Stop calling it Track and Field

[aaronk]

I think TNF is a better descriptor of what the sport actually is. However, NZ is like GB, and outside of those actually involved in the sport, most NZers know what athletics is but do not realize that athletics and track and field are one and the same.

I guess "when in Rome ...... blah blah blah"

Note the title of New Zealander Grant Birkinshaw's great book--"A History of Indoor TRACK AND FIELD: 1849-2013".

BTW, I own the book, and LOVE it!

[Tuariki]

Note the title of New Zealander Grant Birkinshaw's great book--"A History of Indoor TRACK AND FIELD: 1849-2013".

BTW, I own the book, and LOVE it!

And that actually proves my point aaronk.

Grant and I came to the USA on scholarship in 1970. He was also a long jumper and went to the University of Washington. The late Kevin Todd also came to the USA in 1970. He was on scholarship at USC for the TJ. In 1972 he snapped his quadriceps tendon triple jumping at a meet in the UW fieldhouse at an indoor meet. It was pretty gruesome.

Back to the point. Grant is involved in the sport and the real target market for his book his overseas, especially the USA, hence (I imagine) the title. If his target market was NZ it would make more sense to call the book "A History of Indoor ATHLETICS: 1849-2013".

We do not have indoor athletics (Indoor track and field) in NZ except at a very elementary level (60m, 60mh, LJ, TJ, HJ and PV once a year) and this only just started recently.

[aaronk]

Tuariki--
Curious--if NZ (& Australia) had good venues for indoor T&F, when would their indoor season be?
Their summer is our winter, and vice versa, so would a meet "Down Under" be held in June & July, even August?
Is that why there's no indoor T&F there--because there would be too much interference with the rest of the world's summer season?

As an aside, however, I'm surprised the big cities in Australia---Sydney, Melbourne--don't have such a venue!

[Tuariki]

Hi aaronk - from Santa Clarita, Californna. Flying back to NZ tonight.
I wish we had an indoor season in NZ, but unfortunately we do not have a single stadium that has the ability for a 150m oval track, let alone a 200m track. I do not believe Australia does either - that is because of the weather there. Indoor competitions came about, I believe, in those areas where an indoor facility was needed, such as WSU, if one was able to train properly. Pretty hard to do much in Pullman in the winter when there is snow and ice on the ground for 2 or 3 months.

As noted in my previous post we have had limited indoor comps during the winter months - July to September. As far as I know only in Auckland.

[bobguild76]

Have a great flight home, Tuariki!