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MMA Name-Droppage...Part I...

Wednesday, 10 August 2011 02:40

The majority of the committee has been intact for almost a decade and those who have departed, have done so amiably. Two new members--Steve Stenzel and Ben Hanson--have been added this year.

The MTN Guys thought it would be fun to speculate on who will receive nominations this year. Our research suggests that there might be a lot of new names in the nominations mix this fall, which would be totally cool.

Here's how we see it at this point, knowing of course that things can still change dramatically and surprises may be on the horizon. Hey, at this time last season, no one had heard of Claire Bootsma. She kicked off her tri racing career the last weekend in August (2010) and raced often and well enough after that to earn a Rookie of the Year nomination.

Here's Part I of our category-by-category musings:

* Rookie of the Year - 2010 was a fantastic year for rooks, perhaps the best ever, though 2003 and 2008 also fielded great crops of first-year athletes. However, this year may resemble 2007, when only two Rookies truly distinguished themselves among our region's elites. There appears to be only one can't miss nominee at this point: Ruth Brennan Morrey, 35, of Rochester. This elite runner-turned-multisporter has only raced in four tris/dus, three of which were in 2011. She won two of those races--Falls Duathlon and RochesterFest Olympic. Her non-winning effort may have been her most impressive performance, however. She placed 3rd in her half iron debut at Chisago against a field of decorated veterans.

We also hope that Duluth's Elaine Nelson races a few more times this season. The Nordic ski star has raced twice, winning the Life Time-Minneapolis citizens triathlon and placing 3rd at Brewhouse. She needs one more great performance to land a ROY nomination. Gosh, we hope she does.

* Junior of the Year - We've discussed Minnesota's top 19Us in recent posts. Our research suggests that Greta Danielson, 19, of St. Cloud, and Hannah Strom, 18, of Woodbury are totally nomination-worthy for the girls award. And it's possible that Greta's sister, Paige, 15, may also receive one. Also, if Nipigon, Ontario's talented Kayla Kjellman races in at least one more Minnesota event, she should garner serious consideration. Kjellman, 19, won the TwinCities Sprint and placed 4th at Brewhouse. Yeah, she's good.

We plan to scrutinize the 2011 resume of last year's JOY, Kate Lowrey. She's probably done a few out-of-state races that we are currently unaware of.

Out-of-state boys could collect three nominations. South Dakota's Caleb Vukovich, Manitoba's Riley Unger and western Wisconsin's Tyler Hecht, in our opinion, have raced often enough and impressively enough on Minnesota soil to deserve serious consideration.

Then there's Long Lake's Brandon Onopa, 19. Vukovich and Unger seem to be the fastest guys in this group. Onopa, however, has raced more often (on Minnesota soil) and has faced stiffer competition.

* Master of the Year - For the guys, we suspect that at least two members of the "Usual Suspect" list will earn nominations. We're talking about Brian Bich and Greg Taylor, both of whom have won the MOY on multiple occasions.

Now for the new names. We think that Kevin O'Connor, who turned 40 last spring, richly deserves a nomination. And we think that Charlie Roach, 53, of Lakeville, who has yet to receive a MMA nomination, deserves serious consideration this year. He's been phenomenal in 2011.

So has Taggart Downare, 41. But The Tagster has to contend with the standards set by O'Connor and Bich, who are two of the best masters triathletes that the US has EVER produced.

For the women, "Usual Suspects" Jan Guenther (photo - Jan has won an unprecedented 15 MMAs), Heidi Keller-Miler and Sarah Mercer are strong nomination candidates. 2010 nominee Julia Weisbecker probably needs 1-2 more great performances in order to receive a '11 nomination. The new name that could make the list is Ann Snuggerud, who is enjoying a breakout season.

Gillian Auslander may also have an outside shot, but needs 1-2 more BIG performances this season. If Gillian rocks Ironman Louisville, say reaching the 40-44W podium in a 10:50 or faster, her stock will rise significantly.

There's soooooo much masters talent in this state. We hope that MMA selectors consider nominating five athletes per gender. This may open some doors for hard-racing guys like Tag Downare.

* Grand Master of the Year - Perennially dominant triathletes Ben Ewers and Pam Stevens appear to be shoo-ins here. They simply don't lose against regional competition. Heck, they rarely lose against national foes.

Who should join Ben and Pam on the GMOY nominees list? We think that previously un-nominated Mike Colaizy, 61, of Osceola, WI deserves serious consideration. He's been setting divisional records left and right this season.

Other possible nominees? Hank Larsen, 71, of course. And we strongly believe that Lisa Wheeler, 60, of Bloomington-via-Hudson (photo L), WI deserves serious consideration here, too.

Tomorrow we'll analyze the Most Improved, Performance, Duathlete and Triathlete of the Year categories. We encourage comments. Understand however, that the athletes you recommend should be FAST. Their times should reflect the performance standards set over the years by our state's best athletes. Being a frequent divisional champ or even winning a race once in a while, is not enough. The quality of the field needs to be considered, as should the relationship between your recommended athletes(s) times and the applicable race records. Yes, mitigating circumstances like weather conditions needed to factored, also.