fields getting out of hand at Stanford Invitational?

[gh]

See story on front page now about what a draw for distance Q's has become. 150 women alone wanted into the 5000. Even with multiple sections, not enough room, so San Francisco State (40-odd miles up the road) will take on some of the excess.

[EPelle]

Not a bad choice for the alternate location. The track is decent. Out of hand is an understatement. I have oft wondered how the meet has allowed so many athletes in the number of heats it runs (including sprints) -- high school and collegiate/open.

[ndamix]

This is not just confined to the collegiate ranks but is quite common @ the HS level. This is why we constantly complain the sport is unwatchable as it is due to meet directors not sticking to their gunz by capping the # of entrants in the various events on the program.

In seeking to accomodate everyone, meet directors place a huge burden on those in charge of making sure the events go off smoothly or *gasp* on time. God help a field event official dealing with a large # of entrants where a certain # has to be brought back for a final. :shock:

[gh]

On the other hand, some meet directors care nothing about "accomodating everyone"; they're hearing the ka-ching of entry fees. The incremental cost of adding runners to the basic meet is about zero, so they become pure profit.

[EPelle]

A bi-product of that ca-chinging is concessions; knowing there may be six 5.000m heat (m/w) in a certain block of time (or a zillion 100m heats), the better opportunity for groups of folks to freshen up and purchase a hot dog and a coke... they won't miss anything. If the crowds roar, one simply heads to the chain link fence under the scoreboard area.

[SQUACKEE]

Re: fields getting out of hand at Stanford Invitational?

See story on front page now about what a draw for distance Q's has become. 150 women alone wanted into the 5000. Even with multiple sections, not enough room, so San Francisco State (40-odd miles up the road) will take on some of the excess.

Now im homesick! What a beautiful site. For those who don't know there's a lake right next to the college.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/1970003773/

[Marlow]

This is not just confined to the collegiate ranks but is quite common @ the HS level. This is why we constantly complain the sport is unwatchable as it is due to meet directors not sticking to their gunz by capping the # of entrants in the various events on the program

The HS scene is in disarray. The big invitationals have performance standards, which means two-thirds of a team can't even compete, but in the 'unlimited entry' meets, we end up with 12 heats of the 100/200/400, 4 each of the 800/1600 and gargantuan 3200s. Then there's the 6 flights of each Long Jump and the killer (for me) is 34 girl PVers, where the bar must start at 5' or will get NHers! When we tried to cap our meets at 8 teams, 8 more would whine and cry that there's no where else to bring their teams because everyone else is limiting entries . . . so we let them come! :?

I'm seriously thinking of bringing back the dual meet. We did a tri-meet last year but there were still 500 kids, as I have 100, the team down the road has 250 (!!) and our cross-town rivals have 150.

Track is definitely not dying around here, as long as you're OK with 14.8 boy 100m sprinters and 4' girl HJers. I am.

[Jack Slocombe]

Whatever happened to intermural sports, where the less than good athletes can compete? Meets with a zillion partipants are a real pain in the butt and of no real value to anyone, fans or athletes.

I am always reminded of the great line in the flick "Meet the Fockers" where DiNero discovers the other parents proudly display their kid's 9th place HS track ribbon.

[lonewolf]

Affording opportuity for kids of all talent levels to compete is a problem with which I sympathize, particularly for HS.
There is, however, a winnowing process. As they progress to college/university, competing becomes more a priviledge than a right.
One of my pet peeves is coaches who enter 19 foot long jumpers in a crowded invitational meet with 23'6" minimum seasonal performance requirement.

[EPelle]

Stanford used to be an invitational meet - one where you had to qualify in. I'd see kids with outrageous mile times listed next to their entries, simply for the sake of attempting to make it into the event. Has the meet now either evolved into one where every "good mark" makes it (despite whether it is false), or one where all athletes whose entry fees have been paid make it?

[dl]

Things have changed quite a bit in the past 10 years. Before, you'd see quality distance races at Alabama Relays, Raleigh Relays, SeaRay (Dogwood) Relays, Penn, Drake, etc, but now, Stanford (along with Mt. SAC, although the depth there has probably dropped off) has become THE place for 5000 and 10,000 qualifying times. So no wonder the fields have ballooned.

Last year they had 2 nights of distance running. Not sure why they dropped the second night, but I imagine that took quite a toll on the staff and especially the officials.

[BCBaroo]

This is not just confined to the collegiate ranks but is quite common @ the HS level. This is why we constantly complain the sport is unwatchable as it is due to meet directors not sticking to their gunz by capping the # of entrants in the various events on the program

The HS scene is in disarray. The big invitationals have performance standards, which means two-thirds of a team can't even compete, but in the 'unlimited entry' meets, we end up with 12 heats of the 100/200/400, 4 each of the 800/1600 and gargantuan 3200s. Then there's the 6 flights of each Long Jump and the killer (for me) is 34 girl PVers, where the bar must start at 5' or will get NHers! When we tried to cap our meets at 8 teams, 8 more would whine and cry that there's no where else to bring their teams because everyone else is limiting entries . . . so we let them come! :?

I'm seriously thinking of bringing back the dual meet. We did a tri-meet last year but there were still 500 kids, as I have 100, the team down the road has 250 (!!) and our cross-town rivals have 150.

Track is definitely not dying around here, as long as you're OK with 14.8 boy 100m sprinters and 4' girl HJers. I am.

All I can say is I'm glad my school found meets for me while I was in junior high. I was unbelievably bad at the high jump in 7th grade, but really determined to get better. If I hadn't been allowed in meets anywhere I surely would have quit and then it's all a big downward spiral from there.

No track.
No self esteem in high school.
No desire to continue on to college whatsoever.
No track Team Captain plaques to adorn my walls.
No walls.
Less self esteem than before.
With no college degree I suffer mightily in the job market.
I take a job bussing tables at TGI Friday.
Develop an addiction to Kalhua Mudslides.
Get fired.
Last seen paddling a makeshift raft towards Belize in hopes of finding an actually mudslide made of Kalhua.

So, for the bazillionth time. Thank you track and field for everything you've given me. And thank you to the good high jumpers who didn't beat me up after I broke the metal triangular bar after landing on it in that first meet.

PS: Sorry to hijack the thread at all. But I ran a few meets at Stanford and was very proud to be there.

[lonewolf]

There is that side of too, BCBaroo

[Marlow]

I'd see kids with outrageous mile times listed next to their entries, simply for the sake of attempting to make it into the event.

Milesplit has addressed that problem. Most state affiliates of Milesplit (flrunners here in Fla) have a database of most of the meets run with FAT. When you run your registrations thru their product (vice Directathletics) the database enters the best mark - no fudging! If you have no mark, you have no mark, and are seeded last (or not allowed in at all). I LOVE it. No more lying!! That's why we run our first meets as totally open, so everyone can get a mark in the database. When it comes time for the post-season, there will be no more jobbing - you MUST have a good mark from the database to get a good lane in the prelims.

[gh]

Things have changed quite a bit in the past 10 years. Before, you'd see quality distance races at Alabama Relays, Raleigh Relays, SeaRay (Dogwood) Relays, Penn, Drake, etc, but now, Stanford (along with Mt. SAC, although the depth there has probably dropped off) has become THE place for 5000 and 10,000 qualifying times. So no wonder the fields have ballooned.

Last year they had 2 nights of distance running. Not sure why they dropped the second night, but I imagine that took quite a toll on the staff and especially the officials.

Given that it falls on Penn/Drake weekend, guess it won't attract many collegians, but note that Cal's Brutus Hamilton meet has NYRR money this year to help stage a big Q meet for open types. Story was posted a couple of weeks back.

http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/displa ... p?id=29260