Complete results can be found here.

GENEVA, OH – Athletes fought through bad weather for the bulk of the day at the 2023 USATF Lake Erie Association Open & Masters Outdoor Championships. The meet, that also served as the USATF Midwest Region Championships., was plagued by rain and wind. Surely, a good number of athletes made the decision to forego the competition due to conditions. Those that did compete, will have some great memories and of course use some artistic license to embellish just how bad it was!

My approach to the meet felt very comfortable, training leading up to the meet had gone well, and getting a mark at the Ohio Senior Olympics erased the memories from Baldwin Wallace (three fouls). There’s always a little bit of nerves but that went away as soon as I started having conversations with peers. I’ve continued the idea of trying other events and not limiting myself to javelin. Most of these events I haven’t done since the mid 1990’s, but if I make the effort to go to a meet, I’d like to not have the entire day wrapped around a single event. It also could potentially give me something to do for indoor season. For this meet, I added long jump. I won’t go into my permanent impairment in my right foot from a back issue now, but I knew it would impact my ability to do the event. I set my goal very low, at only 10 feet, and was able to jump 11′ 0 1/4″ (3.36M). This was a mental and physical milestone for me, despite my full acknowledgment that the mark would not be considered very competitive. I won a default Gold medal with no one else in my age group, but I felt very proud knowing what I overcame just to do the event.

The weather improved towards the end of the meet, just in time for javelin. My hamstrings were sore from long jump and I began wondering if I should be ‘messing around’ with other events that could potentially hinder my improvement with my main event. That will have to be something I think through and weigh out in the future. My marks for today were very similar to the Ohio Senior Olympics, with only the slightest increase in distance. My best throw being 117’3″ / 35.75M, and a second Gold Medal for the day.

Joining a track club provides so much additional fun and enjoyment in the sport. I can not express enough, how the support and friendship enhances the experience. Below, are some of my Eastern Buckeye Track Club teammates competing ‘in the elements’ today!