Issue 33 - In This Issue:


A dear friend pointed out that so many track and field athletes would be disappointed and complain if MastersRankings went away. I agree that it would be a shame, particularly because it should be so easy to ensure MastersRankings' survival.  You can help assure that it not only survives, but continues to expand and provide even more value to track athletes worldwide.
 
Some of the many correspondences I receive contain uninformed comments. A recent correspondent from outside the US said, "I was asking myself whether it is worthwhile to subscribe to your rankings." The athlete went on to describe how MastersRankings did not contain the results for the age group/event in which he competed and that the top three rankings were US athletes. "So how are your rankings done? America first, nothing else? Does not seem useful."
 
The athlete's insightful response to my explanation (part of which appears below - there are some surprising numbers - there are some surprising numbers) is worth sharing: "Your answers show that your project is much more relevant and helpful than it appeared to me at first glance. What impresses me most in your answer is the proportion listed of other country insertions. While you are describing them as dis-proportionally representing the US, in fact the numbers are much better than I expected." 
So many benefits for the 180,000 listed athletes
Over 360,000 distinct users in less than 3 years.
MastersRankings, aka World Masters Rankings has become an integral part of Masters Track & Field / Athletics. Many of you enjoy international friendships, friendly (and sometimes not so much!) competitions, camaraderie, seeing where you stand and keeping track of your friends & competitors.  Some have used the site to find competitions, as a competition (when they cannot afford to travel), get sponsorships to enable them to compete, follow how grandma is doing and so much more.  Frequently added features like age grades, athlete bios & pictures and, All-Time Rankings lists (added this month) are also really popular - all these and planned features are requested by athletes.  The greatest benefit, in my opinion, is it helps motivate people to compete, be more active and therefore, be healthier.

The blunt reality is this site still exists because it is one idiot's obsessive passion. This site does not just happen.  It takes a significant amount of effort to do everything needed.  For the moment, the site is supported by masters athletes.  It is my goal to sustainably fund this through a combination of sponsorships, benefactors, grants, national & world governing bodies and athlete contributions.  US tax deductible contributions from athletes will bridge to that point by funding operational costs.

2017 is pivotal year
MastersRankings needs to cover expenses

MastersRankings.com, Inc., like any 501(c)(3) Public Charity (US Corporation), is governed by a board of directors who focus on the company's financial health (among other things). Thanks to the membership program introduced a year ago, the athlete contributions have covered operating costs (insurance, web hosting, licensing, general business expenses, etc.). Athlete contributions have not been enough to pay me anything so I have spent an immense amount of time without compensation. The board will not allow me to continue putting in the immense time and effort while the corporation cannot pay operational expenses and compensate me.

Help World Masters Rankings continue
Everyone can do their part

There are 1,452 (fewer than 1% of listed athletes) members right now including 683 who have already renewed. 1,452 people, plus me, financially support this site. MastersRankings' board's target is to have 3% of listed athletes as current members by the end of October. You can help by asking other athletes to become members. How easy will it be to keep this site going if everyone seeing this gets 3 others to support through memberships?!!!
 
Easy links to get membership:
Your contribution is US Tax Deductible - MastersRankings is a 501(c)(3) public charity.  

Anyone can also provide a contribution of any amount - everything helps!  Click to Contribute

Many are not aware of World Masters Rankings
Help spread the word!

We all meet people at competitions who do not know MastersRankings exists or discovered it more or less by chance. One way you can help us meet the 3% membership goal is to the share with your competitors the value you receive from MastersRankings and encourage them to join. 
Photo by Machiko Yamazaki
Ranked Athlete Spotlight
Naomi Miyata - JPN

Everybody loves Nao-chan (her nickname)!! Naomi, currently W50, has won 60m and 100m at the all-Japan Masters championship for 9 years consecutively. Naomi works as the lecturer of the music system of Yamaha and is a very kind teacher, but she runs like a wild beast once she stands on the track!


Want to be featured in future Spotlights? Have a compelling or motivating story? We'd love to feature you. Email me @ john.seto@mastersrankings.com with a little about you and your compelling story and I will send you a few questions to facilitate writing the article.
All-Time Rankings Lists on MastersRankings!
Probably the most requested feature.
Long awaited All-Time Rankings Lists updated with recent performances are here!!! Performances for this were obtained from mastersathletics.net and Jim Sorensen plus performances from MastersRankings. This page will evolve through the year as I make further corrections to the lists in MastersRankings (correcting errors which appear in these lists with the incorrect athlete) and implement your requests and suggestions.

Not all performances on this page are confirmed to be accurate and done in accordance with WMA rules. Consequently, performances better than the listed World Record either have yet to be ratified, do not meet all ratification requirements or are not accurate.  
By the Numbers & Meet Results
Since Last Report:
  • 55,212 Performances Added (959 by Athletes)
  • Representing 16,101 Athletes from 93 Countries
  • 4,089 new athletes listed
Sample of Complete Meet Results Added:
Notable Newly Entered Performances in the Rankings:
Note: all of these are links to the athletes' profile, meet results in MastersRankings and the rankings list for this event (respectively)

Noel Ruebel, USA Potomac Valley Track Meet #2, USA 6939 in M60 Decathlon
Lenore Lambert, AUS Australian Masters Athletics Champtionships, AUS 1:03.63 in W45 400 Meter Hurdles
Torkjell Spigseth, NOR Xl-Bygg Lekene, NOR 5:40.5h in M70 1500 Meter Race Walk
Östen Edlund, SWE Back On Field, SWE 40.80 in M80 Hammer Throw (3 Kg)
Carol Davis, AUS Australian Masters Athletics Champtionships, AUS 3602 in W65 Pentathlon
Ian Richards, GBR British Masters Championships, GBR 14:59.02 in M65 3000 Meter Race Walk
Doug Torbert, USA Pasadena Senior Games, USA 15.83 in M65 Shot Put (5 Kg)
Allen Woodard, USA USATF Masters Outdoor Championships, USA 22.06 in M45 200 Meter Dash
Anthony Whiteman, GBR Loughborough International, GBR 1:50.52 in M45 800 Meter Run
Kathy Bergen, USA Usa Masters Games San Diego, USA 15.70 in W75 100 Meter Dash
Yvan Béchard, CAN 110th Millrose Games, USA 6:30.21 in M50 1500 Meter Race Walk
Jostein Haraldseid, NOR Nordic Indoor Veteran Championship 2017, SWE 12.10 in M80 60 Meter Hurdles
Ingrid Meier, GER Deutsche Hallen- und Winterwurf Meisterschaften, GER 9.41 in W65 60 Meter Dash
Jeferson Souza, USA Masters Combined Events National Championship, USA 7062 in M40 Decathlon
Sabra Harvey, USA USATF Masters Outdoor Championships, USA 5:38.69 in W65 1500 Meter Run
Angela Copson, GBR British Masters Championships, GBR 20:56.13 in W70 5000 Meter Run
Ainhoa Pinedo Gonzalez, ESP Xiii Meeting Iberoamericano de Atletismo, ESP 12:36.83 in W30 3000 Meter Race Walk
Kenton Brown, USA National Senior Games, USA 7.06 in M70 50 Meter Dash
Karnell Vickers, USA Atlanta Georgia Relays, USA 57.64 in M50 400 Meter Hurdles
Margaret Tosh, CAN Saskatoon Kinsmen Indoor Championships, CAN 9.20 in W75 Shot Put (2 Kg)
Algina-Mar Vilčinskienė, LTU Lithuania Veteran Summer Season Opening Championschip, LTU 8.36 in W80 Shot Put (2 Kg)
Carole Filer, GBR British Masters Championships, GBR 13.44 in W60 80 Meter Hurdles
Angela Whyte, CAN Sam Adams Combined Events Invitational, USA 4899 in W35 Heptathlon
Fit With Fat & Master Your Health!
Do you get the News?

National Masters News is more than just a Masters Track & Field results publication. In addition to all the great meet highlights, athlete focuses and meet results, the News also has training tips, human interest stories, Road Racing, Race Walking, Cross Country and more. Catch Carroll DeWeese's "Fit with Fat", Benita Lee's "Master Your Health", Paul Carlin's USATF Club Cross Country Champions article, Jerry Bookin-Weiner's Throwers Circle, Rex Harvey's From the USATF MTF Chair and much more in this month's issue.  

Don't receive the News? Subscribe now and download 2016 electronic issues.  It's like two years for the price of one.


MastersRankings is devoted to
Masters Athletes. This site will continue to grow thanks to our Members' humbling support.

With great respect and gratitude,
John Seto
MastersRanking s.com, Inc.
a 501(c)(3) public charity
(845) 635-9487p
(845) 489-7818c

Are World Masters Rankings really US Only?QandA

Q: So how are your rankings done? A: Performances get into the rankings through (in quantity order): rankings lists and complete meet results found on the web; complete meet results sent to us; athlete submissions. While athlete submissions account for a minuscule portion of the listed results (less than 2%), they are the only way some can be listed and are valuable source for finding meet results which can be inserted. Many meet results found online do not have age group information and unfortunately, most of those cannot be used. The rankings lists have the best performance from the compiled results.

Q: America first, nothing else? A:  Hardly but getting other nations' athletes listed evolves and improves every month. I started the all-inclusive rankings concept in the US late in 2006. I decided to compile all-inclusive worldwide rankings in 2014 and compile rankings lists from 2013 on. This is a monumental undertaking by any measure and what has been accomplished is really impressive, in my opinion, considering the staffing and resources used to get to this point. The tables below show percentages of performances in the system or listed rankings. These show disproportional US performances. These also show the progress made to compile accurate rankings. For example, most of the top 10 listed countries have complete end of year rankings lists in MastersRankings. Some, like Czech Republic, provide end of year lists. Others, like Germany and France, have year-end rankings lists that we've pulled from online sources. This will change to more real-time rankings as I continue to develop collaborative relationships. National collaboration and cooperation is continually growing.

Q: Are your rankings useful? A: 
This is clearly each athletes' opinion. I think what each athlete should ask themselves is whether they like the concept of having an all-inclusive rankings plus all the other features enhancing athletes' experience and whether they want to support it to ensure it comes together and is here for years to come. This site is devoted to serving Masters Athletes and giving them what they want to fill voids. Features are added based on athlete requests and I will be able to fulfill all of these when this vision comes together. This is a grass-roots effort reliant on a small but growing list of volunteers and me (I put in over 100 hours a week and have yet to take a paycheck - I am also virtually everything for this site including web programmer, result processor, result finder, marketer, relationship builder...). I cannot continue to do as much as I do forever nor can I afford to keep doing this without an income.

Performances inserted this year:
USA 37,527 21.6%
GBR 31,674 18.2%
NOR 23,613 13.6%
AUS 13,888 8.0%
ESP 10,952 6.3%
AUT 7,159 4.1%
GER 6,475 3.7%
CAN 5,868 3.4%
RSA 3,961 2.3%
NZL 3,310 1.9%
Total listed performances (2013-present):
GBR 229,186 20.8%
USA 223,664 20.3%
GER 82,194 7.4%
FRA 78,595 7.1%
ITA 67,207 6.1%
AUS 63,846 5.8%
ESP 48,625 4.4%
CAN 34,658 3.1%
CZE 28,494 2.6%
NOR 26,540 2.4%
Total ranked performances (2013-present):
USA 136,155 19.2%
GBR 111,025 15.7%
FRA 65,712 9.3%
GER 63,516 9.0%
ITA 52,194 7.4%
AUS 33,265 4.7%
ESP 28,379 4.0%
CAN 19,254 2.7%
CZE 17,336 2.4%
NOR 14,306 2.0%