A Personal Best for the Flash

Daniel and a friend from a Philadelphia Track Club playing with toys waiting for first call of their events.

If I was not proud of Daniel before, I am proud of his performance at the UAGTCA Indoor Development 3 meet on Saturday Feb. 11, 2012. I don’t mind saying that he ran his butt off. He ran his personal best in the 1500 Meter as well as the 400 Meter run. I know that he is doing so well because of the treadmill training that he does twice a week, running 10 minutes at speed 8 as well as 4 five minute periods at the same speed.

Daniel running in his 1500 Meter Run

I am very happy with the speed reduction that he has shown in the 1500 Meter Run. In the first developmental meet, he ran 7 min. 31.51 Seconds. The second developmental meet showed a time of 7 minutes, 3.53 seconds. But in this meet, Daniel ran a time of 6 minutes, 32.01 seconds. That is 2 minutes faster than his time last year in February.

Daniel in the race of his 6 year old life

Daniel ran with the best that the Philadelphia area offered. The Drumwright family is the best in this event. They are members of the Mallery Challengers Track Club out of 4 E McPherson St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19119. They specialize in long distance running. Both Daniel and Andrew battled all 8.5 laps for second place. At the end, Daniel was able to get the edge on Andrew because Daniel ran through the finish line. Andrew slowed down just before the finish line. This is a habit that most children have at 8 years old and under.Everyone in that race was one year older than Daniel.

Daniel also had a time of 1 minute, 36.26 second in the 400 Meter run. The best time was 1 minute 21.45 Seconds. Daniel won his heat but finished 22nd overall. Forty-six athletes participated in this run.

Ben Johnston Stadium - Site License

2012 UAGTCA Indoor Development Meet #3 - 2/11/2012

2012 Indoor #3

Widener University - Chester PA

Event 12 1500 Meter Run Sub-Bantam Boys

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UAG Indoor: > 5:47.39 2/20/2010 Marvin Harrison, Mallery T. C.

Name Year Team Finals Points

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Finals

1 Drumwright, Aaron 04 Mallery 5:59.75 10

2 Tulloch, Daniel 05 Unattached 6:32.01 8

3 Drumwright, Andrew 04 Mallery 6:32.06 6

4 Tutt, Ammar 04 Athletes Academy 6:58.43 5

5 Truesdale, Johnathan 04 Mt. Airy Track Club 6:58.50 4

The Learning Curve at the UAGTCA Meets One and Two

Meet Number 1-- January 7, 2012

In the above picture, you will find Daniel Tulloch (Number 1420) getting ready to start the 800 Meter Run in the Indoor Track Competition at Widener University, Chester, Pa. This meet on January 7, 2012 was his first United Age Group Track Coaches Association, Inc. (UAGTCA) meet.

In the 800 Meter (1/2 Mile), he did not place, coming in at 14th with a time of 3 minutes 43.79 seconds. Daniel placed fourth in his heat (See picture above). The over all winner’s time was 3 minutes, 13.39 seconds. Before this event, he ran the 1500 Meter run receiving a second place ribbon. His time was 7 Minutes, 31.51 Seconds.

With outdoor track meets, participants can see what is going on and find out where to go so that they can be on time for events. This indoor meet was the most confusing meet that I have ever participated in. From the pictures, you can see that the place is packed, people could not hear the announcements and they had no signs posted to tell participants where to go to report for the races. Many people missed their race for that reason. But that is not a problem that was in our control. Next time we will be at the meet 30 minutes earlier so that we can find out what is going on since they do not announce a coaches meeting.

Daniel’s mother and I found out that our main problem was to have Daniel create a better “competitiveness” where he will go all out to win races. The children who he is running against from the many track clubs in the tri-state area at his age have this competitiveness. This puts Daniel at a psychological disadvantage. This looks like the priority that we will have to work on this year. He has until he is 9 years old to compete in Sub-Bantam. He is six and will be seven this year.

Meet Number 2 -- January 14, 2012

Daniel (left by wall) at the start of the 1500 Meter Run.

Daniel was a completely different person at this meet. He was more than competitive. He was aggressive. Before the 1500 Meter Race, he would not let a competitor ahead of him in the lineup. Daniel was number 14 and the other boy was number 13. I had to intervene. From the start of the 1500 Meter, Daniel moved out and tried to keep up with the leader. He finished second with a time of 7 Minutes 3.53 Seconds. First place finished with a time of 6 minutes, 16.48 Seconds.

Daniel (by wall) at the start of the 800 Meter Run.

Daniel went on to run the 800 Meter race. He was in the third heat placing 4^th with a time of 3 minutes, 41.69 seconds. Over all Daniel placed 18^th. The winning time was 3 minutes, 8.28 Seconds. We use the 800 Meter and the 400 Meter as a way to build his speed. His “bread and butter” races will be the 1500 Meter and longer.

Competing in the UAGTCA

Daniel Tulloch is a member of USATF but he also became a member of the United Age Group Track Coaches Association, Inc. (UAGTCA). The UAGTCA was conceived in the autumn of 1976 after a meeting of area track club representatives held at the Cliveden House, an auxiliary building of the Mallery Recreation Center in Philadelphia, PA. The outgrowth of that meeting was the formation of a relatively small organization, with an ambitious agenda and a goal, “To provide a quality, organized track and field program for the youth of the area”. The group held its first meet in the spring of 1977 and for over 30 years this has remained the primary focus of the UAGTCA. The group was formally incorporated as a Pennsylvania not for profit organization in October, 1977 and received favorable determination of its exempt status as a 501 (C) (3) organization effective February of that same year.

Philadelphia area athletes, in order to compete effectively, had to travel great distances in order to participate in competitions that could very easily be conducted in our local area. Lacking only the organization, a concept was born and embraced enthusiastically by a few energetic men and women on behalf of their organizations.

The ‘Brainchild’ of George Anderson, founder of the Mallery Challengers Track Club and a supervisor at the Mallery Recreation center, the UAGTCA offered very few benefits to its charter members, only the opportunity to work hard with the knowledge that 'failure was not an option’.

Perspective members were asked to make an initial financial commitment of fifty dollars per team in order to cover initial startup expenses. This requirement limited the initial membership greatly. The charter members, the Mallery Challengers Track Club, Oak Lane Youth Association, Philadelphia Express Track Club, Morris Estate Track Club, Mt. Carmel Baptist Church, Gazelle-Striders Track Club and the Mt. Airy Track Club were all Philadelphia based organizations which unfairly gave the impression that other groups were prohibited from joining. The later addition of the Wilmington Track Club, Camden City Track Club, the Perkiomen Valley Striders, Delco Stallions, Delaware Diamonds and the Willingboro Track Club helped to resolve the Philadelphia only perception. The UAGTCA was born.

There were not many great facilities available to the group in the beginning but the completion of ‘Marcus Foster Stadium’ in 1979 would allow our athletes the opportunity to train and compete in a state of the art facility. There would be no stopping us now. The support of the Philadelphia Department of Recreation and many others, allowed the UAGTCA to flourish through the many difficult times of those early years.

The group sponsored a series of competitions in the spring of 1977 that was effective, organized and quickly became accepted as the best youth developmental series available in the area. The group has been a constituent member of USA Track & Field and its predecessor "The Athletics Congress" (TAC) since its inception. The numbers, in the beginning, were modest with meets averaging between 200 - 300 athletes. The organization continued to enhance its’ reputation for staging quality competitions by hosting the 1981 TFA/USA National Age-Group Championship and the 1985 TAC National Age Group Championship. The UAGTCA was one of the first youth groups to use a computerized system to score a major competition; the UAGTCA quickly became a recognized leader in youth meet organization. The spring meets have continued, uninterrupted since that inaugural series and have enjoyed their greatest success in the new millennium. They now draw more than 1,000 athletes to our developmental meets and athletes from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and New York compete on a weekly basis. The Philadelphia area athletes no longer suffer the expense and inconvenience of exhaustive travel. They are now the hosts and enjoy the benefits of great local meets with excellent competition. The UAGTCA has seen the growth and development of many fine athletes and lists, a virtual who’s who, of track and field stars amongst it alumni.

They inaugurated our first Youth Invitational track meet in 2006. The meet was modeled after the 'East Coast Invitational' a highly regarded youth track meet that had become a national model for youth summer track and field meets. The UAGTCA Youth Invitational is a similar three day celebration that affords many athletes from the USA and abroad an opportunity to compete with other high caliber athletes at the peak of their season's conditioning. Many athletes use it as a springboard to National Competition. The UAGI is now broadcast live via the internet.

They have continued, undeterred, into the new millennium and it is our hope to provide this very vital service to the youth track and field community for as long as our resources permit. They believe that our goal, though difficult, is achievable as long as we continue to receive the help and support of our many friends.

New members are accepted each year with sponsorship by an existing member organization. By the way, "The Athletics Congress" (TAC) was the predecessor of USA Track & Field (USATF) organization that Daniel has been a member of for a year.

If you want more information about this organization, click on their website: http://www.uagtca.org/

Daniel had a light December training month but now he is ready to get back into track and field. Here is his Winter Indoor schedule.

Meet #1 will be at Widener University Chester, Pa., on 1/7/2012 at 9:00 AM. Daniel will run the 1500 Meter Run and the 800 Meter Run.


Meet #2 will again be at Widener University Chester, Pa. on 1/14/2012 at 9:00 AM. He will again run the 1500 Meter Run
And 800 Meter Run.


In February, we will go back for Meet #3 at Widener University Chester, Pa. on 2/11/2012 at 1:00 PM. This time Daniel will run the 1500 Meter Run and the 400 Meter Run.

All three meet will be his tune up meets for the 2012 Indoor Championship Meet at Lehigh University Bethlehem, Pa. on 2/19/2012 at 8:00 AM. At that time, Daniel will participate in the 400 Meter Run, the 800 Meter Run, and the 1500 Meter Run.

Children who come in first, second, or third will receive UAGTCA Championship Medals. Children placing fourth, fifth, and six will receive ribbons.

UAGTCA will give Daniel the opportunity to warm up for USATF in med-June by participating in the May 2012 Spring UAGTCA meets and entering into the 2012 outdoor Championship meet at Charles Martin Stadium in Philadelphia, Pa. on June 2, 2012 at 8:00 AM.

The Governor’s Christmas Open House

The Governor and his family live on the second floor of the residents. This picture was taken from the top of the steps into the Grand Hall Entrance. The front door of this hall leads to this Christmas tree. (Taken by the Harrisburg Patriot News)

On Sunday Dec.11, 2011, I went to the Governor’s Christmas Open House at his residents at 2035 N. Front St. in Harrisburg. There is no cost to attend the holiday tours or open house and reservations are not required. All guests are welcomed to come. There is no cost to attend the holiday tours or open house. Reservations are not required.

However, no cameras, large bags, purses or totes are permitted. If you come with these items you will not be permitted to enter the compound. Pictures are permitted outside on the grounds. But anyone taking pictures inside the house will be escorted out and off the property.

When I visit the governor’s house, I like looking at the silverware given to the state by the US Navy. This set of silver was part of the silverware used on the Battleship USS Pennsylvania.

http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-p/bb38.htm

This is a picture of the Battleship USS Pennsylvania on a battleship exercise in the Pacific.

This is a box used to house the USS Pennsylvania Silverware. It was part of the silver set used on the Battleship USS Pennsylvania. It is currently in the china case in the hallway on the first floor of the Governor's residents.

Here are silver whine glasses that was used on the USS Battleship Pennsylvania. It is currently in the china case in the hallway on the first floor of the Governor's residents.

This is part of the Tea Set that was used on the Battleship USS Pennsylvania. It is currently in the china case in the hallway on the first floor of the Governor's residents.

The full collection of the silver used on the Battleship USS Pennsylvania is on display in the Governor's Residence for the public to see. It is a very beautiful collection of silver settings.

The holiday tours will run from noon to 2 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 12, 13 and 14.