January of 2009

[Double R Bar]

The first TFN issue of 2009 is out and has some excellent pictures in it. Check out the steeplechase photo on page 41. I always like the "Where They Are Going" section. Nice issue.

[vip]

I, too, enjoy the "Where are they going" section but I have one major quibble with it: Why so late?

This section should be in the August or September issue. Heck, i already know where they are by now. All anyone has to do is look at the rosters on the college websites. Or Dyestat on line, which pretty much has all the info by mid or late summer anyway, since they track college signings aggressively.

A better suggestion would be a "Where are they now?" section. Whatever happened to the track stars of yesteryear and what are they doing? Ashford? Foster? Kingdom? Candy Young? I bet they'd be dying to recap their life during and after the applause stopped. What about it, TFN?

[tandfman]

This section should be in the August or September issue.

Why should they do that, when there are plenty of track meets to write about? This is a perfect time for this stuff to appear. Cross country is over and the Where They Are Going stuff helps whet our appetite for the approaching indoor and outdoor seasons.

[gh]

.....
A better suggestion would be a "Where are they now?" section. Whatever happened to the track stars of yesteryear and what are they doing? Ashford? Foster? Kingdom? Candy Young? I bet they'd be dying to recap their life during and after the applause stopped. What about it, TFN?

When I started at T&FN almost 40 years ago writing just such a column for every issue was one of my first jobs. It was subsequently written by Wally Donovan, our Historical Editor.

Reader surveys showed that it wasn't particularly popular, so we stopped.

[Marlow]

Reader surveys showed that it wasn't particularly popular, so we stopped.

Well now I feel really insulted! I realize I've only been subscribing for 38 years, but I never got surveyed. It would be easy to do one on-line now. It could be done only for subscribers or open it up for 'anyone'.

[mcgato]

I, too, enjoy the "Where are they going" section but I have one major quibble with it: Why so late?

I always thought the "Where are they going" should be part of the high school wrap up. It just seems more efficient to have the top five in each event and say where they are going to college (where appropriate). Then add all other info on where other high schoolers are going. If space is an issue, then be a bit more selective on who to include in the "where are they going" part.

[tandfman]

When I started at T&FN almost 40 years ago writing just such a column for every issue was one of my first jobs. It was subsequently written by Wally Donovan, our Historical Editor.

Reader surveys showed that it wasn't particularly popular, so we stopped.

In those days far more people relied on T&FN than they do today to get results and news of major competition. I wonder what a reader survey would would show today. I could be very wrong, bu I wouldn't be surprised if current readers would find that to be a very attractive feature.

[Brian]

.....
A better suggestion would be a "Where are they now?" section. Whatever happened to the track stars of yesteryear and what are they doing? Ashford? Foster? Kingdom? Candy Young? I bet they'd be dying to recap their life during and after the applause stopped. What about it, TFN?

When I started at T&FN almost 40 years ago writing just such a column for every issue was one of my first jobs. It was subsequently written by Wally Donovan, our Historical Editor.

Reader surveys showed that it wasn't particularly popular, so we stopped.

Not saying you should do this, mind you, but I'll point out that you now have an audience of baby-boomers who lived through the T&F haydays of Prefontaine/Pac-8, Munich and Montreal, plus the roadracing boom. If it means staying afloat, do what you have to do.


But if this is an unofficial new survey, I'll go on record as stating I have no interest in knowing who is now bald or has arthritic joints. As far as I am concerned, you can please restrict the jaunt down memory lane to pictures that tie into today's headlines, like the relatively recent one of Bjorklund tied to the last time Minnesota won a big CC race, or a classic Penn Relays/Drake Relays shot. Kindly leave the prose to the interminably looking back folks over at Jogger's World.


Give me features concerning the present and future stars/generations of our sport!

Please. Or else I'll hold my breath until I turn blue...!

:]

[tandfman]

I'll go on record as stating I have no interest in knowing who is now bald or has arthritic joints.

Nor I. But it might be interesting to read about what some of yesterday's top athletes are doing now. What's their career? Family? Do they still run/jump/throw recreationally? Do they have any thoughts about current champions/record holders in their event?

I think there's enough there to make a series of short features interesting. No need to get into ill health or the adverse effects of the aging process.

[bhall]

Not sure it is of much interest to me but I'd rather see it in eTrack than use limited magazine real estate. Could also just be a side bar as things came up instead of a planned series (more ad hoc is my point).

[Marlow]

Not sure it is of much interest to me but I'd rather see it in eTrack than use limited magazine real estate. Could also just be a side bar as things came up instead of a planned series (more ad hoc is my point).

I agree on both counts.

[DrJay]

I'll go on record as stating I have no interest in knowing who is now bald or has arthritic joints.

Nor I. But it might be interesting to read about what some of yesterday's top athletes are doing now. What's their career? Family? Do they still run/jump/throw recreationally? Do they have any thoughts about current champions/record holders in their event?

I think there's enough there to make a series of short features interesting. No need to get into ill health or the adverse effects of the aging process.

Sports Illustrated did this for a few years, called it "Looking Back" and I enjoyed the column. Usually had "then" and "now" photos as well. I think they stopped doing it, probably not much focus-group enthusiasm for it, but I'd think much of the graying TAFNEWS contingent might receive such a column well. Could always try it for a few issues and see how it goes.

[vip]

I agree that a reader survey is needed. Plenty has changed in the publishing landscape, with the web and the rapid processing of information. While I'll be the first to say TFN does a good job in recapping meets, most of those meets are many weeks old by the time they appear in the mag, and I bet the majority of hard-core fans and readers have already read the results and a summary and even watched highlights of those meets well before the mag comes out.

Sorry, that's just the nature of the modern-day information beast.

So ... maybe TFN can do more of what other media outlets don't: features, investigative pieces, enterprising pieces, where are they now, etc. That's the void right now in track and field coverage.

That's my 2 cents, although I don't claim to speak for everyone ... I'd be interested in what others think.

[Dutra]

Sports Illustrated did this for a few years, called it "Looking Back" and I enjoyed the column. Usually had "then" and "now" photos as well. I think they stopped doing it, probably not much focus-group enthusiasm for it, but I'd think much of the graying TAFNEWS contingent might receive such a column well. Could always try it for a few issues and see how it goes.

I don't know about the photos based on some of these:

http://2008olympictrialsakatommyleonard ... fly.com/22

[Gleason]

January 2009 issue

.....
A better suggestion would be a "Where are they now?" section. Whatever happened to the track stars of yesteryear and what are they doing? Ashford? Foster? Kingdom? Candy Young? I bet they'd be dying to recap their life during and after the applause stopped. What about it, TFN?

When I started at T&FN almost 40 years ago writing just such a column for every issue was one of my first jobs. It was subsequently written by Wally Donovan, our Historical Editor.

Reader surveys showed that it wasn't particularly popular, so we stopped.

I agree & I'm even older than gh. I was at T&FN 1965 - 1967. I lobbied successsfully for a feature on Oerter-Sylvester-Babka in the DT then. Cordner wrote a great feature, but zero interest was the result.

Surveys are fortunate to elicit responses from 10% of subscribers. Some local newspaper articles on "track stars of yesteryear" do appear in eTN. I recall few comments here on those articles.