Track and Field virus...

As I am sure that Track and Field is a real
passion for most of us, I sometimes wonder under
which circumstances people who are fervent
lovers of this major sport have caught this
fantastic virus for the very first time.
Personally, it was a photo of Bob HAYES in action
at the Tokyo 1964 Olympics, at a library.
A black and white photo showing him just leaving
his starting blocks. As a 7 years old kid, I
was really extremely fascinated by the comments:
" Bob HAYES, the fastest man in the World in
action..."
What about you?

[hjsteve1.97]

Re: Track and Field virus...

age 13 when my father took me to the Millrose Games in 1956.

[dupontred]

Re: Track and Field virus...

coe vs. ovett in summer of 81

Re: Track and Field virus...

Watching the 1993 World Championships in Stuttgart. I was 14 at the time and on a family trip to France. They had all-day coverage of the meet on TV in France, nothing like the terrible coverage they have here in the U.S. From that point on, I was hooked.

[Ultrarunner]

Re: Track and Field virus...

When at age 3 I was awaken one night when my Dad started shouting and cheering as Dave Wottle won the 800m in the 1972 Olympics.

I thought that anything that got my Dad so excited and happy must be pretty cool!

Re: Track and Field virus...

This is a great original post.
For me it was at age seven, watching Bruce Jenner's decathlon on tv at the '76 Olympics. Lying on my belly, propped up by my elbows, absorbed heart and soul into the Olympics, track and field and my new superhero. I've been hooked ever since.

Re: Track and Field virus...

I had already gone out for the HS track team, but it was seeing Ryun's 3:51.1 WR on TV in 1967 that really did it. Later that year, I borrowed (about 6 times in a row) Quercetani's History of World Athletics from the library and read it from front to back. The next inspiring book was Ron Clarke's "The Lonely Breed."

[tafnut]

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Bob Seagren's summer of '67 and '68. Watching him go upside down 17 and a half feet in the air was too much to fathom.

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Stones vs. Wszola & Joy, 1976 Montreal. Told my father I was going to take up HJ-ing and make the 1980 team.

[TrackWayne]

Re: Track and Field virus...

At age 9 watching Dave Wottle win the Oly 800 wearing his golf cap. I thought that was beyond cool.

The virus was further reinforced by watching Ryun and Keino duel in the ITA meets.

I was fortunate to meet Wottle in 1991 when he was working as an academic recruiter for Rhodes College. He came to the high school where I coached (Westminster, Atlanta) and ran into the head cross country coach, who was probably the only other person on campus who realized who Wottle was. The coach talked Wottle into coming back a few weeks later to talk to the distance runners. Not only did he talk to them, but he narrated a tape of his Oly race and passed around his gold medal. It was a truly inspirational event.

Re: Track and Field virus...

Reading about the Olympics in Montreal. One of the daily papers at the end of the games had a full stats page for the track and field games. Bios for the first 3, pictures of each winner, full results etc... Although I don't remember watching the events (I am sure I did though), somehow the statistical analysis afterwards captivated me. I kept those pages and I started keeping stats myself ever since.

Re: Track and Field virus...

For me, it was watching Pre pound the boards during an indoor 2-mile at the old Portland Memorial Coliseum in the early '70s. Only 8-9 years old, I was in awe of the wave of clapping, foot-stomping, and shrieking that followed Pre, and it kept on increasing in intensity during the 22 laps. Awesome.

[waynehobley]

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When I went to the Olympics in 1996 and saw Gail Devers and Donovan Bailey win the 100 meters and Micheal Johnson set the 200 meter world record and win the 400.

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1968 Mexico City...

watching on ABC as a 14 year old....

legends and politics and great drama on the track!!

got hooked those 10 days for life

[MJD]

Re: Track and Field virus...

What
>about you?

Good question. I don't think that I was much more of a track fan over any other sport(although I suppose that made me a track fan by definition since I didn't ignore it) UNTIL I took it up. Anyone else like that?