If Athletics West was an internationally prominent track clubwith such names as Alberto Salazar, Joan Benoit and Mary DeckerSlaney on its roster, the new Nike Boston is the first of what maybe a series of regional clubs created by the shoe company. It alsorepresents a cutback in big-money contracts for the athletes.
Bob Sevene, who was the administrator of the Eugene officeand coach of many of the top athletes, has returned to New Englandand taken over the cross-country and track programs at Bowdoin; heand Brandeis coach Norm Levine will oversee the club -- Sevene fromafar, Levine as the administrator and coach who will handle theday-to-day operations.
'They want this to be the best track club in the East, and inparticular, in New England,' says Levine, who recently attended twomajor meetings in Tampa to work on a budget and plans for the club.'They're willing to do everything possible to achieve it. It's agreat compliment to me. I'm proud to be a part of it.'
'I've been trying to tell Nike people the way to go is to goback to regional clubs,' says Sevene, who has been Benoit's coach.'Boston is the logical place to start. You have a pool of talentwith all the colleges. It's actually a pilot program. If it works,I think you'll see teams in some other major population centers.'
'They plan to phase down the number of contract people after1988,' says Levine. 'They'll still have an elite club, but theyplan to reassign most athletes to regional clubs. Nike Boston isthe first attempt. They're real pleased with what's going on. We'vebeen a visible force in road running and track.'
'It's a chance to give the post-collegiate athlete a chance tokeep running,' says Fred Doyle, Nike's East Coast representative.'The post- collegiate world is unkind to the athlete. He's out onhis own. They're definitely getting away from the big-contractathlete. That was OK in the '70s and early '80s when we needed toget the Nike name out. Now it's the grass- roots athlete we'repaying attention to.'
This is a throwback to the way it was when Boston College'sJack McDonald, Sevene and UMass-Boston's Bill Squires helped createthe Greater Boston Track Club in the mid-'70s and athletes such asBill Rodgers and Bob Hodge came up through its ranks. When therunning boom reached its zenith later in the decade and shoecompanies were prospering, they stepped in and signed the topathletes to contracts.
'It's like when the Greater Boston Club started in 1974,' saysSevene. 'We didn't have much money. The main object here was for meto come to Boston and set this up. I'm a teacher, and when theBowdoin job opened up I took it. I realized with Norm down here hewas right there to organize it. It's basically to give the youngkids coming out of college a chance to compete.'
Levine's roster includes such former area collegiate athletesas Dave Vona and Mark Kimball of Boston University, Steve Sargeantof Northeastern and Michelle Hallet of BC, and a lengthy list ofathletes who are moving to Greater Boston. 'We have a good clubfeeling,' said Levine. 'It's exciting.'
The bottom line is the money that was readily there at thepeak of the boom has dried up in some corners, and Athletics Westis fading into the sunset. 'It's tragic,' says Sevene. 'It (AW)seems to have been deserted. I haven't seen anything in writing,but it's quite obvious it's breaking up very rapidly.'
Benoit, who has been running in some pain and discomfortfollowing corrective heel surgery more than a year ago, left withhusband Scott Samuelson last Thursday to spend three weeks on NewZealand's scenic South Island. Hiking, reflection and training arein the game plan.
She has been given a March 1 deadline by John Hancock on apersonal- services contract that will require her to run in theBoston Marathon April 20. 'Boston is still definitely on her mind,'says Sevene. 'She's not that much farther ahead this January thanshe was last year. Her condition is far superior, but day-by-dayit's, 'Is she going to run?'
'It's so similar to 1981 when she had the (double Achilles')operation. All the pieces of the puzzle aren't there. She's stillon that roller coaster. It's an iffy thing. She is fit. She hasthis pain tolerance. Breaking 2:20 is a big goal, but I hope shedoesn't go for it without all the pieces of the puzzle.
'She's one lady who should leave the sport at the top. It'stime to reflect. She wants to raise a family. It's just her andScott going to New Zealand. I think you'll see her come back withall the pieces of the puzzle. I know she doesn't want to retire.'
The New England Athletics Congress and the Greater Boston TCwill combine their efforts to put on a single meet this monthinstead of the customary separate meets. Since only one date wasavailable at Harvard's indoor track, the combined meet will be thisSunday, and it will be history well before the Super Bowl kickoff .. . John Treacy, who won the Olympic marathon silver medal in hisonly race at the distance, will leave the snow and cold ofProvidence for 10 weeks of training in the Phoenix area. Treacy,who won world cross-country championships in 1978 and 1979, has hadBoston on his mind for one year, and as brother and Providencecoach Ray Treacy indicates, he is tough when he focuses on a singleobjective . . . Lorraine Moller, who won the 1984 Boston race, willdefend in the Osaka Women's Marathon later this month and plans torun Boston . . . The 18th Dartmouth Relays that concluded a weekago Sunday were a resounding answer to those who question NewEngland's interest in track and field. There were more than 3,400athletes competing in 117 events in the three-day carnival. Whichonly serves to make you groan once again over the inexcusableabsence of an indoor facility for Boston's neglected high schoolathletes . . . The inaugural World Indoor Track and FieldChampionships (March 6-8) in Indianapolis have attracted entriesfrom 61 nations. joconc;01/12 LDRISC;01/20,19:47TRACK19
