2007 National High School Federation
Track & Field Rule Changes

Changes, Points of Emphasis, Comments,
Weight Event Sectors, & Pole Weight Rules in Vault
What's new for 2007!

Southern California Roadrunner Founder Passes On

 
Coach Japs and a So Cal Roadrunners Camp Gathering

photo by Ruth Wysocki
1968 AAU Champs - Roadrunners with National Champ
Ruth Wysocki - Ruth top center was SCRR team member next year

More Pictures of Coach Japs his life and the Roadrunners

From Dr. Mike Leong:

Mr. Japs will have a graveside service on Friday Jan. 19th at 1PM at Hermosa Gardens cemetary behind the Arrowhead Regional medical center off Meridian . This is located between the border of the City of Colton and Rialto. A Memorial service is planned for Sat. Jay 20th. Site and time to be announced. I will keep you informed and hopefully by tommorow.
Mike Leong

Coach Dave Japs , renowned Rialto High School cross country and track coach died in his home this evening as he was preparing to attend the Roadrunners End of Season banquet.

Coach Japs founded the Rialto Roadrunners in 1961 as one of the first running club for girls .They became the Southern California Roadrunners in 1979, the premier youth distance club in America by winning over 50 youth national titles including this year. Coach Japs was selected as national Junior CC coach and National Race Walking coach in the 70¢s. Coach Japs coached such notable athletes as Olympian Ruth Wysocki, Frankie (3:53 mile) and Chuck Assuma also Sue Brodock: National and World Record holder in race walking. He always had powerful distance teams at Rialto High school , and was always a fixture sitting in his chair at distance meets.

Dave changed thousands of lives by introducing the sport of distance running to the youth of the Inland Empire .Hundreds of his runners went on to run in college because of his hard work and support. Coach Dr Mike Leong broke the sad news to over 300 runners and parents at tonight's banquet.

Editor's Note: (could not leave out Will Stephens per Jerry Colman's suggestion--now calling it a trio)  If there was a trio to be named the "fathers of Caifornia female prep distance running," it would be Dave Japs, Will Stephens of the greater Sacramento area, and current San Jose State Coach Augie Argabright. The excellence that their clubs, the So Cal Roadrunners, Wills Spikettes, and the San Jose Cindergals, carried up from the age-group to the prep ranks when official CIF competition for Girls was started in the 1970's kind of set the tone that has been followed ever since. If you competed at the championship level ever since the beginning of CIF statewide competition it was often their athletes out front inviting the competition to compete in their wake at a level that would be at the absolute elite level nationally. Names such as Su-Mei Lee, Kathy Weston (Nevada prep for Wills Spikettes), Ann Regan, Cheri Wiliams, and others were but of a few developed by these groups who helped set the tone for Golden State running ever since. The male Roadrunner group was part of a magical era of Inland Empire distance running in Southern California also with the Assuma twins and others who came forth from that club.
Doug Speck
DyeStatCal.com

 
pictures by Karen Villafuerte