Friday, Oct. 3, 2003 | 9:14 a.m.
A RECENT PIECE IN SPORTS ILLUSTRATED reminded me of other great athletes who have come from rural Nevada.
In May 1977 I had the opportunity to speak at Nevada's Austin High School graduation. We also had dinner with the graduates and their families at the local hotel. Graduation is something special in small towns and the young people in the rural areas have always impressed me. Austin, Gerlach, Lund and several other rural areas have all produced some gems.
In Austin I sat with graduate Lane Maestretti, who was an outstanding athlete. He was especially accomplished as a pole vaulter. The high school and entire town sits on the side of hills and I was wondering where he could practice vaulting. He told me his father and grandfather prepared a pit down in the lowlands outside of town. Grandfather used to go down when he was practicing and watch his step. It was a family affair.
Lane went on to compete for the Nevada Wolf Pack where his 17' 4" pole vault is still the record. He also held the school's decathlon record until it was broken by Enoch Borozinski, who was the NCAA 1994 decathlon champion.
Today Lane is an executive with UCS Spirit in Carson City where they make 10,000 vaulting poles a year and send them all over the world. Today's champions use UCS Spirit vaulting poles.
In January the company puts on a clinic in Reno, where the best competitors display their talents and wares. Attendance at this year's clinic was 2,000 people.
What made me think about Lane was the following item from Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd": "Zack Lloyd, Ely, Nev. Zack a senior at White Pine High is the 2003 national shot put champion and ranks No. 1 in the nation for high school boys with a throw of 66' 7". He was named to USA Today's All-USA high school boys' track and field team." Yes, as Clark County has grown beyond 1.5 million residents, we sometimes forget about the rest of the state and the people who live in rural areas. As a Rebel fan I look forward to Saturday night when our team will be facing the Wolf Pack in Reno. This is always an exciting game and Saturday will continue to provide lifetime memories for the participants. One of the big challenges for the Rebels will be the Pack's Chance Kretschmer who has already placed high in the record books. Last week he carried the ball for 120 yards against Southern Methodist University.
Chance, who lives on a ranch, graduated from Tonopah High School.
The return of troops to the U.S. and families in Germany for R & R has to be a real morale booster. Some of the duty in Iraq has to be both dangerous and wearing on the nerves. Guerrilla warfare and acts of civilian terrorism aren't pleasant under any circumstances.
Most of our military people during World War II went away to war and came home only when the job was finished. Some of the soldiers and Marines left for action in 1941 and 1942 and again saw the Golden Gate or Statue of Liberty in 1945.
Five years later, during the war in Korea, an R & R system with five days in nearby Japan were awarded after six months in action. In late 1951 and 1952 the need for prisoners resulted in a special five-day R & R for men who brought one in for interrogation. The best part of going to Japan was getting clean uniforms, hot baths, cold beer, bed sheets, delicious food and lots of sleep. While relaxing, our rifles were cleaned and checked for any problems. At the end of five days it was back into action.
During the Vietnam War I talked to American military people in Hong Kong, Manila and Sydney who were on leave from combat. Exactly what the arrangements were for their R & R or how long they were on leave, I don't recall.
It was a pleasant surprise to see two commercial airlines make special fares available for troops from Iraq to get home from where the military planes dropped them off in the U.S. They have earned as many days as possible with their loved ones before returning to Iraq.
We knew the Sun had a winner when writer Jennifer Shubinski joined us. She has been awarded the 2003 Best Print Media Award by the Texas Council of Child Welfare Boards. Her award was for newspapers with a daily circulation of over 150,000.
It is a piece of work the Nevada legislators should have read before they slammed shut the doors of the Southern Nevada Children's Home in 1997.
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