Most folks make New Year's Resolutions!
Those are vows to do (or NOT do!) something better/more/less than you did last year!
Okay.
But I prefer to make a Wish List instead!
For the Sport of Track and Field (including Road Racing, Walks, and Cross Country!), here's my Wish List for 2016.
Wish for FULL return from illness, injury, semi-retirement, or pregnancy for--
Stephanie Bruce
Aries Merritt
Lolo Jones
(BTW, it was just announced she'll be racing at the Camel City meet on January 30th!!)
Sarah Brown
Valerie Adams
Tirunesh Dibaba (& Meseret Defar)
Alana Hadley
and maybe especially--Kayla Montgomery!!
(She just posted a GREAT new photo of herself on Facebook, smiling widely, and looking VERY healthy & happy!!)
Wish for a FULL return to action for--
Sarah Baxter
Wesley Frazier
Cayla Hatton
Natosha Rogers
Lisa Uhl
Wish for SERIOUS World Record attempts by--
Genzebe Dibaba (at EVERY distance from the 800 to the 10000!)
Jenn Suhr, Yelena Isinbayeva (even if it's only in local Russian meets!), and Shawn Barber!
(Oh yes, Renaud Lavillenie too!)
Dafne Schippers & Elaine Thompson in the OUTdoor 200
Allyson Felix in the 400!
(Yes, I REALLY believe she can break Koch's WR!)
Wish for--
Maria Michta-Coffey (and Miranda Melville, etc) to bring the Women's US 20K Walk record below 1:30!
And to finish Top 10 in Rio!!
Also Wish for--
Maria & Miranda to Walk a 50,000 Meters race, attempting to break the AR of 4:33, or even the WORLD Record of 4:10!!
(See an earlier post about the Women's 50K WR and AR!!)
Wish for--
Nick Symmonds to make TeamUSA, proudly wearing his BROOKS kit for all the world to see!
Wish for Memoirs (or announcements of same!) from--
Justin Gatlin
Lolo Jones
Mary Cain
Jenny Simpson
Bernard Lagat
Usain Bolt (But including all the JUICY stuff--uncensored!)
Kaylin Whitney
Wish for--
a FREE Flotrack & MileSplit (Insider)!!
Wish for--
Ed Cheserek & Mo Farah to RACE, not jog the first 98% of their events!
Wish for--
Alberto Salazar to finally admit he FUCKED UP at the USATF INdoor in 2014!
Wish for--
all Oversize Tracks to be BANNED as sites to get Qualifying times for Championship meets!
Wish for--
the 1600 and 3200 meter distances to be relegated to the TRASH HEAP of T&F History--NOW!!
(Concomitantly, I Wish for the One & Two MILE to be returned to their FULL GLORY!!)
Wish for--
a return to TOP SHAPE for--
Mary Cain
Chaunte Lowe & Brigetta Barrett
Yohan Blake
Jeremy Wariner
Sanya Richards-Ross
Wish for--
NO BAN for INNOCENT Russians!!
Wish for--
more funny & FUN videos from Sandi Morris (with her snakes, guitar playing & singing, and her WACKYness)!! (Not to mention her BEAUTY!!)
Wish for Track and Field News magazine (and/or Track Newsletter) and website to--
END their "absolute" lists, and COMPLETELY SEPARATE the IN and OUTdoor seasonal lists!!
END their inclusion of "converted" times for the HS Mile & Two Mile lists!
(If they INSIST on honoring the 1600 & 3200, have SEPARATE lists for those distances--APART FROM REAL Miles & 2 Miles!!)
Also--
regarding T&FN & eTN, I Wish for--
a return to a PAPER edition of TN, no matter what it costs me to subscribe!!
returning MONTHLY lists (Top 10 or 15?) for World, US, and Collegiate to the magazine and/or the TN!!
Wish for--
Let's Run to grow a HEART--as in some compassion (and LESS HATE!!) in their Forum!
Let's Run to INSIST on REAL NAMES for their commenters!!
Let's Run to END their SEXIST Double Standards--e.g. when they called ME a "pedophile" for being interested in the ATHLETIC ability of young female athletes, but then turn around and comment on some young girl's being PREGNANT or being "HOT" or on various female body parts, no matter their age!!
Wish for--
a more LIBERAL attitude from Garry Hill on the T&FN Message Board!
Wish for--
the IAAF site to include the Two Mile on their OUTdoor (and INdoor) lists
the IAAF to include the 600 on their INdoor (and OUTdoor) lists
Wish for--
the National Records book I own to become an ANNUAL!!
Ditto the World's Greatest in Athletics book!!
Wish for--
more WILD HAIR colors & styles, as worn by--
Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce
Alexi Pappas
Evan Jager
Will Leer
Wish for more NUDE photos, as we enjoyed from the ESPN Body Issue--
but from ONLY Track & Field athletes
Wish for--
Women to race over 10000 meters in XC, just as the Men do!
Or--have Men AND Women race over 8000 meters in XC!!
(And not just in Championship races!!)
Wish for--
a return of the old NCAA Guide, which, as I remember it, had all kinds of Records and Lists for Collegiate T&F, as well as Rules, etc!
Wish for--
an end to the Diamond League format, to be replaced by meets with VARIED programs (more 10K's, for example!), and MORE events (so athletes don't have to wait a year to find THEIR event)!!
Wish for--
MORE World Relays meets--maybe 3 per year, EVERY year!!
Wish for an--
ANNUAL World Championship!!
(INdoors and OUTdoors!)
And thus, in tandem to the above, I wish for an--
END to the OLYMPIC GAMES as the be all-end all of our sport!!
(Let them continue, but NOT as the CENTERPIECE of T&F! Let them hold an honored presence, but NOT as the pinnacle and ultimate goal of athletes!! We can't have a once-every-four-years meet as THE T&F meet!! Every other sport has ANNUAL Championships--Baseball's World Series, Football's Super Bowl, Horse Racing's Kentucky Derby, the Indy 500, Golf's US Open, etc, Tennis's Wimbledon!! Same should go for T&F!!)
Finally, I Wish for--
this blog to continue all year, "getting better all the time", and to find SOME respect and acknowledgement as a VALUABLE and FUN resource for T&F results, news, and opinion!
(I would LOVE it if T&FN posted my blog on their website, as they do with posts from House of Run, the Daily Relay, and others!)
This is a FREE blog, so I'm not looking for monetary gain--or even fame!!--just some inclusion into the world of SERIOUS T&F blogs and news sources!
Oh yeah, one more!
I Wish for---
No, on second thought, I think I'll keep THIS one to myself!!
Sorry!
See you soon!!
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