Running
Pre’s Trail & Beyond
The Bowerman System is the
title of a new book authored by
Chris Walsh of Eugene and pub
lished by the book division of
the magazine U.S. Track &
Field. The book is just out (1983
copyright) and will be available
locally at the Book Mark, B.
Dalton, and the U of O Book
store, among others, for $7.50
or available from Tafnews Press,
Box 296, Los Altos, Calif.
Chris Walsh, a former student
of Bill Bowerman, researched in
formation (now in the book) as
part of preparation for a
master’s degree thesis at the U of
O P.E. department and then
added to the book with addi
tional research.
For those of us who have
watched, admired, and appre
ciated the work of Bill Bower
man through the years, Walsh
presents a “no nonsense” and
abbreviated Bowerman. The
book reflects the ideas behind
the thinking of an Oregon ori
ginal who in typical Bowerman
style calls his system the
“Oregon System” and gives
credit to his own coach. Bill
Hayward, for much of the wis
dom, experience and ideas that
he has retained and passed on to
others—including his own
students such as Bill Dellinger
(present U of O Track Coach).
The book is well illustrated
with many Track & Field
magazine photos, taken through
the years. It also presents a num
ber of original quotes to catch
the flavor of the Bowerman
character which is always direct
(straight from the shoulder) with
no mincing of the facts, waffel
ing, or other rhetoric. A good
example is a comment about
diet: “Bowerman has little use
for vitamins: ‘They’re about as
magical as sawdust. If a guy
thinks that this is going to help
him and he can afford it, go
ahead. All he’s probably going
to get out of it is expensive
urine.’”
The book The Bowerman Sys
tem has any number of good
ideas for the individual runner/
by Jack Craig
jogger and gives historical per
spective to persons interested in
fitness, wellness and condition
ing as a way of life. The book is
not a time-taker and is a valu
able contribution to and for
those interested in track and
field, physical fitness, running,
jogging and in Bill Bowerman in
particular.
On the subject of local run
ning, construction crews are put
ting “our” Pre’s Trail in shape
this summer, laying down a
gravel and drainage system in
the “wet” spots on the trail,
making it one of the truly out
standing running trails in the
country. Many of us who have
run on the trail during the
winter, spring and late fall have
experienced some very wet feet
on occasion, but with the trail
improvements this should be a
rarity, even during the wettest of
the wet periods.
Those who wish to help with
the paying of bills for the im
provement should sign up for
the annual Pre’s Trail Run on
Labor Day. Money taken in dur
ing this event goes toward pay
ing costs for Pre’s Trail main
tenance and upkeep through the
sale of T-shirts and donations.
Finally, a comment about the
Butte-to-Butte run of July 4th,
as the run results are now avail
able at the Nike store and in
dividual participants should be
getting their placement results in
the mail. The organization and
conduct of this year’s run was
much improved and about the
only thing lacking was compe
tition in individual age groups.
Doubtlessly, the new Race run
had a good effect on the Butte
to-Butte. It would seem that
both events will be bigger and
better as a result.
More next week about up
coming runs including the Scan
dia run and others.
(Jack Craig is available for runn
ing guidance, information and assis
tance by telephoning 686-0812. He is
now in his 7th year of daily running
and contributes articles to running
magazines.)
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Willie Nelson visits with Barbara Walters on The Barbara Walters Summer Special, airing Tuesday, August 2, at 10
pm, on KEZI-TV Channel 9, Cable 10._____
In Review
Hen’s Teeth and Horse’s Toes
Further Reflections in Natural History
By Stephen Jay Gould, WW Norton
& Co., NY& London, 1983, 515.50.
385 pages.
Exhibiting his usual aplomb,
in this fourth book of essays,
Gould sets forth his crystalline
reflections on aspects of natural
history integrally tied with evo
lution and evolutionary theory.
The essays in this latest col
lection come largely from a
monthly colum in Natural His
tory Magazine.
“Darwin and evolutionary
theory have been the focal point
of all my writing in this series,”
Gould states.
A lecturer and instructor in
geology, biology, and the history
of science at Harvard Univer
sity, Gould is widely acclaimed
as one of the foremost science
writers in the United States.
The subjects of his essays
range from a harangue on “. . .
the political resurgence of the
pseudoscience known to its sup
porters as ‘scientific creation
ism’,’’ to an explanation of the
phenomenon of the ring of feces
certain birds spread around their
flat-land nesting area.
The essays all have some rela
tionship to the ongoing change
of organisms through natural
selection, inheritance, mutation,
and other tools of evolution.
The glue that binds the
various essays is that remarkable
ability Gouki has for presenting
what could be excruciatingly dull
scientific surmise in a way which
at once challenges and satisfies
our innate curiosity and teaches
us.
The essays are far from stodgy
presentations of scientific the
ory. Many age-old myths and
theories held sacred by the sci
entific community receive vigor
ous trouncing in this collection
of essays.
Gould delights in presenting
such scientifically based
evidence as whether the zebra is
a white animal with black stripes
or a black animal with white
stripes. He uses levity to spark
interest in otherwise unpalatable
extrapolated scientific theory.
“These issues are all ab
stract,” says Gould, “but my
vehicle for raising them remains
the peculiar and mysterious par
ticulars of nature. I have never
been able to raise much per
sonal enthusiasm for disem
bodied theory.”
Far from disembodied theory,
Gould’s latest collection of
writings contains myriad ex
amples of the uniqueness of
specific species illustrating
theories of change. Gould
follows evolutionary develop
ment using such diverse models
of evolution as the hyena and
mosquitoes. He questions why
the sex organs of the male and
female hyena look identical. He
ponders over a breed of mosqui
toes unable to sting. Gould satis
Ties our desire to know, at least
with some certainty, the mys
teries of evolution.
The collection is well worth
reading. It inspires a view of
science in which all life forms
reflect that ever evolving para
dox which is life.
—Sandra Bishop
( BOOKS )
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