A Groundhog Day Review

It's sunny here in Bellingham WA on Groundhog day!
But what about the sport of Track and Field this INdoor season?
Is it "sunny" there too---or will we have 6 more weeks of  T&F "winter"?
Let's take a peek in this "extra" post!

BTW, I will have a few marks to report, but am saving those for the end!

Donald Trump became the US President two weeks ago today!
There's been nothing but controversy ever since--in the world of politics.
But how---if at all!!--does this affect our sport!

Aside from speculation about the US bid for the 2024 Olympics, the main source of angst seems to be about his Executive Order on Muslim Immigration!
Sir Mo Farah was concerned!
Lopez Lomong spoke out.
The Twitterverse has gone bonkers on Trump's actions!
BUT---all seems to be okay---as it affects our sport!

Iulia (Or is it Julia?) Stepanova was the key whistleblower in the Russian drug skullduggery!
And she ran the 800 in Boston's IAAF World Tour meet!
(More on the Tour below!)
Her time of 2:05.14 (As her coach predicted, she said later!) wasn't special, but her BEING THERE was!!
Yes, Darya Klishina was a Russian in Rio last summer!
But Stepanova was a Russian in the US of A just days ago!!
And a welcomed one at that!!

In the post-race interview (through an interpreter!), she said she wasn't afraid, and indeed felt safe here!
She smiled, even laughed (in interactions with her interpreter).
IMO, I'm thrilled she competed, and hope to see her (and other CLEAN Russians!) in future meets!

No, I won't go into one of my "rants" on Oversize Tracks here!
What I WILL do is CASTIGATE the SEC (and/or the NCAA authorities) for scheduling a MAJOR Collegiate Conference meet for an OT!!
Yes, the SEC's will be on Vanderbilt's 300 meter monster!!
Where NO RACE longer than 60 meters will be eligible for A-T lists or Records!!
NONE!!
If a "Collegiate Record" is run in the Women's 1000---as is quite possible---it will NOT count!!
This is more than sad--this is STUPID!!
(I believe the Big 10 Conference meet is scheduled for the SPIRE, with ITS 300 meter track!!)

Every season---INdoors and OUTdoors---brings with it its share of redshirts, injuries, major illnesses, school leavings (As Jasmine Todd left UO last year!).
That's expected!
But there's also those athletes who just choose to not compete INdoors---for whatever reason!

Among those THIS year are---
Demi Payne (Word is, she's in Texas training!  But for INdoors?  Questionable!)
Brigetta Barrett  (She's retired!)
Mary Cain  (Who knows??)
Usain Bolt & SAFP  (Bolt is in Australia for their upcoming "Nitro" series of meets---OUTdoors!  As for SAFP, she rarely competes INdoors!)
Galen Rupp (Holder of the 3000, Two Mile, and 5000 INdoor AR's, he's locked into the 10K & Marathon, so is unlikely to compete INdoors---ever again!!)
Molly Huddle (Also into the longer stuff, so NO INdoors!!)

What's "new" to my T&F Record Book---and thus also to this blog?
After the big numbers put up in the 300's this year, I finally drew up A-T Top 24 Performers lists (DDD's) for that event.
As earlier noted, the HS, US, and World lists were relatively simple to get together!
But the Collegiate lists are only halfway there (Through 11th for the Men, and 12th for the Women!).

In earlier years, I added the 1000's and the 600's, as well as Relay lists!
Also, my posts seem to be lengthening.
This is in part due to my personal situation, as my health doesn't always allow for 2 or 3 posts per week, every week!
So I have to cram EVERYthing into one LONG weekly post!!
I'll TRY to do more---just don't expect it!

That said, I will continue to cover---and even ADD!---"odd" events to my coverage---those "lost souls" unloved & even unwanted!
Such as the aforementioned 300's & 600's, but also the 50K Walk for Women!

As for those 300's & 600's, they have been this season's dominant individual events, as the Distance Medley Relay has been "busy" in the team aspect of the sport!
Here's the evidence!

I did a count of my DDD entries for 2017 on January 31st!
As of that date, here's the data.

Ninety eight (98) marks dated as 2017 (Which does NOT count those 2016-2017 season marks made in December!!) are on my INdoor DDD's!
58 are by Women, 40 by Men.
In 2015 and 2016, the final numbers reached 373 and 372!!
(I expect the usual 300+ by season's end!)

23 are from the 600!
20 are from the 300!
14 are on the WT lists!
Only 8 (so far!) are from the Pole Vault!
ZERO marks come from the Men's 60, 400, 1000, 3000, 2 Mile, 5000, HJ, LJ, TJ, and WT
The Women's lists come up empty in the 60, 400, 1500, Mile, 2 Mile, HJ, and the Pentathlon!
(I did NOT count the 2000's!)

Here's how the 4 core groups played out!
HS'ers have 28 marks, with 14 each for Men and Women!
Collegiates have 24 marks, with 10 for Men, and 14 for Women!
US Women more than double the count of US Men, 19 to 9!
World Women have 11, while World Men have 7.

How will THIS weekend's action change things??

As for the core group's in the Records department, it's been a good year so far!!
But let's peek at 2016 first!
Last year, the Men broke--
2 WR's
3 US Records
4 CR's
6 HSR's

The Women broke--
4 WR's
3 US
6 CR's
and
13 HSR's!!!

Totals were--
6 WR's
6 US
10 CR's
19 HSR's!

Knowing that the final totals should (Will??) be greatly enhanced by the Championship meets (USATF, NCAA, European Champs, and the NBIN), here's the numbers---so far!--for 2017!

Men
WR's for Emmanuel Korir and Casimir Loxsom!
AR's go to Loxsom!
CR's for Korir, Isaiah Harris, and Texas A&M's 4X400 Relayists!
HSR's for Tyrese Cooper, Jordan Geist (that 16 lb SP---which still ranks 3rd in the WORLD, according to Tilastopaia!!!), Mondo Duplantis, and Trey Cunningham!

Women
WR's go to the US team in the DMR!
AR's to that DMR team, and Quanera Hayes!
CR's to Kaela Edwards and the UO DMR team!
HSR's go to Sammy Watson and the Lake Braddock DMR squad!
(Special Mention goes to Candace Hill, who nabbed TWO of my own HS PRO records---in the 60 and 300!!)

So, EXcluding those HS PRO marks, we have, total--
WR's  (3)
AR's  (3)
CR's  (5)
HSR's (6)

Expect a LOT more!!

Sooooo, the IAAF World Tour!
Let's just say my expectations were MUCH bigger and expansive than the reality---thus far, after 2 meets---presents!
WHY?
Well, the same happens with their OUTdoor equivalents, the Diamond League meets!
(Am I wrong to connect the two---beyond that both are IAAF created and produced?)

Some comments on the T&FN MB suggest that the "poor" marks from the 1st two meets (Boston and Dusseldorf--See below for some marks from the latter!) are due to--
No INdoor WC this year, but an OUTdoor WC which many athletes are focusing on!
The usual antipathy to INdoor---period!
Post-Olympics, so athletes are just now getting into serious training for 2017!

Whatever the reasons (excuses!!), this season has been relatively slow to grow!
(Despite the numbers presented above!)
But can we blame it all on the grandiosity of the IAAF World Tour?
That "grandiosity" was partly MY fault!
I was the one who equated these 5 meets to the 14 OUTdoor DL's!
Was I wrong?

In response to the T&FN Message Board folks, I would suggest they look to the first 2 meets of the DL season---in Doha and Shanghai!
Study the marks that emerge from those meets!
Pretty good, I'd say!
In totality, the World Tour meets are weaker!
This of course could be (IS?) due to the reasons stated above!!
INdoors just isn't seen as important to many athletes as one (I...!!) would want!!
That's the reality!
But, that said, the fields for the Karlsruhe meet are pretty damn strong!!
Check back Sunday morning for the detailed results!

And now for the NEWS!
I decided to report these now---just in case the weekend meets produce such a gigantic amount of great Records & Marks that the post's length becomes untenable!

First, a correction that's NOT a correction!!
I reported in my previous post that Thiago Braz's 19-2.75 PV had defeated---among others--Renaud Lavillenie!!
Then I saw T&FN's eTN on Monday!
The results for the Rouen (France) meet did have Braz winning, but Lavillenie's name was absent!!
DID he compete there?
I rechecked the meet results, and he indeed DID compete---but ended up in 7th place!!
The eTN results went only 6 places deep---so no Lavillenie!!
(Why you NEED my blog---for DETAILED results!!!)

In other news---
Airine Palayte HJ'ed 6-6.75 for the National Record of Lithuania!
Jorge Urena's 6249 Heptathlon score is the National Record of Spain!
Katie Jones leads the HS Pole Vaulter's with her 13-6.50 mark!
This makes her 15th A-T HS---no ties!
LaPorscha Wells threw the WT 73-11.
She's 14th A-T Collegiate, tied with 2 others!

As for Dusseldorf---
Probably the best marks---Well, the only Record breakers!--came from Ageless Kim Collins!
This phenom TWICE broke his own Age 40 record in the 60!
He'd run 6.64 earlier this season to "set" the record!
In Dusseldorf, he broke it in his heat with a 6.58!
Then broke it again in the final with a 6.56!

Sandi Morris took the PV with a jump of 15-5.75.
She missed thrice at 15-9.75!
Elijah Manangoi won the 1500 in 3:37.62, a World leader!
Also getting World leaders were--
Adam Kszczot took the 800 in 1:46.17.
Dimitri Bascou, with a 60H in 7.51.
Joanna Jozwik with her 2:00.91 in the 800.

The Women's 60 was a good race, but no World leading mark!
Olesya Povh won in 7.16, but close behind were Barbara Pierre (7.17), Asha Philip (7.18), and Gina Luckenkemper (7.19).

See you soon!