Thoughts & Questions

The 2016 INdoor T&F season is heating up. (See last 2 or 3 posts!)
But what's been happening ON the tracks & fields of the world pales when set forth against the internecine scandals  hitting our sport on an almost daily basis!
And like with Watergate, it's reached the highest levels of T&F--the IAAF!
So let this post begin with them!

With "preppie" Seb Coe--a Lord no less!--becoming its President, it seemed the housecleaning needed at the IAAF was going to happen!
And it might---someday!
He in fact HAS formed committees or whatever to find solutions!
Drugs?
Lamine Diack a felon?
Ban important nations from the Olympics?
Check, check, check!

But however fast Coe seems to be moving---as fast as he used to run?--it's still not fast enough to keep the IAAF from attacks on all fronts!
Do we really need this organization to survive?
Should Coe go?

In the US, we went from the AAU to TAC to USATF
And at each juncture, change seemed warranted, and welcomed!
But look at where USATF is at today!

A fair comparison?

Elsewhere on the IAAF front---and maybe symbolic of the entire mess--the protocol for gaining access to yearly lists on IAAF's site has changed.
IMO, for the worse!

I won't go into detail--See for yourself!--it's a MESS!
You know those phone calls you make where the "voice" says "Press 1 for..." or "Press 6 for...", and you're swearing at each "Press.."?
Well, the added steps to be able to see the current INdoor lists have turned me AWAY from these lists as a source I'll be using!

Instead, I've "found" Tilastopaia!!
What?
It's a GREAT site dedicated to providing deep lists---AND totally current (to the HOUR!!) lists!
People on the T&FN Message Board had been advising me to seek them out---for awhile!
Ever the rebel, I'd rejected their advice!
But the new IAAF list protocols have made me a fan of this hard-to-spell site!
They DO charge a fee---too expensive for me!---BUT they DO have some stuff offered FREE!!
Including that current INdoor list (Top 20 for all events!) I mentioned!
(In my next results post, I'll report on 3 "new" marks I found---on Tilastopaia!)

But back to the IAAF's uglier headline grabbers!
Details---and final decisions--have yet to emerge, but it seems IAAF meets (Championships, NOT Diamond League meets---I think!) might lose Adidas as a key sponsor.
IF---a HUGE if!--IF this happens, everyone is saying this lets Nike attain a larger degree of control--financial and otherwise!--on T&F!

Don't they ALREADY OWN our sport?

Seems to me that Nike has become---always was?---the "Walmart" of T&F.
Taking over meets and venues and athletes--while grinning (sneering?) at the demise of smaller "mom & pop" outfits!
So what happens?
Guys (and gals!) start signing with "upstarts" like Hoka One One, Skechers, Puma, ASICS, and (OMG!!) Oiselle!
Then modern day Prefontaine's, like Nick Symmonds, decide to FIGHT BACK against Nike's autocratic rule!

Which leads me to my next "thought"!
I LOVE that Symmonds (as represented by his Run Gum company) is SUING both the USOC and USATF!!
He wants for athletes to be able to advertise their sponsors brands on their uniforms!
This is similar to what he did last summer---except he stopped short of the courtroom then!

Is Symmonds just some megalomaniacal asshole out to promote himself--at everyone else's expense?
NO!
I fully support his lawsuit!
(I wish he'd filed one last year--to FORCE the powers-that-be to allow him to run in Beijing's WC!)
That the righteous flower named Lauren Fleshman supports Nick should be applauded--LOUDLY!

All this Corporate/CEO crap too serious for you?
Yeah, me too!
So let's move on to some more "mundane" matters, shall we?

Like--the ban on Russia!
In brief, I am "agin'it".
Let's do an analogy.
The United States is found to be neck deep in drug scandals!
A scandal that would put the Justin Gatlin affair to shame!
So the IAAF says it's going to BAN the good old US of A from not only Rio, but its own Portland World Championships!!
ALL athletes, not just all those "drug users"!

Every report and article I've seen say that 3 top Russian athletes are clean!
And have always been!
They are Anna Chicherova, Sergey Shubenkov, and Yelena Isinbayeva!
No doubt there's several others, but these 3 are the biggest names!

Should THEY be banned too!
Because that's what the IAAF decision does!
(Imagine if this had happened in 2013, prior to the WC that year---scheduled for MOSCOW!!)

Russia is fighting back!
Yes, they're "cleaning up their act"--supposedly.
But they're also saying "Let us compete!".
And they ARE competing---albeit in small home meets.

Isi was supposed to open her season in mid-February.
Will she still do so?
And what happens if she breaks the World Record?
Right now, the IAAF will NOT accept Russian marks as valid!
Some sources are listing their marks separately--if at all!

Well  here goes my "rebel" side again!
This blog WILL honor whatever marks occur from Russia's athletes!
I will report the best of them, as I do for every other nation!
They WILL make my Top 24 lists---if they're good enough!

And what happens if, say, Isinbayeva performs well enough to be considered for Athlete of the Year?
I WILL consider her!
So let it be written, So let it be done!

Speaking of this blog, did you know that, in SOME aspects, it's better than what you get from the vaunted eTN from T&FN??
Really!!

Two examples.
My lengthy post from yesterday--filled with results--came out BEFORE the latest eTN---by a few hours!
And my report highlighted MORE marks than did the eTN!
Reasons?

I concentrate on mainly (only?) the BEST marks, so I don't waste time or space listing EVERY result!
My DDD's extend 24 deep, not 10 deep, as eTN does!
And I make sure to tell you if someone runs, jumps, or throws even a 24th best mark!!
(And occasionally, even marks that come CLOSE to making one of my lists!)
Sooooo---this blog, IMHO, is faster, more complete, and deeper (in detail) than the eTN!
But don't read this the wrong way!
I still honor and respect---and LOVE!---the eTN---and T&FN!
Always have, always will!

Do all (or even some!) of you PAY for the services provided by Flotrack, Runner Space, and Mile Split?
Flotrack charges about $20/month to watch their livestreams.
Two problems---or maybe 3.
Not all of their livestreams work!
Or at least not 100%!
The meets they livestream aren't always the best!
(Of course, that's not always their fault, as the biggest meets go to ESPN, NBC, and such!)
And the announcing--for the most part---isn't always on a par with, say, that of Tim Hutchings and Carrie Tollefsen---or even those British mateys who sometimes SEEM on a par with---Flotrack!

Same goes for the "PRO" sides of Runner Space and Mile Split.
Used to be FREE, but they too now charge---for videos, livestreams, and---lists!
Uh-uh, folks!

Wherefore art thou, Mary Cain?
And Alexa Efraimson, Wesley Frazier, Sarah Baxter, Elise Cranny, and even Kaylin Whitney?
On the male side, what about Yohan Blake, Bogdan Bondarenko, Grant Fisher, Matthew Maton, Andre De Grasse, and even Usain Bolt??

Sure, SOME of them have been in the news---with results from races and meets---or with articles about their 2016 goals!
We KNOW that Bolt never runs INdoors.
But what about Blake, once considered Bolt's heir apparent?
Still injured?
Retired?
Mutaz Barshim will compete at the Asian Championships in about 3 weeks--and maybe before.
But where is Bondarenko?

Cranny was supposed to compete at the recent Seattle meet--along with Aisling Cuffe!
Neither showed!
Why?

Efraimson?
Last summer, she ran PR's at both 800 and 1500, and seemed poised for a great 2016.
Her 4:03.39 even beat Cain's HSR---although Alexa's time qualified as a HS PRO record ONLY!
The last time she tweeted was August 10th!
She lives and trains between Portland and Seattle!
Why didn't she run in that Seattle meet---even if in just rust-busting fashion!---or in one of those Portland meets where they're using the track to be used for the WC?
Convenient for her!
In her backyard, practically!

Same for Cain!
She's now living near NYC---and The Armory and Staten Island's Ocean Breeze facility!
Again, convenient--in her backyard!
No need to travel 6000 miles round-trip to Seattle or Portland!
She even SAID she'd have a big INdoor season!

Except, in the past, her forthcoming races were announced beforehand!
This year?
No word---nothing!
Which leads one to ask questions--and wonder!

But for every Bolt, Blake, Cain and Cranny that's MIA, a few are BACK!!
Chaunte Lowe finally appears to be in shape---opening as she did with a 6-3.50!
Brigetta Barrett--who had been missing for almost 2 years!---jumped 6-0.50 in her "rust-buster"!
And Lolo Jones---who was shown "heavily sedated" in a video she produced last year just after hip labrum surgery, is back too!
Beginning just a week ago with an 8.32, she quickly (sic!) put that slowpoke jog to rest, running an 8.00 in the final on Saturday, after a heat in 8.19.

At the same time, news came---sadly--of an injury to Bernard Lagat!
Don't know how bad yet, but bad enough he had to withdraw from this week's Camel City meet!
He's been replaced by another who wasn't around much in 2015---Lawi Lalang!

Finally, one more question.
When will Alexi Pappas's "TrackTown" movie be released?
Last I heard, it was in post-production---almost finished---and was being offered to Sundance and such!
But no word on exact date of first showing---or more important to me---its DVD release date!!

See you all soon!