes (334) 792-6021
Barnes 100 Years 5K. 7:30 am ET. Barnes Drug Store Downtown, 200 South Patterson Street Valdosta, GA 31601. Event web site. Entry form and flyer.
Summer Sprint 5K. 7:30 am CT. Panama City, FL. 850-234-4370
Loop the Lake 5K. 7:30 am ET. Lake Blackshear Resort and Golf Club, 2459-H US Highway 280 West, Cordele, GA 31015. Event web site. Entry form and flyer. Online registration at active.com.

1 AUGUST 2009

Fallen Heroes Run 5K. 8:00 am ET. Tom Brown Park, Tallahassee, FL 32305. Event web page. Gavin Larremore, oovtally@comcast.net
Possum Trot 5K. 7:30 am CT. Wausua, FL. Frank or Carol Kreis 850-773-2030

8 AUGUST 2009

Mike Schneider Memorial 5K and 1 mile fun run. 8:00 am ET. Cobb Middle School, 915 Hillcrest Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32308. Tolar Griffin 850-294-6456 or peoples.champ34@yahoo.com
Run For Love Evening Run 5K and 1 Mile. 7:15 pm ET. Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Tennis Center, Tifton, Georgia, 31793. Online registration at active.com.

15 AUGUST 2009

Breakfast On The Track One Mile Run. 7:45 am ET. Maclay School track, 3737 N Meridian Rd, Tallahassee, FL. Bonnie Wright, 850-386-3500 or bwright@electro-net.com
Georgia Veterans Duathlon and Triathlon. 8:00 am ET. Georgia Veterans State Park, 2459 U.S. Highway 280 W, Cordele , GA 31015. Event web site. Entry form and flyer. Online registration at active.com

29 AUGUST 2009

Miller Landing Madness 8K/5K/3K. 8:00 am ET. Elinor Klapp Phipps Park, Miller Landing Road, Tallahassee, FL 32312. Mike Sims (850)514-3424 or Tom Perkins (850)894-2019
Winnersville Half-Ironman & Sprint Triathlon. 7:30 am ET (Half-Ironman, 1 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13 mile run), 8:00 am ET (Sprint, 45 mile swim, 14 mile bike, 3.6 mile run). Valdosta Lowndes 4-H Facility, 5000 4-H Club Road, Lake Park, GA 31636. Event web site. Online registration at active.com. Registration form.

5 SEPTEMBER 2009

30th annual Midnight Chase 5K Run & 1-Mile Fun Run. 12:00 am CT. Panama City, FL. Nancy Dingus 850-763-6891 or Joe Edgecombe 850-774-0018

7 SEPTEMBER 2009

2nd annual Red Cross Hurricane Run 5K. 8:00 am ET. Southwood Office Complex, Esplanade Way, Tallahassee, Florida. Event web site. Entry form and flyer. Online registration at active.com. Debara Jump, 878-6080 ext. 106 or debara.jump@tallyredcross.org

12 SEPTEMBER 2009

Sickle Cell Foundation of the Big Bend 5K. 8:00 am ET. Jake Gaither Park, 801 Tanner Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32305. Velma Penermon Stevens, (850)222-2355
Beach Blast Triathlon and Duathlon. 7:00 am CT (Sprint triathlon, 0.35 mile Swim, 15 mile Bike, 3.1 mile Run; Olympic triathlon, 0.7 mile Swim, 25 mile Bike, 6.2 mile Run; Sprint duathlon, 1.2 mile Run, 15 mile Bike, 3.1 mile Run; Olympic duathlon, 3.1 mile Run, 15 mile Bike, 6.2 mile Run). Mexico Beach, Florida. Event web site. Online registration at active.com.

19 SEPTEMBER 2009

Tallahassee Women's Distance Festival 5K. 8:00 am ET. Optimist Park, East Indianhead Drive, Tallahassee, FL. USATF certified course #FL00022DL. Lisa Unger, ungertl@juno.com or 850-562-2901.
Gulf Coast Community College Commodore Sun Run 10K / 5K / Fun Run. 6:30 am CT. Aaron Bessant Park (at Pier Park), 500 West Park Drive, Panama City, FL. Event web site. Entry form and flyer. Online registration at active.com.
Trot with S.W.A.T. 10K. 8:00 am CT. Dothan Civic Center Parking Lot, 126 N. St. Andrews Street, Dothan, Alabama. Brian Goguen 334-794-9029 or cgoguen@sw.rr.com

26 SEPTEMBER 2009

Salute to Prefontaine 5K Cross-Country Run. 9:00 am ET. Silver Lake Recreation Area of the Apalachicola National Forest, Silver Lake Road, Tallahassee, FL. Jeff Nielsen, 850-459-8859 or dobieman@comcast.net
Quail Trail 5K. 8:00 am ET. Historic Pebble Hill Plantation, US 319, Thomasville, Georgia. Entry form and flyer. Helen Fennelly, 229-225-2186 or htfenn@hotmail.com

3 OCTOBER 2009

Pelham Wildlife Festival 5K. 8:00 am ET. Family Bank, 134 Hand Ave W, Pelham, GA. 229-294-2341
Salmonole Run. 8:00 am ET. Florida State University, 117 North Woodward Avenue, Tallahassee, Florida 32306. Online registration at active.com.

10 OCTOBER 2009

Pine Run at Tall Timbers 20K. 7:30 am ET. Tall Timbers Research Station, 13093 Henry Beadel Drive, Tallahassee, FL. Gordon Cherr, 850-556-5957 or scam22@aol.com
Stepping Out for your Heart 5K. 8:00 am ET. Tift County High School, Northeast Campus, 3021 Fulwood Rd, Tifton, Georgia 31794. Darian Peavy 229-353-7796 or darian.peavy@tiftregional.com, or Ernest Lang 229-383-4264.
Oyster Spat Festival 5K. 8:00 am ET. Sugar Hill Beach in St George Island State Park, 1900 E. Gulf Beach Dr., St. George Island, Florida 32328. Event web site. rickplesinger@yahoo.com

17 OCTOBER 2009

Girls Incorporated Half Marathon. 8:00 am CT. Pier Park, Panama City Beach, FL. Online registration at active.com.

24 OCTOBER 2009

Expression 5K. 8:30 am ET. Christian Heritage Church, 2820 Sharer Road, Tallahassee, Florida 32312. Event web site. Entry form and flyer. Liz Baker, 850-212-7406 or lizbaker777@aol.com or expressionrun@gmail.com

31 OCTOBER 2009

Boston Mini-Marathon. 8:00 am ET. Commercial Bank, 124 West Jefferson Street, Boston, GA 31626. Entry form and flyer. Brad Johnson, bradjohnson@bankcb.com or 229-498-8500 (day) / 229-226-4679 (evening).
Sixth annual St. John Road Race 5K, 1 Mile, and Tot Trot. 8:30 am ET (5K), 9:30 am ET (1 Mile), 9:45 am ET (Tot Trot). St. John Catholic School, 800 Gornto Road, Valdosta, GA 31602-1699. 229-244-2556

7 NOVEMBER 2009

Alligator Lake 5K / 10K. 9:00 am ET. Alligator Lake Park, 1498 SW Country Club Road, Lake City, FL 32025. Online registration at active.com. Dusty Smith, halfmiletiming_dusty@hotmail.com

14 NOVEMBER 2009

Miles for Smiles 5K. 8:30 am ET (one-mile fun run), 9:00 am ET (5K). Coffee Regional Medical Center, 1101 Ocilla Road, Douglas, GA 31533.
YMCA Holiday Chili Run. 8:00 am ET. Albany YMCA Central Facility, 1701 Gillionville Road, Albany, GA 31707. Online registration at active.com.
Trot for Tots 10K & 5K. 9:00 am CT. Panama City Marina, 1 Harrison Avenue, Panama City, FL 32401. Online registration at active.com.

21 NOVEMBER 2009

15th annual Draggin' Tail 18-Mile Run & Relay 5K. 8:00 am CT. St Theresa's Catholic Church, 2056 Sunny Hills Boulevard, Sunny Hills, FL. Event web site. Marty Kirkland 850-265-8439 or Joe Edgecombe 850-763-5005, joeruns@yahoo.com

26 NOVEMBER 2009

Tallahassee Turkey Trot 15k / 10K / 5K. 8:00 am ET. State Office Satellite Complex at SouthWood, Esplanade Way, Tallahassee, FL. Event web site.

28 NOVEMBER 2009

Pilgrim Chase Trail Run 5K. 8:00 am CT. Westgate Park, 801 Recreation Road, Dothan, AL 36303. Larry Dykes 334-792-6021

5 DECEMBER 2009

2009 Gulf Winds Track Club Ten-Mile Challenge / Five-Mile Run. 8:00 am ET. Killearn Lakes Elementary School, 8037 Deerlake Drive East, Bradfordville, FL. USATF certified courses FL07049EBM (10 mile) and FL07048EBM (5 mile). Event web page. Judy Alexander, 850-383-1361 or jalexander98@comcast.net
Run For The Redfish Half-Marathon, 5K, and Kids' Fun Run. 8:00 am CT. Pier Park, Margaritaville, 16230 Front Beach Road, Panama City Beach 32413. Event web site. Registration form and flyer. Online registration at active.com.
Christmas Parade 5K. 6:00 pm ET. Douglas, Georgia. Cathy Browning (912-384-1616 or cbrowning@windstream.net) or C.M. Jenkins (912-384-7448 or 912-383-5445 or cimjenkins@windstream.net)

12 DECEMBER 2009

29th annual Tallahassee Ultra Distance Classic 50K/50M. 7:00 am ET. Wakulla Springs State Park, 550 Wakulla Park Drive, Wakulla Springs, FL. Event web site. Online registration at active.com. Gary Griffin, runlong@nettally.com

16 JANUARY 2010

Gulf Winds Track Club 30K / 15K. 7:30 am ET. The Retreat at Bradley's Pond, 9002 Bradley Road, Tallahassee, FL 32309. USATF certified courses FL06013DL (30K) and FL06014DL (15 K). Jerry/Jackie McDaniel (mcdanieljackie@hotmail.com or 850-297-0009)

7 FEBRUARY 2010

36th annual Tallahassee Marathon and Half-Marathon. 7:30 am ET. Mike Long Track, Florida State University, Chieftan Way at Spirit Way, Tallahassee, FL 32306. Event web site. USATF certified course FL06020DL (Marathon), FL06021DL (half-Marathon). Online registration at active.com. Tallahasseemarathon@gmail.com

6 MARCH 2010

4th annual Snickers® Marathon® Energy Bar Marathon and Half-Marathon. 7:00 am ET. Veteran's Park, Front Street, Albany, GA 31701. USATF certified course GA07003WC (Marathon), GA07002WC (half-Marathon). Event web site. Online registration at active.com. info@SNICKERSmarathonenergybarmarathon.com

27 MARCH 2010

35th annual Springtime 10K, Publix 5K & Fun Station 1-Miler. 8:00am ET. Leon County Courthouse, 301 S Monroe St, Tallahassee, FL 32301. Event web site. USATF certified course FL96048DL (10 km). Judy Alexander, jalexander98@comcast.net or 850-383-1361.

10 APRIL 2010

36th annual Palace Saloon 5 km. 8:00am ET. James Messer Fields Park, Jackson Bluff Road and Dupree Street, Tallahassee, FL 32304. USATF certified course FL99027DL. Online registration at active.com.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Tallahassee's turn-of-the-century track team

[ I wrote this in 1990. It was originally published in the April 1990 edition of The Fleet Foot, the newsletter of the Gulf Winds Track Club of Tallahassee, Florida. ]

In 1897 Dr. Albert Murphree, a young mathematician, came to Tallahassee to accept the presidency of the West Florida Seminary, a small state institution of higher learning. Under his energetic leadership the enrollment grew from a few scores of local scholars to over 300 students from all over Florida, and the legislature was compelled in 1901 to change the name of the school to the more modern Florida State College. Advertisements for the college boldly compared it to respected schools in the northeast.

Perhaps it was conscious imitation of those schools that motivated FSC to form a track team. At any rate, President Murphree was a strong believer in college sports and FSC had football and baseball squads as well. Our record of the earliest collegiate track team in Tallahassee (if not all of Florida*) is a small photo from the 1901-1902 edition of the Argo, the college's yearbook, of the 1902 FSC track team. Pictured are Francis Bayard Winthrop, Guy Louis Winthrop, Fritz William Buchholz, R. E. Turner, Irving James Belcher, Burton Elies Belcher, Robert Fort Bradford, Jr., J. L. Forehand, and two unnamed managers or coaches. The Winthrop brothers were of the same wealthy Leon County landowning family from which Winthrop Park derives its name. Fritz Buchholz was the son of Professor Ludwig Buchholz, a German immigrant and good friend of President Murphree. Bob Bradford was from the pioneering Bradford family for whom Bradfordville is named. The Belchers were Tampa boys, and as for Turner and Forehand, there is no indication that either of them were even students of FSC!

Unfortunately, there is no direct evidence that the FSC track team ever competed against athletes from another school. The picture and the roster is there in the 1901-1902 yearbook, but there is also a page devoted to the roster of a football team that certainly did not play--FSC's inaugural game was held in the fall of 1902 against a team from Bainbridge. An editorial in the Argo states grandly that "the formation of the Olympian Athletic Association opens a new era in college athletics here. No longer will FSC take a back seat in athletics in this State, but it may be safely prophesied that in a very few years she will rank foremost upon the track and field." This indicates that there was at least an intent or desire to take part in intercollegiate track and field competition, but leaves dangling the question of whether any meetings ever took place. Perhaps the answer lies in the records of one of FSC's athletic rivals: the South Georgia Military Institute in Bainbridge, the University of Florida at Lake City, the East Florida Seminary at Gainesville, Georgia Tech, and Stetson.

By 1903 the team's roster had swollen to ten, and although there was no photo of the thinclads in the 1902-1903 Argo, the opening page of the athletics section in that yearbook featured a drawing of three runners. However, in the fall of 1902 Florida State football opened in Tallahassee and much of the excitement the students had for the fledgling track program was transferred to the football team. Finally, all of Florida State's sports hopes were snuffed out by the state legislature; in 1905 the Buckman Act was passed, consolidating all the state schools into a women's college in Tallahassee, a men's university in Gainesville, a negro college in Tallahassee, and an institute for the blind, deaf, and dumb. The students at the women's school were denied all but intramural competition, and intercollegiate athletics in Tallahassee became confined to the teams of Florida Normal and Industrial College (present-day Florida A&M University).

Bob Bradford, incidentally, went to work in 1911 with his father, who had foreseen the downfall of cotton as a cash crop and moved in the the dairy business. The Bradford dairy operation remained one of the foremost in Leon County until 1958, when Bob's son moved it east to Jefferson County. No record remains of Bob Bradford's mile time, but maybe he was a discus thrower, anyway. Fritz Buchholz graduated with FSC's last class in 1905 and ended up in Gainesville where he became a prominent citizen, serving at various times as a teacher, coach, school principal, politician, and author of a book on the history of Alachua County. Buchholz High School is the second school in Gainesville to be named after him. Whatever became of the rest of the pioneering FSC thinclads, none of them were every Olympic athletes; not until 1964 would Tallahassee produce an Olympian on the track.

* I have since learned that Rollins College in Winter Park had track teams at least as early as the 1890s.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

1975 FHSAA Boys Track and Field Championships

Another blast from the past--specifically, 9-10 May 1975.

Class AAAA

Shot Put
1. Tommy Sparks (Orlando Edgewater) 61' 7"
2. Luis Rovere (Hialeah) 60' 6-1/2"
3. Shelton Newman (Tampa Leto) 59' 0"
4. Bill Wilson (Orlando Evans) 57' 1-1/4"
5. Stan Simmons (Hialeah) 55' 10-3/4"
6. Gus Valantasis (Merritt Island) 55' 7-1/2"

Discus
1. Terry Clark (Winter Haven) 178' 0"
2. Jackie Flowers (Jacksonville Raines) 176' 4"
3. Phil Chambless (Jacksonville Fletcher) 174' 3"
4. David Odom (Miami Palmetto) 167' 4"
5. Ray Nuredini (Winter Park) 166' 4"
6. Pete Dalton (Daytona Beach Seabreeze) 164' 4"

Long Jump
1. James Brown (Daytona Beach Mainland) 24' 3-1/4"
2. Kevin Johnson (Brandon) 23' 8-1/2"
3. George Wiley (Jacksonville Wolfson) 23' 3-3/4"
4. Rik Williams (Jacksonville Ribault) 22' 8-1/2"
5. Ike Grant (Jacksonville Fletcher) 22' 6-1/2"
6. Kelvin Brown (Tampa Chamberlain) 22' 3-1/4"

High Jump
1. Andrew Jones (Miami Killian) 6' 3"
2. Bobby Burch (Daytona Beach Mainland) 6' 3"
3. Willie Warrick (Bradenton Manatee) 6' 3"
4. Audrey Tarver (Jacksonville White) 6' 3"
5. Paul Kremp (Orlando Evans) 6' 1"
5. Edward Barnes (Jacksonville Lee) 6' 1"

Pole Vault
1. Tom Kaminer (Winter Park) 14' 6"
2. Roger Gloetzner Coconut Creek) 14' 6"
3. Tracy Lambert (Tampa Robinson) 14' 0"
4. Anders Madsen (Miami Palmetto) 14' 0"
5. James Stanley (Orlando Lyman) 14' 0"
6. John Stuart (Lake Worth Leonard) 14' 0"

120-Yard Hurdles
1. Mike Roberson (Winter Park) 13.2
2. Bill Fincher (South Plantation) 13.6
3. Tom Scott (Miami Jackson) 13.9
4. Bruce Cross (Jacksonville Ribault) 14.2
5. Wallace Stanley (Jacksonville Lee) 14.2
6. Larry Williams (Tampa Jefferson) 14.4

330-Yard Hurdles
1. Bill Fincher (South Plantation) 38.1
2. David Pate (St Petersburg Northeast)
3. Wallace Stanley (Jacksonville Lee) 38.5
4. Pete Castaign (Jacksonville Englewood) 38.7
5. Bob Burgs (Hollywood McArthur) 39.0
6. Nat Italiano (Tampa Robinson) 39.4

100-Yard Dash
1. James Brown (Daytona Mainland) 9.2
2. Mike Roberson (Winter Park) 9.4
3. Kevin Johnson (Brandon) 9.5
4. Lloyd Kelly (Miami Central) 9.7
5. Keith Johnson (Brandon) 9.7
6. Frank Nordico (Tallahassee Godby) 9.7

220-Yard Dash
1. Mike Roberson (Winter Park) 21.1
2. Nat Johnson (St Petersburg Dixie Hollins) 21.6
3. Fred Taylor (Vero Beach) 21.7
4. Terry Brown (Plant City) 22.0
5. Ken Smith (Miami Killian) 22.1
6. Frank Nordico (Tallahassee Godby) 22.1

440-Yard Dash
1. Lawrence Marshall (Jacksonville Raines) 48.6
2. Wendell Smith (Miami Jackson) 48.7
3. Larry Sheely (Fort Lauderdale Piper) 48.8
4. Leroy Meyer (Merritt Island) 49.4
5. Kyle Meyer (Merritt Island) 49.6
6. Robert Flowden (Daytona Beach Mainland) 49.6

880-Yard Run
1. Tommy Curtiss (Brandon) 1:53.6
2. Robb Gomez (St Petersburg Boca Ciega) 1:53.9
3. Greg Kilburn (Miami Killian) 1:53.9
4. Charles Lyle (Jacksonville Fletcher) 1:54.5
5. Marshall Blount (Miami Northwestern) 1:55.3
6. Mike Warre (Largo) 1:55.4

Mile Run
1. Tommy Curtiss (Brandon) 4:15.9
2. Jeff McAbee (Winter Park) 4:18.4
3. Mike Clay (Choctawhatchee) 4:19.1
4. Bobby Braman (Tampa Chamberlain) 4:19.5
5. Mike Deverous (St Petersburg Northeast) 4:21.1
6. Mike Wetmore (Miami Springs) 4:22.0

Two-Mile Run
1. Brett Hoffman (St Petersburg) 9:08.8
2. Sam Bergstresser (Orlando Boone) 9:18.0
3. Gary Cohen (Miami Carol City) 9:20.4
4. Jim Wilson (South Plantation) 9:23.7
5. Joel Lambert (Tampa Leto) 9:26.4
6. Mike Clay (Choctawhatchee) 9:26.8

Sprint Medley Relay
1. Jacksonville Ribault (Hall, Levant, Baker, Peyton) 1:55.9
2. Brandon 1:55.9
3. South Dade 1:56.4
4. Winter Haven 1:57.5
5. North Miami Beach 1:57.6
6. Daytona Beach Mainland 1:57.6

880-Yard Relay
1. Brandon (Washington, Keith Johnson, Burney, Kevin Johnson) 1:26.8
2. Jacksonville Ribault 1:27.4
3. Miami Killian 1:28.6
4. Daytona Beach Mainland 1:28.8
5. Carol City 1:29.0
6. St Petersburg Dixie Hollins 1:29.1

Mile Relay
1. Tampa Chamberlain (Jackson, Levine, Cox, Preston) 3:17.5
2. Plant City 3:17.7
3. Miami Killian 3:18.5
4. Jacksonville Ribault 3:19.0
5. Miami Jackson 3:20.6
6. Seminole 3:20.8

Class AAA

Shot Put
1. David Jones (Glades Central) 58' 4-1/2"
2. Lee Adams (Riverview East Bay) 55' 5-1/2"
3. Van Foster (Cocoa Beach) 54' 5"
4. Herman Williams (Fort Myers Cypress Lake) 53' 11-1/2"
5. Morris Hallum (Titusville Astronaut) 52' 1-1/2"
6. John Nixon (Jupiter) 50' 9"

Discus
1. Joe Voor (Titusville Astronaut) 173' 11"
2. Ron Sutherland (Cocoa Beach) 172' 1"
3. Eric Darby (Fort Myers) 169' 11"
4. Van Foster (Cocoa Beach) 159' 4"
5. Lee Adams (Riverview East Bay) 158' 9"
6. David Jones (Glades Central) 156' 2"

Long Jump
1. Anthony Smith (Glades Central) 23' 4-1/4"
2. Eugene Collins (Rockledge) 22' 8-1/2"
3. Theo Manley (Lake Wales) 22' 3-3/4"
4. Michael Towne Miami Curley) 22' 2-1/4"
5. Jeff Hart (Lake Wales) 21' 7-3/4"
6. Charles Haralson 21' 6"

High Jump
1. Calvester Brightman (Gainesville Eastside) 6'4"
2. Stanley Riner (Fernandina Beach) 6' 2"
3. Richard Crane (Cocoa Beach) 6' 2"
4. Monte Stevenson (Bradenton Southeast) 6' 2"
5. Stephen Calhoun (Hollywood Chaminade) 6' 0"
5. Steven Woodward (Orange Park) 6' 0"

Pole Vault
1. Mike Bush (Tampa Catholic) 13' 6"
2. Anthony Scalise (Miami Columbus) 13' 6"
3. Doug White (Titusville Astronaut) 12' 6"
4. Spencer Walker (Palatka South) 12' 0"
5. Warren Thames (Haines City) 12' 0"
6. John LaRue (Tampa Catholic) 12' 0"

120-Yard Hurdles
1. Robert McCall (Ocala Forest) 14.4
2. Tony White (Quincy Shanks) 14.4
3. Lee Durrance (Fort Myers) 14.4
4. James Ganzy (Riviera Beach Suncoast) 14.4
5. Liston Bouchette (Fort Myers) 14.5
6. Henry Gibson (Haines City) 14.7

330-Yard Hurdles
1. William Fennau (Riverview East Bay) 39.5
2. Obery McKinnon (Crystal River) 39.5
3. Ron Harris (Lake Brantley) 40.0
4. Liston Bouchette (Fort Myers) 40.0
5. Lester Jefferson (Orlando Jones) 40.0
6. Ray Everett (Milton) 41.2

100-Yard Dash
1. Derrick Harris (Orlando Jones) 9.7
2. Jack Hart (Leesburg) 9.7
3. Simon Cromwell (Gainesville Buchholz) 9.7
4. Donald Williams (Haines City) 9.9
5. Steve Jones (Punta Gorda Charlotte) 10.0
6. Curtis Williams (MacClenny Baker) 10.0

220-Yard Dash
1. Derrick Harris (Orlando Jones) 21.7
2. Ron Nelson (Rockledge) 21.8
3. Alphonse Brown (Sparr North Marion) 21.8
4. Jacob Jones (North Marion) 22.4
5. Johnny Smith (Venice) 22.5
6. Walter Crocker (Miami Curley) 23.2

440-Yard Dash
1. John Smith (Venice) 48.3
2. Arthur Batise (Rockledge) 49.5
3. Matt Nugent (West Palm Newman) 49.7
4. Dave Fullwood (Palatka)

6. Ron Nobles (Gainesville Eastside) 50.4

880-Yard Run
1. Henry Stanley (Lake Brantley) 1:55.2
2. Earl Hill (Gainesville Buchholz) 1:55.7
3. Kirk Henson (Tampa Jesuit) 1:56.6
4. Levi West (North Marion) 1:57.5
4. Bill Mayoral (Hollywood Chaminade) 1:57.5
6. David Mason (Tampa Jesuit) 1:58.0

Mile Run
1. Ricky Hinton (Quincy Shanks) 4:15.6
2. Cliff Betts (Fort Myers) 4:18.4
3. Bill Mayoral (Hollywood Chaminade) 4:21.9
4. Doug Overfelt (Titusville Astronaut) 4:22.5
5. Craig Mills (West Palm North Shore) 4:23.3
6. Tom Larkin (Tampa Jesuit) 4:24.4

Two-Mile Run
1. Cliff Betts (Fort Myers) 9:23.7
2. David Ortiz (Haines City) 9:26.9
3. Scott Diton (Gulf Breeze) 9:33.5
4. Tom Larkin (Tampa Jesuit) 9:40.1
5. Lawrence Anderson (Rockledge) 9:42.1
6. Leonard Fair (Fort Lauderdale Boyd Anderson) 9:42.5

Sprint Medley Relay
1. Rockledge (Haralson, Collins, Williams, Batise) 1:57.4
2. Leesburg 1:58.3
3. Quincy Shanks 1:59.4
4. Delray Beach Atlantic 1:59.5
5. Orlando Jones 1:59.9
6. Fort Lauderdale Boyd Anderson 2:01.1

880-Yard Relay
1. Sparr North Marion (Jones, Brown, Smith, Davis) 1:28.3
2. Rockledge 1:28.3
3. Leesburg 1:28.4
4. Haines City 1:28.7
5. Orlando Jones 1:28.8
6. Quincy Shanks 1:29.5

Mile Relay
1. Milton (Manning, Kelson, Harris, Edwing) 3:21.0
2. Quincy Shanks 3:22.1
3. Gainesville Eastside 3:24.5
4. Bartow 3:26.4
5. Miami Columbus 3:26.6
6. Orange Park 3:27.3

Class AA

Shot Put
1. Harrell Johnson (Jasper Hamilton) 51' 9"
2. John Schwerer (Fort Pierce Carroll) 51' 3-3/4"
3. Roy Silvers (Bushnell South Sumter) 49' 6-3/4"
4. Wilbert Seabrooks (Monticello Jefferson) 49' 1/2"
5. Miguel Balais (Miami Belen) 47' 1/4"
6. Roy True (St Petersburg Catholic) 47' 1/4"

Discus
1. Harrell Johnson (Jasper Hamilton) 144' 7"
2. John Schwerer (Fort Pierce Carroll) 141' 7"
3. Frank Seeger (St Petersburg Catholic) 138' 0"
4. Tony Smith (Vernon) 137' 4"
5. Wilbert Seabrooks (Monticello Jefferson) 137' 10"
6. Joe Neal (Bushnell South Sumter) 134' 1"

Long Jump
1. Joe Neal (Bushnell South Sumter) 23' 11-3/4"
2. Houston McTear (Baker) 22' 8-1/4"
3. Louis Benton (Fort Lauderdale St Thomas Aquinas) 22' 2-1/2"
4. John Morris (Chipley) 21' 4"
5. Lewis Brown (Inverness Citrus) 21' 2-1/4"
6. Edward Durden (Fort Pierce Carroll) 21' 1/2"

High Jump
1. Ken Burley (Avon Park) 6' 2"
2. Richard Cureton (St Petersburg Catholic) 6' 2"
3. Pete Smith (Jay) 6' 0"
3. Charles Doty (Coral Shores) 6' 0"
5. Thomas Benbow (Coral Shores) 5' 10"
6. Steve Tapley (Inverness Citrus) 5' 10"
6. Paul Robbins (Gainesville P. K. Yonge) 5' 10"

Pole Vault
1. David Swinton (Baker) 14' 6-1/4"
2. Clinton Pearman (Lake Weir) 12' 6"
3. Victor Mullett (Tallahassee North Florida Christian) 12' 6"
4. Dennis Campbell (Fort Meade) 12' 0"
5. Robert McLean (Clermont) 12' 0"
6. Mark Stringfellow (Gainesville P. K. Yonge) 12' 0"

120-Yard Hurdles
1. Greg Chandler (Orlando Trinity Prep) 13.8
2. Leman Fields (Pahokee) 14.3
3. Alvie Edwards (Wildwood) 14.5
4. Edward Durden (Fort Pierce Carroll) 14.8
5. Al Jimon (Baker) 15.2
6. Mark Crutcher (Madison) 15.2

330-Yard Hurdles
1. Elton Pride (Pensacola Catholic) 39.8
2. Louis Benton (St Thomas Aquinas) 40.5
3. Michael Borders (Mulberry) 40.6
4. Greg Dunlap (Fort Meade) 41.1
5. Willie Barnes (Monticello Jefferson County) 41.1
6. Greg Kannon (Lakeview) 41.3

100-Yard Dash
1. Houston McTear (Baker) 9.3 [ 9.0 WR in prelims ]
2. Nathan Butler (Monticello Jefferson County) 9.7
3. Leonard Schofield (Pensacola Catholic) 10.0
4. Dennis Smalls (Bradenton Bayshore) 10.1
5. Curtis Sirmones (Lake Butler Union County) 10.1
6. Willie Joe Jones (Pahokee) 10.1

220-Yard Dash
1. Houston McTear (Baker) 21.3
2. Dennis Smalls (Bradenton Bayshore) 22.3
3. Dennis Houston (Inverness Citrus) 22.8
4. Edward Durden (Fort Pierce Carroll) 22.9
5. Lucius Brown (Interlachen) 23.0
6. Leroy Love (Pahokee) 23.1

440-Yard Dash
1. Willie Joe Jones (Pahokee) 49.3
2. Louis Brown (Inverness Citrus) 49.5
3. Byron McMullen (Bushnell South Sumter) 50.5
4. Waymon Gilley (Monticello Jefferson County) 51.1
5. Arthur Stone (Hawthorne) 51.6
6. Clyde Williams (Pensacola Catholic) 51.9

880-Yard Run
1. Doug Garcia (Lakeland Sante Fe) 1:54.1
2. Donald Baker (Boca Raton St Andrews) 1:58.2
3. Keith Babb (Pahokee) 1:59.8
4. Thad McNulty (Orlando Trinity Prep) 2:02.1
5. Clarence High (Eustis) 2:03.4
6. Brian Shaughnessy (Miami Belen) 2:03.7

Mile Run
1. Thad McNulty (Orlando Trinity Prep) 4:22.8
2. Harry Vaughn (Clewiston) 4:23.8
3. James Carnes (Gainesville P. K. Yonge) 4:35.6
4. David Barnard (Gainesville P. K. Yonge) 4:36.8
5. Gerald Crouse (St. Cloud) 4:37.7
6. Bruce Abernathy (Fort Pierce Carroll) 4:38.2

Two-Mile Run
1. Harry Vaughn (Clewiston) 9:33.3
2. Keith Marshall (Boca Raton St Andrews) 9:45.2
3. James Jewell (St Petersburg Catholic) 9:53.1
4. Gerald Crouse (St. Cloud) 9:56.0
5. Gerald Krueger (St Petersburg Catholic) 9:57.9
6. Jerry Carnes (Gainesville P. K. Yonge) 9:59.2

Sprint Medley Relay
1. Monticello Jefferson County (Barnes, Coats, Plummer, Butler) 1:58.4
2. Pensacola Catholic 1:59.0
3. Madison 1:59.1
4. Inverness Citrus 2:00.9
5. Mulberry 2:01.1
6. Clermont 2:01.9

880-Yard Relay
1. Baker (A. McTear, Williams, G. McTear, H. McTear) 1:29.3
2. Monticello Jefferson County 1:29.3
3. Pahokee 1:31.2
4. inverness Citrus 1:31.9
5. Lake Butler Union County 1:32.1
6. Jasper Hamilton County 1:32.1

Mile Relay
1. Pensacola Catholic (Simmons, O'Donnell, W, Schofield) 3:24.9
2. Madison 3:27.2
3. Pahokee 3:27.5
4. Hawthorne 3:29.0
5. Jasper Hamilton County 3:29.9
6. Monticello Jefferson County 3:30.1

Class A

Shot Put
1. Jack Diemer (Miami Westminster) 50' 1/2"
2. Steve McHargue (Greenville) 48' 1/2"
3. Sam Kirksey (St Augustine Florida Deaf & Blind) 46' 1"
4. Jesse Terry (Greenville) 45' 1"
5. Frank Jenkins (Branford) 45' 1"
6. Jerome Jackson (St Augustine Florida Deaf & Blind) 42' 11"

Discus
1. Edgar Morales (St Augustine St Joseph) 142' 7"
2. Jack Diemer (Miami Westminster) 142' 2"
3. Sam Kirksey (St Augustine Florida Deaf & Blind) 137' 11"
4. Edwin Underwood (Miami Westminster) 123' 0"
5. Curtis Vickers (Greenville) 122' 6"
6. Rodney Rutherford (Freeport) 117' 11"

Long Jump
1. Terry Williams (Frostproof) 22' 4-1/2"
2. Gustavus Raines (Sneads) 22' 3-3/4"
3. Robert McNealy (Greensboro) 22' 3/4"
4. Tony Gray (Wewahitchka) 21' 8-1/2"
5. Don Champion (South Dade Colonial Christian) 20' 11"
6. Willie Northern (Greensboro) 20' 10"

High Jump
1. John Gratton (Miami Westminster) 6' 2"
2. Jeff Patterson (Miami Westminster) 5' 10"
3. Tony Maloy (Frostproof) 5' 10"
4. Tom Avery (Bell) 5' 8"
5. Cornell Hamilton (Frostproof) 5' 8"
6. Garry Barrs (Branford) 5' 6"

Pole Vault
1. Marvin Jackson (Greenville) 13' 8"
2. Cecil Millender (Carrabelle) 12' 7-3/4"
3. Byron Thigpen (Greenville) 11' 0"
4. Jeff Brubaker (St Augustine St Joseph Academy) 11' 0"
5. John Jackson (St Augustine Florida Deaf & Blind) 11' 0"
6. John Bilbo (Bristol Liberty County) 10' 6"

120-Yard Hurdles
1. Marvin Jackson (Greenville) 14.4
2. Joe Webb (Miami Westminster) 14.7
3. Charles Hatch (Branford) 15.1
4. Auther Mathis (Bronson) 15.2
5. Martin Mendez (Montverde) 15.7
6. Darrel Bradwell (Greensboro) 15.8

330-Yard Hurdles
1. Joe Webb (Miami Westminster) 40.1
2. Charles Hatch (Branford) 41.0
3. Joseph Webb (St Augustine St Joseph) 42.0
4. Don Champion (South Dade Colonial Christian) 42.1
5. Harry Thompson (Carrabelle) 42.9
6. Anthony Evans (Greenville) 43.6

100-Yard Dash
1. Alberto Gonzalez (Gainesville Oak Hall) 10.1
2. Benjamin Raine (Wewahitchka) 10.1
3. Jerry Cooper (Moore Haven) 10.1
4. Charles Weaver (Tallahassee FAMU) 10.3
5. Randall Chestnut (Hastings) 10.4
6. Kenneth Marshall (Frostproof) 10.4

220-Yard Dash
1. Jerry Cooper (Moore Haven) 22.9
2. Clarence Dukes (Frostproof) 22.9
3. John Russell (Quincy Munroe) 22.9
4. Garrett Walker (Tallahassee FAMU) 22.9
5. Alberto Gonzalez (Gainesville Oak Hall) 23.3
6. Glenn Scott (St Augustine Florida Deaf & Blind) 23.5

440-Yard Dash
1. Gusthaus Raines (Sneads) 50.9
2. Curtis McNealy (Greensboro) 51.3
3. Ron Maloy (Frostproof) 51.6
4. Joe Wilson (St Augustine St Joseph) 52.8
5. Jim Wilson (Mount Dora Bible) 53.0
6. James Sullivan (St Augustine Florida Deaf & Blind) 53.5

880-Yard Run
1. Bruce DeVana (Indian River) 2:00.7
2. Love Simmons (Greenville) 2:01.0
3. Mike Pappas (Miami Westminster) 2:03.9
4. Larry Brown (Greensboro) 2:04.3
5. Charles Peters (Tampa Berkeley) 2:05.3
6. Steven May (Carrabelle) 2:05.4

Mile Run
1. Mabry McCray (Mayo Lafayette) 4:21.6
2. Dan Dunwoody (Miami Westminster) 4:39.4
3. Willie Huggins (Greenville) 4:41.4
4. Dawn Bertot (Mount Dora Bible) 4:41.4
5. Tom Wooden (Sneads) 4:47.5
6. Michael Ashiia (Carrabelle) 4:48.4

Two-Mile Run
1. Charles Talbott (Florida Central) 9:48.8
2. Mabry McCray (Mayo Lafayette) 10:13.6
3. Willie Huggins (Greenville) 10:33.0
4. Bryan Strange (St Augustine St Joseph) 10:37.0
5. John Grinnwal (Mount Dora Bible) 10:37.6
6. Dan Dunwoody (Miami Westminster) 10:43.5

Sprint Medley Relay
1. Frostproof (Hamilton, Williams, Marshall, Maloy) 2:02.9
2. Miami Westminster 2:04.5
3. Greensboro 2:05.0
4. Greenville 2:05.0
5. Sneads 2:05.0
6. Moore Haven 2:08.1

880-Yard Relay
1. Frostproof (Hamilton, Dukes, Marshall, Williams) 1:31.3
2. Tallahassee FAMU 1:32.9
3. Moore Haven 1:33.4
4. Wewahitchka 1:34.4
5. Miami Westminster 1:35.0
6. St Augustine Florida Deaf & Blind 1:35.2

Mile Relay
1. Miami Westminster (Gratton, Patton, Cordes, Subers) 3:34.1
2. Greenville 3:36.0
3. Greensboro 3:36.9
4. Branford 3:37.1
5. Carrabelle 3:39.2
6. St Augustine St Joseph (3:43.3)

The 1975 FHSAA boys' track and field championships were hosted by Winter Park High School at Winter Park's Showalter Field on Friday, May 9 and Saturday, May 10. The 1A annd 2A schools competed the first day, a day that saw Baker's Houston McTear tie the world record for the 100-yard dash during the prelims of that event, running 9.0. One watch had him at 8.9, and a later survey of the track found that the 100-yard course was a foot long. Throngs showed up to watch the finals that evening; many fans were disappointed when McTear ran "only" 9.3.

The 3A and 4A contests were on Saturday. Winter Park's Mike Roberson set a national high school record, running 13.2 in the 120-yard hurdle event. In the 4A two-mile run, St Petersburg sophomore set a championship record of 9:08.8. This was the first of three straight state championships in this event for Hoffman, who would lower that record by over 15 seconds before his high school career was over.

Links:

1971 FHSAA Boys Track and Field Championships
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/01/1971-fhsaa-boys-track-and-field.html
1973 FHSAA Boys Track and Field Championships
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/01/1973-fhsaa-boys-track-and-field.html
1976 FHSAA Boys Track and Field Championships
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2009/03/1976-fhsaa-boys-track-and-field.html
1977 FHSAA Boys Track and Field Championships
http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2009/06/1977-fhsaa-boys-track-and-field.html
FHSAA track & field site
http://fhsaa.org/tr/
FLRunners.com, the definitive source for high school athletics results
http://fl.milesplit.us/

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

17 June 2009 Tallahassee 100-Mile Race Calendar

This is the Tallahassee vicinity road-race schedule for 17 June 2009. If that's more than a week ago, the latest schedule is always available via this link: