Weak/Stong Events

[Fortius19]

Re: Weak/Stong Events

One of my dreams is to take a bunch of HS girls and train them to be TJ and JT.

These two events are so overlooked, that an "average athletic" girl would have a better chance at a scholarship in one of these events than as a sprinter, etc.

We're working on a T&F club to give the local Jr HS and HS, consistent, year-round training.

[Marlow]

Re: Weak/Stong Events

One of my dreams is to take a bunch of HS girls and train them to be TJ and JT.

If I got every girl in my puny school to come out for PV and train year round, 5 would get PV scholarships (which are as scarce as hen's teeth) EVERY year. TJ and JT are harder than you think (I think), because you are are either born with the requisite speed/strength (TJ) or arm-speed (JT), while the body for PVing can be 'made' from the raw material of a 'good athlete'.

[26mi235]

Re: Weak/Stong Events

Who knows what the reasons are. But it is interesting to compare the men's PV, LJ with the Marathon.

A standard - score table - numbers in 2011 achieving the A standard

PV - 5.72 - - - 1177 - 21
LJ - 8.20 - - - 1168 - 21
M - 2:15:00 - 1074 - 525

Part of the reason is "n", the number of times you can do an event effort. In the LJ you get 6 attempts in a meet. In the PV, you have to build to the height and a great vault at a lower height only gets you a lower height. In the marathon, you only get one or two real shots at it and if anything goes wrong... As has been pointed out, you can have 'lots' in the marathon. However, that holds more for the WCs, where they do not care too much about the total number of athletes. In the OGs, there is 'downward pressure' on the total number of entrants. You have to be a rather serious runner to get under 2:15, and you will rarely see a very non-competitive country have an entrant there. You can also get situations at the Olympics where someone like Rod DeHaven, a good runner, wins the Trials (in hot conditions) and does not happen to have the "A" mark and knocks the others out.

[Powell]

Re: Weak/Stong Events

A standard - score table - numbers in 2011 achieving the A standard

PV - 5.72 - - - 1177 - 21
LJ - 8.20 - - - 1168 - 21
M - 2:15:00 - 1074 - 525

The PV performance for 1074 points is 5:35, for the LJ it is 7:75

The Marathon time for 1077 points is 2:09.
87 runners for 2:09 or better in 2011

The A standard for the marathon is obviously grossly unfair - and frankly, ridiculous.
It is manifestly unfair that a 2:15 marathoner can boast about achieving the Olympic A standard as the 525th fastest marathoner in the world, yet an 8:19 LJer at number 22 in the world can't.

But, because the marathon is dominated to a large extent by Kenyans and Ethiopians, the number is much, much lower if you limit it to 3 athletes per country. By my calculation, this restriction brings the number down to 78. Still high compared to other events, but not as ridiculous.

[26mi235]

Re: Weak/Stong Events

3 Geubelle, Andrea JR-3 Kansas 44' 5.5" 13.55m 0.1
[b]

She took one jump at the West Regional -- 14.17/2.9 or 46feet 6 inches. Yes, it was wind-aided, but only a single jump and would have been above the standard [14.15 is what I remember from last year] except for wind.

[mdzleosnoba]

Re: Weak/Stong Events

14.10 is B standard...a great jump too bad not wind legal.

[26mi235]

Re: Weak/Stong Events

But she only took a single jump, so it is not a 14.17/2.9 out of six, it is out of one. Yes, modest on the world stage but a little less modest than before.

[TN1965]

Re: Weak/Stong Events

Thanks to the young Ethiopians, I have to revise my early assessment significantly.

With Dibaba and Aregawi, 1500 is certainly not a "weak" event. And 800 has become stronger with Magiso.

[Per Andersen]

Re: Weak/Stong Events

The US loses a number of the best athletes for this event to the pro sports of basketball and football.

You would think the US is the only country which loses potential stars to other sports. It's a wide phenomenon. Countries like Sweden and Norway lose a huge amount of terrific athletic talent to sports like European Handball, Hockey, Soccer, Winter sports. The Aussies have Aussie rules football and Rugby. The list goes on.