3 Innovations I Heartily Dislike !

[dukehjsteve]

OK, let me proclaim to the world:

1. I hate the Fosbury Flop. It's legal, it's better, and the purveyors of it are great athletes, but it is ugly. I wish it had never been invented. The Straddle was a thing of beauty.

2. Similarly, I dislike fiberglass pole vaulting. Ditto most of the comments above.

3. DItto for the "Spin" Shot Put. It's awful ! Majewski, I love to watch you throw. Keep licking those spinners !

Hoot at me, curse me, whatever, but that's the way I feel.

[fieldguy]

1. some coaches thought the flop would lead to broken necks. i believe payton jordan was against it at first.

2. don bragg tried to have the iaaf invalidate fiberglass pole records. it was a revolutionary change, similar to the live ball in baseball. gymnastics ability became much more important. but the crowd-pleasing visuals of men jumping over 19 feet -- and one over 20 -- would never have happened without fiberglass.

3. it would seem the glide sp technique would be less susceptible to fouling, but i don't know if that is substantiated by stats.

4. special extra point: do you want to bring the peach baskets back to basketball?

[Dave]

on 1 and 2, I think those innovations add greatly to the grace of the events.

I have no opinion on item 3.

[skyin' brian]

Couldn't you basically combine 1 and 2 above by just citing the invention of foam rubber?

[ATK]

whats wrong with the spin technique for the shot put?
If some one did a flip and threw 24m would it matter?

[fieldguy]

very good point on foam rubber. you couldn't do the flop or fall from fiberglass heights into sawdust or sand.

[unclezadok]

This reminded me of the front flip LJ technique, rejected as too dangerous I believe. It was not ugly, but it WAS scary. Bruce Jenner used it for a while, seemed to gain a few inches with it.

[TrackDaddy]

I always wished someone would challenge the Fosbury Flop.

I struggle with accepting that jumping backwards is more effective than jumping forward.

[James Fields]

dukehjsteve has expressed his dislike of the "Fosbury Flop" technique for high jump, fiberglass pole vaulting, and the "Spin" shot put --- seemingly because each of those innovations lack the visual appeal of their predecessor methods.
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The newer methods have produced superior measurements (records) that are not truly comparable with those surpassed. That could suffice to engender dislike, but I have two additional reasons for supporting the dukehjsteve position: safety for all three events and expense for the two vertical jumps.

The sight of high jumpers landing on the back of their neck and spinal column is a poor model for youth who may try to emulate the method without a $7,000 "pit" and expert coaching. (When earlier methods prevailed, a jumper could land on feet in sawdust. I recall seeing children play high jumper over a hand-held rope above grass.)

The term "pit" is also used to describe a $13,000 pad for landing after being propelled upward with a bending pole, costing between $274 and $542 each. Even then, the event has produced injuries and fatalities.

The cited costs are part of the enormous expense for track and field resources that can make a community look favorably upon soccer as a much more affordable sport. (Prices for some track equipment has increased over time rather than decreasing as the prototype and startup expenses are recovered.)

The shot has also been involved in fatalities, as the spinning athlete may not see who is down range until a split second before release. (I've described, in an earlier post, how this problem might be lessened by adapting safety procedures from military firearms training.)

[Atanvarno]

I always wished someone would challenge the Fosbury Flop.

I struggle with accepting that jumping backwards is more effective than jumping forward.

Thomas Zacharias has done so for the last three decades. He maintains that the Straddle is the superior jumping technique and has some pretty good arguments to back up his opinion.
Unfortunately no English translation of his book "Hochsprung und Weitsprung perfekt" exists, but if you understand German it is always worth a read.

[TrackDaddy]

Thanks for the recommendation, At.

As for the spinning shot, the pit and the associated dangers/expenses, I can think of a few other track events with a questionable history in regard to safety.

But those are sound arguments.

[Marlow]

Re: 3 Innovations I Heartily Dislike !

OK, let me proclaim to the world:
1. I hate the Fosbury Flop. It's legal, it's better, and the purveyors of it are great athletes, but it is ugly. I wish it had never been invented. The Straddle was a thing of beauty.
2. Similarly, I dislike fiberglass pole vaulting. Ditto most of the comments above.
3. DItto for the "Spin" Shot Put. It's awful ! Majewski, I love to watch you throw. Keep licking those spinners !
Hoot at me, curse me, whatever, but that's the way I feel.

Might I suggest that if you had been born just a decade later, your perspective would be diametrically opposed to the above? To me, only a few years your junior, the flop, fiberglass and spin are MUCH more aesthetically pleasing!

[IanS_Liv]

Surely, 41 years after the Fosbury flop was popularised, you've had time to get used to it by now?

[SQUACKEE]

Surely, 41 years after the Fosbury flop was popularised, you've had time to get used to it by now?

I've had a lifetime to get use to the hippy, hippy shake performed by the contestants in the walking events in Track and have failed horribly.

[BCBaroo]

I respectfully, and heartily, disagree on all three fronts (aesthetically)

Of course, I'm a Fosbury Flopper, so I find it absolutely beautiful... And a THRILL to perform ...

The pole vault is the event that - in my history - gets most non-track people excited when I drag them to track meets. Without the fiberglass I think it's decidedly less sexy.

And well, seriously? How is the glide more attractive than the spin?

I believe there is a good (but separate) point to be made in terms of the cost of a pit...and the ensuing problems that causes.

However, I do appreciate this thread, thus far, being relatively well behaved. Kudos.