Scariest track moment!

[BillVol]

What is the scariest thing you've ever experienced at a track meet? I saw a hammer almost hit somebody on the track at Tom Black in Knoxville. This despite the event being held at 9 am, all sorts of barricades set up to secure the area, signs posted, etc. Still, some yahoo decided to run some laps and almost got hurt. That errant hammer hit about ten feet from him and several officials began to berate the guy. Ironically, it was just as he started to run laps, and snuck around the barricade, that the only errant throw of the day almost got him.

I've seen a couple of close ones in the pole vault, as have most of us, including a one that required the guy to be taken to the hospital.

I didn't see it, but Scott Hartman getting hit with a hammer in Lexington is the worst incident I've ever known about.

[jhc68]

Re: Scariest track moment!

Every time I've seen a vaulter snap a pole.

[gh]

Re: Scariest track moment!

1982 NCAA at Baton Rouge, during Deluge II. Not only do the wind and rain feel positively hurricanish, there's huge bolts of lightning zapping all around. All of a sudden in the middle of the infield we see Oregon javelin thrower Reidar Lorentzen. Not only standing alone in the middle of the field, but he decides to throw three or four javelins over his shoulder and walk them off the field.

We're sure that Reidar Lorentzen is Norwegian for "lightning rod."

[MJR]

Re: Scariest track moment!

When I almost took a spear to the head in 1990, last time I ever have my back to a sector.

[marknhj]

Re: Scariest track moment!

Every time I go to Mt Sac someone is nearly hit by a Javelin or Discus. That meet is an accident waiting to happen. I almost got hit by a 35lb weight at the LA Indoor meet in the late 1980's (the event was held outside). Stood near the sector chatting to David Ottley; everyone yelled and I turned to see it coming at my head. Kind of froze for a second before legging it pretty damn pronto.

[Conor Dary]

Re: Scariest track moment!

I remember the 1978 NCAA meet in Eugene when they tried to do the hammer throw in Hayward Field. I was standing next to a fence near the west side of the track, when an errant hammer came thundering along the grass right into the fence about 5 feet from where I was standing. Right there and then they moved the event outside.

[mike renfro]

Re: Scariest track moment!

Many scary moments, most involving hammers. Chronolically:

'76: first pole break, Roberts at the trials. No injury, and he later vaulted a WR on one of Bell's poles.

'77: Sedykh jerked a warmup WAY foul, hit the track and skidded into a bunch of kids who had been doing the dancing children thing at the opening of W Cup. Don't know about injuries.

'78: me being dumb. standing by DT sector line, bsing and not paying attention. Zounds! here comes a disc! left handed, right handed, who knows? will it curve left or right? probably. so I just stayed put. oh, straight? well, I still have time to move. nah, I'll just catch it on the bounce. that worked like a charm. slipped through my hands and wacked my thigh. I had a reminder for about 3 weeks. it is amazing how many colors a foot long bruise can turn.

'78 or 79: one of the last AAU meets at Walnut '80 was the first TAC. an official decided to wander across the landing area during HT warmups. Wow, he's going to get hit. Wow, it missed him. Oops, chain whip. I think broken leg, but nobody dies. Unlike other hammer incidents.

'84: oly trials at LA. a vaulter (can't remember who, may have been Pursley) bailed out on a vault and landed head first in the box. I had visions of quadrapelegic, but the vaulter got off realativly unhurt. Definitly scary.

late '80s early '90s: Modesto, the last year spectators were allowed along the right sector line. A chick is talking to a friend, back to the ring. No chance. Hit her in the arm, blood shot about 5m, shock dismay. Been there done that. Even discs can bite.

mid '90s: Modesto again. HT (now held on Friday), a coach is talking to friends, head turned, someone jerks a short throw out of sector. The coach (I think he was a coach) tries to outrun it, but takes a bad angle. Broken arm.

[Jon]

Re: Scariest track moment!

>'84: oly
>trials at LA. a vaulter (can't remember who, may have been Pursley) bailed out
>on a vault and landed head first in the box. I had visions of quadrapelegic,
>but the vaulter got off realativly unhurt. Definitly scary.



Didn't something like that happen last year? I remember hearing that an American vaulter died when he landed head-first in to the box. I can't remember his name, but it sounded like a horrifying incident.

[Still shuddering]

Re: Scariest track moment!

When the National Sports Festival was held at Southern University in Baton Rouge in 1985, the hammer layout created a scary situation. Any really long throw near the left foul line could go off the infield and on to the track. Sure enough someone threw one out in that direction. It came down on the track and then bounced into the stands, where it landed on a seat. Nobody was hurt, but there was a spectator sitting in the seat right next to where the hammer landed. I think the guy used to be Black.

[marknhj]

Re: Scariest track moment!

Mike....You're not going to the Home Depot meet this Saturday are you? I'm asking as I've just made a mental note never to attend a meet you're at...

[marknhj]

Re: Scariest track moment!

Didn't something like that happen last year? I
>remember hearing that an American vaulter died when he landed head-first in to
>the box. I can't remember his name, but it sounded like a horrifying incident.
>>>>

Jon, two years ago three high school/college vaulters died within a couple of months of each other. It resulted in a bunch of schools banning vaulting and also in the authorities mandating larger pits. Just googled it and read a report that said between 1983-2000 there was an average of one fatality a year over here.

[mike renfro]

Re: Scariest track moment!

Mark,
Not going to the trials? Oh wait, your trials are probably in Toronto, I forgot.

Actually, no, I am going to my grandson's CCS trials. He has some chance of advancing to section (4:29.02 1600) but no chance of state this year. He's a sophomore, so he has time. At least to be a junior.

[RMc]

Re: Scariest track moment!

>Didn't something like that happen last year? I
>remember hearing that an
>American vaulter died when he landed head-first in to
>the box. I can't
>remember his name, but it sounded like a horrifying incident.
>>>>

Jon, two
>years ago three high school/college vaulters died within a couple of months of
>each other. It resulted in a bunch of schools banning vaulting and also in the
>authorities mandating larger pits. Just googled it and read a report that said
>between 1983-2000 there was an average of one fatality a year over here.

I believe 2 years ago they cancelled tine Big 10 Indoor Champs when a Penn State vaulter died during the competition. Another high profile HS vaulter died about then also.

[BisonHurdler]

Re: Scariest track moment!

I believe 2 years ago they cancelled tine
>Big 10 Indoor Champs when a Penn State vaulter died during the competition.





Yes, Kevin Dare.

[RMc]

Re: Scariest track moment!

I've had several including my housemate almost losing an eye when his pole broke, and jumping over a sliding javelin coming from behind at a HS invite. But my closest call was nationally broadcast, and I didn't even know it happened until I saw it the next day!!

I was running the 5k in the 1981 Jenner Invite. The meet was broadcast on Wide World of Sports the next day. As I'm watching, they say they're going to show a close call, and Ben Plucknett is winding up. They switch to the 5k, and I'm leading the chase pack with a 5m gap to Duncan McDonald and the kid from UCLA who's name escapes me (went to Idaho as a frosh.) And a disc bounces in Lane 1 right in front of me!!!! But I never even saw it during the race, and nobody mentioned it afterwards!!! That happened to be at a crucial point in the race where I was deciding how hard I should push to catch the leaders, and I hesitated which cost me the race. Yet, it may have saved my life or at least serious injury.