Sports Shorts Sports Shorts (March 11, 2005)

FITNESS WEEKEND . . . The 22nd Annual Fifty-Plus Fitness Weekend will get under way Saturday and conclude Snday at Stanford University. The weekend's activities, for individuals age 50 and over, include the organization's popular health conference featuring presentations by noted health and fitness authorities, an awards banquet recognizing leaders in the area of fitness for senior adults, a free health fair, annual 8-kilometer run, plus an impressive slate of companion sporting and fitness events for all ages. In addition, participants will have an opportunity to meet some of the nation's foremost authorities and motivators who are leading the movement for healthy aging through exercise. Information, online registration, and a downloadable brochure for the Fifty-Plus Annual Weekend are available from the Fifty-Plus Lifelong Fitness web site at www.50Plus.org, or via the event's telephone hotline, (650) 843-1754. On Sunday, Stanford Stadium serves as "point central" for Lifelong Fitness Day which presents a variety of fitness activities for both seniors and people of all ages. Health and exercise personality Joanie Greggains will serve as Master of Ceremonies for Sunday's events. Don Bowden, who in 1957 became the first American to break four minutes in the mile, will also be present to inspire participants. The Paul Spangler Memorial 8-Kilometer Run anchors the slate as the premier road race in the world for age 50 and over runners. A number of U.S. records by senior athletes have been set in the event. Spangler, the oldest finisher ever in the race, set four of these records in his 90s before his death at age 94. A separate 8K run for entrants of all ages allows everyone to participate. The USA Track & Field-certified 8K course is a flat and fast loop around the scenic Stanford campus. The Olympic-style finish on the track inside Stanford Stadium is, alone, worth the approximately five-mile effort it takes to get there. Other fitness events include 4-mile and 2-mile fitness walks (which are open to all ages), 15-mile bicycle ride, and competitive 5-kilometer race walk. A free health fair inside Stanford Stadium is open from 8-11:30 a.m. Refreshments and entertainment are also provided. Fifty-Plus Weekend attendees can energize themselves on Saturday by attending the Fifty-Plus Health Conference at Stanford's Annenberg Auditorium, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Also on Saturday, the Fifty-Plus Awards and Recognition Dinner at the Sheraton Palo Alto hotel where the organization will pay tribute to Roger Bannister as the 2005 recipient of the prestigious Emil Zatopek Award. Attendees will view historic film footage of Bannister's 1954 race in Oxford, England in which he became the first runner to break the four-minute mile barrier. A videotape of Bannister accepting the award in Oxford will also be shown, plus Don Bowden (see above) will speak about the significance of Bannister's accomplishment. Fifty-Plus created the Emil Zatopek Award, named after the great Czechoslovakian distance runner, in 1991 to recognize individuals who have attained notable achievements in sports, and in doing so have inspired others to live a fit and active lifestyle.

CARDINAL CORNER . . . Former Stanford women's basketball stars Nicole Powell and Olympia Scott-Richardson were acquired by the WNBA's Sacramento Monarchs in a trade with the Charlotte Sting. Powell ended her Stanford career with 2,062 points, third on the all-time list. Scott-Richardson scored 1,524 points for the Cardinal, currently seventh on the career list . . . Stanford senior Nicole Barnhart was recalled to the U.S. women's national soccer team, and will at the Algarve Cup in Portugal beginning Wednesday . . . The Stanford crew program announced it will again host the Windermere Collegiate Crew Classic, an invitational rowing regatta held at Redwood Shores on Saturday, April 9 from 9am to 5:30pm, and Sunday, April 10 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 pm. The regatta features crew races between 17 of the nation's top universities as well as nearly 400 Bay Area community and high school rowers.

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