An NC Crone Runs -- and Muses: trotting with the Alachua alligators February 2025

USATF Masters Indoors 2025 Gainesville Alachua Sports Center

(this was done in pieces -- sporadically. Finished Aug 2025)

Based upon the forecast of snow and sleet for 2/19, I took my dog to boarding on the 18th. I kept checking the weather report for when snow - sleet would begin. Around 10am on the 19th. I reserved Uber for 8:30. I got to RDU around 9 for my 11:20 flight to Charlotte and then 1 something on to Gainesville. The RDU flight was not canceled but apparently the Charlotte to Gainesville flight was.

American rebooked me via AI according to the rep I later spoke to. It was to Miami then to Gainesville arriving at 11:30pm! Argh. Turns out when I checked my bag at RDU that is what the boarding passes showed. had I looked. I could not change it via the app so ended up calling an agent. She got me on a direct flight from Charlotte leaving at 8:20pm arriving at 10:30 in Gainesville. So one hour earlier. 8 hours hanging around Charlotte airport. The agent in Charlotte said my bag would be retagged. I shall see if indeed it arrives in Gainesville or will I have to wait for it to turn up on the 20th or 21st,

During my Charlotte stay they announced that a flight to Myrtle Beach was delayed. then, that it had to be taken out for a test flight. Surely, that inspires confidence in intended passengers. Passengers would be notified when they could board. About an hour later or more, it was announced to be at a different gate. A guy sitting across from me had been sleeping. When the gate was changed a fellow passenger told him. He said he left Dominican Republic 24 hours earlier. He carried a big colorful straw hat. A bit like a sombrero.

I got a chicken salad with cranberry sauce sandwich around 1pm and a caramel coffee. At about 4:30 a sugar free Mountain Dew. It is now 5pm. I am reading the January 6 report. Agita. And he is back in the WH. Best not to watch the news.

My first events tomorrow start at 8am - weight throws. Lousy at those. Then at 4:30 the 60m prelim. not optimistic but so it goes.

Flight from Charlotte to Gainesville was supposed to leave at 8:20 but due to an errant cockpit light we were delayed while maintenance checked after we were boarded. Then deicing. So we left around 10pm and landed, at the gate by 11:45. Left in Uber at midnight. To bed about 1 am.at the Indigo.

Thursday was weight and super weight starting at 8am. There was supposed to be a 60m prelim in the afternoon, but no need as there were no more than 8 since some did not show up. Saw Terry and Phil Ozell. Terry was competing. Both said they were not going to WMA in Gainesville in March.

Since I am finishing this in May, I don’t recall much. I was now competing as part of the TNT team, with Mary Trotto and Angela Staab, This was the first time I met the team. We had a group dinner maybe Friday in which I discovered that everyone had a nickname. When asked what I wanted (none) I said what came to mind, in as much as I have not been doing great. Unfortunately it stuck. But only Mary Trotto remembered it. Barbara Warren later kept asking me what it was. Mary eventually told her. TNT filled a long table so I only got to converse with a few at my end. DaBeth Manns (Bambi) and two or three of the men whose names I don’t recall - though it was good to meet Kyle, whose team emails always end with an uplifting saying.

I was last, fifth, in the weight throw. No surprise. Mary Robinson first with 7.64m (25+ feet). Mine was 5.59m.

Friday, was the 400m prelim first thing in the day for me. Mary Smith had signed up for her premiere event but could not come due to injury. It was cold out and windy. The walk to the outside warmup track was a chilly one.

This was not the warm Florida envisioned! The warmup track is on the other side of a large parking lot at Celebration Pointe.

I practiced my usual way - slow jogs then five short sprints. There is a large pond adjacent to the practice track, with warning signs regarding alligators. I looked for the gator, but did not see one.

I had trouble getting my spikes on, despite using a shoe horn. Georgia Kightlinger could not find her shoes and had someone else’s. Her hubby gave her hers but she was still focusing on the shoes someone had left. However all was squared away by the time we were called to compete but it made for an interesting time in the Call room with me grousing about my shoes and Georgia obsessing about the forgotten pair of shoes. There were two heats, one with three the other with four.. I was in heat 1 with Myrna Barnett and Georgia. I was last to the finish, with only a second between Myrna and Georgia. The second heat had Mary Robinson, Barbara Hensley, Willy Moolenaar, and Cora Hill. Mary won her heat. Looking at the results it appears that they used the finish times of this race as the final finish times. So only ran the 400 once though I thought twice since I was sixth. Mary Robinson first in 1:54.53; Willy Moolenaar 1:59.94, and Myrna Barnett 2:08.33 Georgia Kightlinger 2:09.68, Cora Hill 2:14.90, me 2:21.60 and Barbara Hensley 2:43.43.

Later was the 60m final with six of us. Gwen Bode came in first in 12.04, Georgia Kightlinger, properly shod, was second in 12.38 Mary Robinson third in 13.13, Catherine Radle who is more than a superb pole vaulter was fourth in 13.20 and I was fifth way behind in 15.32.

60m track at Alachua

Angela, Mary Robinson, and I had shot put as did Mary Trotto and. Barbara Warren in the younger age group. However they are now competing with Myrle Mensey, who has a habit of breaking records. also in that group is Mary Hartzler. It would be a lucky day were they to surpass those two. Trotto and Warren always have close marks, so their competition is with each other. Myrle won their AG (9.31m) with Mary Hartzler second (8.64) . In the Trotto - Warren battle Warren edged Mary out with 7.07 to 6.99 both earning points for TNT.

In my AG Gwen Bode was first with 5.81m, Catherine Radle second 5.73, and Mary Robinson third 5.71m. I was fifth with 5.12 following Karen Huff-Pawlik’s 5.43. Angela threw 4.3

We all were wondering how on earth the WMA Meet scheduled for the next month could possibly come off, considering the spectator area, the indoor warmup area next to the stands, and the two throwing areas. The venue seemed much too small for the anticipated number of athletes and fans.

On one of our dinner outings, possibly to Ford Motor restaurant, we saw this car with eyelashes. (I had hamburger)

Christel Donley (ag 90) won gold in long jump covering distance of 1.41m. Christel also high jumped, Triple jumped and threw the shot getting gold in those as well. Barbara Warren and Mary Trotto also long jumped coming in third and sixth in their age group. Joy Flynn won it with a jump of 2.53m.

Saturday was just the 200m prelim for which nine initially signed up. But both Angela and Catherine Radle scratched leaving seven. Interestingly, we ran it as a prelim to advance to a Final, unlike in the 400 in which the heats determined Final finish times. Perhaps because fewer signed up for the 400m. The same runners, except Myrna did not run, but Gwen Bode did. She won the prelim and I just squeezed into finals in sixth. The order in prelim results similar to that of the 400m.

Barbara Warren got second in pole vault at .80 1/2 as did Mary Trotto who got third. There must have been a slight difference in # of attempts

Sunday Angela and Cora had the 800 first thing. Myrna Barnett won it, followed by Cora then Angela. So they all medaled.

After that some of us had the 200 Final and the 4x400 relay. Gwen Bode won the 200 in 42.54, Willy Moolenaar second in 48.95 and Mary Robinson third in 49.38. Followed by Georgia Kightlinger, Cora Hill and me.(59.25). The most exciting event to watch was the W60 200m. Sue McDonald vs Joetta Clark Diggs. I watched from the far side as I had just put my shoes on. McDonald seemed to be slightly in the lead about half way down the final stretch. But then Diggs came on and edged McDonald 28.62 to 28.78 with Joy Upshaw also in the mix at 28.87. If there is a video of this, it would be a good one to watch. It made my day.

What is shocking to me is that Mary Trotto got me to run the 4x400, I recall that the TNT shirt I wore (first time competing in TNT) was a bit large. Angela passed to me and I to Mary with a bit of a bobble. I came in too fast to Mary and in the handoff the baton went up into the air, I caught it and completed the pass to Mary who passed to Cora. Ugh. TNT was second to Atlanta Track Club both in the 75-79 AG.

Mary Trotto competed in 12 events and Barbara Warren 10. Phenomenal.

other photos from the event