Curtis Beach, the NCAA champion in the 2012 indoor pentathlon, showed that he’s still quick on his feet eight years later by winning a unique, multi-event competition at Westmont College’s Thorrington Field.
The former Duke athlete won the Thoreson 30 – a decathlon in which the 10 events must be completed in 30 minutes. He scored 6,242 points (his personal best in the two-day decathlon is 8,084) in the competition, which was sponsored by the Santa Barbara Track Club.
The event was held in memory of Dave Thoreson, a former Westmont College decathlete and U.S. National Team member who taught for 34 years at La Colina Junior High School. Thoreson, who invented the 30-minute decathlon challenge, passed away on Oct. 10 at the age of 77. He once held the world record in the timed competition with 6,233 points.
Beach surpassed 700 points in three events: the 100 meters (11.54), the long jump (6.70 meters / 21 feet, 11.75 inches), and the 1500 meters (4:34.04).
Santa Barbara Track Club decathlete Tom FitzSimons finished second with 5,824 points while two-time Olympian Sharon Day-Monroe took third in 4,860. Monroe had the day’s lone 800-plus performance, earning 827 points with a shot put of 47 feet, 6.5 inches.
Evan Weinstock, who competed in last year’s Winter Olympics in the bobsled, returned to his tgrack and field roots by scoring 4,452 ponts. He ran the best 100-meter time of 11.38.
Travis Smelley, a Westmont alum, also cracked the 4,000-point barrier with a score of 4,051.
The SBTC will kick off its 12-week youth program next month. Information is available at santabarbaratc.com.
AUTO RACING
CHAMLEE WINS POINTS TITLE
Chamlee wins 14th Class 7 Score Season Points Championship
The Factory Racing team and driver Dan Chamlee, winners of last year’s class 7 race at the Baja 1000, were honored as the SCORE season points champion during an awards presentation at the San Diego Air and Space Museum last Saturday.
It marked Chamlee’s 14th season championship.
He was also honored for winning the Milestone Award, given to teams who complete every mile of every race of the season. Out of the 1,002 drivers who started the races, only 43 completed all 1,802.68 required miles in the four-race 2018 SCORE World Desert Championship.
Chamlee’s Factory Racing team truck placed fourth at San Felipe, Mexico, and took second at the Baja 500, before winning both the Lucerna Desert Challenge and the Baja 1000 to vault into first place. The championship will allow him to retain the 700 number that signifies the champion for the following season.
His co-drivers were Kurt Kimball, Amy Tate, Stephanie Chamlee, and Dave Owens. The crew was lead by his wife, Laurie, and included many volunteers who supported, fixed and chased the truck around Baja. Chamlee’s sponsors include BF Goodrich, King Shocks, Rod End Supply, Sunoco Race Fuels, Full Throttle Battery and sPOD.
ICE SKATING
Local pair advance to nationals
Sam Alen and Sage Kerst placed second in the intermediate pairs at the Pacific Coast Sectionals to earn one of 12 spots at this weekend’s U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Detroit, Mich.
Alen, a 17-year-old San Marcos High student, and Kerst, a 13-year-old who attends Santa Barbara Junior High, train at Goleta’s Ice in Paradise with coaches Cedric and Elizabeth Laignier.
The local duo, who began skating together only last year, had earlier won the Southern California Sectionals in Anaheim to earn a berth at Regionals, which were held in Utah.
The Nationals will be held Saturday and can be followed at nbcsports.com beginning at 9:30 a.m. PST.
