A while back, I posted my picks for the HS and Collegiate AOY's for the 2014 OUTdoor season.
(My INdoor AOY's were done on March 19th, shortly after the end of that season.)
This post will be for the World and US AOY's for OUTdoors!
Before I get to that, I want to comment on the just-released T&FN choices for AOY.
They chose Renaud Lavillenie and Anita Wlodarcyzk for the World, and Justin Gatlin and Jenny Simpson for the US.
They also posted the entire Top 10 lists.
And boy, do I have some differences of opinion with the "Bible of the Sport"!!
(Let me count the ways! LOL)
1. They insist that there is really NO differentiation between INdoors and OUTdoors. While they SAY they give less weight to INdoor accomplishments, their 2014 picks say otherwise.
2. For example, Genzebe Dibaba's 3 INdoor WR's supposedly gave her enough to rate her 6th! Lavillenie's INdoor cracking of Sergey Bubka's WR got him first! Yet both of them had far less "Olympian" OUTdoor years.
3. I may be wrong, but I thought T&FN followed the World rankings on their US rankings lists. If that's so, then why was Simpson ranked lower than Dawn Harper-Nelson? Simpson got something like 14th or 15th, while DHN was 10th!
4. Dennis Kimetto broke not only the WR in the Marathon, but he broke a significant barrier as well! And yet Eliud Kipchoge made the Top 10, while Kimetto was just 3rd in the EVENT rankings!!
I have several other differences of opinion with T&FN's rankings, but I want this post to be about MY rankings!
But I think the above only stiffens my resolve to keep SEPARATE the two very distinct seasons of T&F.
For one thing, keeping them separate gives us the chance to see TWO Collegiate and HS Champs, TWO United States Champs.
It also allows us to choose TWO AOY's, TWO Performances, TWO of everything!!
(End of rant! LOL)
Here, then are Aaron K's Track and Field Record Book picks for World and US Athletes of the Year for the 2014 OUTdoor season!
World-Men
JUSTIN GATLIN
No WR's or AR's, but he got Age 32 records for the 100 and 200, had the fastest times in 2014, and might have been even better, except a few places didn't invite him to compete for totally biased reasons, which I considered totally unfair!!
Yes, he has 2 drug busts to his name, but he's paid the price, according to the rules!
If you play a game with rules, you OBEY the rules, or don't play!
For that reason, and because no others performed as consistently well as Gatlin, in TWO events no less, I had to choose Gatlin as my Men's AOY!
(Keeping to my "separate seasons" rule, there was NO chance that Lavillenie's OUTdoor season would rate ahead of Gatlin. In fact, he would barely make my Top 5!)
Given a bunch of points were Dennis Kimetto, Lashawn Merritt, Ayanleh Souleiman, Mutaz Barshim, Pascal Martinot-Lagarde, and Bogdan Bondarenko.
US-Men
JUSTIN GATLIN
As I've done in the past, when an American is AOY for the World, he or she also is Number One for the US!
Others who rated high were Galen Rupp, Merritt, Evan Jager, Christian Taylor, and Will Leer.
World Best Performance-Men
DENNIS KIMETTO's 2:02:57 Marathon
Sure, marathon records are a dime a dozen in recent years, but breaking a minute barrier isn't!.
For dipping under 2:03, Kimetto wins POY!
Points also to Rupp's 26:44, Gatlin's 19.68, Barshim's 7-11.50 and Bondarenko's 7-11.25.
US Best Performance-Men
GALEN RUPP's AR 26:44.36.
Other good ones were Jager's AR 8:04.71, Gatlin's marks of 9.77 and 19.68, Meb Keflighizi's 2:08:37, and Will Claye's 58-3.
Meb's mark was included more for his time (a PR at age 38) than for his winning Boston!
(I'm creating a new award for this blog. It's my "Personality of the Year". What does it entail? I can say what it does NOT entail! It does NOT concern records and marks, nor places in meets or on lists. But it DOES include one's.....PERSONALITY! This signifies what he or she has done to make people REACT, in positive or negative ways, to what they've done throughout the year. Did it make you angry? Did you cry, or laugh out loud?)
World Personality of the Year-Men
JUSTIN GATLIN
Perhaps this rates---in some people's minds!---with Time magazine making the Ayatollah Khomeini their Man of the Year several decades ago! LOL
Gatlin was persona non grata at some DL's, and in the smoke-filled rooms where AOY's were chosen.
He was viciously attacked on Twitter, and I assume, other social media.
His name was.....(censored)!
But gosh, he seems like such a nice sweet guy!
Whatever the case, he got more "ink" for being T&F's "Bad Boy" than for his accomplishment's on the track!
Honorable Mention goes to Mahiedine Mekhissi Benabbad, T&F's notorious "Topless Hunk"!
Also given points was Nick Symmonds, but only in retrospect, as he described his bed-hopping days in his new memoir "Life Outside the Oval Office", making what President Clinton did seem like kindergarten stuff!!
US Personality of the Year-Men
JUSTIN GATLIN
(See above!)
Honorable Mention to Nick Symmonds.
(Also see above!)
Now for the Women!
World-Women
ANITA WLODARCZYK
Yes, I agree with Track and Field News on this one!
She was the only woman to break a WR. (Again, this is for the OUTdoor season ONLY, with ZERO consideration to anything they might have done INdoors!! ZERO!!!)
The rest of the candidates had mixed seasons!
In several events, it was hard to pick just the EVENT winner, let alone the OVERALL Athlete of the Year list possibilities!
Going back to what I said in the beginning, was Genzebe Dibaba the best Women's distance runner this year, or was it Mercy Cherono? Was Jenny Simpson's consistency enough to offset other's faster times?
In the strongest Women's events, the favorites lost some, or underperformed!
So Sandra Perkovic and Valerie Adams, to name two, suffered.
But a WR is a WR, so Ms Wlodarczyk wins the Big Prize!
US-Women
JENNY SIMPSON
Yes, I again agree with T&FN!
(And if she had broken Mary Slaney's AR, she MIGHT have gotten World AOY too!!)
Simpson ruled over the 1500/Mile like few others before her....except maybe Slaney in her best years!
But she had some pretty hefty company, and not just in her event(s).
Molly Huddle broke her own AR in the 5000.
Shannon Rowbury broke through THREE significant barriers--4:00 in the 1500, 8:30 in the 3000, and 15:00 (and 14:50!) in the 5000.
Shalane Flanagan ran two of the fastest-ever Marathons, in two entirely different parts of the world!
Maria Michta, though toiling in perhaps the LEAST popular T&F events--the Walks--nonetheless broke the AR TWICE over 20000 meters!
Gia Lewis-Smallwood, though, was given the most "second place" points!
She beat the "unbeatable" Sandra Perkovic---TWICE, and CRUSHED the AR in the DT by over 4 feet!
She was SO close to Simpson that, tomorrow, I'll probably regret giving the award to Jenny!
World Best Performance-Women
Caterine Ibarguen's 50-3 Triple Jump!
This one got some significant competition!
Helen Obiri's 8:20.68 was the fastest NON-Chinese 3000 OUTdoors ever!!
The main reason that mark wasn't given top prize was because there were several other VERY fast 3000's from women this year!
Ibarguen had little to fear in her event!
Perkovic had the longest DT since the 90's, but it rates much lower on my World DDD than the others.
US Best Performance-Women
GIA LEWIS-SMALLWOOD's 226-11 Discus Throw!
She shattered the old AR by over 4 FEET!!
And she beat the Queen of the Disco----er, Discus!---twice!
At 35 years of age! (Perkovic's still in knee pants at age 24!! LOL)
Other marks given MUCH consideration were:
Simpson's 3:57.22
Huddle's 14:42.64
Simpson's and Rowbury's sub-8:30 3K's.
Huddle's 10000 at Payton Jordan.
Flanagan's Marathons. (BOTH of them!)
And last, but definitely NOT least--Emma Coburn's entire series of 3000SC's, especially her AR of 9:11.42.
World Personality of the Year-Women
ALYSIA MONTANO
This maybe should go under another title--such as US Eye-Popper of the Year--but her appearance at, and RACING in, the USATF Championship 800 while 34 weeks pregnant--certainly made the news outlets of the world stop talking politics, war and peace, or Kim Kardashian's latest nude selfie--and give this lady the attention she deserved!
What a beautiful moment!
Tears of joy and laughter abounded.
While there was SOME controversy--Was it safe for her baby?--it was so positive a statement of the strength, health, and POWER of WOMAN--that whatever negativity was produced was ignored, and soon forgotten!
And her beautiful child was born just a few short weeks later, and she is now preparing for a FULL "comeback" in 2015!
A negative candidate--similar to Gatlin for the Men--was Rita Jeptoo.
She was such an incredible runner---cutting a 4:47 mile in the final stages of a VERY fast Marathon--but then she had to go get caught as a druggie!
For SOURING the sport, Jeptoo must be on this short list!
US Personality of the Year-Women
ALYSIA MONTANO
(See above for explanation about World winners who are Americans!)
But while Mommy Montano won the biggie, there were a couple of others who deserve SOME mention!
I nominate Kayla Montgomery, the 18 year old Multiple Sclerosis "victim" who starred in the T&F Video of the Year. (See my Best and Worst post!)
Seek out that video (ESPN's Catching Kayla), and I guarantee your eyes will dampen!!
I give many points to Phoebe Wright.
Her running isn't what it was---She's a 1:58.22 800 gal!---but her Tweets and her Blog posts are classic!
She's by far the funniest, most insightful, and yes, CUTEST (IMHO!! LOL) middle distance blogger-tweeter around!!
Please follow her on Twitter and Google her Blog.
You will NOT be disappointed!!
Well, that does it for 2014!
I do have a little bit to report, but I'll save it for my next post---and first in the New Year---coming probably on January 2nd!
That will have my review of which records might be broken during the 2015 INdoor season in all 4 categories--World, US, Collegiate, and HS!
(And it will probably take 2 separate posts!!)
Have a Happy (and safe!) New Year!!
See you in 2015!!
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Sunday, December 28, 2014
Best and Worst of Track and Field 2014
Well, they said this was an "off year" in T&F.
Really?
Well, as you'll read here, there WERE some "off" happenings, but there were at least as many "on" moments as well!
Let's start with the Best Season.
Yes, I said "season"!
As you all know, I totally separate the INdoor season from the OUTdoor season.
(Although this Best and Worst will cover BOTH seasons!)
It was INdoors!
You had Renaud Lavillenie removing Sergey Bubka from the record books.
You had Genzebe Dibaba crushing 3 WR's!
You had Galen Rupp getting 2 American Records.
Mary Cain, still then 17, won races and ran fast times against quality fields.
This doesn't mean OUTdoors was the "Worst" season.
It just means that INdoors was better!
What were the Best Events this year?
In no particular order, they were the Men's and Women's Pole Vault, the Men's High Jump, the Women's 1500 and 1 Mile, the Women's 3000 and 2 Mile, and the Women's Discus Throw.
PV records were broken in several categories--the Men's WR, the Women's INdoor Collegiate, the Men's and Women's INdoor HS, and the Women's OUTdoor HS.
While the Men's HJ WR survived several great battles, just the fact that the best 3-6 jumpers met OFTEN, and were almost always at the top of their game gave much entertainment to fans everywhere.
The Women's 1500 and 1 Mile produced several exciting races, and some shocking upsets!
(Well, maybe Jenny Simpson's great year wasn't "shocking"! LOL)
With Genzebe Dibaba's 3:55.17 solo effort, and Cain's wins and times INdoors added to the mix, it made for a long thrilling year for Middle Distance buffs.
Same can be said for the Women's 3000 and 2 Mile.
You had a good INdoor battle between Sally Kipyego and Simpson, WR's at both distances (in separate races!) INdoors by Dibaba.
Then you had 2 or 3 GREAT 2 Mile races, in the US and Europe, with VERY deep fields!
Finally, you saw TWO losses by the "unbeatable" Sandra Perkovic to Gia Lewis-Smallwood, who, at 35, had her best year, shattering the AR!
So what were the WORST events?
I pick the Men's 5000, as no one ran really fast OUTdoors, and most races were WALK, then sprint the last 300. BORING!!
Add the Men's 400H. No fast races, and no real standout.
Although it WAS interesting watching the progress of 400H rookie Ashton Eaton!
This last event might seem to not fit here.
I choose the Women's Shot Put!
Yes, Valerie Adams dominated, adding to a legendary winning streak.
But that's why I chose it!
She had NO competition!
They were pretty much just a series of exhibitions, and the marks weren't that impressive, even for Adams!
Best Shockers?
How about Emma Coburn beating most of the Africans, and sometimes ALL of them, and getting the AR to boot?
There was also the aforementioned wins by GLS over Perkovic.
And while you maybe expected it to happen---eventually!---finding out Lavillenie broke Bubka's WR was a mind-bending moment!
The WORST shockers?
How about ANY drug bust?!
So, what was the WORST transition from INdoors to OUTdoors?
I'll pick Dibaba!
After THREE WR's INdoors, she did almost nothing OUTdoors!
She ran okay, but after what she did INdoors, expectations were super high for her continuing her record rampage OUTdoors!
BIG disappointment!
Other poor transitions were by Lavillenie and Mary Cain!
Renaud performed well, but where were those OUTdoor 20 footers?
Cain had an okay excuse (finishing her life as a High Schooler, starting college), but really, couldn't she have kept her word, and raced in Stockholm and Zurich?
Best Book Title?
Easily, Nick Symmonds's "Life Outside the Oval Office".
Best T&F Movie not released yet?
There are 2--though 1 is coming VERY shortly!
There's Alexi Pappas STARRING in her own movie, Tracktown!
She plays a---runner! (Well, duh!!)
Then there's Kevin Costner's McFarland USA, in which he coaches a XC team of misfits!
Both are MUCH anticipated!!
Best new blogger?
Have you read the five (so far!) posts on Morolake Akinosun's new blog?
Please do!
She's a fascinating person, and a wonderful writer!!
Did you read my last post, called Morality of T&F Message Boards?
I wrote about the T&FN MB and the Forum on Let's Run.
Well, here's both the Best AND Worst feature of the latter's MB.
Freedom of Speech!!
(And I ain't joking!!)
About T&FN's website, here's my picks for Best and Worst features of the site.
The Best is having access to the Archives of the eTN (Track Newsletter).
Of course, you have to pay for it, but I can tell you, if you're into marks, you can't find better research material! (More on that a bit later! LOL)
The TN's go from January 2002 to the latest issue!
I also like their front page news articles.
You discover lots of great info there....sometimes before you see it on Twitter! LOL
Lastly, I'd choose their INdoor lists!
NOT their "absolute" lists, which contain BOTH INdoor and OUTdoor marks, leading to CONFUSION!!!
T&FN's Worst features on their website?
The above-noted combining of the INdoor and OUTdoor lists is Numero Uno!!
Their MB, as I said in my previous post, IS better than Let's Run's, BUT....it's not perfect!!
Lastly, the site has technical problems way too often!
(Other NON-T&F-related sites don't have nearly as many tech problems!)
I know injury played a factor, but the Worst 1st Year of college was Sarah Baxter's!
She came to the University of Oregon, supposed to be a MAJOR player in her Freshman year.
Especially in Cross Country, where she was a HS LEGEND for her 4 years at Simi Valley HS (CA), going undefeated....until that iconic race at NXN against Alexa Efraimson and Elise Cranny.
But for some reason, she never ran XC at UO this fall!
(Hope she comes back for track!)
Speaking of Cranny, I pick her's as the BEST first year as a college athlete!
She was first Frosh at NCAA's, and she won or placed high in all of her races over longer distances than her normal Mile!
What was the Best Meet of 2014?
World Relays, hands down!
A new concept, great atmosphere, and some World Records (and National Records!).
And being a distance fan mostly, I also choose the Payton Jordan meet, where you had EIGHT hours of non-stop quality races between 800 and 10000 meters!
The Worst Meets?
There were 2 DL's--Rome and Stockholm--whose "diamonds" didn't shine this year!
Also, the World Indoor Championships were less than they should have been, given that it's a WC!!
Best Crash to the Track?
That award goes to......Shannon Rowbury!
Okay, so Jenny Simpson ALSO crashed to the track, but watch that video again!
I CRINGE every time I see it.
I'm just happy Shannon survived!!
Speaking of videos, my pick for the Best T&F Video goes to ESPN's "Catching Kayla".
Please watch that!
Even Shalane Flanagan was moved to tears by it, and said she was greatly inspired by it!
(I'll be reporting any marks I find from Kayla's Frosh year at Tennessee's Lipscomb College!)
Still on videos---of a sort--- let's pick the Best and Worst that Flotrack had to offer us in 2014.
The Best was the livestream of those 8 hours of Payton Jordan!
It worked perfectly, the announcing was decent, and it cost me just $19.99, the price of a month of Flotrack.
(How much would you have paid if you WENT to the meet?)
The Worst was their Beer Mile!
Come on, guys and gals, do you really think people want to watch some noted athletes vomiting after their "race"??
I didn't watch it, but I caught a couple of brief recaps of it to convince me it was THE worst, on MANY levels!
While we're at it, let's call that Beer Mile T&F's Most Embarrassing Moment of 2014!
(Especially knowing that lots of otherwise "sane" people actually LOVED it!! Jeez!!)
Best Scandal in our favorite sport?
Pick from among the Rita Jeptoo drug bust, the USATF INdoor Championships fiasco (and its lengthy aftermath!), and IAAF's choosing Doha as the site of the 2019 WC's over....Eugene!!
The Best Bomb thrown at USATF??
Lauren Fleshman's, of course!
Please Google her BEAST of an article!
It'll fire you up all over again!!
Thank you, Lauren, for Speaking Truth to Power!!
2014's Most JOYFUL moment?
I pick Alysia Montano "racing" the 800 at USATF while 34 weeks pregnant!!
She ran 2:32.13 for the 800, which is FASTER than the pace run by Paula Radcliffe in her 2:15:25 WR Marathon!!
And yes, she wore a flower in her hair!
(And just weeks later, had a beautiful baby born!)
Getting to the end, so let';s finish with a bit of "humor"!
The Best NON-Running news?
Mary Cain has a boyfriend!!
The Worst NON-Running news?
Lolo Jones is still a virgin!!
And last but certainly not least?
The Best Blog about T&F Records and Marks?
Well, duhhhhhhh!!! LOL
Really?
Well, as you'll read here, there WERE some "off" happenings, but there were at least as many "on" moments as well!
Let's start with the Best Season.
Yes, I said "season"!
As you all know, I totally separate the INdoor season from the OUTdoor season.
(Although this Best and Worst will cover BOTH seasons!)
It was INdoors!
You had Renaud Lavillenie removing Sergey Bubka from the record books.
You had Genzebe Dibaba crushing 3 WR's!
You had Galen Rupp getting 2 American Records.
Mary Cain, still then 17, won races and ran fast times against quality fields.
This doesn't mean OUTdoors was the "Worst" season.
It just means that INdoors was better!
What were the Best Events this year?
In no particular order, they were the Men's and Women's Pole Vault, the Men's High Jump, the Women's 1500 and 1 Mile, the Women's 3000 and 2 Mile, and the Women's Discus Throw.
PV records were broken in several categories--the Men's WR, the Women's INdoor Collegiate, the Men's and Women's INdoor HS, and the Women's OUTdoor HS.
While the Men's HJ WR survived several great battles, just the fact that the best 3-6 jumpers met OFTEN, and were almost always at the top of their game gave much entertainment to fans everywhere.
The Women's 1500 and 1 Mile produced several exciting races, and some shocking upsets!
(Well, maybe Jenny Simpson's great year wasn't "shocking"! LOL)
With Genzebe Dibaba's 3:55.17 solo effort, and Cain's wins and times INdoors added to the mix, it made for a long thrilling year for Middle Distance buffs.
Same can be said for the Women's 3000 and 2 Mile.
You had a good INdoor battle between Sally Kipyego and Simpson, WR's at both distances (in separate races!) INdoors by Dibaba.
Then you had 2 or 3 GREAT 2 Mile races, in the US and Europe, with VERY deep fields!
Finally, you saw TWO losses by the "unbeatable" Sandra Perkovic to Gia Lewis-Smallwood, who, at 35, had her best year, shattering the AR!
So what were the WORST events?
I pick the Men's 5000, as no one ran really fast OUTdoors, and most races were WALK, then sprint the last 300. BORING!!
Add the Men's 400H. No fast races, and no real standout.
Although it WAS interesting watching the progress of 400H rookie Ashton Eaton!
This last event might seem to not fit here.
I choose the Women's Shot Put!
Yes, Valerie Adams dominated, adding to a legendary winning streak.
But that's why I chose it!
She had NO competition!
They were pretty much just a series of exhibitions, and the marks weren't that impressive, even for Adams!
Best Shockers?
How about Emma Coburn beating most of the Africans, and sometimes ALL of them, and getting the AR to boot?
There was also the aforementioned wins by GLS over Perkovic.
And while you maybe expected it to happen---eventually!---finding out Lavillenie broke Bubka's WR was a mind-bending moment!
The WORST shockers?
How about ANY drug bust?!
So, what was the WORST transition from INdoors to OUTdoors?
I'll pick Dibaba!
After THREE WR's INdoors, she did almost nothing OUTdoors!
She ran okay, but after what she did INdoors, expectations were super high for her continuing her record rampage OUTdoors!
BIG disappointment!
Other poor transitions were by Lavillenie and Mary Cain!
Renaud performed well, but where were those OUTdoor 20 footers?
Cain had an okay excuse (finishing her life as a High Schooler, starting college), but really, couldn't she have kept her word, and raced in Stockholm and Zurich?
Best Book Title?
Easily, Nick Symmonds's "Life Outside the Oval Office".
Best T&F Movie not released yet?
There are 2--though 1 is coming VERY shortly!
There's Alexi Pappas STARRING in her own movie, Tracktown!
She plays a---runner! (Well, duh!!)
Then there's Kevin Costner's McFarland USA, in which he coaches a XC team of misfits!
Both are MUCH anticipated!!
Best new blogger?
Have you read the five (so far!) posts on Morolake Akinosun's new blog?
Please do!
She's a fascinating person, and a wonderful writer!!
Did you read my last post, called Morality of T&F Message Boards?
I wrote about the T&FN MB and the Forum on Let's Run.
Well, here's both the Best AND Worst feature of the latter's MB.
Freedom of Speech!!
(And I ain't joking!!)
About T&FN's website, here's my picks for Best and Worst features of the site.
The Best is having access to the Archives of the eTN (Track Newsletter).
Of course, you have to pay for it, but I can tell you, if you're into marks, you can't find better research material! (More on that a bit later! LOL)
The TN's go from January 2002 to the latest issue!
I also like their front page news articles.
You discover lots of great info there....sometimes before you see it on Twitter! LOL
Lastly, I'd choose their INdoor lists!
NOT their "absolute" lists, which contain BOTH INdoor and OUTdoor marks, leading to CONFUSION!!!
T&FN's Worst features on their website?
The above-noted combining of the INdoor and OUTdoor lists is Numero Uno!!
Their MB, as I said in my previous post, IS better than Let's Run's, BUT....it's not perfect!!
Lastly, the site has technical problems way too often!
(Other NON-T&F-related sites don't have nearly as many tech problems!)
I know injury played a factor, but the Worst 1st Year of college was Sarah Baxter's!
She came to the University of Oregon, supposed to be a MAJOR player in her Freshman year.
Especially in Cross Country, where she was a HS LEGEND for her 4 years at Simi Valley HS (CA), going undefeated....until that iconic race at NXN against Alexa Efraimson and Elise Cranny.
But for some reason, she never ran XC at UO this fall!
(Hope she comes back for track!)
Speaking of Cranny, I pick her's as the BEST first year as a college athlete!
She was first Frosh at NCAA's, and she won or placed high in all of her races over longer distances than her normal Mile!
What was the Best Meet of 2014?
World Relays, hands down!
A new concept, great atmosphere, and some World Records (and National Records!).
And being a distance fan mostly, I also choose the Payton Jordan meet, where you had EIGHT hours of non-stop quality races between 800 and 10000 meters!
The Worst Meets?
There were 2 DL's--Rome and Stockholm--whose "diamonds" didn't shine this year!
Also, the World Indoor Championships were less than they should have been, given that it's a WC!!
Best Crash to the Track?
That award goes to......Shannon Rowbury!
Okay, so Jenny Simpson ALSO crashed to the track, but watch that video again!
I CRINGE every time I see it.
I'm just happy Shannon survived!!
Speaking of videos, my pick for the Best T&F Video goes to ESPN's "Catching Kayla".
Please watch that!
Even Shalane Flanagan was moved to tears by it, and said she was greatly inspired by it!
(I'll be reporting any marks I find from Kayla's Frosh year at Tennessee's Lipscomb College!)
Still on videos---of a sort--- let's pick the Best and Worst that Flotrack had to offer us in 2014.
The Best was the livestream of those 8 hours of Payton Jordan!
It worked perfectly, the announcing was decent, and it cost me just $19.99, the price of a month of Flotrack.
(How much would you have paid if you WENT to the meet?)
The Worst was their Beer Mile!
Come on, guys and gals, do you really think people want to watch some noted athletes vomiting after their "race"??
I didn't watch it, but I caught a couple of brief recaps of it to convince me it was THE worst, on MANY levels!
While we're at it, let's call that Beer Mile T&F's Most Embarrassing Moment of 2014!
(Especially knowing that lots of otherwise "sane" people actually LOVED it!! Jeez!!)
Best Scandal in our favorite sport?
Pick from among the Rita Jeptoo drug bust, the USATF INdoor Championships fiasco (and its lengthy aftermath!), and IAAF's choosing Doha as the site of the 2019 WC's over....Eugene!!
The Best Bomb thrown at USATF??
Lauren Fleshman's, of course!
Please Google her BEAST of an article!
It'll fire you up all over again!!
Thank you, Lauren, for Speaking Truth to Power!!
2014's Most JOYFUL moment?
I pick Alysia Montano "racing" the 800 at USATF while 34 weeks pregnant!!
She ran 2:32.13 for the 800, which is FASTER than the pace run by Paula Radcliffe in her 2:15:25 WR Marathon!!
And yes, she wore a flower in her hair!
(And just weeks later, had a beautiful baby born!)
Getting to the end, so let';s finish with a bit of "humor"!
The Best NON-Running news?
Mary Cain has a boyfriend!!
The Worst NON-Running news?
Lolo Jones is still a virgin!!
And last but certainly not least?
The Best Blog about T&F Records and Marks?
Well, duhhhhhhh!!! LOL
Thursday, December 25, 2014
Morality of T&F Message Boards
Merry Christmas to everyone who sees this!
This being a holiday where morality is key to its meaning and understanding, I feel it's an appropriate day to speak of the morality of Track and Field Message Boards.
As there are just 2 I've participated in--or even am aware of!--I'll limit my comments to those two.
They are the Track and Field News MB and the Let's Run Forum.
I've mostly written on T&FN's MB, but while posting very little on LR's Forum, I've read extensively their commentary.
So what do I think of them?
I'll get to that in a minute.
First, let me ask (and answer!) the question: Should MB's have rules? Rules which set--and strictly adhere to!--a stated moral code?
Besides T&F-related MB's, I've contributed to a few political sites.
I'm a strong and proud supporter of Sarah Palin, and have written a lot of stuff on 2 or 3 SP sites, especially C4P (Conservatives for Palin).
One thing I learned on C4P is that they won't tolerate "trolls"--those who come to a site merely to insult, criticize, and attack.
I think that's a good policy, because you want a place where you feel comfortable posting comments that would get attacked on sites where they hold beliefs diametrically opposite yours.
It's nice to be among friends and "fellow travelers".
T&F (and Running) MB's seem to be simple and straightforward.
They are there to discuss subjects related to a sport where participants range from youth to masters, from HS to Professionals, from all-comers meets to the Olympic Games.
The subject of a particular thread could be about a meet, an event, an athlete, or just general stuff, but still connected somehow to the sport. (Drugs, the ruling organizations, awards won, predictions, movies and books about T&F, etc.)
But underlying the INclusion of subject matter is what should be EXcluded!
And that's where rules come in.
T&FN, for example, insists that racist and sexist remarks, as well as personal attacks on other posters, are verboten.
Also that speculation on athletes who are SUSPECTED of drug use is a no-no.
Until the FACTS are in, innuendo and accusations are forbidden!
Many people have been banned from the T&FN MB, usually just temporarily, for going against these rules.
I'll tell you a personal story.
When Mary Cain exploded on the scene during the INdoor season of 2013, I wrote a LOT about her.
(I only started writing on their MB in May of 2012!)
While I mentioned her charming personality, my comments were 99.9% about her athletic feats, and future potential.
I admit I went overboard with my enthusiasm for her!
(Although breaking 6 INdoor HSR's and 4 OUTdoor HSR's in less than 6 months warranted such commentary.)
But after awhile, one poster called my fandom of her "creepy", and accused me of being a "stalker". He (I'm sure it was a he!) even said that Mary's father should be "concerned".
I fought back, but the attacks continued.
Then I wrote something that got me banned.
Cain joined Twitter late in 2013.
It took a few days, however, for her to produce her first tweet.
When she did, I announced it on T&FN's MB, saying she had "lost her Twitter virginity".
It was a JOKE!!
But Garry Hill banned me, and wrote (in a Personal Message) that my comment was "sick" and "insane"!
She was 17 at the time.
I was angry, but I also laughed--or LMAO, as Twitter Language puts it!
I mean, what century does Garry live in?
Did he believe I was somehow sneakily referring to her ACTUAL virginity?
Does he think that 17 year old's aren't sexually sophisticated, or at least knowledgeable, if not actively involved?
But I digress.
This "extra" post was inspired not by that incident, but by what happened yesterday on Let's Run's MB.
Remember an early post here asking the whereabouts of Wesley Frazier, Natosha Rogers, and Cayla Hatton?
Well, still curious about those 3, I began a thread on LR asking about them, and 3 or 4 other young women.
I wrote a very brief description of their 2012 or 2013 accomplishments, then wondered where they were, or why they had UNDERperformed in 2014.
(Cain was NOT among the group I was asking about!)
I received 2 comments.
The first was okay, as it stuck to the subject.
The second called my interest in these ladies "creepy" and like a "stalker".
(Sounds familiar, yes?!)
To top off the insults, this person named himself (I assume it's a he!) "Erin Krohn".
My real name is Aaron Krohn (Aaron K's T&F Record Book).
"Erin" is a female name, as in Erin Brockovich or....Erin Finn.
I complained to Let's Run, but only about that particular comment!
Then, a bit later, I went to see if it (the comment) had been removed.
Yes, it had.
But so had my entire thread!!
Now let me give 2 examples of LR's hypocritical stance.
When Mary (Cain) was mostly inactive this past spring and summer, and when 1 or 2 other NOP athletes were injured or running poorly, speculation began on LR.
About Cain, more than 1 poster said that Coach Salazar was probably feeding them drugs (PED's), or that Mary might be pregnant (!!!), and from there, it got even MORE demented....or, if you will, CREEPY!!
When Alexa Efraimson had problems at the end of a couple of races (She fell, from exhaustion, in the final 100 meters or so of two 5K's!), the comments said she suffered from every disease, whether physical or mental, known to humankind!
(And yes, I was guilty of this too. I suggested it might be the onset of Multiple Sclerosis! This was just after I'd seen the video called "Catching Kayla", about Kayla Montgomery, who became known while in HS as a top-name runner suffering from MS.)
But very few, if any, attacked these people who were using the misfortune of a 17 year old HS girl to fulfill their armchair doctor fantasies!
They allowed the speculation about Alexa to run rampant!
As they did the "drugs" and "pregnancy" crap about Mary Cain (and others in NOP).
And yet, my simple questioning of the whereabouts or current health and competition status of some young (all at least 18!) girls provoked slanderous commentary calling me "creepy" and a "stalker".
These, and MANY other examples, call loudly for the setting of parameters within which commentators can feel safe and free to speak their mind.
1. On MB's on sites totally devoted to T&F and/or Running, all threads (and comments therein) should be ABOUT the sport, its athletes, and other related subjects.
2. As they do on T&FN MB, I agree that racist and sexist remarks should be forbidden.
3. But DEFINE those terms! Can we talk about Maggie Vessey's "sexy" racing gear, about Lolo Jones being a self-confessed virgin, about Suzy Favor Hamilton's year as a Call Girl, or even about Mary Cain having a boyfriend?
4. Justin Gatlin has been roundly attacked this year, especially as to whether he should be considered for Athlete of the Year, because he'd been banned for drugs TWICE! His defenders say he's served his time, and unless he tests positive for drugs AGAIN, should be allowed the status of "athlete redeemed".
5. This almost total criticism of Gatlin is contradicted when set against the commentary about recently banned Inika McPherson. Most comments about her (mine included!) say she doesn't deserve a 21 month ban---or even ANY ban!---and should lose only the mark (6-6.75, her PR) from the meet where she tested positive!
6. So MB's should have a rule about "consistency", meaning consistency of the comments. If you attack 1 drug cheat, attack them all! If talk about the NON-athletic life of an athlete is a no-no, make it so for EVERY athlete, regardless of gender or age! (What is allowable when athletics and one's private life come together, as when 34-weeks-pregnant Alysia Montano "competed" in this year's USATF OUTdoor meet? The video and photos of her became instantly viral!)
7. Whether or not they might hold some validity, I firmly believe that PERSONAL ATTACKS should NOT be allowed. That "Sticks and stones...." phrase may be a cliche, and true, but being called names, or accused of "crimes" never even thought about.....HURTS! Many people are asking, in a more general sense than just about our sport, where civility and humaneness has disappeared to in this so called "beacon of democracy". If you read the comments on LR's MB (and to a lesser extent, on T&FN's MB), you might be asking the same question.
I started this blog to give honor and respect to the records and marks of T&F athletes.
I believe I have done so.
And will continue to do so, as long as I'm still breathing!
But sometimes something arises which calls for an immediate response.
If we let things go too long, a cancer will grow within that will disease, and ultimately kill, the body of that which we speak.
We NEED Message Boards.
We WANT them!
But please, let's attach some standards of morality to them.
And adhere to those standards.
My next post will be the "Best and Worst of 2014".
See you then.
This being a holiday where morality is key to its meaning and understanding, I feel it's an appropriate day to speak of the morality of Track and Field Message Boards.
As there are just 2 I've participated in--or even am aware of!--I'll limit my comments to those two.
They are the Track and Field News MB and the Let's Run Forum.
I've mostly written on T&FN's MB, but while posting very little on LR's Forum, I've read extensively their commentary.
So what do I think of them?
I'll get to that in a minute.
First, let me ask (and answer!) the question: Should MB's have rules? Rules which set--and strictly adhere to!--a stated moral code?
Besides T&F-related MB's, I've contributed to a few political sites.
I'm a strong and proud supporter of Sarah Palin, and have written a lot of stuff on 2 or 3 SP sites, especially C4P (Conservatives for Palin).
One thing I learned on C4P is that they won't tolerate "trolls"--those who come to a site merely to insult, criticize, and attack.
I think that's a good policy, because you want a place where you feel comfortable posting comments that would get attacked on sites where they hold beliefs diametrically opposite yours.
It's nice to be among friends and "fellow travelers".
T&F (and Running) MB's seem to be simple and straightforward.
They are there to discuss subjects related to a sport where participants range from youth to masters, from HS to Professionals, from all-comers meets to the Olympic Games.
The subject of a particular thread could be about a meet, an event, an athlete, or just general stuff, but still connected somehow to the sport. (Drugs, the ruling organizations, awards won, predictions, movies and books about T&F, etc.)
But underlying the INclusion of subject matter is what should be EXcluded!
And that's where rules come in.
T&FN, for example, insists that racist and sexist remarks, as well as personal attacks on other posters, are verboten.
Also that speculation on athletes who are SUSPECTED of drug use is a no-no.
Until the FACTS are in, innuendo and accusations are forbidden!
Many people have been banned from the T&FN MB, usually just temporarily, for going against these rules.
I'll tell you a personal story.
When Mary Cain exploded on the scene during the INdoor season of 2013, I wrote a LOT about her.
(I only started writing on their MB in May of 2012!)
While I mentioned her charming personality, my comments were 99.9% about her athletic feats, and future potential.
I admit I went overboard with my enthusiasm for her!
(Although breaking 6 INdoor HSR's and 4 OUTdoor HSR's in less than 6 months warranted such commentary.)
But after awhile, one poster called my fandom of her "creepy", and accused me of being a "stalker". He (I'm sure it was a he!) even said that Mary's father should be "concerned".
I fought back, but the attacks continued.
Then I wrote something that got me banned.
Cain joined Twitter late in 2013.
It took a few days, however, for her to produce her first tweet.
When she did, I announced it on T&FN's MB, saying she had "lost her Twitter virginity".
It was a JOKE!!
But Garry Hill banned me, and wrote (in a Personal Message) that my comment was "sick" and "insane"!
She was 17 at the time.
I was angry, but I also laughed--or LMAO, as Twitter Language puts it!
I mean, what century does Garry live in?
Did he believe I was somehow sneakily referring to her ACTUAL virginity?
Does he think that 17 year old's aren't sexually sophisticated, or at least knowledgeable, if not actively involved?
But I digress.
This "extra" post was inspired not by that incident, but by what happened yesterday on Let's Run's MB.
Remember an early post here asking the whereabouts of Wesley Frazier, Natosha Rogers, and Cayla Hatton?
Well, still curious about those 3, I began a thread on LR asking about them, and 3 or 4 other young women.
I wrote a very brief description of their 2012 or 2013 accomplishments, then wondered where they were, or why they had UNDERperformed in 2014.
(Cain was NOT among the group I was asking about!)
I received 2 comments.
The first was okay, as it stuck to the subject.
The second called my interest in these ladies "creepy" and like a "stalker".
(Sounds familiar, yes?!)
To top off the insults, this person named himself (I assume it's a he!) "Erin Krohn".
My real name is Aaron Krohn (Aaron K's T&F Record Book).
"Erin" is a female name, as in Erin Brockovich or....Erin Finn.
I complained to Let's Run, but only about that particular comment!
Then, a bit later, I went to see if it (the comment) had been removed.
Yes, it had.
But so had my entire thread!!
Now let me give 2 examples of LR's hypocritical stance.
When Mary (Cain) was mostly inactive this past spring and summer, and when 1 or 2 other NOP athletes were injured or running poorly, speculation began on LR.
About Cain, more than 1 poster said that Coach Salazar was probably feeding them drugs (PED's), or that Mary might be pregnant (!!!), and from there, it got even MORE demented....or, if you will, CREEPY!!
When Alexa Efraimson had problems at the end of a couple of races (She fell, from exhaustion, in the final 100 meters or so of two 5K's!), the comments said she suffered from every disease, whether physical or mental, known to humankind!
(And yes, I was guilty of this too. I suggested it might be the onset of Multiple Sclerosis! This was just after I'd seen the video called "Catching Kayla", about Kayla Montgomery, who became known while in HS as a top-name runner suffering from MS.)
But very few, if any, attacked these people who were using the misfortune of a 17 year old HS girl to fulfill their armchair doctor fantasies!
They allowed the speculation about Alexa to run rampant!
As they did the "drugs" and "pregnancy" crap about Mary Cain (and others in NOP).
And yet, my simple questioning of the whereabouts or current health and competition status of some young (all at least 18!) girls provoked slanderous commentary calling me "creepy" and a "stalker".
These, and MANY other examples, call loudly for the setting of parameters within which commentators can feel safe and free to speak their mind.
1. On MB's on sites totally devoted to T&F and/or Running, all threads (and comments therein) should be ABOUT the sport, its athletes, and other related subjects.
2. As they do on T&FN MB, I agree that racist and sexist remarks should be forbidden.
3. But DEFINE those terms! Can we talk about Maggie Vessey's "sexy" racing gear, about Lolo Jones being a self-confessed virgin, about Suzy Favor Hamilton's year as a Call Girl, or even about Mary Cain having a boyfriend?
4. Justin Gatlin has been roundly attacked this year, especially as to whether he should be considered for Athlete of the Year, because he'd been banned for drugs TWICE! His defenders say he's served his time, and unless he tests positive for drugs AGAIN, should be allowed the status of "athlete redeemed".
5. This almost total criticism of Gatlin is contradicted when set against the commentary about recently banned Inika McPherson. Most comments about her (mine included!) say she doesn't deserve a 21 month ban---or even ANY ban!---and should lose only the mark (6-6.75, her PR) from the meet where she tested positive!
6. So MB's should have a rule about "consistency", meaning consistency of the comments. If you attack 1 drug cheat, attack them all! If talk about the NON-athletic life of an athlete is a no-no, make it so for EVERY athlete, regardless of gender or age! (What is allowable when athletics and one's private life come together, as when 34-weeks-pregnant Alysia Montano "competed" in this year's USATF OUTdoor meet? The video and photos of her became instantly viral!)
7. Whether or not they might hold some validity, I firmly believe that PERSONAL ATTACKS should NOT be allowed. That "Sticks and stones...." phrase may be a cliche, and true, but being called names, or accused of "crimes" never even thought about.....HURTS! Many people are asking, in a more general sense than just about our sport, where civility and humaneness has disappeared to in this so called "beacon of democracy". If you read the comments on LR's MB (and to a lesser extent, on T&FN's MB), you might be asking the same question.
I started this blog to give honor and respect to the records and marks of T&F athletes.
I believe I have done so.
And will continue to do so, as long as I'm still breathing!
But sometimes something arises which calls for an immediate response.
If we let things go too long, a cancer will grow within that will disease, and ultimately kill, the body of that which we speak.
We NEED Message Boards.
We WANT them!
But please, let's attach some standards of morality to them.
And adhere to those standards.
My next post will be the "Best and Worst of 2014".
See you then.
Monday, December 22, 2014
2015 INdoors sees premature birth
In December 2013, the 2014 INdoor season began with a small flourish.
We saw Abbey D'Agostino and 3 others run 5000's in the 15:40 to 15:42 range, with Abbey's time being a Best-Ever-in-December record.
Then, a few days later, we were shocked when a 42 foot SPer suddenly became a 52-3, then 53-8 Superstar!
(Raven Saunders would, of course, go on to shatter Michelle Carter's INdoor and OUTdoor HS records---by about 2 feet each!!)
But this December (and even as early as November 22nd!), the "2015" INdoor season has been even better--a quite healthy premature birth!
Here's what I've already reported.
Ryen Frazier runs the Mile in 4:44.20, giving her 12th A-T HS.
Richard Rose ran his 600 opener in 1:20.98.
Sarah Disanza smashed Abbey D's A-T December best by over 20 seconds, with Emily Sisson running 19 seconds faster than she had a year ago, and Liv Westphal also going under (by 9 seconds) Abbey's 2013 time.
Add Rachel Johnson's 15:40 solo act in Texas, and Brian Shrader's 13:40.
Raven Saunders began her collegiate career with a 56-3.75, which while not her PR, is still about 28 inches farther than she did a year ago!
The Men's and Women's WT opened with a few 70 to 75 foot marks, though none made my lists.
Erica Twiss opened with a good Heptathlon score of 4136.
And a 9th Grader, Tatiana Marsh, opened inside a foot of the Frosh Class TJ record!
Well, the onslaught of "premature" good marks continues unabated!
Mackenzie Shell PV'ed 13-3, which makes her 20th A-T HS, tied with 3 others.
Rai Benjamin and Sydney McLaughlin opened their seasons with good 300's.
Benjamin ran 33.81, which, if I had an A-T list for 300's, would rank about 21st!
McLaughlin ran 38.52, a slight PR for her, and which would rank about 24th or 25th A-T!
She added a good 55H time as well!
Jared Lovelace improved his 2014 INdoor best by almost 2 feet (!), TJ'ing 50-0.50.
My Top 24 list ends with a 50-3.25, so I expect this mark to be somewhere around 30th A-T HS, more or less.
Nicole Greene PR'ed in the HJ, her opener of 5-10 coming just 1 inch short of my Top 24 HS list!
She seems to have other jumping talents as well.
Her first-EVER TJ competition produced a mark of 38 feet!
She also LJ'ed!
Two new marks DID make my list!
Well, they "merely" improved on marks they already had on my DDD's.
Richard Rose, now a Senior, improved on his 600 opener (See above.) with a great time of 1:18.40, which is also his PR!
But he remains in 4th on the A-T HS list.
Adam Kelly also PR'ed, his WT mark putting him in the 80 foot Club.
His 80-1.50 moves him up 1 spot on the A-T HS list, from 11th to 10th.
And that's not all!
Just in from Great Britain comes word that Adam Hogue got the A-T Age 17 PV record, doing 17-11 (5.46 metric).
This broke Devin King's 17-10.25 from 2014!
(ERROR!! Just did some checking, and discovered Devin King's birthdate is March 13, 1996. The 17-10.25 Vault happened at the NBIN meet, which was held from March 14th to 16th, 2014. Thus, King had just turned 18 prior to his "record"! BUT....Hogue's mark IS the Age 17 INdoor record!)
Finally, with the great assistance of Jack Shepard's 2015 HS Track book, I've discovered a new Frosh Class record from 2014.
Makayla Linebarger claims the INdoor Frosh Class PV record with her 12-9.50!
There's a few more major announcements that came in recently.
The Boston INdoor meet is looking even better.
Previously, Jenny Simpson had been announced for the Two Mile race.
Now, we have Brenda Martinez anchoring the Women's New Balance DMR team!
They're said to be going for the WR of 10:50.98!
I don't know the rest of the team's make-up, but I expect that mark to be reduced by SEVERAL seconds!!
I tweeted Brenda, telling her that a team running 3:15, 54, 2:02, and (BM's) 4:19 would give them the record by TWENTY seconds!
(Remember, Brenda ran 4:19.6 in the 5th Avenue Mile!)
Also announced for Boston is Jenn Suhr in the PV.
However, she'll have a serious Meet Record to shoot for--her own 16-0 from 2012!
Add Matt Centrowitz and Mary Cain running 1000's!
Centro will have Dave Krummenacker's Meet Record of 2:17.86 to shoot for.
Or David Torrence's AR of 2:16.76, or his own PR of 2:19.56 (from 2013).
He'd need 2:17.67 to make the World DDD.
Cain can take another shot at Jen Toomey's AR of 2:34.19.
Mary's 2:35.80 from 10 months ago ranks her 24th on the World list.
Toomey's mark is 7th!
Lastly, Great Britain's 800 star, Andrew Osagie, with an OUTdoor PR of 1:43.77, has stated he wants THREE British INdoor records!
They are Dai Greene's 600 mark of 1:16.22, Matthew Yates's 1000 NR of 2:17.86, and Seb Coe's venerable 1:44.91 National Record in the 800, which dates from 1983!
Coming in the remainder of 2014 will be....
my "Best and Worst" of 2014, which will cover both INdoor and OUTdoor!
my selections of the US and World Athletes of the Year, plus Honorable Mentions!
one more "results" blog, covering whatever ensues next weekend!
(And yes, there ARE meets scheduled!!)
And then......the 2015 season will have matured!
We saw Abbey D'Agostino and 3 others run 5000's in the 15:40 to 15:42 range, with Abbey's time being a Best-Ever-in-December record.
Then, a few days later, we were shocked when a 42 foot SPer suddenly became a 52-3, then 53-8 Superstar!
(Raven Saunders would, of course, go on to shatter Michelle Carter's INdoor and OUTdoor HS records---by about 2 feet each!!)
But this December (and even as early as November 22nd!), the "2015" INdoor season has been even better--a quite healthy premature birth!
Here's what I've already reported.
Ryen Frazier runs the Mile in 4:44.20, giving her 12th A-T HS.
Richard Rose ran his 600 opener in 1:20.98.
Sarah Disanza smashed Abbey D's A-T December best by over 20 seconds, with Emily Sisson running 19 seconds faster than she had a year ago, and Liv Westphal also going under (by 9 seconds) Abbey's 2013 time.
Add Rachel Johnson's 15:40 solo act in Texas, and Brian Shrader's 13:40.
Raven Saunders began her collegiate career with a 56-3.75, which while not her PR, is still about 28 inches farther than she did a year ago!
The Men's and Women's WT opened with a few 70 to 75 foot marks, though none made my lists.
Erica Twiss opened with a good Heptathlon score of 4136.
And a 9th Grader, Tatiana Marsh, opened inside a foot of the Frosh Class TJ record!
Well, the onslaught of "premature" good marks continues unabated!
Mackenzie Shell PV'ed 13-3, which makes her 20th A-T HS, tied with 3 others.
Rai Benjamin and Sydney McLaughlin opened their seasons with good 300's.
Benjamin ran 33.81, which, if I had an A-T list for 300's, would rank about 21st!
McLaughlin ran 38.52, a slight PR for her, and which would rank about 24th or 25th A-T!
She added a good 55H time as well!
Jared Lovelace improved his 2014 INdoor best by almost 2 feet (!), TJ'ing 50-0.50.
My Top 24 list ends with a 50-3.25, so I expect this mark to be somewhere around 30th A-T HS, more or less.
Nicole Greene PR'ed in the HJ, her opener of 5-10 coming just 1 inch short of my Top 24 HS list!
She seems to have other jumping talents as well.
Her first-EVER TJ competition produced a mark of 38 feet!
She also LJ'ed!
Two new marks DID make my list!
Well, they "merely" improved on marks they already had on my DDD's.
Richard Rose, now a Senior, improved on his 600 opener (See above.) with a great time of 1:18.40, which is also his PR!
But he remains in 4th on the A-T HS list.
Adam Kelly also PR'ed, his WT mark putting him in the 80 foot Club.
His 80-1.50 moves him up 1 spot on the A-T HS list, from 11th to 10th.
And that's not all!
Just in from Great Britain comes word that Adam Hogue got the A-T Age 17 PV record, doing 17-11 (5.46 metric).
This broke Devin King's 17-10.25 from 2014!
(ERROR!! Just did some checking, and discovered Devin King's birthdate is March 13, 1996. The 17-10.25 Vault happened at the NBIN meet, which was held from March 14th to 16th, 2014. Thus, King had just turned 18 prior to his "record"! BUT....Hogue's mark IS the Age 17 INdoor record!)
Finally, with the great assistance of Jack Shepard's 2015 HS Track book, I've discovered a new Frosh Class record from 2014.
Makayla Linebarger claims the INdoor Frosh Class PV record with her 12-9.50!
There's a few more major announcements that came in recently.
The Boston INdoor meet is looking even better.
Previously, Jenny Simpson had been announced for the Two Mile race.
Now, we have Brenda Martinez anchoring the Women's New Balance DMR team!
They're said to be going for the WR of 10:50.98!
I don't know the rest of the team's make-up, but I expect that mark to be reduced by SEVERAL seconds!!
I tweeted Brenda, telling her that a team running 3:15, 54, 2:02, and (BM's) 4:19 would give them the record by TWENTY seconds!
(Remember, Brenda ran 4:19.6 in the 5th Avenue Mile!)
Also announced for Boston is Jenn Suhr in the PV.
However, she'll have a serious Meet Record to shoot for--her own 16-0 from 2012!
Add Matt Centrowitz and Mary Cain running 1000's!
Centro will have Dave Krummenacker's Meet Record of 2:17.86 to shoot for.
Or David Torrence's AR of 2:16.76, or his own PR of 2:19.56 (from 2013).
He'd need 2:17.67 to make the World DDD.
Cain can take another shot at Jen Toomey's AR of 2:34.19.
Mary's 2:35.80 from 10 months ago ranks her 24th on the World list.
Toomey's mark is 7th!
Lastly, Great Britain's 800 star, Andrew Osagie, with an OUTdoor PR of 1:43.77, has stated he wants THREE British INdoor records!
They are Dai Greene's 600 mark of 1:16.22, Matthew Yates's 1000 NR of 2:17.86, and Seb Coe's venerable 1:44.91 National Record in the 800, which dates from 1983!
Coming in the remainder of 2014 will be....
my "Best and Worst" of 2014, which will cover both INdoor and OUTdoor!
my selections of the US and World Athletes of the Year, plus Honorable Mentions!
one more "results" blog, covering whatever ensues next weekend!
(And yes, there ARE meets scheduled!!)
And then......the 2015 season will have matured!
Saturday, December 20, 2014
Does Bronxville HS miss Mary Cain?
The answer to the title question is "Of course they do!".
Mary, though only running for her team for her first 2 years there (2011 and 2012), put Bronxville indelibly and eternally on the map of schools whose star athlete is forever connected to their school's name and history.
(Think Wichita KS's East High and Jim Ryun, or Coos Bay OR's Marshfield High with Steve Prefontaine!)
But as this new INdoor season heats up--and if you've read my recent posts, you know it's starting pretty darn quick!--I was doing my normal research for my next post, looking for good marks to report, when I came to Mile Split's coverage of yesterday's Jim Mitchell Invitational at The Armory.
And there I saw some results for the Bronxville HS Girls runners that inspired me to do this "extra" post.
Here's what 5 Bronxville girls ran last night, in races from 300 to 1000 meters long.
Caroline DePaul ran 300 in 42.95.
Caroline Kirby ran 600 in 1:38.59.
Laura Holland was right behind her with her 1:38.80.
Kaitlyn Ryan, a soph, improved her PR by 5 seconds, running the 1000 in 2:55.77.
And Delia Hayes did the 1000 in 3:05.28.
None of the times come even close to making my A-T list, although Ryan's time is pretty impressive for late December, and for her being just a 10th grader.
So what does this mean for Bronxville's chances as a Relay unit?
Well, I also checked my brand new (received a few days ago) 2015 edition of Jack Shepard's HS Track, an Annual I rely on quite heavily to research and verify marks for my own T&F Record Book, pertaining to my HS sections.
And while the Bronxville girls are NOT listed on any All-Time Relay lists in the book, they ARE listed twice in the lists for 2014 INdoors.
They ran the 4X800 last year in 9:16.62, and the DMR in 12:14.71.
The former was 13th on the 2014 list, the latter being 20th on that list.
Here's my "prediction" for what this year's team--or at least the 5 girls listed above--might do in these 2 Relays.
DePaul's 42.95 for 300 indicates a time of under 60 for 400.
Kirby's and Holland's 600's show them to be potential 800 girls of about 2:16-2:18 quality.
Hayes shows she might run the 1600 in the range of 5:10 to 5:15.
And Ryan, who might be Bronxville's "new star", shows some possibilities for a 1600 in the range of 4:55 to 5:00.
4X800--Kirby and Holland run 2:16's, DePaul (or Hayes) adds a 2:20, then Ryan anchors with a 2:10.
Final time of 9:02, or 14 seconds better than last year, and 19th A-T HS!!
DMR--Hayes or Holland runs the 1200 in 3:36, then DePaul runs a 400 in 59, followed by Kirby's 2:16, then anchored by Ryan's 4:55.
Final time of 11:46, or 19th A-T.
Okay, so not as great as what they could have done with Cain on the team.
But Mary's gone.
What's left are 5 girls who have started their 2015 INdoor season with PR's and other good times.
Expect them all to run faster as the season progresses.
And thus, for their predicted 4X800 and DMR times to also be reduced!
A lot can happen to change all that, of course.
And while I'm NOT saying that Bronxville's 2015 Girls team will soon (or EVER!) forget Mary Cain, they seem to be saying to the world of HS T&F--Hey, we love and respect what Mary did for our school, and for our sport in general, but we're pretty darn good too, so WATCH OUT, HERE WE COME!!
Mary, though only running for her team for her first 2 years there (2011 and 2012), put Bronxville indelibly and eternally on the map of schools whose star athlete is forever connected to their school's name and history.
(Think Wichita KS's East High and Jim Ryun, or Coos Bay OR's Marshfield High with Steve Prefontaine!)
But as this new INdoor season heats up--and if you've read my recent posts, you know it's starting pretty darn quick!--I was doing my normal research for my next post, looking for good marks to report, when I came to Mile Split's coverage of yesterday's Jim Mitchell Invitational at The Armory.
And there I saw some results for the Bronxville HS Girls runners that inspired me to do this "extra" post.
Here's what 5 Bronxville girls ran last night, in races from 300 to 1000 meters long.
Caroline DePaul ran 300 in 42.95.
Caroline Kirby ran 600 in 1:38.59.
Laura Holland was right behind her with her 1:38.80.
Kaitlyn Ryan, a soph, improved her PR by 5 seconds, running the 1000 in 2:55.77.
And Delia Hayes did the 1000 in 3:05.28.
None of the times come even close to making my A-T list, although Ryan's time is pretty impressive for late December, and for her being just a 10th grader.
So what does this mean for Bronxville's chances as a Relay unit?
Well, I also checked my brand new (received a few days ago) 2015 edition of Jack Shepard's HS Track, an Annual I rely on quite heavily to research and verify marks for my own T&F Record Book, pertaining to my HS sections.
And while the Bronxville girls are NOT listed on any All-Time Relay lists in the book, they ARE listed twice in the lists for 2014 INdoors.
They ran the 4X800 last year in 9:16.62, and the DMR in 12:14.71.
The former was 13th on the 2014 list, the latter being 20th on that list.
Here's my "prediction" for what this year's team--or at least the 5 girls listed above--might do in these 2 Relays.
DePaul's 42.95 for 300 indicates a time of under 60 for 400.
Kirby's and Holland's 600's show them to be potential 800 girls of about 2:16-2:18 quality.
Hayes shows she might run the 1600 in the range of 5:10 to 5:15.
And Ryan, who might be Bronxville's "new star", shows some possibilities for a 1600 in the range of 4:55 to 5:00.
4X800--Kirby and Holland run 2:16's, DePaul (or Hayes) adds a 2:20, then Ryan anchors with a 2:10.
Final time of 9:02, or 14 seconds better than last year, and 19th A-T HS!!
DMR--Hayes or Holland runs the 1200 in 3:36, then DePaul runs a 400 in 59, followed by Kirby's 2:16, then anchored by Ryan's 4:55.
Final time of 11:46, or 19th A-T.
Okay, so not as great as what they could have done with Cain on the team.
But Mary's gone.
What's left are 5 girls who have started their 2015 INdoor season with PR's and other good times.
Expect them all to run faster as the season progresses.
And thus, for their predicted 4X800 and DMR times to also be reduced!
A lot can happen to change all that, of course.
And while I'm NOT saying that Bronxville's 2015 Girls team will soon (or EVER!) forget Mary Cain, they seem to be saying to the world of HS T&F--Hey, we love and respect what Mary did for our school, and for our sport in general, but we're pretty darn good too, so WATCH OUT, HERE WE COME!!
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Footlocker, More Marks, and Those Damn Orgs
It's only fair that I report on the Footlocker XC meet held yesterday.
After all, I did the same with the NXN.
The expected winners came through..
Grant Fisher and Anna Rohrer both easily won.
Fisher had probably the greater challenge, with such guys as Alex Ostberg, John Dressel, Elijah Armstrong, and Austin Tamagno tagging along.
Although NXN winner Tanner Anderson wasn't in the race.
But when a 4:02 miler decides to kick, there's not much others can do, and that was the case here over the final 800.
The girls ran it a bit differently.
After Makenna Morley took it out fast, Rohrer than powered to the front, and held her lead all the way.
She had some good foes, but missing was the NXN winner, Allie Ostrander.
One difference between the boys and girls--the boys 40 runners were all 11th and 12th graders.
The girls had 4 sophs and 3 freshmen.
And 3 of the sophs and 1 frosh finished in the top 11 (of the 40 runners).
Bottom line is that the distance running Renaissance of the past few years is continuing, despite the absence of Mary Cain, Sarah Baxter, Elise Cranny, and Alexa Efraimson!
And this year, it looks like the BOYS might have a hot season ahead of them too!
Speaking of that 2014-2015 INdoor season, I have more good marks to report.
Following in the wake of that fabulous Women's 5000 in Boston, two more 5K's can be added to the list.
Rachel Johnson, who SEEMS to make the 3000SC her specialty, showed she has wheels in flat races too.
The Baylor Senior ran a solo (2nd was 30 seconds back!) 5000 in 15:40.45 in College Station TX.
This makes her 17th A-T Collegiate.
And it makes her 20th A-T US!
Remember who the shock winner of the USATF 12K race was for the guys?
Brian Shrader?
Well, he can run on INdoor tracks pretty good also!
He opened his season with a good 13:40.94.
It missed the Top 24 Collegiate list by just 3.91 seconds!
The Weight Throw is starting off solidly.
The guy with the unspellable name--Chuk Enekwechi--threw the Weight 75-6.
It would make my list, but he has a better mark from last season!
Two or 3 other guys have marks of 70-0 or more.
As well as one woman!
But none of those make the list.
However, speaking of the WT, I have some new info on a top mark from last year----or rather, earlier this year!
Remember when this blog reported the WT by Michael Lihrman of 79-7.50 last February?
And I said I didn't know his birthdate, but that I was SURE his mark would be a new Age 21 or Age 22 record?
Well, I found out his B-date!
He was 22 then, and so his mark is the Age 22 record!
Better late than never, eh?
Two other good marks came in this weekend.
While neither makes my lists, they're good marks for this early in the season!
Erica Twiss did a Pentathlon, scoring 4136 points, just 117 short of my Top 24 Collegians.
And a 9th Grade girl named Tatiana Marsh TJ'ed 39-3.
Is that good?
Yes!
The 9th Grade Class record is 40-2.50.
Finally, Laura Thweatt and Ryan Hill took the individual honors at the USATF Club XC Championships!
Second in the Women's race was NOP girl Tara Erdmann.
She seems to be back from a relative off year in 2014.
And in 19th place was the first 40-and-over woman, Jen Rhines.
Second to Hill was Jake Riley, followed by another "comebacker", German Fernandez!
Now about "Those Damn Orgs"!
You know them by their acronyms, IAAF and USATF.
Here's why I call them "DAMN" orgs!
IAAF
You've no doubt heard that the 2019 WC will be held NOT in Tracktown USA, but in Doha, Qatar.
Despite......
1. Doha planning a late September-early October meet!
2. the potential HEAT, even with most of it being held in the "cooler" hours,
3. the fact that Eugene's ENTHUSIASM and T&F KNOWLEDGE far outshine that of Doha's!
4. the UGLY burkas women there have to wear, and the general attitude towards women that's the RULE in Qatar!
Check the T&FN Message Board thread that EXPLODED with NEGATIVE comments even BEFORE the vote was announced!
Our only hope is that there will be a reversal of that vote sometime in the next 5 years!
(There's tons of other "IAAF SUCKS" stuff I could enumerate here, but I'll leave them be for now!)
USATF
For me, it began at the 2013 USATF INdoor meet.
Just think of the names of Gabe Grunewald and Andy Bumbalough, and you'll be needing a few dozen Tylenol pretty damn quick!
Or more to the point, think of Alberto Salazar!!
Well, the winter (even though it's still FALL!!) meeting of USATF finally "resolved" the issue of Bumbalough.
(Jordan Hasay, bless her heart, took care of the Grunewald "problem" by sweetly withdrawing from the WIC, thus allowing Grunewald to take her RIGHTFUL place (in Sopot) as the winner of that USATF 3000!!)
USATF reinstated Andy.....more than 9 months too late!!
(A baby could have been conceived.....and born!!.....in that time, with room to spare!!)
Okay, half a point for at least doing that much!
But what about the Bob Hersh-Stephanie Hightower affair?
Here it is in a nutshell.
(And I don't even follow all this Inside Politics shit surrounding these Orgs!)
They were voting about who would represent USATF when dealing with IAAF issues.....I think!
For several years, Board of Directors member Hersh had been that person.
But Ms Hightower, a former stud hurdler and currently Prez of something or other at USATF--I think!!--wanted Hersh's position!
OK, so far so good!
So a vote was taken with the GENERAL MEMBERSHIP voting!
After all, that's how it's done in a DEMOCRACY!!
Right?
The vote went overwhelmingly in Bob's favor, 392 to 70!
Then they tossed it back to the 12 or 13 CEO types---or whatever!!---and THEY decided on Hightower by an 11 to 1 vote!
An almost complete reversal!
So Hersh is out, and Hightower's in!
Is this democracy?
Or is this WATERGATE 2??
BTW, make sure you read the article written by Lauren Fleshman on this!
It's HOT!!!
And 100% right ON!!
Be back with more exciting stuff soon!!
After all, I did the same with the NXN.
The expected winners came through..
Grant Fisher and Anna Rohrer both easily won.
Fisher had probably the greater challenge, with such guys as Alex Ostberg, John Dressel, Elijah Armstrong, and Austin Tamagno tagging along.
Although NXN winner Tanner Anderson wasn't in the race.
But when a 4:02 miler decides to kick, there's not much others can do, and that was the case here over the final 800.
The girls ran it a bit differently.
After Makenna Morley took it out fast, Rohrer than powered to the front, and held her lead all the way.
She had some good foes, but missing was the NXN winner, Allie Ostrander.
One difference between the boys and girls--the boys 40 runners were all 11th and 12th graders.
The girls had 4 sophs and 3 freshmen.
And 3 of the sophs and 1 frosh finished in the top 11 (of the 40 runners).
Bottom line is that the distance running Renaissance of the past few years is continuing, despite the absence of Mary Cain, Sarah Baxter, Elise Cranny, and Alexa Efraimson!
And this year, it looks like the BOYS might have a hot season ahead of them too!
Speaking of that 2014-2015 INdoor season, I have more good marks to report.
Following in the wake of that fabulous Women's 5000 in Boston, two more 5K's can be added to the list.
Rachel Johnson, who SEEMS to make the 3000SC her specialty, showed she has wheels in flat races too.
The Baylor Senior ran a solo (2nd was 30 seconds back!) 5000 in 15:40.45 in College Station TX.
This makes her 17th A-T Collegiate.
And it makes her 20th A-T US!
Remember who the shock winner of the USATF 12K race was for the guys?
Brian Shrader?
Well, he can run on INdoor tracks pretty good also!
He opened his season with a good 13:40.94.
It missed the Top 24 Collegiate list by just 3.91 seconds!
The Weight Throw is starting off solidly.
The guy with the unspellable name--Chuk Enekwechi--threw the Weight 75-6.
It would make my list, but he has a better mark from last season!
Two or 3 other guys have marks of 70-0 or more.
As well as one woman!
But none of those make the list.
However, speaking of the WT, I have some new info on a top mark from last year----or rather, earlier this year!
Remember when this blog reported the WT by Michael Lihrman of 79-7.50 last February?
And I said I didn't know his birthdate, but that I was SURE his mark would be a new Age 21 or Age 22 record?
Well, I found out his B-date!
He was 22 then, and so his mark is the Age 22 record!
Better late than never, eh?
Two other good marks came in this weekend.
While neither makes my lists, they're good marks for this early in the season!
Erica Twiss did a Pentathlon, scoring 4136 points, just 117 short of my Top 24 Collegians.
And a 9th Grade girl named Tatiana Marsh TJ'ed 39-3.
Is that good?
Yes!
The 9th Grade Class record is 40-2.50.
Finally, Laura Thweatt and Ryan Hill took the individual honors at the USATF Club XC Championships!
Second in the Women's race was NOP girl Tara Erdmann.
She seems to be back from a relative off year in 2014.
And in 19th place was the first 40-and-over woman, Jen Rhines.
Second to Hill was Jake Riley, followed by another "comebacker", German Fernandez!
Now about "Those Damn Orgs"!
You know them by their acronyms, IAAF and USATF.
Here's why I call them "DAMN" orgs!
IAAF
You've no doubt heard that the 2019 WC will be held NOT in Tracktown USA, but in Doha, Qatar.
Despite......
1. Doha planning a late September-early October meet!
2. the potential HEAT, even with most of it being held in the "cooler" hours,
3. the fact that Eugene's ENTHUSIASM and T&F KNOWLEDGE far outshine that of Doha's!
4. the UGLY burkas women there have to wear, and the general attitude towards women that's the RULE in Qatar!
Check the T&FN Message Board thread that EXPLODED with NEGATIVE comments even BEFORE the vote was announced!
Our only hope is that there will be a reversal of that vote sometime in the next 5 years!
(There's tons of other "IAAF SUCKS" stuff I could enumerate here, but I'll leave them be for now!)
USATF
For me, it began at the 2013 USATF INdoor meet.
Just think of the names of Gabe Grunewald and Andy Bumbalough, and you'll be needing a few dozen Tylenol pretty damn quick!
Or more to the point, think of Alberto Salazar!!
Well, the winter (even though it's still FALL!!) meeting of USATF finally "resolved" the issue of Bumbalough.
(Jordan Hasay, bless her heart, took care of the Grunewald "problem" by sweetly withdrawing from the WIC, thus allowing Grunewald to take her RIGHTFUL place (in Sopot) as the winner of that USATF 3000!!)
USATF reinstated Andy.....more than 9 months too late!!
(A baby could have been conceived.....and born!!.....in that time, with room to spare!!)
Okay, half a point for at least doing that much!
But what about the Bob Hersh-Stephanie Hightower affair?
Here it is in a nutshell.
(And I don't even follow all this Inside Politics shit surrounding these Orgs!)
They were voting about who would represent USATF when dealing with IAAF issues.....I think!
For several years, Board of Directors member Hersh had been that person.
But Ms Hightower, a former stud hurdler and currently Prez of something or other at USATF--I think!!--wanted Hersh's position!
OK, so far so good!
So a vote was taken with the GENERAL MEMBERSHIP voting!
After all, that's how it's done in a DEMOCRACY!!
Right?
The vote went overwhelmingly in Bob's favor, 392 to 70!
Then they tossed it back to the 12 or 13 CEO types---or whatever!!---and THEY decided on Hightower by an 11 to 1 vote!
An almost complete reversal!
So Hersh is out, and Hightower's in!
Is this democracy?
Or is this WATERGATE 2??
BTW, make sure you read the article written by Lauren Fleshman on this!
It's HOT!!!
And 100% right ON!!
Be back with more exciting stuff soon!!
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
The First Year--A Retrospective
Sometime in the 24 hours prior to my writing my first post of this blog--Aaron K's Track and Field Record Book--I decided to start blogging!
That's right!
I'd thought about blogging----about writing, Bob Dylan, movies & books---and then thought, Hey!, I LOVE track and field, and I have this 600 page T&F Record Book, self-compiled over a 40+ year chunk of my life, and hardly anyone knows about it, and it's worth the time I've spent on it, so yeah, why not blog about THAT?!
And that, pretty much, is how this blog was conceived!
In the past 365 days (not counting today), I've posted 93 times, beginning last December 9th.
As of a few minutes ago, I've had 8049 page views, approximately 86.5 views per post.
I've gotten several positive comments, mostly (ALL?) from a man named "Marco".
Here's some self-chosen highlights.
I've covered the best marks (and all of the records) produced at all the big meets of the past year.
I gave numerous meets their own post, if deserved.
Indoors: Millrose, Boston, NCAA, USATF, WIC, NBIN.
Outdoors: Texas & Penn Relays, World Relays, Payton Jordan, NCAA, USATF (Sr & JR versions), WJC, Commonwealth Games and European Champs, plus MOST of the DL's. (One or two were so devoid of great marks, I didn't post about them!)
I covered--in detail--all of the World, US, Collegiate, and HS records, INdoors & OUTdoors.
A few RACES were so great that I gave a large chunk of a post devoted to just that one race!
There were some editorials--though I tried to keep those to a minimum.
I made predictions--for individual meets (NCAA, WJC, World Relays, etc)--and for entire seasons and genders (Outdoor, Women & Men, back in mid-March--Indoor, for the 2015 season!).
(Okay, so I was WRONG on most of them! But let's celebrate the ones I NAILED!!)
Here's a list---titles & dates only---of my "best", or at least my personal favorites!
(In chronological order!)
Should HS Boys throw the 16 pound SP from Day One? (December 14th, 2013)
Are 55's necessary? and other indoor questions (December 23rd, 2013)
2013's Best & Worst, Parts 1 & 2 (December 27th & 29th, 2013)
2013 Athletes of the Year, Indoors/Outdoors, Men & Women (4 posts, all December 31st, 2013!!)
Which Indoor Records to Fall in 2014? Men & Women (2 posts, both January 2nd, 2014)
May I Introduce My Book? (January 11th, 2014)
American Woman Milers Go Wild! (January 25th, 2014)
TWO World Records...and then there's Millrose! (February 15th, 2014)
Open Letter to Alberto Salazar (February 23rd, 2014)
NCAA & NBIN Meet Record Possibles (2 posts, both March 13th, 2014)
NCAA--Records, Records, and the Ducks win Two! (March 15th, 2014)
Six HSR's...and that's not all (March 16th, 2014)
2014 Indoor Season: A Look Back (March 19th, 2014)
Vaulters Soar Early...and the Outdoor Q's (March 25th, 2014)
The Future of Track and Field (April 4th, 2014)
World Relays a PASS-able Meet (May 25th, 2014)
This Pre's a Classic (May 31st, 2014)
Rome Diamond meet more like Copper (June 8th, 2014)
Paris beats Lausanne in DL Series (July 5th, 2014)
WJC: Dramatic Records & Record Drama (July 27th, 2014)
Records--And why I've compiled a Book of them! (August 8th, 2014)
Two Mile Run--Records, History, Marks, Trivia (August 24th, 2014)
2014 Outdoor Season--High School (September 21st, 2014)
WR in Berlin!! 2014 Outdoor Season--Collegiate (September 28th, 2014)
Ins and Outs of Track and Field (October 17th, 2014)
2015 INDOOR T&F Preview: AGE Records, Parts 1 & 2 (both November 16th, 2014)
NCAA XC, Class Records, 3 WR Attempts (November 22nd, 2014)
Collegiate Indoor Class Records (November 22nd, 2014)
What you need to do to make Top 24's (December 2nd, 2014)
December Bombshell 5000 (& NXN) (December 7th, 2014)
Those stand out for me, but ALL of them are worth re-reading, IF....you want to relive a particular meet or record......you want to follow the progress of each season (or an athlete or event).....you want to see how many predictions I was WRONG about.....or you just want to see what kind of fanatic passion is needed to do this type of a blog!!
Of course, so much of what goes into each post is dependent on what happens on the tracks and fields around the globe, outdoors and indoors.
Some records were shockers. (Aren't they all??)
When Genzebe Dibaba ran her 1st of THREE INdoor WR's--her 3:55.17--I had to produce a post just because of that!!
(And was thrilled to do so!)
Those "failed" DL's----Rome and Stockholm---were disappointments for me (and probably everyone!!).
DL's should all produce tons of great records and marks!
This blog, as I've stated many times, covers 4 distinct groups---World, US, Collegiate, and High School.
It completely separates the INdoor & OUTdoor seasons!
It gives equal weight to WR's or HSR's.
I cover individual year Age Records, Meet Records, and Class Records for HSers & Collegians!
My "DDD" lists cover every mark which makes those Top 24 All-Time Performers lists in the 4 categories, with separate lists for each gender and for INdoors and OUTdoors!
Not only that, I'll often mention if a mark ALMOST makes a list, and which legendary athlete's name has been axed FROM the list--which is sometimes more interesting than who MADE the list!!
There have been some changes in the timing of some of my posts---especially the season wrap-ups!
For example, because I didn't start my blog until last December 9th, with the 2013 INdoor season long past over, I felt a need to wrap that season up, even if about 9 months in the past.
Same with the 2013 OUTdoor season, though far less urgent or belated.
THIS year (2015), I could start my INdoor previews at the proper time.
What does the future hold?
To tell the truth, I don't know for sure.
I'm now 70.5 years old, and NOT 100% healthy!
Also, I get discouraged when only "Marco" (and 2 or 3 others, either here, or on Twitter) even acknowledges this blog's PRESENCE, let alone its worth to the history and coverage of our favorite sport.
I think it's a great and worthy blog.
No other blog---or website (including Track and Field News, House of Run, MileSplit, etc)---presents records and marks quite the same way I do.
For example, I do NOT honor 1600 & 3200 meter times (or marks converted from them), INdoor Oversize Track marks, or throwers weight categories other than International and those used by American HS's.
I use actual ages for my Age Records, so don't use such generic categories as "World Junior" or "Youth" or "Masters".
For the record, the URL to my blog is: trackingtherecords.blogspot.com/2013/12track-and-field-record-book
I started the blog using "Google Blogger".
It's not fancy, doesn't have photos, or links to videos---mainly because I was a VERY late-comer to computers (2009, age 64.6), so don't know how to improve my blog's appearance, or add access to links, etc.
But it does what I set out to do!
It covers-----IN DETAIL----every Top 24 mark made, every WR, AR, CR & HSR broken, and every Meet worth reporting on!
And yes, it "editorializes" (RANTS & RAGES!!) on issues or happenings I feel passionate (or angry!) about!
In the latter case, that's the greatest advantage to doing a blog----being able to say what you feel, and Damn the Torpedoes!!
If you like this blog, please tell your friends and fellow T&F fans----especially those who love the records & marks part of the sport----about it.
Retweet whenever you see one of my many tweets advertising my latest posts.
Pass the message forward to your Facebook friends.
Tell your teammates, whether Professional elites or High School Freshmen!!
In closing, I want to thank the following for being my main sources of information (other than my own 600 page T&F Record Book--See the post "May I Introduce My Book?"):
Track and Field News website, magazine and eTN
Athletics Annual (Peter Matthews)
FAST Annual (Tom Casacky)
High School Track Annual (Jack Shepard)
MileSplit
Twitter (many great folks---whether elite athletes, groups, European tweeters etc)
Meet Results (from the meets themselves)
various internet articles & other sources
In keeping with my blog's history, I'll end this post with a bit of news.
The 2015 INdoor USATF meet will hold races for the 300, 600, 1000, 1 & 2 Mile distances!
So no 200, 400, 800, 1500, 3000!
Mutaz Barshim, Asefa Powell and Nijel Amos have all announced they will compete INdoors, with Amos saying he's going for the 600 WR at the big Moscow Winter meet!
Also, Yelena Slesarenko has retired at the age of 32.
She's currently 5th A-T World OUTdoors (tied with 3 others), and 6th A-T World INdoors (tied with 2 others) in the HJ.
Her PR's are 6-9 (Out) and 6-8.25 (In).
Next post coming soon!
Thank you, everyone, for at least VIEWING this blog!!
That's right!
I'd thought about blogging----about writing, Bob Dylan, movies & books---and then thought, Hey!, I LOVE track and field, and I have this 600 page T&F Record Book, self-compiled over a 40+ year chunk of my life, and hardly anyone knows about it, and it's worth the time I've spent on it, so yeah, why not blog about THAT?!
And that, pretty much, is how this blog was conceived!
In the past 365 days (not counting today), I've posted 93 times, beginning last December 9th.
As of a few minutes ago, I've had 8049 page views, approximately 86.5 views per post.
I've gotten several positive comments, mostly (ALL?) from a man named "Marco".
Here's some self-chosen highlights.
I've covered the best marks (and all of the records) produced at all the big meets of the past year.
I gave numerous meets their own post, if deserved.
Indoors: Millrose, Boston, NCAA, USATF, WIC, NBIN.
Outdoors: Texas & Penn Relays, World Relays, Payton Jordan, NCAA, USATF (Sr & JR versions), WJC, Commonwealth Games and European Champs, plus MOST of the DL's. (One or two were so devoid of great marks, I didn't post about them!)
I covered--in detail--all of the World, US, Collegiate, and HS records, INdoors & OUTdoors.
A few RACES were so great that I gave a large chunk of a post devoted to just that one race!
There were some editorials--though I tried to keep those to a minimum.
I made predictions--for individual meets (NCAA, WJC, World Relays, etc)--and for entire seasons and genders (Outdoor, Women & Men, back in mid-March--Indoor, for the 2015 season!).
(Okay, so I was WRONG on most of them! But let's celebrate the ones I NAILED!!)
Here's a list---titles & dates only---of my "best", or at least my personal favorites!
(In chronological order!)
Should HS Boys throw the 16 pound SP from Day One? (December 14th, 2013)
Are 55's necessary? and other indoor questions (December 23rd, 2013)
2013's Best & Worst, Parts 1 & 2 (December 27th & 29th, 2013)
2013 Athletes of the Year, Indoors/Outdoors, Men & Women (4 posts, all December 31st, 2013!!)
Which Indoor Records to Fall in 2014? Men & Women (2 posts, both January 2nd, 2014)
May I Introduce My Book? (January 11th, 2014)
American Woman Milers Go Wild! (January 25th, 2014)
TWO World Records...and then there's Millrose! (February 15th, 2014)
Open Letter to Alberto Salazar (February 23rd, 2014)
NCAA & NBIN Meet Record Possibles (2 posts, both March 13th, 2014)
NCAA--Records, Records, and the Ducks win Two! (March 15th, 2014)
Six HSR's...and that's not all (March 16th, 2014)
2014 Indoor Season: A Look Back (March 19th, 2014)
Vaulters Soar Early...and the Outdoor Q's (March 25th, 2014)
The Future of Track and Field (April 4th, 2014)
World Relays a PASS-able Meet (May 25th, 2014)
This Pre's a Classic (May 31st, 2014)
Rome Diamond meet more like Copper (June 8th, 2014)
Paris beats Lausanne in DL Series (July 5th, 2014)
WJC: Dramatic Records & Record Drama (July 27th, 2014)
Records--And why I've compiled a Book of them! (August 8th, 2014)
Two Mile Run--Records, History, Marks, Trivia (August 24th, 2014)
2014 Outdoor Season--High School (September 21st, 2014)
WR in Berlin!! 2014 Outdoor Season--Collegiate (September 28th, 2014)
Ins and Outs of Track and Field (October 17th, 2014)
2015 INDOOR T&F Preview: AGE Records, Parts 1 & 2 (both November 16th, 2014)
NCAA XC, Class Records, 3 WR Attempts (November 22nd, 2014)
Collegiate Indoor Class Records (November 22nd, 2014)
What you need to do to make Top 24's (December 2nd, 2014)
December Bombshell 5000 (& NXN) (December 7th, 2014)
Those stand out for me, but ALL of them are worth re-reading, IF....you want to relive a particular meet or record......you want to follow the progress of each season (or an athlete or event).....you want to see how many predictions I was WRONG about.....or you just want to see what kind of fanatic passion is needed to do this type of a blog!!
Of course, so much of what goes into each post is dependent on what happens on the tracks and fields around the globe, outdoors and indoors.
Some records were shockers. (Aren't they all??)
When Genzebe Dibaba ran her 1st of THREE INdoor WR's--her 3:55.17--I had to produce a post just because of that!!
(And was thrilled to do so!)
Those "failed" DL's----Rome and Stockholm---were disappointments for me (and probably everyone!!).
DL's should all produce tons of great records and marks!
This blog, as I've stated many times, covers 4 distinct groups---World, US, Collegiate, and High School.
It completely separates the INdoor & OUTdoor seasons!
It gives equal weight to WR's or HSR's.
I cover individual year Age Records, Meet Records, and Class Records for HSers & Collegians!
My "DDD" lists cover every mark which makes those Top 24 All-Time Performers lists in the 4 categories, with separate lists for each gender and for INdoors and OUTdoors!
Not only that, I'll often mention if a mark ALMOST makes a list, and which legendary athlete's name has been axed FROM the list--which is sometimes more interesting than who MADE the list!!
There have been some changes in the timing of some of my posts---especially the season wrap-ups!
For example, because I didn't start my blog until last December 9th, with the 2013 INdoor season long past over, I felt a need to wrap that season up, even if about 9 months in the past.
Same with the 2013 OUTdoor season, though far less urgent or belated.
THIS year (2015), I could start my INdoor previews at the proper time.
What does the future hold?
To tell the truth, I don't know for sure.
I'm now 70.5 years old, and NOT 100% healthy!
Also, I get discouraged when only "Marco" (and 2 or 3 others, either here, or on Twitter) even acknowledges this blog's PRESENCE, let alone its worth to the history and coverage of our favorite sport.
I think it's a great and worthy blog.
No other blog---or website (including Track and Field News, House of Run, MileSplit, etc)---presents records and marks quite the same way I do.
For example, I do NOT honor 1600 & 3200 meter times (or marks converted from them), INdoor Oversize Track marks, or throwers weight categories other than International and those used by American HS's.
I use actual ages for my Age Records, so don't use such generic categories as "World Junior" or "Youth" or "Masters".
For the record, the URL to my blog is: trackingtherecords.blogspot.com/2013/12track-and-field-record-book
I started the blog using "Google Blogger".
It's not fancy, doesn't have photos, or links to videos---mainly because I was a VERY late-comer to computers (2009, age 64.6), so don't know how to improve my blog's appearance, or add access to links, etc.
But it does what I set out to do!
It covers-----IN DETAIL----every Top 24 mark made, every WR, AR, CR & HSR broken, and every Meet worth reporting on!
And yes, it "editorializes" (RANTS & RAGES!!) on issues or happenings I feel passionate (or angry!) about!
In the latter case, that's the greatest advantage to doing a blog----being able to say what you feel, and Damn the Torpedoes!!
If you like this blog, please tell your friends and fellow T&F fans----especially those who love the records & marks part of the sport----about it.
Retweet whenever you see one of my many tweets advertising my latest posts.
Pass the message forward to your Facebook friends.
Tell your teammates, whether Professional elites or High School Freshmen!!
In closing, I want to thank the following for being my main sources of information (other than my own 600 page T&F Record Book--See the post "May I Introduce My Book?"):
Track and Field News website, magazine and eTN
Athletics Annual (Peter Matthews)
FAST Annual (Tom Casacky)
High School Track Annual (Jack Shepard)
MileSplit
Twitter (many great folks---whether elite athletes, groups, European tweeters etc)
Meet Results (from the meets themselves)
various internet articles & other sources
In keeping with my blog's history, I'll end this post with a bit of news.
The 2015 INdoor USATF meet will hold races for the 300, 600, 1000, 1 & 2 Mile distances!
So no 200, 400, 800, 1500, 3000!
Mutaz Barshim, Asefa Powell and Nijel Amos have all announced they will compete INdoors, with Amos saying he's going for the 600 WR at the big Moscow Winter meet!
Also, Yelena Slesarenko has retired at the age of 32.
She's currently 5th A-T World OUTdoors (tied with 3 others), and 6th A-T World INdoors (tied with 2 others) in the HJ.
Her PR's are 6-9 (Out) and 6-8.25 (In).
Next post coming soon!
Thank you, everyone, for at least VIEWING this blog!!
Sunday, December 7, 2014
December Bombshell 5000 (& NXN)
Wow!
When Abbey D'Agostino ran 15:40.62 in her Senior season opener for Dartmouth last year, my blog stated it was the fastest-ever INdoor 5000 run in the month of December!
Well, Abbey, your record has been broken!
No, it was shattered!!
In yesterday's Boston University opener, the Women's 5K sort of stood out!
Here's why.
The first 3 runners broke Abbey D's mark.
Led by NCAA XC 2nd Sarah Disanza, who won in 15:20.57.
That's right, she crushed the old mark by over 20 seconds!
This makes Disanza 3rd A-T Collegiate!
While a Soph academically, she's a Freshman for INdoors!
Thus, she broke Alicia Craig's 15:43.04 from 2003 for the new Collegiate Frosh record!
(And sorry, Alicia, but this boots you off the Collegiate and US Top 24's too!!)
But it also makes her 5th A-T US!!
And leaves her just 6.71 seconds from making my Top 24 World list!!
Not far behind her was Emily Sisson.
She ran 15:21.84, which makes her 4th A-T Collegiate!
Her 19 second PR also makes her 6th A-T US!
And in 3rd was Liv Westphal!
Her 15:31.62 gives her 7th A-T Collegian.
She's a citizen of France.
These are amazing times, considering the "real" INdoor season doesn't REALLY get going until at least mid-January!!
This year, we've already had Ryen Frazier running a fast HS Mile (See previous post!).
And now this!
(And there might be more I don't yet know about! Stay tuned for anything I might discover later!)
ADD: New info on the 5K.
They ran a solidly negative split.
They reached halfway (2500 meters) in 7:48, so ran the 2nd half in 7:32!
They reached 3000 in 9:22, then 4K in 12:23.
So their final 1000 was just 2:57!!
Do you think they're ready to snag the Collegiate Record??
I do!
The first of 2 HS "Nationals" for XC was held yesterday in Portland OR.
With last year's female winner Alexa Efraimson helping to commentate on the livestream (with Chris Derrick doing it for the Men's race), the races went pretty much according to predictions.
The course was a bit muddy and there was wind!
While Women's winner, Allie Ostrander of Alaska, wasn't a clear favorite, she was one of them!
(Fiona O'Keefe, Destiny Collins, and Stephanie Jenks were some other faves.)
But after some back and forth with O'Keefe, Ostrander took over for good at about 4000 meters, winning easily in 17:19.
The Men's winner, and pre-race favorite, was Tanner Anderson in 15:09.
He ran 4:13 and 8:56 in 2014 OUTdoors for the 1600 and 3200.
Let's hope both of them run at NBIN.
(I'm not too sure Ostrander will, as an article I read said she's off to play point guard for her Kenai (AK) basketball team!!)
This is an "extra" post----as in the old newspaper street vendors cry of "EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it!"---but I will have my First Annivesary post on Tuesday!!
It will have lots of good stuff in it!
(Brag, brag, brag!! LOL)
See you all then!
ADD: Here's a couple of other marks I just located!
They don't quite make my Top 24 Collegiate list, but they're good for the first meet of the season!
Raven Saunders, a Frosh at Southern Illinois, had a 56-3.75 SP opener!
It's about 17 inches shy of making the Collegiate list!
Also from SI, Senior Sophia Lozano threw the WT 70-9.25.
She needs another 11.50 inches to make the list!
When Abbey D'Agostino ran 15:40.62 in her Senior season opener for Dartmouth last year, my blog stated it was the fastest-ever INdoor 5000 run in the month of December!
Well, Abbey, your record has been broken!
No, it was shattered!!
In yesterday's Boston University opener, the Women's 5K sort of stood out!
Here's why.
The first 3 runners broke Abbey D's mark.
Led by NCAA XC 2nd Sarah Disanza, who won in 15:20.57.
That's right, she crushed the old mark by over 20 seconds!
This makes Disanza 3rd A-T Collegiate!
While a Soph academically, she's a Freshman for INdoors!
Thus, she broke Alicia Craig's 15:43.04 from 2003 for the new Collegiate Frosh record!
(And sorry, Alicia, but this boots you off the Collegiate and US Top 24's too!!)
But it also makes her 5th A-T US!!
And leaves her just 6.71 seconds from making my Top 24 World list!!
Not far behind her was Emily Sisson.
She ran 15:21.84, which makes her 4th A-T Collegiate!
Her 19 second PR also makes her 6th A-T US!
And in 3rd was Liv Westphal!
Her 15:31.62 gives her 7th A-T Collegian.
She's a citizen of France.
These are amazing times, considering the "real" INdoor season doesn't REALLY get going until at least mid-January!!
This year, we've already had Ryen Frazier running a fast HS Mile (See previous post!).
And now this!
(And there might be more I don't yet know about! Stay tuned for anything I might discover later!)
ADD: New info on the 5K.
They ran a solidly negative split.
They reached halfway (2500 meters) in 7:48, so ran the 2nd half in 7:32!
They reached 3000 in 9:22, then 4K in 12:23.
So their final 1000 was just 2:57!!
Do you think they're ready to snag the Collegiate Record??
I do!
The first of 2 HS "Nationals" for XC was held yesterday in Portland OR.
With last year's female winner Alexa Efraimson helping to commentate on the livestream (with Chris Derrick doing it for the Men's race), the races went pretty much according to predictions.
The course was a bit muddy and there was wind!
While Women's winner, Allie Ostrander of Alaska, wasn't a clear favorite, she was one of them!
(Fiona O'Keefe, Destiny Collins, and Stephanie Jenks were some other faves.)
But after some back and forth with O'Keefe, Ostrander took over for good at about 4000 meters, winning easily in 17:19.
The Men's winner, and pre-race favorite, was Tanner Anderson in 15:09.
He ran 4:13 and 8:56 in 2014 OUTdoors for the 1600 and 3200.
Let's hope both of them run at NBIN.
(I'm not too sure Ostrander will, as an article I read said she's off to play point guard for her Kenai (AK) basketball team!!)
This is an "extra" post----as in the old newspaper street vendors cry of "EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it!"---but I will have my First Annivesary post on Tuesday!!
It will have lots of good stuff in it!
(Brag, brag, brag!! LOL)
See you all then!
ADD: Here's a couple of other marks I just located!
They don't quite make my Top 24 Collegiate list, but they're good for the first meet of the season!
Raven Saunders, a Frosh at Southern Illinois, had a 56-3.75 SP opener!
It's about 17 inches shy of making the Collegiate list!
Also from SI, Senior Sophia Lozano threw the WT 70-9.25.
She needs another 11.50 inches to make the list!
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
What you need to do to make Top 24's
The 2015 INdoor T&F season has "officially" begun!
So it's time to look at what you need to do to make my DDD (Top 24 A-T Performers) lists.
And I will soon get to that.
But first, there's a few items I want to tell you about.
I found an old OUTdoor mark---from August!---I missed.
Venelina Veneva-Mateeva (sp?) HJ'ed 6-2.75 to set an Age 40 record!
I had only a 5-9.25 as my previous record, so this shatters it!!
That's a really amazing mark!!
I don't normally report times from XC, nor from 8th graders!
But an Alabama girl named Amaris Tyynismaa ran in one of the HS Regional meets last week, winning the Middle School division in the great time of 16:57.
Great?
Well yes, if you consider Anna Rohrer, one of the very best HSers, ran 16:59 to win HER race!
As far as Amaris's track potential, I have no idea.
But one target for her could be that 16:43.02 INdoor 5000 that Brianna Jackucewicz ran in 2004 as a 7th grader!
She's reportedly run 10:23 for 3000 meters.
But most startling is her progress this season!
She's run just 3 XC 5000's.
She began in late August with a 18:43!
Then on November 8th, she ran 17:03!
And finally, that 16:57!
She's Finnish, but appears to be an American citizen.
Watch for her name during this INdoor season!
Another young girl to watch, though she's now 18 and a college Frosh at Lipscomb in Tennessee, is Kayla Montgomery!
She's that girl who has Multiple Sclerosis, but became one of the better HSers, and finished 57th in her Regional XC race with a time of 20:59 for 6000 meters.
Your best introduction to her would be to watch the ESPN video called "Catching Kayla", done this summer.
One indication of its power is that it made Shalane Flanagan cry, and to say she was inspired by it!
Strongly recommended.
For links to that video, plus a Flotrack interview with her, and the entire race where she won the NC State Championship in the 3200, go to the T&F News Current Affairs thread simply titled "Kayla Montgomery".
I provide all the above links, plus commentary.
In the Armory opener (PSAL Pilgrim Games) on November 30th, Richard Rose had the best mark, a 600 in 1:20.98.
He's run over 2 seconds faster, but not bad for November!!
Another major announcement, out just minutes ago, is that Jenny Simpson will race the 2 Mile at Boston's meet on February 7th.
If you recall, she miscounted the laps at last year's edition, and lost the race, and her attempt to break the American Record!
I would hope she's taken a remedial math class since then!!
LOL
Finally, Hoka One One has become the sponsor of what was once called the Oxy High Performance meet.
They've announced it will be livestreamed!
Okay, on to my Top 24's.
I will simply post all my 24th Place marks, the LEAST mark needed to make it onto the A-T Top 24 lists for World, US, Collegiate, and HS.
All marks are for INdoor T&F!
No OT marks are included.
Also, no converted 1600 or 3200 meter times.
Boys HS throws (SP & WT) are for HS weighted implements!
Multis are the Hept for the Men (but Pent for HS!), Pent for the Women.
After posting the times, I will offer a few names of athletes who are NOT currently on these lists, but who are MOST LIKELY to get on one or more of them in 2015.
As I've done in the past, the columns are, from left to right, World, US, Collegiate, High School.
The symbol "*****" means that event is not run often enough to have a list.
Men
60 6.48 6.51 6.54 6.71
200 20.40 20.43 20.50 21.37
400 45.39 45.54 45.66 47.45
600 1:16.19 1:17.38 1:18.28 1:20.22
800 1:45.44 1:47.11 1:47.14 1:51.80
1000 2:17.67 2:19.9 2:22.51 2:28.11
1500 3:34.89 3:39.8 3:44.45 3:55.22
1 Mile 3:53.02 3:55.84 3:56.77 4:08.77
2000 4:58.76 5:02.41 ***** *****
3000 7:34.47 7:46.09 7:50.44 8:32.3
2 Mile 8:15.02 8:28.8 ***** 9:01.92
5000 13:11.78 13:37.09 13:37.03 14:53.21
60H 7.44 7.51 7.61 7.77
HJ 7-8.75 7-7.25 7-6.50 7-2
LJ 27-3.25 26-11.75 26-8.50 24-9.25
TJ 57-3.75 55-9 55-1.50 50-3.25
PV 19-4.25 18-9.50 18-6 17-0.75
SP 70-8 69-8 67-4.25 66-10.25
WT 76-3.50 75-4.75 74-7 75-0.50
Multis 6229 5826 5868 3586
4X400R 3:13.21 ***** 3:06.84 *****
DMR ***** ***** 9:33.01 *****
Women
60 7.04 7.13 7.18 7.34
200 22.59 22.87 22.84 23.80
400 50.71 51.83 51.92 54.16
600 1:27.14 1:29.34 1:30.56 1:32.00
800 1:58.9 2:01.87 2:03.47 2:07.81
1000 2:35.80 2:42.61 2:45.86 2:50.69
1500 4:03.53 4:10.72 4:18.2 4:28.3
1 Mile 4:26.50 4:30.39 4:33.76 4:46.11
2000 5:43.99 5:56.78 ***** *****
3000 8:38.14 8:54.55 9:03.47 9:44.60
2 Mile 9:36.00 9:50.07 ***** 10:21.85
5000 15:13.86 15:43.04 15:43.69 17:00.54
60H 7.82 7.93 8.00 8.39
HJ 6-6.75 6-3.25 6-2.75 5-11
LJ 22-10.50 21-8.75 21-8 20-1
TJ 48-2 44-6.75 44-8.25 41-4.50
PV 15-3.50 14-7.25 14-3.50 13-2.25
SP 67-6.25 59-1.25 57-8.25 49-4.50
WT 73-2.50 71-10.25 71-8.75 56-10.75
Multis 4768 4253 4253 3578
4X400R 3:36.17 ***** 3:35.19 *****
DMR ***** ***** 11:06.77 *****
If you noticed a couple of Collegiate 24's better than the US's, it's partially because there's many non-US athletes who compete in the NCAA.
Also, a few events (the 2000's, for example) don't have a 24-deep list!
Here's a few names who are NOT currently on these lists, who COULD make the lists in 2015.....IF they compete INdoors!! (And are healthy, etc!!)
Obvious names missing are Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake in the Men's sprints!
Trayvon Bromell and Trentavis Friday could make the Collegiate sprint lists.
The Men's Collegiate 1 mile list doesn't have Ed Cheserek's name on it.....yet!
Ches is also missing from the Collegiate 3000 and 5000 lists!
Devon Allen isn't on the Collegiate 60H list, but will he compete INdoors?
Can Devin King up his Vault mark by almost 6 inches to make the Collegiate list?
Will Noah Lyles run INdoors to make the HS 200 list?
Grant Fisher and Austin Tamagno are missing from the 1500 & Mile lists for HSers.
Remember, 8 of the Top 24 HS 5000's came from last year!
Will it be a repeat (or more!!) in 2015??
David Rudisha, Nijel Amos, Nick Symmonds, and Duane Solomon are all not on the Men's World 800 list!
Symmonds is on the US 1000 list, but short by 1 second from the World list!
Can he make it there this year?
Asbel Kiprop and Ayanleh Souleiman are both not on the World 1500 and 1 Mile lists!
The Men's US 2 Mile list is neck-deep in marks from the 60's, 70's, and 80's!
That could so easily change in 2015.......IF!!!
(Same goes for the Women!!)
Believe it or not, Bogdan Bondarenko is NOT on the World HJ list!!
Nor are Derek Drouin and Eric Kynard.
After a great 2014 OUTdoors, will Mark Hollis make the US PV list?
(Or even the World list??)
Ryan Crouser is (barely, at number 24!) on the US SP list, but about 1 foot shy of the World list.
The Women's HS sprint lists are missing Kaylin Whitney's name!
As I've stated several times, it's a shame that Sophie Cantine ran her GREAT 2:47.64 1000 on an OT!
Hopefully, in 2015 she will move to a 200 meter track to run that kind of time, to easily make the HS 1K list!
The Girl's HS 5000 list is missing SO many names!!
With the Renaissance in HS distance running recently, if even half of the current crop of stars would run the NBIN 5000, that list would be DRASTICALLY revised!!
Courtney Corrin isn't on the HS LJ list!
ALL of the Girl's HS 50 foot SP'ers are graduated, so it's a question who might be able to pop onto the HS list this year!
Speaking of the SP, look for Raven Saunders to make the Collegiate list in her Frosh year!
Based on which events she runs INdoors, Stanford Freshman Elise Cranny could make EVERY Collegiate list from 600 through 5000!!
NCAA XC winner Kate Avery isn't on any of the Collegiate distance lists!
Will she get on them in 2015?
And what about surprise NCAA XC 2nd Sarah DiSanza?
What's HER choice of events?
Will Aisling Cuffe, Erin Finn, and Wesley Frazier come back from injury and illness to make the Collegiate 5000 list?
I'd love to see Dior Hall improve by 0.11 seconds to make the Collegiate 60H list in her Frosh year!
Multi's girl Kendell Williams is also missing from the 60H list!
Keturah Orji might crack the Collegiate TJ list in her Freshman year!
Look for Desiree Freier's name to be added to the Collegiate PV list!
Can HSer Kaylin Whitney make even the US and World lists, especially in the 200?
Dafne Schippers is missing from the World sprint lists.
Mary Cain is missing from the US 600 and 800 lists!
She's also missing from the World 1500 and 2 Mile lists, as well as the US lists in the 3000 and 5000.
Speaking of HS phenoms (or, in Cain's & Cranny's case, FORMER HS phenoms!!), will Alexa Efraimson make the US 1500 and 1 Mile lists?
She would even have the chance to make the US 3000 and 2 mile lists!
Will Abbey D'Agostino start her Pro career on the track by making the INdoor World 5000 list?
As noted earlier, Genzebe Dibaba WILL be adding her name to the INdoor World 1 Mile and 5000 lists!
(With World Records, no less!!)
Brigetta Barrett isn't on the World HJ list.
She COULD be!!
Tianna Bartoletta and Tori Bowie are both missing from the World LJ list, but could get on it in 2015.
I mentioned Keturah Orji possibly making the Collegiate TJ list!
She could also make the US list!
Ditto goes for Desiree Freier making the US list in addition to the Collegiate list!
Kendell Williams is the CR holder, but she's about 130 points shy of making the World list!!
Can she do it?
I think so!
Well, I could probably add about 100 or more names as possibilities to make any of the 8 DDD lists (4 each for Men and Women), but this post is already WAY too long!!
Look for a First Anniversary post on December 9th!!
Other than that, December SHOULD produce several good marks worth reporting!
And, guaranteed, you'll find ALL of them right HERE!!
See you on the 9th, if not sooner!
So it's time to look at what you need to do to make my DDD (Top 24 A-T Performers) lists.
And I will soon get to that.
But first, there's a few items I want to tell you about.
I found an old OUTdoor mark---from August!---I missed.
Venelina Veneva-Mateeva (sp?) HJ'ed 6-2.75 to set an Age 40 record!
I had only a 5-9.25 as my previous record, so this shatters it!!
That's a really amazing mark!!
I don't normally report times from XC, nor from 8th graders!
But an Alabama girl named Amaris Tyynismaa ran in one of the HS Regional meets last week, winning the Middle School division in the great time of 16:57.
Great?
Well yes, if you consider Anna Rohrer, one of the very best HSers, ran 16:59 to win HER race!
As far as Amaris's track potential, I have no idea.
But one target for her could be that 16:43.02 INdoor 5000 that Brianna Jackucewicz ran in 2004 as a 7th grader!
She's reportedly run 10:23 for 3000 meters.
But most startling is her progress this season!
She's run just 3 XC 5000's.
She began in late August with a 18:43!
Then on November 8th, she ran 17:03!
And finally, that 16:57!
She's Finnish, but appears to be an American citizen.
Watch for her name during this INdoor season!
Another young girl to watch, though she's now 18 and a college Frosh at Lipscomb in Tennessee, is Kayla Montgomery!
She's that girl who has Multiple Sclerosis, but became one of the better HSers, and finished 57th in her Regional XC race with a time of 20:59 for 6000 meters.
Your best introduction to her would be to watch the ESPN video called "Catching Kayla", done this summer.
One indication of its power is that it made Shalane Flanagan cry, and to say she was inspired by it!
Strongly recommended.
For links to that video, plus a Flotrack interview with her, and the entire race where she won the NC State Championship in the 3200, go to the T&F News Current Affairs thread simply titled "Kayla Montgomery".
I provide all the above links, plus commentary.
In the Armory opener (PSAL Pilgrim Games) on November 30th, Richard Rose had the best mark, a 600 in 1:20.98.
He's run over 2 seconds faster, but not bad for November!!
Another major announcement, out just minutes ago, is that Jenny Simpson will race the 2 Mile at Boston's meet on February 7th.
If you recall, she miscounted the laps at last year's edition, and lost the race, and her attempt to break the American Record!
I would hope she's taken a remedial math class since then!!
LOL
Finally, Hoka One One has become the sponsor of what was once called the Oxy High Performance meet.
They've announced it will be livestreamed!
Okay, on to my Top 24's.
I will simply post all my 24th Place marks, the LEAST mark needed to make it onto the A-T Top 24 lists for World, US, Collegiate, and HS.
All marks are for INdoor T&F!
No OT marks are included.
Also, no converted 1600 or 3200 meter times.
Boys HS throws (SP & WT) are for HS weighted implements!
Multis are the Hept for the Men (but Pent for HS!), Pent for the Women.
After posting the times, I will offer a few names of athletes who are NOT currently on these lists, but who are MOST LIKELY to get on one or more of them in 2015.
As I've done in the past, the columns are, from left to right, World, US, Collegiate, High School.
The symbol "*****" means that event is not run often enough to have a list.
Men
60 6.48 6.51 6.54 6.71
200 20.40 20.43 20.50 21.37
400 45.39 45.54 45.66 47.45
600 1:16.19 1:17.38 1:18.28 1:20.22
800 1:45.44 1:47.11 1:47.14 1:51.80
1000 2:17.67 2:19.9 2:22.51 2:28.11
1500 3:34.89 3:39.8 3:44.45 3:55.22
1 Mile 3:53.02 3:55.84 3:56.77 4:08.77
2000 4:58.76 5:02.41 ***** *****
3000 7:34.47 7:46.09 7:50.44 8:32.3
2 Mile 8:15.02 8:28.8 ***** 9:01.92
5000 13:11.78 13:37.09 13:37.03 14:53.21
60H 7.44 7.51 7.61 7.77
HJ 7-8.75 7-7.25 7-6.50 7-2
LJ 27-3.25 26-11.75 26-8.50 24-9.25
TJ 57-3.75 55-9 55-1.50 50-3.25
PV 19-4.25 18-9.50 18-6 17-0.75
SP 70-8 69-8 67-4.25 66-10.25
WT 76-3.50 75-4.75 74-7 75-0.50
Multis 6229 5826 5868 3586
4X400R 3:13.21 ***** 3:06.84 *****
DMR ***** ***** 9:33.01 *****
Women
60 7.04 7.13 7.18 7.34
200 22.59 22.87 22.84 23.80
400 50.71 51.83 51.92 54.16
600 1:27.14 1:29.34 1:30.56 1:32.00
800 1:58.9 2:01.87 2:03.47 2:07.81
1000 2:35.80 2:42.61 2:45.86 2:50.69
1500 4:03.53 4:10.72 4:18.2 4:28.3
1 Mile 4:26.50 4:30.39 4:33.76 4:46.11
2000 5:43.99 5:56.78 ***** *****
3000 8:38.14 8:54.55 9:03.47 9:44.60
2 Mile 9:36.00 9:50.07 ***** 10:21.85
5000 15:13.86 15:43.04 15:43.69 17:00.54
60H 7.82 7.93 8.00 8.39
HJ 6-6.75 6-3.25 6-2.75 5-11
LJ 22-10.50 21-8.75 21-8 20-1
TJ 48-2 44-6.75 44-8.25 41-4.50
PV 15-3.50 14-7.25 14-3.50 13-2.25
SP 67-6.25 59-1.25 57-8.25 49-4.50
WT 73-2.50 71-10.25 71-8.75 56-10.75
Multis 4768 4253 4253 3578
4X400R 3:36.17 ***** 3:35.19 *****
DMR ***** ***** 11:06.77 *****
If you noticed a couple of Collegiate 24's better than the US's, it's partially because there's many non-US athletes who compete in the NCAA.
Also, a few events (the 2000's, for example) don't have a 24-deep list!
Here's a few names who are NOT currently on these lists, who COULD make the lists in 2015.....IF they compete INdoors!! (And are healthy, etc!!)
Obvious names missing are Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake in the Men's sprints!
Trayvon Bromell and Trentavis Friday could make the Collegiate sprint lists.
The Men's Collegiate 1 mile list doesn't have Ed Cheserek's name on it.....yet!
Ches is also missing from the Collegiate 3000 and 5000 lists!
Devon Allen isn't on the Collegiate 60H list, but will he compete INdoors?
Can Devin King up his Vault mark by almost 6 inches to make the Collegiate list?
Will Noah Lyles run INdoors to make the HS 200 list?
Grant Fisher and Austin Tamagno are missing from the 1500 & Mile lists for HSers.
Remember, 8 of the Top 24 HS 5000's came from last year!
Will it be a repeat (or more!!) in 2015??
David Rudisha, Nijel Amos, Nick Symmonds, and Duane Solomon are all not on the Men's World 800 list!
Symmonds is on the US 1000 list, but short by 1 second from the World list!
Can he make it there this year?
Asbel Kiprop and Ayanleh Souleiman are both not on the World 1500 and 1 Mile lists!
The Men's US 2 Mile list is neck-deep in marks from the 60's, 70's, and 80's!
That could so easily change in 2015.......IF!!!
(Same goes for the Women!!)
Believe it or not, Bogdan Bondarenko is NOT on the World HJ list!!
Nor are Derek Drouin and Eric Kynard.
After a great 2014 OUTdoors, will Mark Hollis make the US PV list?
(Or even the World list??)
Ryan Crouser is (barely, at number 24!) on the US SP list, but about 1 foot shy of the World list.
The Women's HS sprint lists are missing Kaylin Whitney's name!
As I've stated several times, it's a shame that Sophie Cantine ran her GREAT 2:47.64 1000 on an OT!
Hopefully, in 2015 she will move to a 200 meter track to run that kind of time, to easily make the HS 1K list!
The Girl's HS 5000 list is missing SO many names!!
With the Renaissance in HS distance running recently, if even half of the current crop of stars would run the NBIN 5000, that list would be DRASTICALLY revised!!
Courtney Corrin isn't on the HS LJ list!
ALL of the Girl's HS 50 foot SP'ers are graduated, so it's a question who might be able to pop onto the HS list this year!
Speaking of the SP, look for Raven Saunders to make the Collegiate list in her Frosh year!
Based on which events she runs INdoors, Stanford Freshman Elise Cranny could make EVERY Collegiate list from 600 through 5000!!
NCAA XC winner Kate Avery isn't on any of the Collegiate distance lists!
Will she get on them in 2015?
And what about surprise NCAA XC 2nd Sarah DiSanza?
What's HER choice of events?
Will Aisling Cuffe, Erin Finn, and Wesley Frazier come back from injury and illness to make the Collegiate 5000 list?
I'd love to see Dior Hall improve by 0.11 seconds to make the Collegiate 60H list in her Frosh year!
Multi's girl Kendell Williams is also missing from the 60H list!
Keturah Orji might crack the Collegiate TJ list in her Freshman year!
Look for Desiree Freier's name to be added to the Collegiate PV list!
Can HSer Kaylin Whitney make even the US and World lists, especially in the 200?
Dafne Schippers is missing from the World sprint lists.
Mary Cain is missing from the US 600 and 800 lists!
She's also missing from the World 1500 and 2 Mile lists, as well as the US lists in the 3000 and 5000.
Speaking of HS phenoms (or, in Cain's & Cranny's case, FORMER HS phenoms!!), will Alexa Efraimson make the US 1500 and 1 Mile lists?
She would even have the chance to make the US 3000 and 2 mile lists!
Will Abbey D'Agostino start her Pro career on the track by making the INdoor World 5000 list?
As noted earlier, Genzebe Dibaba WILL be adding her name to the INdoor World 1 Mile and 5000 lists!
(With World Records, no less!!)
Brigetta Barrett isn't on the World HJ list.
She COULD be!!
Tianna Bartoletta and Tori Bowie are both missing from the World LJ list, but could get on it in 2015.
I mentioned Keturah Orji possibly making the Collegiate TJ list!
She could also make the US list!
Ditto goes for Desiree Freier making the US list in addition to the Collegiate list!
Kendell Williams is the CR holder, but she's about 130 points shy of making the World list!!
Can she do it?
I think so!
Well, I could probably add about 100 or more names as possibilities to make any of the 8 DDD lists (4 each for Men and Women), but this post is already WAY too long!!
Look for a First Anniversary post on December 9th!!
Other than that, December SHOULD produce several good marks worth reporting!
And, guaranteed, you'll find ALL of them right HERE!!
See you on the 9th, if not sooner!
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