Fast Break: Motor racing not just for boys now
Motor racing
It’s not just for boys now
Sarah Fisher recalls hearing tales about how there was a time when women weren’t allowed in the pits at the Indianapolis 500.
Those days are long gone.
Fisher is one of three female drivers who will take part in today’s Indy 500. Last year, the three drivers – Fisher, Danica Patrick (in photo) and Milka Duno – were part of Indy history. That race marked the first time three women participated.
This year, there hasn’t been much attention given to the three, something that might indicate progress. The three drivers aren’t an oddity anymore; they’re part of the fabric of the race.
“Girls at the speedway, who would have thought?” said Fisher, who will make her eighth Indy 500 start.
Track and field
Bofa repeats in men’s 800
Emmanuel Bofa came from behind over the final 100 meters to repeat as national champion of the men’s 800 meters Saturday at the NCAA Division III Track and Field Championships at Marietta (Ohio) College. Bofa’s win led the Whitworth men to a tie for sixth place in the final standings.
Bofa, a junior from Puyallup, Wash., won in 1:48.77, setting a school record and breaking the stadium mark he set Friday in the preliminary heats.
Whitworth got two other All-American performances Saturday. Jeff Kintner finished fourth in the shot (56-91/4), while Cody Stelzer was sixth in the high jump (6-9).
Elizabeth Mattila, Whitworth’s only woman in the meet, earned an All-America honor by finishing fifth in the 400 hurdles with a time of 1:02.51.
Hockey
Babcock loves those Swedes
He wasn’t laughing so much earlier, but even Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock mustered a smile about the Jeremy Roenick affair Friday night when he was asked on “Hockey Night in Canada” whom he liked better, American, Canadian or Swedish players.
“Well, on this team I like Swedes, obviously,” Babcock said. “I was scared to death that they said I had reservations against Swedes. I would have had to hug a lot of guys this morning.”
Roenick, a former Blackhawks player, said on a TV show Thursday that Babcock, a former Spokane Chiefs coach, had anti-American hockey player sentiments and treated player Chris Chelios poorly.