By MARK PATTON NEWS-PRESS SENIOR WRITER
October 8, 2010 6:15 AM
 Dos Pueblos High coach Dave Kuderka won four events and some credibility with his Chargers athletes at Club West's 36th Annual Track and Field Masters & Open Meet at UCSB's Pauley Track.
"I think one of the great things about this meet is that it's a chance for the youth to see that track and field doesn't end with your high school gradutation," said Kuderka, 36. "Track and field can be a life-long hobby that you get a chance to objectively measure yourself to see if you are a better athlete today than you were yesterday.
"When my kids showed up to help out or compete, they got to see it in action. An 82-year-old threw the javelin almost 100 feet. Our vaulter, Joe Strong, barely beat a 61-year-old, but was beaten by a 50-year-old. What an awesome experience."
Kuderka won the 35-and-over age division in the 110 hurdles with a time of 18:25, the 100 meters in 13.45, the pole vault in 3.8 meters and the javelin throw in 53.32 meters.
"I tell my athletes that as long as you're working hard to be better tomorrow than you are today, you can feel proud of yourself and I'll want you on our team," he said. "I try to live that myself. Saturday, I didn't throw further than I did in college (55.5 meters), but I came close. A seven-foot difference. - not bad, 16 years later.
"On Saturday, you could see that same story all over the track."
The event drew nearly 150 masters and younger athletes.
Joy Upshaw Margerum, 49, of Lafayette, stood out among the women, winning her division of the 45-to-49 200 meters in 27.21, the 80 hurdles in 12.64 and the 100 in 13.23. She is also a national champion and U.S. record holder in her age division for the long jump (17-7 3/4) and 80 hurdles (12.07).
John Hawkins of West Vancouver, B.C. won the Vernon Cheadle Trophy for most points, winning the men's 60-64 shot put, pole vault, weight throw and high jump, and taking second in the long jump, triple jump and javelin.
Fei-Mei Chou, 75, of Sunnyvale, edged out Nancy Nevin-Nelson, 64, of Sun River, Ore. for the Pane E Vino Award as the highest-scoring woman, 40 points to 38.
The 3,000 walk generated perhaps the most exciting finish, with Junior Olympic National champion Constantine Yap, 11, beating out fellow Monterey Park resident Ryan Thong, 10, by a margin of 0:00.24 (17.09.08 to 17.09.32).
Louise Walters, 70, of Nipomo beat her own age-division American record in the 3,000 walk with a time of 18.09.92 while former Olympian (1976) Hank Klein, 58, of Beverly Hills, won the men's gold with a time of 20.52.71.
Former SBCC coach Robin Paulsen replaced Gordon McClenathen as meet director, allowing McClenathen to win the men's 75-79 division for the 2,000 steeplechase (12:08.00).
"We were thrilled with not only the action but also the amount and caliber of competitors the meet attracted," said Beverley Lewis, track starter and Club West president. "By opening the meet up to encompass younger competitors, this move bodes well for the future of masters track and field in the Santa Barbara area.
"It also shows high school athletes who competed today that there is a track and field life after high school."
e-mail: mpatton@newspress.com |
