Are Records always Records?

To answer the title question, Yes, when they're in MY Book!
Alas, however, I am not the authority the world of T&F turns to when Record legality is in doubt.
Where do the problems begin?

Track and Field Records were, I'm sure, supposed to be determined by who ran the fastest, jumped the highest or longest, or threw some implement the farthest.
And in most cases, they still are.

But then, there are those rare---but far less rare in recent years!---occasions when fans, and even long time serious followers of the sport are wondering---Are Records always Records?

Because in too many cases recently, they're turning out to be in question, even years after they happen.

There are a few rules on Record determination that I have no problem with.
These include the rules on wind assistance.
Two point zero or less---the Record stands.
But a wind of just 2.1---Sorry!

Then of course there are the rules about drugs.
You test positive (in your A and B samples), and BOOM!, your so called Record is gone!
Who could argue with that?

In the LJ and TJ, you must hit the board---not a centimeter or half-inch beyond--to have your jump determined as legal.

In the PV or HJ, the bar stays on, or your attempt is ruled a failure.

Good rules, all.

But what happens to those supposed Records that are put in doubt by the "Ruling Authorities" of T&F?
And just who ARE those who hold the final determination in their hands?

One MAJOR "authority" for Record acceptance is "The Bible of the Sport", Track and Field News.
After all, what person would argue with "the Bible"?

So we have rules, as set forth by T&FN, that say no Collegiate Record can be set after the NCAA Championship meet, whether the INdoor (for INdoor Records) or the OUTdoor (for OUTdoor Records).

For High Schoolers, the deadline is longer--August 31st, to be exact.
This is normally about two full months after the NBN, which is widely accepted as the "National" HS Championship meet.

Then we come to the problematical scenarios.
Here's 3 examples of when a Record being a Record might come into question.

1. The INdoor season is generally accepted as ending in mid-March.  But in recent years, such meets as the Drake Relays have been holding a few events INdoors--in Malls, Supermarkets, or wherever they have an INdoor venue available for use in some weather-related emergency.

2. The turn to the 1600 and 3200--in lieu of the Mile and 2 Mile--when most tracks were reconfigured from 440 yards to 400 meters--has led to a world where T&FN (for 1 example) has called a "converted time" a record.  They say that if a 1600 is X faster than the Mile Record, then that athlete's time should be listed first on any A-T list.

3. For most of the 54 years I've been a participant in, and fan of T&F, HS boys have used HS weights in the SP, DT, and HT.  (The JT has changed the spear itself, thus starting a whole new set of Records about 15 years ago--from the Professionals to the HSers!)  In the SP, HSR's in US High Schools were accepted for ONLY the 12 and 16 pound balls.  But outside the US,  different weighted implements have been introduced.

Just in the past 48 hours, two things have come to my awareness that made me want to write this post.

In an Arkansas Vault Club event, Lexi Weeks PV'ed 14-7.50, breaking Desiree Freier's OUTdoor HSR by 0.25 inches.

In the eTN (online Track Newsletter) covering the results from the USATF Junior Championships, T&FN (the publisher of eTN) highlighted in red the 67-9 SP of Willie Morrison, saying it EQUALED Michael Carter's HSR of 67-9.

In the Vault situation, Garry Hill (T&FN's Editor) said it's likely NOT acceptable as a HSR.
Why?
Apparently, as the initial results page indicated, their event had just 2 competitors--both of them named Weeks (sister Tori NH'ed!).
But then their Coach--Morrie Sanders--wrote that there were actually FOUR girls in that comp.
He didn't list them with Tori and Lexi because he wanted to give them medals too--so he listed them in a separate category, or separate section.
I haven't seen Garry's response to that, but it sounds to me as if that problem is solved!

We have ourselves a new OUTdoor HSR in the Women's PV.

Then there's Morrison's situation.
Why did T&FN (eTN) red-line his mark?  (eTN highlights in red all World, American, Collegiate, and HSR's.)
Morrison was throwing a Shot that was NOT 16 pounds, which is the weight of the ball that Carter threw in 1979 when he set the still-standing HSR.

So how can a mark for one weight be compared to a mark set by another weight?
Same question goes for the 1600-Mile debate--How can a time run over 1600 meters be compared to a time run over 1609+ meters?

In both cases, SEPARATE Records are called for!

In the case of Lexi's HSR, it just comes down to the question of---WHAT determines a "legal" competition?
And I believe THAT has been answered by Mr Sanders's response!

There's one more example of the confusion wrought over my title question.

Last year, in the Glasgow DL meet, Emma Coburn ran the 3000SC in 9:11.42, seemingly setting a new American Record, breaking her friend Jenny (Barringer) Simpson's old mark of 9:12.50.
But she finished 2nd, and only the winner, and another athlete picked at random, got drug-tested there.
She could have ASKED to be tested, but didn't.
Thus---a few MONTHS later!!--USATF said they would NOT ratify her Record AS the AR because of that "missed" drug test!

But there is no indication she has EVER used drugs---She was tested NUMEROUS times throughout 2014!!--so there are many, including me, who DO accept that time as the AR.
It would be CRAZY to imagine a newcomer to the sport scanning some Record Book and seeing Coburn's time LISTED, but NOT as the American Record.

(A similar thing happened in Arkansas several years ago.  A US 4X400 team ran 3:01.96 in an INdoor meet, supposedly setting both the WR and AR.  So when a US team ran 3:02.13 at the 2014 World INdoor Championships in Sopot, and got listed as the World and American Record holders, eyebrows were raised.  You see, a member of that team in Arkansas wasn't tested for drugs, so their time wasn't accepted by IAAF as the World Record, but WAS accepted by USATF as the US Record!  HUH??)

In this whacked out circle of confusion stands a HUGE reason why T&F is one of the least popular sports in the United States!
Fans want to KNOW a Record IS a Record----when it happens!!

They don't want to go home THINKING what they witnessed (or read about) was a Record---only to find out days, weeks, or even many MONTHS later that it was NOT!!

A relatively minor example of this comes to mind.
In this year's Birmingham (England) DL meet, Kenya's Julius Yego threw the Javelin an astounding 299-10, the longest throw in several years!
But it landed right on (or near) the Sector line (similar to the Foul line in baseball!).
One problem.
The Sector line had been drawn only out to about 285 feet.
After all, no one had thrown a Javelin almost 300 feet recently, so why waste chalk drawing a line that almost certainly wouldn't come into play?

OOPS.

So the officials spent awhile discussing this, then DRAWING the line out to where Yego's spear had landed.
Thus, AFTER the meet had ended, and most everyone had gone home, they determined his mark WAS legal, and thus would be the new Kenyan National Record, etc etc etc.

More CONFUSION!!

Can we not return to the simpler days of yore?

A High School kid Vaults over a bar set at 14-7.50.
She breaks the HSR of 14-7.25.
DONE!

A 400 meter track is MEASURED back 9.344 meters behind the "normal" start/finish line, and thus becomes the starting line for the One MILE Run!
It would be so simple to measure it ONCE, then place a PERMANANT MARKER on the track at that point---so it doesn't have to be done every single time they run a MILE instead of 1600 meters!

At least in the United States HS system (and so called "junior" world), let's keep things relatively simple, and accept HSR's in the Boys Weights at just TWO different weights---the International Weight used by EVERYONE!!--and the "HS" weights--meaning the 16 pound SP and the 12 pound SP.
PERIOD!

Unless a runner is eventually busted for drugs, let's accept a time run by an athlete that is the FASTEST by ANYONE (in that country's history) as that country's National Record.
To have that mark be seen by ONE agency, but not ANOTHER, as THE American Record--is utter nonsense, and totally confusing!

As stated above, and in previous posts, the following are the FACTS---as determined by myself, for this blog, and for my T&F Record Book.

Emma Coburn IS the American Record holder in the 3000SC, her time being 9:11.42.

Lexi Weeks IS the HSR holder for the OUTdoor PV, her height being 14-7.50.

Michael Carter REMAINS the HSR holder in the 16 Pound SP.
And NO ONE has ever come remotely close to his magnificent Record!!

Are Records always Records?
They are, in MY Book!