Escaping the Fires!

Former Palomar CC thrower and his wife barely escape with their lives in the recent fires in San Diego.

Former Palomar javelin thrower creatively escapes death in Escondido fire …
     Roger Bielasz, former Palomar CC javelin thrower, and his wife awoke at 1:30 a.m. on the first day of the San Diego fires to see flames rushing up the hillside next to their Escondido home. They had time only to jump into their backyard pool and cover their heads with wet towels to survive the heat.  For the next three hours they shivered in the pool while watching their home, where they were wed 19 years earlier, burn to the ground. At dawn the soaked and shivering couple huddled on the ground next to the house before walking out of their fire-ravaged street for help. Unfortunately, the couple living next-door did not escape and died in their home.
    Roger was a smart, hard working, tough competitor (and a gentleman) and ranked in the top 15 in the final SoCal javelin rankings (1967). 

-Larry Knuth, Palomar track and field coach, 1966-67; “Southland Blazes, The Witch Fire” LA Times, Oct. 28, 2007

Hasay VS. Decker

JORDAN HASAY…  She’s young and ultra-talented, but how does she compare to Mary Decker? 
      In 1972 as a 14-year-old ninth-grader Mary Decker (Orange, Ca.) ran a 4:37.4 mile and 2:02.4 800 meters, was second in the National AAU Championships, won the Pan-Pacific Games in Toronto, and went on tours of Europe and Africa. The same year she also won the women’s 880 in 2:03.8 at the Von’s Classic for a new Los Angeles Coliseum record and the second fastest American time in the event. The next year she won the USSR/USA dual meet 800 in 2:02.3.
Hasay, a high school junior phenom (Arroyo Grande, Calif.), continues to rewrite the record books, winning this year’s 1,500 meters at the USATF junior championships in a meet, age and sophomore class record 4:16.98. The previous meet record of 4:18.1 was set in 1977 by three-time Olympian Lynn Jennings and three-time Olympian Suzy Favor-Hamilton's age and sophomore class record of 4:19.46 set in 1992. Hasay's time is the fastest in 25 years and sits at fourth on the all-time high school list.
    Comparing Hasay with Decker in the future will be very interesting. Hasay is a refreshing and exciting talent for our sport. Decker is the only athlete ever to hold EVERY American record from 800 meters to 10,000 meters, and she continues to own the U.S. women's records in the 1500 (3:57.12), mile (4:16.71) and 3000 (8:25.83). Decker qualified for four Olympic teams and competed in her final Olympics in 1996 at the age of 37. A remarkable resume for Hasay to try and replicate.
        -Los Angeles Times, May 28, 1973; “Yesterday’s Child” by Kenny Moore, May 1, 1978; “It Was Just Another Mary Chase” by Kenny Moore July 26, 1982; “Putting It All on the Line” by Kenny Moore, July 22, 1983; “She Runs and We Are Lifted” by Kenny Moore, December, 26, 1983; USATF Hall of Fame website

Larry Knuth is one of the most respected coaches in California and  has been involved in track & field for over forty years with extensive time spent at the California Community College level, serving as a coach at Palomar, Pasadena, Glendale, Fullerton, Saddleback,  Rio Hondo and Orange Coast Community Colleges.  This past spring, for his great contributions to our sport, Coach Knuth was elected to the the California Community College Track & Cross Country Coaches Hall of Fame.

Who is Sylvia Mosqueda?

Who is Sylvia Mosqueda? … A national class competitor for two decades the front-running former East Los Angeles CC runner won the 1986 state CC 1500 title (4:18.10-still the state meet record) and also set the still-standing national CC 1500 mark of 4:17.82. She qualified for five Olympic Trials from 1988-2004 and won the NCAA 10k with a new collegiate record while at Cal St. Los Angeles. She has shown remarkable range: 800-2:04.55; 1500-4:11.7; 5k-15:30; 10k-31:52; half-marathon-1:09.51; marathon-2:33.47. She was fourth in the 1992 Olympic Trials 10k. Sylvia, a San Gabriel HS alum, is a certain future inductee into the state community college track and field hall of fame.

Check back every few weeks for new stories!!!

Past Stories from the this Year's World Track & Field Championships

Three former California Community College athletes will be representing the United States next week when the biggest event in track and field, the World Track & Field Championships, take place in Osaka, Japan from August 25th to September 2nd.  Former El Camino runner, Mary Akor and Orange Coast alumnus, Zoila Gomez, will be in the marathon, as well as former LBCC standout, Dominique Arnold in the 110 High Hurdles. 

Coach Larry Knuth sat down with Dominique Arnold recently to discuss the upcoming competition and to get his thoughts on training and his various interest.

Dominique Arnold Interview

When the world track and field championships in Osaka, Japan come to television next week  the California community colleges will be represented by Dominique Arnold, former Long Beach CC state champion and  the current American high hurdle record-holder at 12.90. Dominique agreed to share his thoughts and experiences with Coach Larry Knuth in an interview that follows.

Q- Who or what got you into track and field?
A- My Brother Quincey, who was a pole vaulter/hurdler.

Q- Did you have any dream or goals as a young athlete of someday competing on the international level?
A-Yes, definitely!! The Olympics have always been a dream of mine. But I thought I would be a gymnast, but being 6'2" kind of canceled that out.

Q-What were the advantages and benefits of your two years at Long Beach CC?
A-The benefit of going to junior college was pace. There was no pressure to do anything to fast. We were allowed to slowly develop, without a coach hanging the idea of your scholarship being revoked.

Q-What advice would you give to young athletes to mentally prepare for their event competition?
A-Do what you've trained to do. So relax and let what already has been given to you to come out. You can’t rush the process.

Q- What specific training has given you that strength and stamina over the last part of your race?
A-I believe it’s my 400-meter frame of mind. I’ve always trained like a 400-meter runner, so strength is never a question

Q-How special was the moment when you ran the 12.90 American record race?
A- Very special. Believe it or not it was a dream come true. Even though I took second (ed., Liu Xiang of China was first with a new world record of 12.88-July, 2006 in Lausanne, Switzerland) it still was special. The good part about that dream; it’s a two part series with a better ending.

Q-What lessons have you learned from international competition?
A-International competition has taught me that we are all the same.
I used to think if you’re not American, then automatically there's an advantage. Only because the international runners didn’t travel as far. But once I jog and stretch the playing field is equaled out.

Q-Is the "jungle art" you draw before races a hobby or something that could turn into a vocation after you retire from running?
A-It’s both. It could potentially become a vocation for me, and it’s also a hobby.

More California CC Athletes at the World's

TYREE WASHINGTON won the 1997 state 400 and 200 titles and set the national 400 mark of 44.52 competing for San Bernardino Valley CC. He still holds the state meet 400 and 200 records.  In the 1997 world meet Tyree took the bronze medal in the 400 and the gold in the 1600 relay. Tyree jumped onto the track scene in 1994 as he won the state high school long jump title as a junior and followed that up his senior year with a second in the 400- meters.

ATO BOLDON, a Trinidad native, won the state 100 and 200-meter races for San Jose CC and went on to UCLA where he won indoor and outdoor NCAA titles. In the 1997 world outdoor meet Ato won the 200 title. In 1998 he ran under 9.90 five times and all his races that year were under 10 flat. He is considered one of the sports all-time great 100-meter sprinters. Ato will be doing color commentary for NBC during the world meet in Osaka.