Clueless writing about our sport

[Atticus]

"jumping off his right leg" . . . including Fosbury himself.

That REALLY threw me when I spent the winter of 68/69 teaching myself the flop. I assumed that right-handers were SUPPOSED to approach from the left and wasted two weeks trying to do that before it dawned on me that I was a left-footed jumper like MOST right-handers are. Once I switched it was clear sailing. The one thing that really helped me was a narrow avenue of approach indoors, so I had to turn sharply at the end, which forced me to have the correct lean - away from the bar. By the time we got outdoors in late March, I was pretty close to F's form, and had improved my HJ PR by over 6". I got lots of odd stares, but I was winning, so that was fine.

[dukehjsteve]

I'm a total Lefty ( except golf) and as is indirectly stated above, we lefties use/used our right leg for takeoff.

[lonewolf]

I am right handed and must be exclusively right footed.. I never flopped but straddled off right foot, long jumped and preferred hop off right foot (results about the same whichever foot I started with).. but wanted left foot forward in starting blocks.. dunno if that is right footed or ???.

[jc203]

Surfers would call Lonewolf a "Goofy Foot".

[aaronk]

The Guardian in the UK headlined today's London race with----
SAMUEL Wanjiru wins.....!!!

Um, he rose from the dead??

ADD: It wasn't the Guardian newspaper, but some online version!
Still, that headline...!!!!

[jc203]

The media avalanche of bullshit about a sub-2 hour marathon has been duly noted on the home page, but I caught some morning TV propaganda today that was over the top silly.
According to a breathless young woman jogging along while talking into the camera, the trick is merely to have 3 runners pace one another and (MOST IMPORTANTLY) wear the new magic shoes being manufactured by two of the leading sport footwear mega-corporations.
Who knew?!?!?

[Atticus]

wear the new magic shoes

It's all just an ad for those shoes . . . the "4% advantage!" If the runners even come close, it'll sell a lotta shoes! The rest is hokum.
If all this was in conjunction with the Berlin Marathon, under good conditions, we'd all be a lot more receptive. The 2-barrier MIGHT go today, but none of us will buy it, given the advantages employed. Whatta waste for real road fans.

[Merner521]

I blame Spike Lee.

[Pego]

At the Musco Twilight college meet, the mPV's winner cleared 471/15.5 1/2. The BTN commentator gushed "incredible."

[jc203]

More from morning TV coverage: A news hostess today saying that Kipchoge must be kicking himself for not simply running 26 seconds faster.
Apparently it would have been a small adjustment to run "just" one second faster for each of 26 consecutive miles.
As Bob Dylan said" Yes, I believe it could be easily done..."

[aaronk]

As Bob Dylan said" Yes, I believe it could be easily done..."

Actually, Dylan sings "Yes, I believe it can be VERY easily done...".

But if you continue that verse, Old Bobby offers up a potentially exciting venue for the NEXT Nike experiment!

Yes, I believe it can be very easily done
You just put some bleachers out in the sun
And have it down on Highway 61...!!

LOL

[tandfman]

How about this:
http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/o...t_boston_games

Apart from getting the stuff about the 200 meter "record" wrong (including the time of the former "record") this article twice refers to Allyson Felix's surname as Fox.

[Alan Shank]

How about this:
http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/o...t_boston_games

Apart from getting the stuff about the 200 meter "record" wrong (including the time of the former "record") this article twice refers to Allyson Felix's surname as Fox.

Even Ato Boldon seemed confused about the effect of running the 200 on a straightaway, as though it should be slower than around a curve. Of course, those of us who were following track back in the 60s know that the straightaway record was always faster than the curve record. At my high school (Canoga Park, CA), we used to run everything out of the the "chute", even the mile, so, "one-turn 440", etc. My vague recollection is that Tommie Smith ran 19.5 on a straight.
Cheers,
Alan Shank
Woodland, CA, USA

[KDFINE]

Even Ato Boldon seemed confused about the effect of running the 200 on a straightaway, as though it should be slower than around a curve. Of course, those of us who were following track back in the 60s know that the straightaway record was always faster than the curve record. At my high school (Canoga Park, CA), we used to run everything out of the the "chute", even the mile, so, "one-turn 440", etc. My vague recollection is that Tommie Smith ran 19.5 on a straight.
Cheers,
Alan Shank
Woodland, CA, USA

Your recollection is correct. Smith took Sime's straight record down by a half second. By the same token, the record for the low hurdles on the straight was 21.7 while the record on the curve was 22.5.

[dukehjsteve]

re the above, maybe a slight mistake... Styron's time i think was 21.9