75 Years--T&F Reflections

Your infamous blogger turns 75 today!
The only other person I know who shares my birthdate is former Yardbirds guitarust, Jeff Beck!
But this being a blog about T&F, I will muse and observe about my history with the sport--and the sport's history in my lifetime!

I began running at the urging of friend Howard Levy, who watched me burn up the deeply rutted dirt 440 yard oval of North Hollywood HS!
I made the team as 3rd Miler, and later evolved to a sub-3:00 Marathoner 16 years later!

But I was much more into stats, history, and stpries of famous athletes!
I began reading T&FN magazine in January 1962!
I read every issue from that date forward, as well as every issue from 1957 to 1961 in retrospect!

I compiled my own T&F Record Book in the mid-60's, but lost it, and had to recreate it in the early to mid-70's!
It's over 700 pages now!
I began this blog 5.5 years ago!

I attended many T&F meets over the years--Coliseum Relays, Compton Relays, AAU/USATF Champs, NCAA Champs, Prefontaine Classic, Oregon Twilights,several INdoor meets in LA in the 60's,and assorted other meets!

I never saw Pre run in person, but I was once asked politely by Mary Slaney to give her lane one for a 1000 meter time trial while I was running a 10K on Hayward's track!

I watched numerous meets on TV--the OG, WC, and many others over the years!
From Jim McKay to Tim Hutchings, the announcing was of the highest quality!
But the way TV presented T&F meets was horrible--and remains so!!
(NO race longer than 5 minutes is shown intact--EVER!!)

Bit much more interesting has been the evolution of the sport in my lifetime!!

The HJ saw the first 7 footer and 8 footer for the Men!
The PV went from 15 feet plus to 20 for the Guys, and from 12 & 13 for the Women to 16-7.25 OUTdoors!

Professional T&F took a couple of practice runs (the ITA!) in the 70's!
Europeans handled professionalism in a more subversive way!
"Turning pro" is still a more American term!

But with the advent of Professional T&F in the 90's came the idea of creating Grand Prix's and Diamond League systems, where points & wins became more important that amazing feats of strength, speed, and agility!!
Those have become merely effects of the striving for the biggest prizes!

Other changes--
the PV went from bamboo and metal poles to fiberglass!
The landing pits for the HJ & PV went from hay to rubber mats!
Tracks went from feet and inches to meters!

440 to 400--880 to 800--Three Mile to 5000--6 Mile to 10000!

I remember the first 7 foot HJ, the first sub-4 Mile (though my REAL memory started a few years later!).

From Ron Clarke to Kip Keino to Miruts Yifter to Ken Bekele!

From John Uelses to Bob Seagren to Sergey Bubka to Renaud Lavillenie to Mondo Duplantis!

From Dyrol Burleson to Peter Snell to Jim Ryun to Seb Coe to Said Aouita to Hicham El Guerrouj!

From Bob Hayes to Jim Hines to Tommie Smith to Mo Greene to Usain Bolt to Christian Coleman!

And there was the introduction of Women into our sport!
Oh, they'd been there from the late 1800's, but only became omnipresent when Title IX was passed in 1972!!

Went from Mary Decker to Grete Waitz to Ingrid Kristiansen to the mysterious Chinese to the Dibaba gang to Almaz Ayana!

From Evelyn Ashford to Marlies Gohr to Flojo's outlier year of 1988 to SAFP and ET and SMU!!

From JJK to Nafi Thiam and KJT!

So many athletes, so many Records, so many thrilling competitions!!

And HS'ers--WOW!!

I saw in person Ryun's and Alan Webb's historic HSR's in the Mile!
I saw Gerry Lindgren's incredible 1964 season!

I saw Leslie Maxie run the 400H HSR of 55.20 in 1982!

But then came this decade!
Mary Cain set off a storm of fast Female distance runners that is stronger now than ever!

Yet the HSR for the 10000's date from the late 70's!
So do several Collegiate Records (Henry Rono!!), World and US Records!!

Yes, we've seen enormous afvances--in time, height, and distance in most of the events--yet several remain in the "Stone Age" of the modern day sport---meaning in my one lifetime!!

This is such an exciting and dynamic sport!
It brings out all the emotions of victory and defeat!!

Many great athletes died way too young--Prefontaine, Ivo Van Damme, Flojo, Kim Gallagher, and recently Gabe Grunewald!!

We've gone from Sebastian Coe, WR holder to Lord Seb Coe, IAAF President!!

I know my time is getting shorter, and I won't see many of the great changes yet to come!!
Sub-3:40 Mile, sub 4:00 for Women, 8-6 in the Men's HJ, 21-0 in the Men's PV and 17 or even 18 for the Women!!
Sub 2:00:00 for the Men's Marathon, sub 2:10:00 for the Women!!
Sub 12:30 and sub-14:00 for the 5K's!
Sub 26 and sub 29 for the 10's!
A 30 foot LJ??
Someone producing a 100 foot WT INdoors--Men or Women!

This blog will continue as long as I am able!
It already has a solid history!
Want to read about the Millrose Games of 2014?

The USATF OUTdoor meet of 2017?

The NBN from 2016?

The NCAA XC from 2018?
The NYC or Boston Marathons of the past 5 years?
It's all here in my Archives!!
Easy to find!

My "Bucket List" includes---
returning the 1600 & 3200 to the Mile & Two Mile
seeing the top 25 HS distance runners attack the 10K Records on a track!!
FULL distance races shown UNCUT on TV---not counting the livestreams!

The dissolution of the DL system, with the Bislett Games, the Golden Gala, the Pre Classic, the DN Galan, the Herculis, and the other great meets returned to their Invitational status!!
HS & Collegiate athletes allowed to win prize money, thus ending "going Pro" silliness!

Too much to ask?
Not enough??

Stay with me as WE observe, report, and muse on the future of Track and Field!!

And be amazed!