Rising star to be reserve

Press, 7 March 1988, Page 25

Rising star to be reserve

PA Wellington The Oklahoma-based New Zealander, Jackie Goodman, has been named first reserve for the women's team to the World Cross-country Championships in Auckland later this month. Although the six-member starting line-up was named after the trials at Ellerslie on February 28. the selectors delayed naming the two reserves and the women's team to the world 15km championships in Adelaide until yesterday. Goodman has been studying at Oklahoma University and training under a coach, Dick Weis, with a fellow New Zealander, Christine McMiken, for two years.- i Both athletes were given leave not to attend the trial and although McMiken’s exemption was expected — she finished seventh at the 1986 world cross-country; championships — Goodman's caused some comment. The convener of selectors. Mr Ron Cain, said that this year the situation had been "very, very difficult" for picking a women's team. “We had a new youngster in Jackie Goodman (whom a lot of people did not know.

She has not a great dear of background in New Zealand, but in the States she is a young runner starting to hit the limelight.”

Mr Cain said Goodman was consistently finishing in the top three in her inter-collegi-ate races, and had a personal best of 9:17 over 3000 m, clocked -in February in a solo run on boards indoors. Mr Cain said he was not expecting top much backlash over Goodman's selection as a reserve, but if she had made the full team there would have ;been a "terrible lot of criticism."

“We went! through a lot of flak when we named Christine McMiken three or four years ago but she came out and finished seventh in the world. | !

"In our opinion, and on advice from the States, we think Jackie is every bit as good as Christine, even at an earlier age:. Her prospects look very bright.” Goodman (is being accorded full team status and is being flown home) to enter the prechampionship camp on March 19. ( She is expected to arrive on March (16 and compete with the rest of the team over a 3000 m cross-country at

Mann re wa on March 19. Mr Cain said Goodman would ruh two or three races in New Zealand to “let the critics seh what she is made of.” | Taranaki’s Sonia Barry, who finished th trial in fifth place to make the team, strained a ligament in a foot early last month and must produce a doctor’s certificate before she can run at the world (championships on March 26. If Barry or any of the other team members withdrew. New Zealand had a very good back-up in Goodmap, Mr Cain said. An Aucklander, Debbie Elsmore, who has a solid cross-country background and finished {sixth at the trials, is the second reserve. Elsmore was also named to lead the four-member team to the world 15km championships on March 19. The other team members — all Aucklanders -J- are Glenys Kroon, who finished twenty-seventh in the last world 15km championships in 1986: Lesley Morton, (who was forty-ninth in the same race; and Anne Ross. I The Reserves are Wendy Breed (Hamilton) and Brenda Ballingel' (New Plymouth).