Where Are the Walks Fans??

[bad hammy]

The IAAF World Race Walking Cup is going on. It is even on WCSN! Not one word around here that I have seen.

http://www.iaaf.org/WRW06/index.html

[kuha]

Re: Where Are the Walks Fans??

The IAAF World Race Walking Cup is going on. It is even on WCSN! Not one word around here that I have seen.

http://www.iaaf.org/WRW06/index.html

As I think Claude Rains said in Casablanca: "I'm shocked, shocked, to find no interest in walking here!!"

[polevaultpower]

I like the race walk because we have it in the NAIA, but I don't know enough about it internationally to want to watch it on WCSN.

[Daisy]

Re: Where Are the Walks Fans??

I was expecting a thread on Jason Giambi and Barry Bonds.

[Conor Dary]

Yes, if this group ignores racewalking than that certainly is a positive note.

[MJR]

I'll be watching the WCSN broadcast tomorrow. I kept up on the results wile spending my saturday at the Loucks Games with my HS team. Tomorrow, I work a road race, then spend time with family and friends.

For those who (continue) to assert their manliness by bashing events they don't like, why not just shut up and keep to yourself? Surely there is some dog in the neighborhood you can go bother.

[kuha]

I'll be watching the WCSN broadcast tomorrow. I kept up on the results wile spending my saturday at the Loucks Games with my HS team. Tomorrow, I work a road race, then spend time with family and friends.

For those who (continue) to assert their manliness by bashing events they don't like, why not just shut up and keep to yourself? Surely there is some dog in the neighborhood you can go bother.

Sorry, I've bothered every single dog, cat, and parkakeet in the neighborhood. Racewalking is the only harmless victim left...

[BillVol]

Noooooooooo!

Walkers are worse than even ultra-marathoners and those guys who did the North Pole Marathon. If you have someone from Ecuador winning a gold medal in ANYTHING, right there you know you have a flawed, faulty sport. Every time I see walking coverage in T&FN, I want to kick the staff right in the butt.

[MJR]

Re: Noooooooooo!

Walkers are worse than even ultra-marathoners and those guys who did the North Pole Marathon. If you have someone from Ecuador winning a gold medal in ANYTHING, right there you know you have a flawed, faulty sport. Every time I see walking coverage in T&FN, I want to kick the staff right in the butt.

Wow, this has to be about the most jingoistic and ignorant comment of the year. Congratulations, your award is in the mail.

[olorin]

I'll be watching the WCSN broadcast tomorrow. I kept up on the results wile spending my saturday at the Loucks Games with my HS team. Tomorrow, I work a road race, then spend time with family and friends.

For those who (continue) to assert their manliness by bashing events they don't like, why not just shut up and keep to yourself? Surely there is some dog in the neighborhood you can go bother.

Sorry I'm too afraid from the neighborhood dog (big mean Doberman) so I will post here instead.
This BB is full of hardcore track and field fan from all over the world. Yet even among these hardcore fans there are hardly any walks fans. Over the years that I've been posting at the IAAF forums we had exactly one walks' fan. I would really love to know the rating of the walks during major championships (when they held separately) but I'm pretty sure they are significant lower than normal events.
Track and Field is trying to become a professional sport. Professional sports depend on the public interest. Walks do not have public interest therefore they must be excluded from the program or change in order to attract public attention.
Personally, I do not like walks because I always get the feeling that the one that cheated the most and not got caught is the winner. Somehow, I doubt that even if this problem is going to be solve (say with electronic device) people will start to like this sport. However, in my opinion before this problem is going to be solved walks have no chance.
And before you (or others) start saying how amazingly fit are walkers and how hard it is to walk for 50km I want to add two last things:
a) I know
b) Hand walking is also difficult and this is not an Olympic sport
Get some interest or disapear

[nevetsllim]

Re: Noooooooooo!

If you have someone from Ecuador winning a gold medal in ANYTHING, right there you know you have a flawed, faulty sport.

So what? Are you saying that all small countries aren't allowed to win gold medals. Are you saying that we have a flawed sport because Somalia and Mozambique have won medals in world and Olympic competitions?

Fair enough, race walking sends me to sleep but some people enjoy it so we have to respect that.

[EPelle]

Bill, that was a ridiculous comment.

Race walking is not my favourite event, but I respect it, and those who compete in the walks.

My sister:s club team started nearly every decent distance prospect off in the 1.500m race walk, and produced three-straight national champions (one set a NR in her age-group). Then they became distance runners (one of them won a national xc championship in her age group). Forgot: My sister was one of those (foreign) national champions - a title (national champ) I have never been able to claim. Why does it matter what even one competes in, if the moral of the story is to try hard, compete well and try crossing the finish line first?