Stan Druckrey, Part 2: Competing “Down Under”

One morning in March 1972, as I was teaching Physical Education, a phone call came for me in the principal’s office. The national Amateur Athletic Union wanted to know if I could travel with a small U.S. track squad to compete in several meets in Australia over the next few days. I loved the idea of being part of the team, and our principal was very supportive. The school superintendent gave permission for me to take (unpaid) time off.
 
Immediately I called the AAU back and asked whether my wife could travel with the team. They said yes, but I would have to pay her expenses. I called Nancy at the hospital where she worked as a nurse. She got the okay to go. If the hospital had said no, she would have quit.
 
In the next few days, we went to the Australian consulate in Chicago to get some paperwork done, visited a federal office to get passports, and got the required shots in downtown Milwaukee. We were to meet the rest of the U.S. team in San Francisco; this would be our first flight on a 747.
 
The long and winding road to Sydney
 
At this point our luck ran out. The plane was delayed for 4 hours. By the time we got to San Francisco, we had missed the flight with the U.S. team.
 
To get to Sydney, Australia, and meet up with the team, we flew overnight to Honolulu. When we arrived the next morning we learned that our next flight wouldn’t take off until that evening, so we had the whole day to see the sights. Fortunately, we had just received a credit card that I had applied for while in Toronto.
 
We rented a car and started our sightseeing tour. At Waikiki Beach, we rolled up our pants and went into the water. We were able to visit all the important sights before heading back to the hotel.
 
That evening as our plane to Sydney taxied down the runway, the pilot took us to a remote spot on the airport property. Everyone had to get off the plane. Workers removed all the luggage and asked everyone to claim theirs. One piece of luggage wasn’t claimed. Nancy pointed this out to an airport worker. They left that bag on the tarmac, everyone got back on the plane, and we left for Sydney. We all thought that the delay was due to a bomb threat.
 
Racing to the meet  
 
Our plane made a stop in Fiji, and we finally arrived in Sydney around noon. Of course no one was there to greet us. There was supposed to be a track meet that day, so we checked a local newspaper to learn the location. We took a cab there and found the coach of the U.S. team. He said the meet would start in about an hour, and if I wanted to run the 110 meter high hurdles, he would get me into the race. Of course I said yes. I finished second in the race – on a grass track. It was an interesting experience.
 
Afterward, we met the rest of the U.S. team. I remember Wayne Collett, who won a silver medal in the 400 meters at the ’72 Olympics. There was also a woman who ran the 100 and 200 meters during this tour. I can’t recall her name, but she was tall (about my height), and I saw her again later in the year at the Penn Relays.
 
We finally learned what else would happen on this trip. To our surprise, the team was going to fly to three other cities: Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth. That meant we had to pay for Nancy’s plane fare. Thank goodness we got that credit card. I would fly in first class while Nancy flew in coach, because there were no remaining seats in first class.
 
We flew to Melbourne for the next meet on the track from the 1956 Summer Olympics. Our head coach (I don't remember his name) was from Western Washington State University. He was a very good coach who offered advice on our workouts. He also had designed his own starting blocks to use for a three-point start. The footpads were twice as long as usual. I worked with them several times while in Australia, and the coach sent me a set when we got home.
 
I do remember one workout I did with Wayne Collett. I still use it today. You sprint 8 x 100 meters on the track: 4 into the turn and 4 out of the turn. You jog 100m between each sprint.
 
Our last meet was the Australian National Championships. I finished second in the 110 meter high hurdles. After that meet we flew back to Sydney, then to LA; and Nancy and I spent several days visiting my brother in Palm Springs. What a trip!

​Stan Druckrey
 
Next up, Part 3: The Olympic Trials