Ruschmeyer's change of training tactics leads to 1979 Rye Gift win (The Age 35 years ago today - 8th January)

From the Age archives  - an article about Brian Ruschmeyer's 1979 Rye Gift win.

Togetherness puts Brian in the winner’s circle

By Trevor Grant
The Age
Monday 8th January 1979

For 10 years sprinter Brian Ruschmeyer insisted on training on his own every night.

It was not that he did not get on with his fellow professionals but he felt it was the best way to make a name for himself.

But limited success convinced him that being a loner was not for him.

So recently he switched methods and began training with friend and accomplished runner Ian Smethurst at Keon Park.

Instantly a change came in Ruschmeyer’s form - the latest success being a winning a double at the Rye Gift on Saturday – in the space of 10 minutes.

Running from the limit mark of 11.75 metres in the Gift, Ruschmeyer 30, scored a comfortable win in 12 seconds over Ian Whittaker (10.25) and Ray Chambers (6.75).

Before the Gift he won the 70 metres final, earning $780 for the day.

The double follows a string of minor placings – second in the 70 metre finals at Geelong and Echuca, third in the 70 metres at Maryborough and third in the Echuca Gift.

“My improvement has to be attributed to a change in training tactics. I guess I was in the wilderness for too long,” he said after his win.

Ruschmeyer, a 4-1 outsider was helped by the scratching of the final favourite Gary Gray.

Gift Heat Winners
S Crockford (10.00) 12.6
B Reddan (8.75) 12.5
G Weir (7.00) 12.6
G Burgess (7.75) 12.3
R Chambers (6.75) 12.2
M Burns (4.50) 12.4
P Elliott (6.25) 12.4
G Gray (4.50) 12.3
I Whittaker (10.25) 12.0
A Dobric (9.00) 12.4
E Cumming (6.00) 12.2
G Lewis (2.00) 12.3

SEMI FINALS
SF1
1 M Burns (4.50) 12.3
2 R Chambers (6.75)

SF2
1 G Gray (4.50) 12.1
2 I Whittaker (10.25)

SF3
1 E Cumming (6.00) 12.3
2 B Ruschmeyer (11.75)

FINAL
1 Brian Ruschmeyer (11.75)
2 Ian Whittaker (10.25)
3 Ray Chambers (6.75)
Time: 12.0

70m FINAL – B Ruschmeyer (8.50) 7.3

90m Novice FINAL – S Gibbons (7.75) 10.3

400m Backmarkers FINAL – B McInnes (17) 47.3

400m Frontmarkers FINAL – W Jack (52) 46.9

1600m Backmarkers – J Pryor (100) 4-06

1600m Frontmarkers – J Brown (200) 4-04

Interesting the three semi final winners all didnt run a place.

One wonders if Ruschmeyers change of tactics was matched by his competitors lack of desire to win!

more interested in the fact he hadnt won his heat or semi and got up to win. Pretty solid effort to squeak through and get up. Not being present in 1979 I was trying to get what I could from the written results.

Was Ryes status back then higher or lower than it is now?

Was A.Dobric the father to D.Dobric? If so it would mean three of the heat winners would be fathers of future pro runners given Ian Whittaker has produced Darren and Greg Lewis has produced Tamsyn and Justin.

Is it Andy Dobric from Scotland?

Paul Elliott won a heat off 6.25 at Rye by the time he got to Stawell in 1979 where he finalled running 3rd he ran off 9.25.
Assume the field was lifted for Warren Edmondson?

Trackstar wrote:Is it Andy Dobric from Scotland?

Paul Elliott won a heat off 6.25 at Rye by the time he got to Stawell in 1979 where he finalled running 3rd he ran off 9.25.
Assume the field was lifted for Warren Edmondson?

Scottish athlete you are thinking of might be Andy Sobik.

Interesting that in 1979 four Rye heat winners went on to win heats at Stawell.

Paul Elliott: Rye 6.25/Stawell 9.25
Gary Weir: 7.00/8.50
Greg Burgess:  7.75/9.25
Eric Cumming 6.00/7.00

And Malcolm Burns had 5.75 at Stawell but broke in heat one.

While Elliott ultimately ran 3rd at Stawell behind Noel McMahon, Burgess was backed from 50/1 to 7/2 on the Easter Saturday morning before the Stawell Gift heats. Burgess was beaten in the Stawell semi final by eventual runner-up George McNeil. (Source - the Stawell Gift Almanac by Gary Watt)