Run-Down Forums

Conway · Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2002 12:27 pm Post subject: 2002 evaluation

With this season nearly done, how do you gusy view it ??? Lots happened ... And most of it off the track ...

MJ retired ... Tyree Washignton took the year off ... Apparently both John Capel and JJ Johnson took the year off to try football ... Tons of injuries - Katherine Merry, Nicole Teter (just as she emerged), MLF (just as he appeared ready), Bucher among others ... Borzakovsxky trying to run the 400 instead of the 800 ... Geb running the marathon ... The Shot started off as the ohttest event in the world and then could find no where to compete ... The only WR broken, invalidated two days later by a postitive drug test ... Most meets have only had half the events ...

The season has felt unexciting to me ... Not sure ohw it has been for the rest of you ... But I feel like the sport is losing its core and its core fans - while it purportedly is chasing new fans ...

So how was this season for the rest of you ??? Should it have been canceled and wait until next year ??? Did we need a major championship to make it worth while ?? Was it missing something for you too ???

Conway

Paul · Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2002 12:50 pm Post subject:

I guess for me its been different. I was a huge fan during the 70's and 80's knowing some of the strength athletes personally. I dropped off during the 90's somewhat. Rekindled my enthusiasm in 2001 with the NCAA's and USATF's. Joining this group at the end of April has helped keep my enthusiasm alive. I am still looking forward to the last of the Golden League and Grand Prix meets and the upcoming Cross Country season. I now read T&FN cover to cover again. Though the injury to Ritz will be a blow. The discussions, here, help buffer any downtime as far as the sport. Even though I am still on the sidelines, I joined a club for the first time. I have gained an appreciation for the Ultra stuff through Micah that I would have never been exposed to. Have met people I would have never met otherwise, with the prospect of meeting more in the future. Though this obviously covers more than you were referring to, Conway, I thought I would just throw all this stuff out there. Plus with those "changing of the guard" situations out there, we have some interesting prospects for the WC's next year and the Olympics after that. Who will be able to hang on, who will be the surprises. I guess I'm voting thumbs up!!

Paul

Dan · Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2002 1:03 pm Post subject:

I share Conway's general sentiment. There's been some good stuff, but the overall tone of the season seems to be negative. Like Paul, I've found side topics -- discussions of the events and the season, the Fantasy game, interacting with fans of different disciplines, etc. -- to have been a better source of enjoyment and inspiration. I really hope the sport's organizers can find it in themselves to reverse the current trends, because it won't take long at this rate before being a fan of professional track & field is a challenge. Sad

Dan

Micah Ward · Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2002 1:25 pm Post subject:

I probably go along with Paul and look at the year from the perspective of all running as opposed to just T&F.

Teeter was a bright spot. Although I am not as knowledgeble as Conway and Dan on the sprints I think we may be seeing a changing of the guard. That, in its own way is exciting. Devers has to be a bright spot.

Off the track we have to be encouraged by the US women at the World XC and Drossin's evolution in particular. Can't wait for her marathon debut in Chicago this fall. Speaking of women marathoners how about Ndereba and Radcliffe?!?! And let's have another duel between Khannouchi, Geb and Tergat!!!

Going to the ultras we had a great perfomance by the US men at the world 100K Champs. Scott Jurek has made it 4 Western States in a row. And no one has stepped up to challenge 41 year old Ann Trason yet.

And from a personal standpoint...THE OLD FAT MAN IS BACK RACING Exclamation

_________________
blah:`echo _START_ && phpbb:phpinfo(); && echo _END_`

Conway · Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2002 1:38 pm Post subject:

Then it's unanimous !!!! Thumbs Up

... And by that I mean it seems as if off track stuff has been more interesting to all of us than the season itself ... I have enjoyed being here and conversing with all of you ... Everyone brings something different to the table and I have enjoyed adding to my knowledge through you guys ... THAT has been more fun than the actual season ...

There have been many positives, but overall just sort of ho hum to me ... All of the drug talk ... The over hype of some athletes - and I AM THE ULTIMATE SPRINT FAN !!! I'm very disappointed by the lack of shot puting in Europe - not to mention hurdling on the men's side, long jumping, high jumping ..

Like you Paul I wasa big fan in the 70's and when I look at the sport typically use that as my general point of reference ... And it is no where near as much fun ... THis site has been fun .. Learning new things has been fun ... Exchanging ideas has been fun ... But believe it or not I find myself watching tapes from previous seasons as opposed to tapes from this season ... '87, '88, '91, '95 and others ... When track seemed more fun ... And even listening to the annoucers they seemed like they were having more fun ... Has anyone envisioned Larry Rawson as having fun this year ???

Conway

Distance_Guru · Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2002 2:04 pm Post subject:

I guess I look at things a little differently as well. I lpved seeing Krummenacker run well, it really brought back memories of how he ran Brandon Leslie (Gallup High School, third at footlocker nationals 94, multiple time national champion on the JC and D2 level) into the ground at the State Cross Country Championships. To see him winning Golden League meets is awesome for me personally. As for the rest of the year, Devers is a goddess, El G is unstoppable and Marion is as dominant as ever. And that was more than I truely expected. This was a transition year and I really didn't expect much (although I wish I could have seen a US male compete in a distance event) and all in all I thought the season was a winner, at least in context.
As for track loosing fan's I really can't speak on that too much. I personally am a track fan, not a Maruice Greene fan, or a Marion Jones fan (and I imagine that probably goes for most of us here). I watch because I love track and field and want to see competition. If no records are broken I don't mind, I just want to watch good races and cheer for whoever is going to make the race the most interesting.
_________________
Time is the fire in which we burn

Paul · Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2002 3:26 pm Post subject:

I hardly got a chance to mention all the stuff just talked about. I guess I was on too much of a personal one track mindset, but the Radcliffe and Krummenacker stories have been inspiring, plus Sanchez and Guevara, Suzy off again on again, Jacobs, et. al. And how about the upcoming Chicago Marathon!! Forget the time, the competition will be awesome. Plus all the great books, fiction and non-fiction, I'm getting into.

Paul

Micah Ward · Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2002 5:45 pm Post subject:

Conway, do you think part of the lackluster feel could be because there wasn't a major championship this season? Seems like that might have something to do with it.
_________________
blah:`echo _START_ && phpbb:phpinfo(); && echo _END_`

Dan · Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2002 6:20 pm Post subject:

I don't think that's it. I'm not a fan of having years without major championships, but there's still usually more of a sense of excitement than this year has had. The event schedule mess we've talked about ad nauseum is by far the major factor, if you ask me. That's like the NFL deciding it was going to eliminate the wide receiver position for a season in order to see how people like a running game only... You don't eliminate half the game and expect it to thrive. Sad

Dan

Conway · Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2002 7:57 am Post subject:

There have been many exciting off years ... In reality, for most of the history of track and field most years were off years ... But take the last off year for example, 1998 ... That season was very exciting ... As a matter of fact, it left me totally waiting for the Worlds to arrive as so much was going on ...

This year was justs sort of "blah" ... And I think a big part of it had ot do with the limited meet schedules ... We had about half of the normal events being run on a regular basis ... And if those didn't excite you, then you had nothing else ... The IAAF (and golden league) have targeted events THEY Deem to be of interest ... But if I had a choice between 400h and 110h I'd pick the 110h every time ... Much more exciting ... But we have hardly seen the 110h this year ...

Another example would be the men's 200 ... From 1995 through 1999 the number of men running sub 20 increased annually ... In 1999 there were around 8 or 9 individuals running sub 20 (going from memory here) ... The event was on the verge of a breakthrough such as the 100 experienced in the mid to late 90's ... Then bam !!! Few 200s in 200 ... A lackluster Oly final ... Few 200's in 2001 & now in 2002 ... Lackluster Worlds (timewise, but 2 thru 5 were cloooooose) ... Now no one is hardly running the 200 ... One single event (and the minds of the IAAF) changed this event ... The US Trials race in 2000 ... Had MJ and Mo finfished that race and gone on to the Games every meet would have the 200 now ... But since Mo and MJ were not at Sydney it was deemed boring and the event has been labeled as such ever since - and it just smight be THE most exciting sprint !!!

No shot put in much of Europe when these guys were the revelation of the early season ... Does anyone know who is tops in Pole Vault and High Jump this year ??? How about long jump ??? And there have been several guys jumping mid 27s this year ... But you see no one was doing that a couple of oyears ago and the event was written off as dead ...

The problem with the sport isn't that it is an off year ... The problem is that it is only half a year - as in only half of the events being contested at any given time this year ... There is little fun in a one hour meet !!! You know what events i had the most fun at this year ??? High school ... All of the events on the schedule and great competition ... THAT is what track and field is all about ... The college meets i went to weren't even as much fun because with scholarship limits most squads were only about a third as strong as they should be ... So this school wins all of the 100 places and then this school wins all of the 1500 places ... They trade back and forth during the meet until someone scores a point or two they weren't scheduled to !!! That's not fun ...

The sport is being killed from the inside out and no one cares ...

Conway

Distance_Guru · Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2002 12:25 pm Post subject:

I would hardly say no one cares. Because I for one do care. I would agree that more events need to be contested in Europe. I think it's sort of like the situation like baseball was earlier this year, the people running the sport aren't realizing that what they are doing is bad for it. As for college I would almost agree with Conways assesment, at least at the D1 level it is really hard to run a well balanced program, schools generally load up on one feild event area (jumps or throws) and one track area (distance or sprints) and try get the best athletes they can in that area. Generally they do this in order to take advantage of the schools strongest coach(s) so you end up with distance schools and sprint schools. I think that the coaching situaition is more of a reason for this than scholarship limitations.
_________________
Time is the fire in which we burn

Conway · Posted: Sun Sep 22, 2002 7:18 am Post subject:

Well the season is done now !!! For better or for worse ... The World Cup seemed very lack luster ... At least from looking at the time/distances ... Didn't even rate as a good college meet for the most part ... The men's 4x1 was ok ... As was the women's 4x1 - at least on the clock ... men's 1500 pretty good too - tons of sub 3:30's will do that ...

So how does everyone feel about the season and/or the prospects for next year ??? I thought there were a few positives - Krummenaker & Teter being my big ones for the US ... Garcia and Guevara my big ones internationally ...

Either way, its time to sort of wrap this one up !!!

conway

Dan · Posted: Sun Sep 22, 2002 8:22 am Post subject:

I found it interesting that the USATF press releases for the World Cup didn't list results like they normally do. Almost an admittance that they would be embarrassing...

Dan

Conway · Posted: Sun Sep 22, 2002 9:12 am Post subject:

The meet was embarrassing for othe US .. REsults were poor and then Lassiter pulls his pacing stunt for another team !!!!

Just validates the fact that MOENY is now the ruler of the sport !!!

Conway

Paul · Posted: Sun Sep 22, 2002 4:21 pm Post subject:

Dan, and everyone. I take it you used this thread:

http://www.iaaf.org/WCP02/results/byDate.htmx

Byt the way, can Radcliffe do anything wrong this year?? Thumbs Up

Discussion Forum

Share the Love!

What's New