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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 28, 1982)
Portland Observer, January 28, 1982 Page 13 O bserver A th le te s of the Year Kermit's gone Track Man: Sebastian Coe Sebastian Coe — a slight, d ark haired man fro m E n g la n d ’ s M id lan d s city o f S h effield — has been called the finest m iddle distance runner in history. Coe made that conclusion all but inescapable with three world records in a 42 day period in 1979. On July 3th, in Oslo, he took the 800 meters in 1:42.4. O n July 17th, also in Oslo, the mile record fell in 3:49.0, and on August 13th, in Zurich, the 1300 meter was bested in 3:32.1. In 1980 he went to the Moscow O lym pics where he lost the 800 meters to his arch-rival Steve Ovett but bounced back to capture the gold in the 1300 meters. Sebastian Newbold Coe was born in C h isw ick, West London on September 29, 1936. “ Some o f my first recollections are o f running,” he said. “ L o o kin g back it seems that from the tim e I could walk I preferred to run. It ju t seemed natural.” Coe was trained by his father who later said. “ A t fourteen I knew he was good. A t sixteeen I fe lt a strange kind o f certainty that i f J was patient I had a world beater.” In 1977 Coe won the European Indoor 800 meter championship at 2 :1 .1 , a tenth o f a second out o f C a rlo O rip p o ’ s w orld record o f 1:43.3. A fte r a serious in ju ry in 1978, he became the first Briton to do the 800 meters under 1:44, w inning the U n ited Kingdom record. H e also beat world record holder Filbert Bayi in the 1300 meter at 3:37.7. F o llo w in g his trip le victo ry o f 1979 Coe headed fo r M oscow , rejecting his government’s pleas that its athletes boycott the games. “ I was also anxious that any governm ent, C onservative or Labour, should not initiate sporting sanctions fo r some short-term p o litic a l p a y -o ff. A fte r th a t, nothing in sport w ould have been sacred, and international sport — the W orld Cup in soccer or anything else — would have been placed in an impossible position.” A fte r a h eartb reaking loss to Steve Ovett, a fellow Englishman, in the 800 Coe geared up for the 1300. “ I tried to d rive again at 40 meters o u t, and in the next few strides 1 knew I had nothing left if bloody marvellous relief.” The L o n do n D a ily M a il wrote: “ Coe did more than win the gold m edal. H e lifte d the soul, he ennobled his a rt, he d ig n ified his country . . . W atcn in g him run, invincible, over the last 300 meters was unforgettable. W atching him afterwards made you even prouder, for his conduct in triumph matched his humility in disaster. . . ” Co« begins his victory lap a fte r having w on the Olym pic Gold In the 1600 meter race. anyone came back at me. The anxiety over the last 20 meters was unbearable, and it showed in my face as I crossed the line. A fte r a few yards 1 sank down o n to my knees. When I watched that display on the replay it was a bit em barrassing, but it was such a »Sr meters Coe’s career did not end with the Olympics. On February 11, 1981, he set a new 800 meter indoor world record o f 1:4 6.0 and in June destroyed his own global m ark in the 800 with a sensational 1:41.72. Coe believes he w ill run faster. “ There arc a lot o f things you can do w ith the 800 and this distance always excited me. I expect to run about 1:40 soon.” Running, records and medals are all a part o f Sebastian Coe’s life but they are not all o f it. H e is a student firs t. H e plans to re tire a fte r the 1983 W o rld Championships or the 1984 Olympics. ‘ By ther. 1 will have spent enough time concentrating on one thing, and even then it might be too long.” Regarding the importance o f his M oscow v ic to ry , he said, “ The im portance o f my gold medal in Moscow was not just my own pride, but the position o f influence 1 hope it gives me to help shape athletics, to prevent it becoming a p ro m o ter’ s and sponsor’ s carve-up, to keep it open for young people coming up so that they can get races without being told when, where and even how they must run. I f you become famous it gives you an o b lig a tio n . . . In all sports we have to protect the fundam entals o f sportsm anship, self-determination o f the individual and the pursuit o f excellence free o f com m ercial expediency, and as Voltaire said, ‘the price o f freedom is eternal vigilance’ . i HAPPIER DAY: Kermit Wash ington autographs a ball for a fan. “ No man is an island, entire o f it self; every man is a part o f the con tinent, a part o f the m ain.” Kermit Washington was certainly a big part o f any organization he ever joined, especially the Trail Blazers. Tuesday m orning K e rm it an nounced his retirem en t fro m the Trail Blazers and from the National B asketball A ssociation. Plagued w ith back, hip and ankle injuries, Kermit has had enough. “ I t ’ s a Catch 22 situation,” said K erm it. “ I f I practice, I can’t play because o f how my body feels, and you can ’ t play i f you d o n ’ t prac tice .” D uring pre-season training, an old back injury recurred, aggra vating a knee in ju ry and causing K erm it to stop practice. A n ankle inju ry caused him to miss the first five games o f the 81-82 season. The season has been that way for K er m it, off-again, on-again, with more injuries in between. A fter a visit with the Los Angeles Lakers’ team physician, D r. Robert Kerlan, and a long conference with the B lazers’ team physician, D r. Bob Cook, Kermit decided to call it quits. H e could abuse his body no more. “ I t ’s very difficult for an athlete to quit. The fighter who used to be champ always wants one more fight. This was no rash decision. I ’ve done everything that 1 could.” Kermit was one o f those rare ath letes who transcended the norm al p ro to typ e o f an N B A player. H e had the reputation o f being one o f the warmest, sincerest, and hardest workers in the N B A . N ig h t a fte r night he came to play and while he was in the floor, you knew he would always give his all. Just as he gave his all on the c o u rt, he was a role m odel in the com m unity. N o m atter how tired, he never begged o ff from an auto graph. N o matter how tired he never shunned a personal appearance. Kermit was not blessed with a lot o f natural ability, but survived the rigors o f the N B A through sheer hard w o rk . W h ile other players slept, Kermit was up doing three to five hours o f running a day. He was the first to arrive for practice and al ways one o f the last to leave. K erm it was one o f the most sought after players in the N B A . A f ter attending American University, he began his N B A career as a first- round draft pick o f the Los Angeles Lakers, where he remained for 4*4 years. He then went to Boston for a half-season and San Diego for one season. Kermit came to Portland as a part o f the Bill Walton trade pack age in 1979. 1.400 meters Four phase« on the path to the 1600 meter gold medal in the I960 Olympic Games. At 200 Straub (330) has the lead, which he held for three-quarters of the race. Coe (264) is running wide. Ovett Is number 279. At 800 meters Coe is relaxed, behind Straub. At 1.000 Straub suddenly begins his long burst for home and Coe and O vett respond. At 1.400 Coe makes his second kick' to take Straub and leave Ovett behind. Tina Blair now an OSU Beaver T in a B lair, who was one o f the (op high school basketball players in O regon, is adapting well to the O regon State U n ive rs ity style o f W e ’re getting closer to you than ever This brand new Farmers Insurance office is an exam ple of what can happen when Folks are really con cerned about you and your Family. I ’ve opened up in a c o n venient new location to better learn your needs and to belter fill them If you already know me. stop in and say hello If not, com e in for a sample of farm ers fast, fair, frien d ly service on your present insurance problems. Free Notary Available V IV IA N I. W A R R E N play. Blair, 18, is the daughter o f Billy B lair and JoA n n Lom ax o f Portland. She was one o f O S U ’s top recruits on its wom en’ s basketball team this season. A ke H ill, O S U wom en's head basketball coach, said B lair w ill receive more playing tim e as the season progresses. She stated, “ Tina has great finger control and uses her strong build well to help her rebounding.” The 5-10 high post, who was all league for three years at M arshall H igh School, was surprised the intensity o f the practices in college. She said, “ I didn’ t realize you had to devote so many hours to the game.” She added that it took some getting used to. The hard w ork has paid o f f though, as Blair scored her first two OSU hosts gymnasts vpv.. Kxtsstv win vvi any anu me Shanico Inn o f C o rva llis have entered an agreement to sponsor the second annual O SU Shanico Inn- V ita tio n a l gymnastics meet. The meet w ill be a tw o -d ay a ffa ir featuring eight o f the top women’ s gymnastics teams in the cou n try. The meet will be held on February 19th and 20th at O S U ’ s G ill Coliseum. in c iic iu lo r the 1982 meet includes Oregon State, Oklahom a State, O h io State. U S C , Brigham Young. W ashington, W ashington State and Oregon. The first h a lf o f the S alvatio n A rm y Saturday Basketball League Street Blues. 27; Lester Crain o f the Moore Street Whites 25 has been completed and Alexander’s The second half of the season gets underway this Saturday. January 30th at 11 a m. in the P .C .C . gym. E. & R. B o o kkee p in g & Taxes, Inc. 8535 N. Lombard • 286 4061 GROUP <4 R' e specialize in taxes. I •Premium fuel oil at low cost •Furnace repairs •Furnace cleaning •N ew furnace sales & installations Oregon State won last y ea r’ s in itia l Shanico meet (1 4 5 .9 0 ) and Sandra Sm ith o f L ouisiana State was the in d iv id u al a ll-aro u n d champion (37.75). Alexander's leads league 5 FARMERS a «INSURANCE^ p points as a Beaver, sinking two free throw s at the end o f the game to beat San Jose State in double over time. The freshm an is playing an average o f 10 minutes a game. Blair said, “ Rebounding and good defense are my strong points.” She is averaging three rebounds a game and had five early season steals. H ill said that next season B lair w ill be moved to fo rw a rd . “ This will require a transition from inside to outside sh o o tin g ," stated H ill, and added, “ I f we w ork on her form . I ’ m confident her shooting will cotnc quickly.” Blair, a business m ajor, said the change in position is going to take a lot o f practice. She stated, “ I ’ m really going to hve to work on my outside shots.” She added that she is ready for the challenge. I NATE HARTLEY FUEL COMPANY 2330 N.E. Alberta h k a r t or ova P o rtlan d . Oregon 97211 / BUSINESS! OC 22» ° P * n M onday Friday 8 am 6 pm Sat 8 am-1 pm
