Absolute Lists Absolutely Not!

Those of you who read my blog almost certainly also search out the lists on the Track and Field News website.
I do.
(And go UGH!)

I've written of this before, so pardon me if I repeat myself!
I'll try to be "original".

Let's begin in January--any January!
Go to T&FN's site in the first month of the year, click on "Lists", and you'll see "blank year INDOOR Lists"!
Same for February, and through to the end--around mid-March--of the INdoor "season".
That means after the NCAA, USATF, NBIN, and maybe the Euro INdoor and the World Championships, if they're scheduled!

A few days later, check back, and you'll find a new title to their Lists.
Some years ago, they referred to them as "comprehensive" lists.
Then that was changed to "absolute" lists.
I won't bore you with my Webster's Dictionary definitions of those words, except to say that it basically means "overall"--or "non-exclusive".
(BTW, after beginning their "absolute" lists, they DO retain their INdoor lists, for reference!  Good for them!)

The way I see it, however, is that this "Bible of the Sport" fails to recognize a TOTAL SEPARATION of the seasons--INdoors from OUTdoors!
They mix them together.
(Let me tell you--they go together about as well as night and day, or gay and straight, or up and down!  LOL)

Here's two examples of the problem, as I see it.
In the newest lists--which thus far include just US and HS--the Collegiate and World "absolutes" should begin shortly--the Men's HS leaders in the PV and SP are Mondo Duplantis and Jordan Geist.
As well they should be!
After all--as reported in my latest blog post!!--Duplantis got an OUTdoor PR of 17-8.50 recently, while Geist also got an OUTdoor PR of 71-9.25.
If this were an OUTdoor season list, THOSE would be the ACTUAL 2016 leaders!

But the marks next to Duplantis's and Geist's names are NOT 17-8.50 or 71-9.25!
They are their INdoor PR's of 18-0.50 and 72-9.25.

IF---and I believe they'll improve on those latter marks OUTdoors--soon!--IF they do NOT improve their INdoor marks OUTdoors this year, then, guaranteed, T&FN's "absolute" lists will STILL show their 2016 bests to be their INdoor PR's.
In May, and June, and July, and in December!
You will NEVER know---unless you read my blog, or follow the sport VERY CLOSELY!!--you'll never know what those two great athlete's OUTdoor marks from 2016 were!!
(Not unless you buy the 2017 edition of Jack Shepard's HS Track where, he--like me!--SEPARATES the seasons--ABSOLUTELY!!)

There's just ONE reason why--IMO--T&FN created "comprehensive" or "absolute" lists!
Are you ready?
Are you sitting down, and are you on speed dial to 9-1-1?
Okay, here goes.
T&FN does NOT see the seasons as separate!

And yet, I can safely say they are hypocrites in having these lists!
For in their magazine, and in other places, they DO refer to a record made INdoors as an "INdoor" record!
So why don't they extend that belief to their lists?

Did you know they did, once upon a time?
Ever seen--no matter your age--any copies of their magazine from the 1960's?
In that decade--and maybe for some years after (Can't remember, and I sold my 20th century copies several years ago--regrettably!!  Needed fast cash!!), they began their OUTdoor coverage (No computer websites then--all in PRINT, on PAPER!) with OUTdoor lists!!

Okay, so the first list was SHORT--sometimes with as few as 2 or 3 marks in an event!
They had minimum standards for list inclusion--and I can accept that.
If you recall, I had STRONG  "minimums" to the marks I would include in the Meet and National Records  sections of my T&F Record Book!
I loosened them up quite a bit about a year ago!!

But the magazine DID have SEPARATE lists--as I recall!

I've seen excuses given by them as being that the rules have changed, as to record recognition.
Some INdoor marks--in SOME events!!--are now accepted as ALL-TIME (another version of absolute!!) bests.
Renaud Lavillenie's 20-2.50 INdoor PV is one example!
It's better than Sergey Bubka's OUTdoor best of 20-1.75 from 1994.

Except for one small thing.
Renaud's 20-2.50 was reached under a roof and between four walls!
Sergey's 20-1.75 was conceived in the "great wide open"--thank you, Tom Petty!!

Two completely different circumstances.
Two sets of conditions with NOTHING in common!!
Two SEPARATE SEASONS!!
Thus, two SEPARATE sets of records!!

We have an INdoor NCAA Championships!
We have an OUTdoor NCAA Championships!
Ditto for the USATF's, the WC's, and the HS Champs--called, respectively, the NBIN and the NBN!
(Add the Euros!!  My apologies to the Brits, Germans, Norwegians, Swiss, French etc etc etc!!  LOL)

So what do we do?
Do we IGNORE the lists of the sport's BIBLE??
Do we make THIS BLOG the new "Bible" for records and marks recognition??
(I can handle that!  LOL)

Your choice!