Following up on Tuesday’s rankings of men’s teams, these are the dual-meet rankings for college women’s teams.
Remember, these are a ranking of teams based on how they would currently fare in dual meets; teams which have not yet run their whole squad are not ranked. Notable such teams are LSU, Georgia and the whole Pac-10. Teams without a dual, tri or quad on their schedule are ineligible for ranking.
1. Texas A&M (meets LSU on Saturday)
2. Ohio State (1-0, beat #3 Michigan)
3. Michigan (0-1, lost to #2 Ohio State)
4. Tennessee
5. Texas Tech
6. Indiana (1-0, beat Purdue)
7. Nebraska
8. Kansas (1-0, beat Missouri)
9. BYU
10. Eastern Michigan (1-0, beat Toledo)
Track on TV
Reliving the Glory: Los Angeles '84, 7:00 PM tonight on Universal Sports
News Links
Runner's World's Racing News has all the headlines, including indoor track previews.
Let's Run's Week That Was in running.
Flotrack's Kick of the Week:
Showing posts with label Olympics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Olympics. Show all posts
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Thursday, January 06, 2011
Superfan Daily: Glider Gloves
It's winter. You wear gloves. You use an iPhone, iPad, or similar touch-screen device, but have to take off your gloves to use it. So do I.
Recently I bought* a pair of Glider Gloves, which have conductive threads woven into them and allow the wearer to use said touchscreen device without baring skin to the elements. How did they perform?
My iPhone was very responsive to the gloves when I first put them on. After a six-mile run, during which I built up a decent sweat, they still worked but not quite as well. As gloves they're pretty good, but not anything you'd want to use under extreme situations. Yesterday afternoon's weather in Toledo was nothing bitter for the lower Rust Belt--30 degrees, windy and overcast--and my fingers were a bit chilly for the first five minutes, but after that were just fine.
The gloves are a basic stretchy knit style and available at glidergloves.com for $24.99. Athletes, coaches and officials who use touchscreen devices in less than optimal weather would find them useful but pricy.
*I was not compensated in any way for this review, nor did I receive any merchandise. I'm not opposed to free swag, though--send me some if you've got it.
Track on TV
Sydney 2000: Stories of Olympic Glory, 9:00 PM on Universal Sports (reruns at midnight)
Endurance, 11:35 AM tomorrow on Flix
News Links
Runner's World's Racing News has all the headlines: Usain Bolt, Caster Semenya, Bay to Breakers and more.
Track and Field News released its 2010 women's Performamce of the Year rankings. Apparently no one gave any thought to Nadzeya Ostapchuk's massive 21.70 indoor throw.
They also just released their 2010 men's Performance of the Year rankings. David Rudisha is now just the second man to ever go 1-2 (the other is Usain Bolt).
World XC champ Florence Kiplagat will run her first-ever marathon at Boston this April.
Olympic news:
*The IOC is considering auctioning off the US television rights to the next four Olympics (2014, '16, '18 and '20) instead of just the next two. This means a better chance for ESPN, who had been adamant about such a deal and (in my opinion) would do a much better job than NBC.
*Japan is seriously looking at a 2020 bid by Hiroshima.
Britain's Guadian newspaper is running a weekly series on training in the Kenyan highlands. Here is part one.
Recently I bought* a pair of Glider Gloves, which have conductive threads woven into them and allow the wearer to use said touchscreen device without baring skin to the elements. How did they perform?My iPhone was very responsive to the gloves when I first put them on. After a six-mile run, during which I built up a decent sweat, they still worked but not quite as well. As gloves they're pretty good, but not anything you'd want to use under extreme situations. Yesterday afternoon's weather in Toledo was nothing bitter for the lower Rust Belt--30 degrees, windy and overcast--and my fingers were a bit chilly for the first five minutes, but after that were just fine.
The gloves are a basic stretchy knit style and available at glidergloves.com for $24.99. Athletes, coaches and officials who use touchscreen devices in less than optimal weather would find them useful but pricy.
*I was not compensated in any way for this review, nor did I receive any merchandise. I'm not opposed to free swag, though--send me some if you've got it.
Track on TV
Sydney 2000: Stories of Olympic Glory, 9:00 PM on Universal Sports (reruns at midnight)
Endurance, 11:35 AM tomorrow on Flix
News Links
Runner's World's Racing News has all the headlines: Usain Bolt, Caster Semenya, Bay to Breakers and more.
Track and Field News released its 2010 women's Performamce of the Year rankings. Apparently no one gave any thought to Nadzeya Ostapchuk's massive 21.70 indoor throw.
They also just released their 2010 men's Performance of the Year rankings. David Rudisha is now just the second man to ever go 1-2 (the other is Usain Bolt).
World XC champ Florence Kiplagat will run her first-ever marathon at Boston this April.
Olympic news:
*The IOC is considering auctioning off the US television rights to the next four Olympics (2014, '16, '18 and '20) instead of just the next two. This means a better chance for ESPN, who had been adamant about such a deal and (in my opinion) would do a much better job than NBC.
*Japan is seriously looking at a 2020 bid by Hiroshima.
Britain's Guadian newspaper is running a weekly series on training in the Kenyan highlands. Here is part one.
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
Superfan Daily: Exhibit on '36 Olympics and Jesse Owens
It recently came to my attention that the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage now has a special program titled “The Nazi Olympics: Berlin 1936”, a traveling exhibit of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. It seeks to explain how the Olympic Games were used to softpedal the uglier sides of pre-war Germany.
Of interest to track fans in particular is an emphasis on Jesse Owens. Among the items displayed are his journal from those Olympics, one of his gold medals, and other items from the Ohio State University archives.
Normally I would go first and then plug the exhibit, but I did not find out about it until last week, well into its run. It opened on October 19 and will close on January 23. I will be there this Sunday.
The museum is located in the Cleveland suburb of Beachwood. Guided tours are available for groups of ten or more on weekdays, and for individuals and/or smaller groups at 2 PM on Sundays. Admission is $12.
What’s On
The 54th Cross Country Internazionale Campaccio, an EAA Permit cross country meet, will take place tomorrow in the Italian township of San Giorgio su Legnano. The men’s race should be a good one, matching the world’s top XC runner, Joseph Ebuya, against the world record holder for road 10k and 15k, Leonard Komon.
Meet website
Schedule: Women (6k) at 12:30 PM (6:30 AM Eastern); men (10k) at 1:10 PM (7:10 AM Eastern)
Fidal preview (in Italian) / EAA preview
Track on TV
Sydney 2000: Stories of Olympic Glory, part of Universal Sports’ tribute to the late Bud Greenspan, will be on that channel at 9 PM on Thursday. It reruns at midnight.
News links
Runner’s World’s Racing News has all the headlines: athlete profiles and blogs, and an update on the Sammy Wanjiru situation.
San Diego will host the 2011 USATF cross country championships. Dathan Ritzenhein is expected to compete.
Ryan Bailey will double in the 60 and 200 for the US team in the five-nations meet in Glasgow at the end of January. The world's 6th-ranked 200 meter man, Bailey is the only athlete on any team who will double.
Nigerian-turned-Portugese sprinter Francis Obuikwelu, the 2004 Olympic silver medalist, has been linked to the Spanish "Operation Galgo". He, of course, denies it.
Long jumper Brianna Glenn blogs about being relaxed and mean.
Unbroken, the best-selling book about miler/WWII POW Louis Zamperini, has been optioned for a film.
Arkansas' indoor track, among the world's fastest, has been refurbished and is ready to go. But the track used for the recent Commonwealth Games at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi is now too damaged to use, due to a faulty foundation.
Of interest to track fans in particular is an emphasis on Jesse Owens. Among the items displayed are his journal from those Olympics, one of his gold medals, and other items from the Ohio State University archives.
Normally I would go first and then plug the exhibit, but I did not find out about it until last week, well into its run. It opened on October 19 and will close on January 23. I will be there this Sunday.
The museum is located in the Cleveland suburb of Beachwood. Guided tours are available for groups of ten or more on weekdays, and for individuals and/or smaller groups at 2 PM on Sundays. Admission is $12.
What’s On
The 54th Cross Country Internazionale Campaccio, an EAA Permit cross country meet, will take place tomorrow in the Italian township of San Giorgio su Legnano. The men’s race should be a good one, matching the world’s top XC runner, Joseph Ebuya, against the world record holder for road 10k and 15k, Leonard Komon.
Meet website
Schedule: Women (6k) at 12:30 PM (6:30 AM Eastern); men (10k) at 1:10 PM (7:10 AM Eastern)
Fidal preview (in Italian) / EAA preview
Track on TV
Sydney 2000: Stories of Olympic Glory, part of Universal Sports’ tribute to the late Bud Greenspan, will be on that channel at 9 PM on Thursday. It reruns at midnight.
News links
Runner’s World’s Racing News has all the headlines: athlete profiles and blogs, and an update on the Sammy Wanjiru situation.
San Diego will host the 2011 USATF cross country championships. Dathan Ritzenhein is expected to compete.
Ryan Bailey will double in the 60 and 200 for the US team in the five-nations meet in Glasgow at the end of January. The world's 6th-ranked 200 meter man, Bailey is the only athlete on any team who will double.
Nigerian-turned-Portugese sprinter Francis Obuikwelu, the 2004 Olympic silver medalist, has been linked to the Spanish "Operation Galgo". He, of course, denies it.
Long jumper Brianna Glenn blogs about being relaxed and mean.
Unbroken, the best-selling book about miler/WWII POW Louis Zamperini, has been optioned for a film.
Arkansas' indoor track, among the world's fastest, has been refurbished and is ready to go. But the track used for the recent Commonwealth Games at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi is now too damaged to use, due to a faulty foundation.
Friday, May 07, 2010
Project 30 Watch List: Men's 10k
This is the second entry in an occasional series looking at prospects for fulfilling the goals of Project 30, the plan to win 30 medals at the 2012 Olympics.
Previously I had examined the men's hammer throw, and decided our only hope was Kibwe Johnson, and he's a long shot at that, probably 20-to-1.
In the wake of the recent American Record set by Chris Solinsky, I think it's appropriate to examine the men's 10,000 meters. We have a significantly better chance of winning a medal here, but I wouldn't say it's a good chance.
First, let's examine what a medalist is likely to bring to the table. The typical 10k medalist at World and Olympic competition this decade has been between 22 and 27 years old. The only athletes age 29 or older to have won a medal in this time period are Haile Gebrselassie and Paul Tergat. We may have some good runners, but we haven't got anyone like those two. So we either have to buck the trend (unlikely) or only conisder guys who are currently age 25 or younger. So we don't even have to wonder if Dathan Ritzenhein or Matt Tegenkamp will pursue the 10k at the 2012 Olympics, because they will be over the hill by then.
Usually, the race is run in such a way that only four to six athletes are still in contention with a lap or two to go, and the biggest kickers win the medals. So we need someone who can run a fast pace and who has a strong kick. For an American, to have a strong enough kick means he must have shown good 1500-meter form at some point in his career. For this reason I think we can eliminate Galen Rupp as a likely Olympic medalist. He simply isn't fast enough. He could win a medal in the way that Shalane Flanagan did, which is by not staying with the leaders and then eventually passing all but two who tried and died, but's that's a fairly unlikely scenario.
The runners in question need not be "full-time" 10k runners because most Olympic and World medalists aren't. They run mainly 3k and 5k races on the Grand Prix circuit, and move up to 10k just to make their national team and then for the championship race. Solinsky's record, coming in his first-ever run at the distance, shows there's little in the way of a learning curve. We need not exclude American runners who have not yet run many 10k races, if any at all.
So who do we have who is a) 25 or younger, b) has been good at both 1500 and 5k, and c) isn't afraid of the longer distances? Chris Solinsky, Evan Jager, and German Fernandez.
Now, there's another complicating factor. Most championship 10ks are run in very hot weather. This does not favor heavy runners, and by "heavy" I mean over about 140 pounds. Solinsky weighs in at significantly more than that, and Jager is listed at 145. It would seem that we're down to one contender. But that complicating factor may not be a big deal after all; London is not Beijing or Athens or Sydney. Late-evening August temperatures in London average in the 50s, and 40s wouldn't be terribly unusual. So the huge advantage African runners have by their extremely small size will probably be minimized at the 2012 Olympic, and those of the typically larger northern European lineage have a chance.
I'd still rate all three of these athletes as long-shots. It's not guaranteed that any of them will even try to make the Olympic team in the 10k, and Fernandez would still be in college (if he doesn't leave early for the pros). But I think any one of these three stand as good a chance as any runner who isn't from Ethiopia or Kenya (or an expatriate of the same). Each of them is about a 15-to-1 long shot, and combined that makes it maybe 5-to-1. Multiple medals is a virtual impossibility, but a single medal is a distinct possibility.
EDIT: I need to adjust those odds. Solinsky is 6 to 1, Fernandez and Jager both 25 to 1. But overall, it's still 5 to 1.
Previously I had examined the men's hammer throw, and decided our only hope was Kibwe Johnson, and he's a long shot at that, probably 20-to-1.
In the wake of the recent American Record set by Chris Solinsky, I think it's appropriate to examine the men's 10,000 meters. We have a significantly better chance of winning a medal here, but I wouldn't say it's a good chance.
First, let's examine what a medalist is likely to bring to the table. The typical 10k medalist at World and Olympic competition this decade has been between 22 and 27 years old. The only athletes age 29 or older to have won a medal in this time period are Haile Gebrselassie and Paul Tergat. We may have some good runners, but we haven't got anyone like those two. So we either have to buck the trend (unlikely) or only conisder guys who are currently age 25 or younger. So we don't even have to wonder if Dathan Ritzenhein or Matt Tegenkamp will pursue the 10k at the 2012 Olympics, because they will be over the hill by then.
Usually, the race is run in such a way that only four to six athletes are still in contention with a lap or two to go, and the biggest kickers win the medals. So we need someone who can run a fast pace and who has a strong kick. For an American, to have a strong enough kick means he must have shown good 1500-meter form at some point in his career. For this reason I think we can eliminate Galen Rupp as a likely Olympic medalist. He simply isn't fast enough. He could win a medal in the way that Shalane Flanagan did, which is by not staying with the leaders and then eventually passing all but two who tried and died, but's that's a fairly unlikely scenario.
The runners in question need not be "full-time" 10k runners because most Olympic and World medalists aren't. They run mainly 3k and 5k races on the Grand Prix circuit, and move up to 10k just to make their national team and then for the championship race. Solinsky's record, coming in his first-ever run at the distance, shows there's little in the way of a learning curve. We need not exclude American runners who have not yet run many 10k races, if any at all.
So who do we have who is a) 25 or younger, b) has been good at both 1500 and 5k, and c) isn't afraid of the longer distances? Chris Solinsky, Evan Jager, and German Fernandez.
Now, there's another complicating factor. Most championship 10ks are run in very hot weather. This does not favor heavy runners, and by "heavy" I mean over about 140 pounds. Solinsky weighs in at significantly more than that, and Jager is listed at 145. It would seem that we're down to one contender. But that complicating factor may not be a big deal after all; London is not Beijing or Athens or Sydney. Late-evening August temperatures in London average in the 50s, and 40s wouldn't be terribly unusual. So the huge advantage African runners have by their extremely small size will probably be minimized at the 2012 Olympic, and those of the typically larger northern European lineage have a chance.
I'd still rate all three of these athletes as long-shots. It's not guaranteed that any of them will even try to make the Olympic team in the 10k, and Fernandez would still be in college (if he doesn't leave early for the pros). But I think any one of these three stand as good a chance as any runner who isn't from Ethiopia or Kenya (or an expatriate of the same). Each of them is about a 15-to-1 long shot, and combined that makes it maybe 5-to-1. Multiple medals is a virtual impossibility, but a single medal is a distinct possibility.
EDIT: I need to adjust those odds. Solinsky is 6 to 1, Fernandez and Jager both 25 to 1. But overall, it's still 5 to 1.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Don Cherry Watch
I've not watched a whole lot of the Winter Olympics. I like a lot of the sports, and my earliest (and best) Olympic memories are of Lake Placid in 1980. But the NBC coverage leaves a lot to be desired, my beloved CBC didn't win the rights for these games, and I've got a lot of other things going on as well.
The one thing I absolutely must watch is the men's ice hockey final, provided a North America team is in it. It appears most likely to be a USA-Canada rematch. Considering that my ethnic heritage could best be described as "Canadian-American", and I appreciate how much hockey means to Canada, I'm cheering for the Canucks.
I grew up watching Hockey Night in Canada, and easily the most entertaining part of the evening is Coaches' Corner with Don Cherry and Ron MacLean. Cherry has been described for Americans in a multitude of ways that get close to his persona but aren't quite right. The one that works best for me is that he's Canada's Jesse "The Body" Ventura. And yes, Ron MacLean is every bit his Mean Gene Okerlund. The main difference is that Ventura's pro wrestling announcer gig was a schtick, whereas Cherry is being 100% himself.
The pro wrestling comparison is valid. Old-school hockey, especially of the minor league variety, appeals to a working-class audience through showmanship and violence. And I mean this in the most loving, positive way. Hockey is being a bit suburbanized and toned down, but it's still great fun. The last time I went to a game in the old Sports Arena, the fans sitting behind us were truly frightening. I love Toledo.
One part of Cherry's persona is his penchant for very nice and very wild suits. It's as if he fashions himself a don in the Scottish mafia. Believe it or not, this is one of his more subdued outfits:
For the 2002 Olympic final between the USA and Canada, watched by 2/3 of the whole country, Cherry's outfit was truly amazing, like he had been baptized in maple leafs. I am so sad that I will not be able to see it this year. But I will be able to follow it on the great blog, Don We Now Our Gay Apparel, which is dedicated to Grapes' wardrobe.
I leave you with some of his greatest hits...
At Anaheim for the Stanley Cup Finals
The annual Christmas suit
Celebrity judge for Battle of the Blades, an on-ice version of Dancing with the Stars
Can't top a classic
The one thing I absolutely must watch is the men's ice hockey final, provided a North America team is in it. It appears most likely to be a USA-Canada rematch. Considering that my ethnic heritage could best be described as "Canadian-American", and I appreciate how much hockey means to Canada, I'm cheering for the Canucks.
I grew up watching Hockey Night in Canada, and easily the most entertaining part of the evening is Coaches' Corner with Don Cherry and Ron MacLean. Cherry has been described for Americans in a multitude of ways that get close to his persona but aren't quite right. The one that works best for me is that he's Canada's Jesse "The Body" Ventura. And yes, Ron MacLean is every bit his Mean Gene Okerlund. The main difference is that Ventura's pro wrestling announcer gig was a schtick, whereas Cherry is being 100% himself.
The pro wrestling comparison is valid. Old-school hockey, especially of the minor league variety, appeals to a working-class audience through showmanship and violence. And I mean this in the most loving, positive way. Hockey is being a bit suburbanized and toned down, but it's still great fun. The last time I went to a game in the old Sports Arena, the fans sitting behind us were truly frightening. I love Toledo.
One part of Cherry's persona is his penchant for very nice and very wild suits. It's as if he fashions himself a don in the Scottish mafia. Believe it or not, this is one of his more subdued outfits:
For the 2002 Olympic final between the USA and Canada, watched by 2/3 of the whole country, Cherry's outfit was truly amazing, like he had been baptized in maple leafs. I am so sad that I will not be able to see it this year. But I will be able to follow it on the great blog, Don We Now Our Gay Apparel, which is dedicated to Grapes' wardrobe.
I leave you with some of his greatest hits...
At Anaheim for the Stanley Cup FinalsThe annual Christmas suitCelebrity judge for Battle of the Blades, an on-ice version of Dancing with the StarsCan't top a classic
Monday, February 22, 2010
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Olympic Imagery
On last Thursday's Colbert Report, David Ross makes some very good points about the changes in Olympic imagery and how they are now bland and broing.
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| David Ross | ||||
| ||||
Sunday, November 01, 2009
Monday, October 05, 2009
Sadly, No Chicago
Inevitably, there has been quite a bit of postmortem about Chicago's losing Olympic bid. I think Obama put it best when he said sometimes you play your best game and still lose. While the USOC's state of affairs can be pointed to, I don't think there was a much Chicago could have done. To stretch a metaphor, they were Tyson Gay running against Usain Bolt.
This escaped my notice until just now. CNN's Jack Cafferty, one of the few coarse no-bullshit liberals on television, said "Rio has naked people dancing, Chicago has chubby people eating. Which do you want to see on TV?" When you put it that way it appears inevitable.
This escaped my notice until just now. CNN's Jack Cafferty, one of the few coarse no-bullshit liberals on television, said "Rio has naked people dancing, Chicago has chubby people eating. Which do you want to see on TV?" When you put it that way it appears inevitable.
Sunday, August 02, 2009
Anti-Doping "News"
From the Orange County Register (via RunZoom):
The U.S. Olympic Committee, concerned about the potential embarrassment of a doping scandal involving American athletes at the 1984 Summer Olympic Games, conducted an informal drug testing program in the months leading up to the Los Angeles Games that allowed Olympic-caliber athletes testing positive for banned substances to escape sanctions, according to documents obtained by The Orange County Register and interviews with three officials involved with the program.I call this "news" because it was in Vyv Simpson's '92 book The lords of the rings. He didn't have the specific numbers or get anyone to admit anything, but he knew exactly what was going on.
At least 34 U.S. track and field athletes either tested positive or had possible positive tests during six weeks of informal testing by USOC in the spring of 1984, according to confidential USOC memos. None of the athletes was sanctioned or lost eligibility, according to USOC documents and interviews.
Athletes were informed of their positive tests and told continued use of banned drugs could result in positive tests at the U.S. Olympic Trials and Olympic Games, where violations would lead to bans from competition.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Bidding Update
Michael Jordan is starring in a TV public service announcement promoting the Chicago '16 bid airing on local Chicago stations.
Tokyo '16 leaders have recently said that their bid won't be hurt by low public support, or the destabilizing effect of recent North Korean nuke tests. Sounds like somebody is trying to lower expectations. I think we can count them out.
Toronto leaders bidding for the 2015 Pan-Am Games have said their biggest obstacle is "smugness". I'd love to take a trip up to The Queen City to take them in.
Tokyo '16 leaders have recently said that their bid won't be hurt by low public support, or the destabilizing effect of recent North Korean nuke tests. Sounds like somebody is trying to lower expectations. I think we can count them out.
Toronto leaders bidding for the 2015 Pan-Am Games have said their biggest obstacle is "smugness". I'd love to take a trip up to The Queen City to take them in.
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Chicago's Olympic History
Inside The Games.com has an interesting story on the history of Chicago and the Olympics. I knew that the Windy City was originally awarded the 1904 games and gave them up to St. Louis because of a world's fair, but that's about all I knew. The deeper story is pretty interesting.
Saturday, April 04, 2009
Chicago 2016 Update
As if a worldwide-favorite President's personal pitch isn't enough to convince the IOC to pick Chicago, they're having dinner with the only American more popular than Obama: Oprah.
Damn. If those two can't win over the IOC, we had no chance to begin with.
Damn. If those two can't win over the IOC, we had no chance to begin with.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Martina, Crawford, and that medal
Tim Layden has a write-up on the story that you've no doubt heard: Shawn Crawford gave Churandy Martina his Olympic 200 meters silver medal shortly after the games. Crawford, originally fourth in the final, moved up to bronze after Wallace Spearmon got a lane DQ, and then silver when USATF protested and got Martina DQd for the same thing.
Layden takes it an extra step by looking into the ownership issues of Olympic medals. If you won it, does that mean it's yours? Not quite.
Layden takes it an extra step by looking into the ownership issues of Olympic medals. If you won it, does that mean it's yours? Not quite.
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Obama & Track
Have you heard? There was an election the other day.
Sportswriters are already considering how an Obama presidency might affect their world; Phil Hersh and Lester Munson give the deepest thoughts on the issue. Two points have direct impact on track & field.
First and most obvious is a big boost to Chicago's bid for the 2009 Olympics. As an ardent supporter of his adopted hometown, Obama was involved in the bid long before anyone thought he had a reasonable chance of winning the Presidency. He will almost certainly make the final presentation in Copenhagen next year, and his plans for a national infrastructure rebuilding project won't disappoint the IOC either. Here, he's an obvious plus.
The second point would give me pause if I hadn't studied Obama's style so closely. Munson:
The big problem with current Title IX regulations is that institutions are allowed to show gender equity first and foremost by having equal numbers of male and female athletes, which in turn makes liabilities out of large but inexpensive men's sports such as track & field. This number-based approach is predicated on the wrong-headed assumption that all athletes place equal demands on the athletic department; an unrecruited walk-on (such as yours truly was) simply does not have much if any impact on the coach's time or the team's expenditures. This same numbers approach makes equal treatment of women's needs as athletes secondary to merely having them present in sufficient quantities. There has got to be a smarter way, one that benefits both men and women, and for the first time in decades I trust the chief executive to look for those kinds of solutions.
Sportswriters are already considering how an Obama presidency might affect their world; Phil Hersh and Lester Munson give the deepest thoughts on the issue. Two points have direct impact on track & field.
First and most obvious is a big boost to Chicago's bid for the 2009 Olympics. As an ardent supporter of his adopted hometown, Obama was involved in the bid long before anyone thought he had a reasonable chance of winning the Presidency. He will almost certainly make the final presentation in Copenhagen next year, and his plans for a national infrastructure rebuilding project won't disappoint the IOC either. Here, he's an obvious plus.
The second point would give me pause if I hadn't studied Obama's style so closely. Munson:
Coaches, athletes and administrators in a number of so-called minor sports, such as wrestling, have long been wary that their sports will be eliminated to meet the equality of gender requirements of Title IX, and they cannot be happy about Obama's election.Track coaches and fans could fit into this worried group, but I don't. Obama is not an idealogue, nor does he wish to govern divisively in an "I win, you lose" type of way. So to him, the whole "lessen the impact of Title IX" idea is a classic strawman argument. (Also, Munson might not know what he's talking about; Title IX is enforced by the Department of Education, not HHS, and it's been that way since they split off the DOE from HEW back in 1979.)
With President Bush in the White House and Dennis Hastert, a former wrestling coach, serving as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, participants in those sports had some hope that Title IX requirements might be diluted.
Bush and his staff looked hard at Title IX and the possibility of enacting changes in the regulations of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that govern Title IX, but they backed away as opposition to any changes grew.
Obama, the father of two daughters, might not be sympathetic to those hoping to lessen the impact of Title IX.
The big problem with current Title IX regulations is that institutions are allowed to show gender equity first and foremost by having equal numbers of male and female athletes, which in turn makes liabilities out of large but inexpensive men's sports such as track & field. This number-based approach is predicated on the wrong-headed assumption that all athletes place equal demands on the athletic department; an unrecruited walk-on (such as yours truly was) simply does not have much if any impact on the coach's time or the team's expenditures. This same numbers approach makes equal treatment of women's needs as athletes secondary to merely having them present in sufficient quantities. There has got to be a smarter way, one that benefits both men and women, and for the first time in decades I trust the chief executive to look for those kinds of solutions.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
What Effect Will The Election Bring?
Election day is one week away. Well, sort of--there's enough early voting going on around the country that next Tuesday is only nominally election day. To stretch a metaphor, it's no longer the Super Bowl but the seventh game of the World Series.
While my political preferences are no secret (I'm a hard-core political leftist) the question to ponder here is how this election could affect track & field. Most have no affect whatsoever, but there's going to be so much upheaval going on next week that its coattails will even extend into the world of sports.
#1. An Obama Presidency Will Give Chicago A Leg Up on 2016
There are several issues here. First of all, Bush's popularity abroad is just somewhat better than that of Idi Amin's, and a clean break with his ilk can only help Chicago's effort. Generally the aristocrats who run the IOC don't give a damn about public opinion, but it sure can't hurt. There's also the fact that Obama is a Chicago resident; I don't know how much help it is.
But in the eyes of the IOC, Obama's biggest plus is that he's not McCain. Saint John got pretty uppity with the IOC in the wake of the '98 Salt Lake City bribery scandal. He chaired the Senate Commerce Committee's hearings on the affair and even summoned then-president Juan Antonio Samaranch (who, of course, didn't show). The IOC may well have deserved such a working-over, but that doesn't mean they liked it. These kinds of people tend to have long memories and hold grudges...otherwise they wouldn't have gotten themselves into positions of such unchecked power.
I still think Rio is damn near a lock to get the '16 Olympics.
#2. Ted Stevens Goes Down The (Series Of) Tubes
In case you missed it, Stevens was found guilty yesterday on seven counts of corruption, which makes his re-election unlikely. What the heck could this possibly have to do with track & field?
Stevens has been notoriously defensive about his pet projects, even by Senate standards. So if anyone wants to toy around with the Amateur Sports Act you'd have had to go through him..and he's prickly to say the least. The ASA was authored mostly by Stevens in 1978 and broke up the AAU's power. It was updated in 1998 and Stevens was at the helm of that project as well. It is the law to which USATF owes its very existence. As far as the details of the law and whether it needs changing or not, I have no idea. But I do know USATF is in dire need of fundamental change and appears incapable of doing that by itself. If you're going to attack the root of the problem--the very structures and mandates as handed down by the ASA--your #1 roadblock will soon be out of the way.
#3. Race-Baiting Won't Play In A Presidential Election
There's been plenty of this at certain campaign rallies, along with some other sleazy items that mostly sailed under the media radar. An Obama victory would indicate such strategy is less useful than it once was.
This fall we will have an important election for the new president of USATF. The presumed frontrunner, and a year ago considered a lock, is a Columbus resident named Stephanie Hightower. While not as openly using her race for self-advancement as co-clown Brooks Johnson, she is not shy about taking advantage of literally anything that will advance her own interests. She would not be a good president; the usually-sedate Michael Johnson has called her "a bitch on wheels".
Brooks Johnson has already "resigned" his USATF post after getting the message from new USATF CEO Doug Logan; several decent candidates have been emboldened and decided to run against Hightower (and effectively end their USATF careers should they lose). Let's just hope that if race-baiting can't stop Obama, it can't propel Hightower.
While my political preferences are no secret (I'm a hard-core political leftist) the question to ponder here is how this election could affect track & field. Most have no affect whatsoever, but there's going to be so much upheaval going on next week that its coattails will even extend into the world of sports.
#1. An Obama Presidency Will Give Chicago A Leg Up on 2016
There are several issues here. First of all, Bush's popularity abroad is just somewhat better than that of Idi Amin's, and a clean break with his ilk can only help Chicago's effort. Generally the aristocrats who run the IOC don't give a damn about public opinion, but it sure can't hurt. There's also the fact that Obama is a Chicago resident; I don't know how much help it is.
But in the eyes of the IOC, Obama's biggest plus is that he's not McCain. Saint John got pretty uppity with the IOC in the wake of the '98 Salt Lake City bribery scandal. He chaired the Senate Commerce Committee's hearings on the affair and even summoned then-president Juan Antonio Samaranch (who, of course, didn't show). The IOC may well have deserved such a working-over, but that doesn't mean they liked it. These kinds of people tend to have long memories and hold grudges...otherwise they wouldn't have gotten themselves into positions of such unchecked power.
I still think Rio is damn near a lock to get the '16 Olympics.
#2. Ted Stevens Goes Down The (Series Of) Tubes
In case you missed it, Stevens was found guilty yesterday on seven counts of corruption, which makes his re-election unlikely. What the heck could this possibly have to do with track & field?
Stevens has been notoriously defensive about his pet projects, even by Senate standards. So if anyone wants to toy around with the Amateur Sports Act you'd have had to go through him..and he's prickly to say the least. The ASA was authored mostly by Stevens in 1978 and broke up the AAU's power. It was updated in 1998 and Stevens was at the helm of that project as well. It is the law to which USATF owes its very existence. As far as the details of the law and whether it needs changing or not, I have no idea. But I do know USATF is in dire need of fundamental change and appears incapable of doing that by itself. If you're going to attack the root of the problem--the very structures and mandates as handed down by the ASA--your #1 roadblock will soon be out of the way.
#3. Race-Baiting Won't Play In A Presidential Election
There's been plenty of this at certain campaign rallies, along with some other sleazy items that mostly sailed under the media radar. An Obama victory would indicate such strategy is less useful than it once was.
This fall we will have an important election for the new president of USATF. The presumed frontrunner, and a year ago considered a lock, is a Columbus resident named Stephanie Hightower. While not as openly using her race for self-advancement as co-clown Brooks Johnson, she is not shy about taking advantage of literally anything that will advance her own interests. She would not be a good president; the usually-sedate Michael Johnson has called her "a bitch on wheels".
Brooks Johnson has already "resigned" his USATF post after getting the message from new USATF CEO Doug Logan; several decent candidates have been emboldened and decided to run against Hightower (and effectively end their USATF careers should they lose). Let's just hope that if race-baiting can't stop Obama, it can't propel Hightower.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Distance Stars Want XC in Olympics
Track & Field News got a copy of a letter from Haile Gebrselassie, Kenenisa Bekele, and Paul Tergat sent to IOC head Jacques Rogge and IAAF head Lamine Diack asking for cross-country to be reinstated into the Summer Olympics. It was once on the program but eliminated after 1924.
While the IOC is in no mood to add to the summer games, this is an intriguing possibility. The facilities and work required to add two XC races (one each for men and women) are about as minimal as you can get in the Olympics. If they were held early in the games, before the rest of the track & field competition began, you could have both track stars and marathoners meet head-to-head (as both would have ample recovery time before the main event). This is what the IAAF has always wanted with its World XC Championships but rarely gets.
I would absolutely love to see Beks and Sihine take on Wanjiru. Let's hope this movement gains traction.
While the IOC is in no mood to add to the summer games, this is an intriguing possibility. The facilities and work required to add two XC races (one each for men and women) are about as minimal as you can get in the Olympics. If they were held early in the games, before the rest of the track & field competition began, you could have both track stars and marathoners meet head-to-head (as both would have ample recovery time before the main event). This is what the IAAF has always wanted with its World XC Championships but rarely gets.
I would absolutely love to see Beks and Sihine take on Wanjiru. Let's hope this movement gains traction.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Day 9 & 10: What Happened
Results
Women's High Jump: This was a very big surprise. Blanka Vlasic had not been beaten in well over a year and had been regularly jumping as high as anyone else's PR. She did not make her first attempt at 2.05 meters, and when Tia Hellebaut made it on her first attempt (tieing her PR in the process) it was basically over. She's also this week's "Separated at Birth":
Now is the time on Sprockets when we dance!
Men's Javelin Throw: Thorkildsen with a world leader and new Olympic Record, then the three Finns in expected order. For an event with a reputation as unpredictable, this one came out unusually to form.
Men's 800 meters: Wilfred Bungei has been so good for so long and never won a championship that you'd figure he wasn't going to be the one this time either. But he was finally in the right place at the right time and won.
Women's 1500 meters: Everyone assumed this was going to be Maryam Jamal's race. But in the last 200 meters it didn't turn out that way. Nancy Lagat was a surprise winner, Iryna Lischysnka had another great championship race, and Jamal faded to fifth. Rowbury was never a factor.
Men's 5000 meters: At last year's Worlds, the pace went very slow until the end, and Bernard Lagat and Matt Tegenkamp sprinted to the USA's second-best ever international 5k finish. Four years ago, Kenenisa Bekele essentially handed the gold to Hicham El Guerrouj under similar circumstances. That's the way the race normally develops without a pacemaker. Beks instead made it an honest 3k race, which meant no one else had a chance, and the American runners who were primed for a mostly-slow-then-very-fast race were not factors at all.
Women's 4x400 relay: Thank you, Allyson Felix. And if Richards has run as smart in the individual 400 as she did here, she'd have two gold medals. This was the fastest relay time since shortly after the demise of the East European doping machines ('93).
Men's 4x400 relay: As always, the contest was USA versus the clock. The clock won.
Men's Marathon: Apparently, the heat and humidity weren't as bad as was thought, else the pace would have crushed all who attempted it. Since eight tried, and five were still there well past 25k, the athletes themselves must have sensed it was nothing like Athens '04, where only the early-race conservative runners medaled. Ritz and Hall, paying too much attention to data and not enough to their inner clock, gave away sure shots at top-eight finishes by dropping back so far in the middle of the race.
Women's High Jump: This was a very big surprise. Blanka Vlasic had not been beaten in well over a year and had been regularly jumping as high as anyone else's PR. She did not make her first attempt at 2.05 meters, and when Tia Hellebaut made it on her first attempt (tieing her PR in the process) it was basically over. She's also this week's "Separated at Birth":
Now is the time on Sprockets when we dance!
Men's Javelin Throw: Thorkildsen with a world leader and new Olympic Record, then the three Finns in expected order. For an event with a reputation as unpredictable, this one came out unusually to form.
Men's 800 meters: Wilfred Bungei has been so good for so long and never won a championship that you'd figure he wasn't going to be the one this time either. But he was finally in the right place at the right time and won.
Women's 1500 meters: Everyone assumed this was going to be Maryam Jamal's race. But in the last 200 meters it didn't turn out that way. Nancy Lagat was a surprise winner, Iryna Lischysnka had another great championship race, and Jamal faded to fifth. Rowbury was never a factor.
Men's 5000 meters: At last year's Worlds, the pace went very slow until the end, and Bernard Lagat and Matt Tegenkamp sprinted to the USA's second-best ever international 5k finish. Four years ago, Kenenisa Bekele essentially handed the gold to Hicham El Guerrouj under similar circumstances. That's the way the race normally develops without a pacemaker. Beks instead made it an honest 3k race, which meant no one else had a chance, and the American runners who were primed for a mostly-slow-then-very-fast race were not factors at all.
Women's 4x400 relay: Thank you, Allyson Felix. And if Richards has run as smart in the individual 400 as she did here, she'd have two gold medals. This was the fastest relay time since shortly after the demise of the East European doping machines ('93).
Men's 4x400 relay: As always, the contest was USA versus the clock. The clock won.
Men's Marathon: Apparently, the heat and humidity weren't as bad as was thought, else the pace would have crushed all who attempted it. Since eight tried, and five were still there well past 25k, the athletes themselves must have sensed it was nothing like Athens '04, where only the early-race conservative runners medaled. Ritz and Hall, paying too much attention to data and not enough to their inner clock, gave away sure shots at top-eight finishes by dropping back so far in the middle of the race.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Day 9 & 10: What's On
Schedule/Start Lists
IAAF Preview
SI's "What To Watch"
NBC TV schedule: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. - midnite (live marathon, taped track)
CBC TV schedule: 6 p.m. Friday - noon Saturday, 6 p.m Saturday - 4:30 a.m. Sunday (all live)
Highlights:
IAAF Preview
SI's "What To Watch"
NBC TV schedule: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. - midnite (live marathon, taped track)
CBC TV schedule: 6 p.m. Friday - noon Saturday, 6 p.m Saturday - 4:30 a.m. Sunday (all live)
Highlights:
- Women's high jump, 7 a.m.
- Men's javelin throw, 7:10 a.m.
- Men's 800 meters, 7:30 a.m.
- Women's 1500 meters, 7:50 a.m.
- Men's 5000 meters, 8:10 a.m.
- Women's 4x400 relay, 8:40 a.m.
- Men's 4x400 relay, 9:05 a.m.
- Men's marathon, 7:30 p.m.
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