The big event this past weekend was the New York City Marathon. An event won by Ethiopia’s Gebre Gebremariam in 2:08.14 – unspectacular when many of the world’s top races are being won in times of 2:04 / 2:05. The big news coming out of New York, however, was not who won, or even the results of the those that finished. Rather, the real news was the possible end to what may be the greatest career ever in the world of track and field. As Ethoipia’s Haile Gebrselassie – forced out of the race midway due to tendinitis – Gebrselassie said in his post race interview that injuries are bringing…

As I continue to take a look back at the 2010 season, I’ve looked at some standard “awards” (Athlete of the Year) as well as some not so standard (Top Breakthrough Americans). This is another of those non standard awards. Though I think there should be some way of  evaluating how well our meets do every year. If for no other reason than to tweak them for the better. Because the better we present our product, the better the sport should become. So, what meets caught my eye in 2010? Well, Stockholm’s DN Galan meet gave us the match up of the year as Tyson Gay defeated Usain Bolt to…

At the beginning of his short reign as CEO of USATF, Doug Logan set 30 medals as a goal for the US squad at the 2012 London Olympics. That bit of goal setting was the impetus for the creation of my “Thirty Watch List” – to  monitor our progress towards that goal. With Logan’s departure as CEO, I’ve asked myself if I should continue with this list. And after much consideration I’ve decided that keeping track of our progress towards earning medals is indeed a worthwhile endeavor. As part of any good plan involves some sort of monitoring progress towards the stated goals. With Logan gone, however, I’m not sure…

Having named the World Athletes of the Year, next on the list are the US versions. And as with the global AOY’s the choice for the men is fairly easy while that for the women is a little closer to call. For the men, it’s as easy as selecting the runner up choice for the Men’s World Athlete of the Year – David Oliver. Oliver was neck and neck in the selection for World Male AOY until a pair of World Records tipped the scales in Rudisha’s favor. Otherwise Oliver may have been the World Male AOY such was Oliver’s season. David Oliver was as dominating in the 110 hurdles…

As parents attempt to raise their children, they figure out at some point that a key to affecting their behavior is consistency. You have to deliver a clear message that is supported by consistent delivery of the message and consistent punishment that fits the transgression. The rules and punishments must be the same for all your children. And there can be no preferential treatment or you will lose credibility. If you can do these things you have a good shot at creating the type of behavior that you are trying to achieve from your children. As parents strive to create this environment for their children there is always the issue…

Today I pick up my end of the year reviews with my choice for this year’s Female Athlete of the Year. The competition for the title was a bit different than it was on the men’s side. While the men had two athletes that had record setting, all time list altering, undefeated seasons, there were several women that had outstanding seasons, marked by a hiccup or two. More than that, however, trying to determine an AOY on the women’s side made me examine how we evaluate athletes in track and field. In general we simply look at wins and losses as the method of evaluation in this sport. But as…

With the 2010 season now officially over in my book with the closing of the Commonwealth Games, I think it’s safe to dole out major accolades for the season. I started earlier with a look at the Top Breakthrough Americans this year and hope to continue with other segments of the sport. But of course the biggie each year, and one that has already started lots of conversation, is the annual selection of Male and Female Athletes of the Year. So, I think it’s safe to pick up my year end review with my selection of the Male Athlete of the Year. In an average season it’s fairly easy to…

As we get settled firmly into the twenty first century, technology has completely redefined how information and media content is distributed across the globe. Delivering, information via audio & visual media to the masses is both easy and instantaneous. And THAT is a good thing for track and field. As it is now possible to deliver track and field to the world with a few simple button clicks – once the proper infrastructure has been set up. At a time when the sport could use a shot in the arm with respect to marketing, everything needed to do so is right at its fingertips. Websites for individual meets, websites for…

As US middle and long distance hopes strengthened in 2010, our bread and butter sprints seemed a bit fuzzy. Not that we didn’t have some outstanding performances, but looking ahead to the upcoming cycle of major championships, you need “depth” as well as outstanding individuals to carry the day. One or two injuries can change the entire fortunes of a sprint squad. In 2006 Tyson Gay (9.84/19.63) and Xavier Carter (19.62) looked ready to lead us through the next decade. Tyson won the sprint double in ‘07 but by ‘08 neither was available for duty with injury knocking them both out of the picture. Meanwhile we watched foreign newcomers Derrick…

Yes, I know it’s October and we just had the opening ceremonies for the Commonwealth Games.  But with the majority of top line athletes missing from the Commonwealth, my mind can’t help but fast forward to the next gathering of the world’s best athletes – the World Championships in Daegu. Of course it really won’t be a gathering of the world’s best athletes which is why I am writing about my vision now – while there’s still plenty of time to make a short term change or two. The mother of all “gatherings” is the Olympic Games, and everything that has followed has been put together in it’s image including…