Olympic champ Dick Fosbury, an occasional masters jumper, is one of the latest donors of track memorabilia to the IAAF's "Athletics for a Better World" drive, which will auction off celebrity gear to raise money for some United Nations charities, including UNICEF. Fosbury is donating a framed photo of himself from 1968. Big whoop. I can do him better.
My donations to AFABW are:
• My competition number from the 1998 Orono masters nationals where I broke my left ankle in the 400 hurdles. The number: 666.
• My ratty souvenir T-shirt from the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, which bears a silhouette of Valeri Borzov on the front -- even though the Soviets boycotted those Games.
• An autographed photo of David Pain, founder of masters track in America. (But first I gotta print out a photo and run over to his house to get it signed.)
• The famous "Runs with scissors" black T-shirt I model on my Web site. The shirt shrunk. Can't wear it anymore.
• Theater program from 1966, when I acted in the play "Inherit the Wind" at a playhouse in Anaheim, California. The program includes a picture of me on the witness stand. In the background of the photo is Toni Shearer, who later went on to "Muskrat Love" fame as Toni Tennille. (Yeah, I know it's not track-related, but it will raise 100X as much as the other stuff I'm donating.)
• A slightly used Masterstrack.com mousepad. Fewer than 10,000 clicks.
• Finally, an unread copy of George Mathews' USATF-chair campaign literature from the 2004 Portland USATF convention. I'll throw in the "Let George Do It" scratch pad for free!
Dick Fosbury, eat your heart out.
K E N
My donations to AFABW are:
• My competition number from the 1998 Orono masters nationals where I broke my left ankle in the 400 hurdles. The number: 666.
• My ratty souvenir T-shirt from the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, which bears a silhouette of Valeri Borzov on the front -- even though the Soviets boycotted those Games.
• An autographed photo of David Pain, founder of masters track in America. (But first I gotta print out a photo and run over to his house to get it signed.)
• The famous "Runs with scissors" black T-shirt I model on my Web site. The shirt shrunk. Can't wear it anymore.
• Theater program from 1966, when I acted in the play "Inherit the Wind" at a playhouse in Anaheim, California. The program includes a picture of me on the witness stand. In the background of the photo is Toni Shearer, who later went on to "Muskrat Love" fame as Toni Tennille. (Yeah, I know it's not track-related, but it will raise 100X as much as the other stuff I'm donating.)
• A slightly used Masterstrack.com mousepad. Fewer than 10,000 clicks.
• Finally, an unread copy of George Mathews' USATF-chair campaign literature from the 2004 Portland USATF convention. I'll throw in the "Let George Do It" scratch pad for free!
Dick Fosbury, eat your heart out.
K E N