Ralph's Musings: 4A Region 1

In the very least, this next-to-last meet represented an end to the season's string of eleven hour invitationals. Hot or cold, windy or calm, dry or subject to a deluge, all season they seemed to go on and on; a long day's journey into night.

As much fun as track is to its constituents, over the years, people far wiser than I have sought ways to streamline it. Take Bill Nieder, for example. Born in Hempstead, Long Island, this Olympic Champion and former world record holder--the first prep shot putter to pass 60' with a 12 pound ball, and the first collegiate thrower to break that barrier with a 16 pounder--considered its actual engineering.

Life after world class track was slow, so "Brass Ball Bill" tried his hand at boxing. Fortunately for track, Nieder was KO'd in his first bout. When he regained consciousness--and got off the hard surface of the ring floor (wood over steel, all covered by a veneer of canvas)--he had found the inspiration to work for 3M. Along with Don Bowden--the fi...