The CHill Zone of T&F: Conway's View From the Finish Line

No Power, No Levers, No Hope

Mar 30th, 2010
6:45 am PDT

As I sit in anticipation of the action warming up on the track here in the next few weeks, I'm wondering if we will see anyone rise up to challenge the "Dynamic Duo" of Usain Bolt and Tyson Gay in the men's sprints. After all, this is an off season and it's not uncommon to see athletes make major strides when all they have to do is train and compete without the confines of worrying about being ready for one particular competition - like the Olympics or World Championships Read More...

Weekend Highlights

Mar 29th, 2010
8:30 am PDT

As the outdoor season slowly gets going there were two clear standouts on the track. First would be Iowa State's Lisa Koll who set a collegiate record in the 10,000 meters. Koll set a new record of 31:18.07 at the Stanford Invitational, taking down the previous best of 31:25.45 set back in 2008. Koll's mark was a world leader and made her the sixth fastest American ever over the distance Read More...

Off Season Relay Development

Mar 26th, 2010
3:31 pm PDT

As I've said previously, this early portion of the season is dominated by relay meets at almost every level. Even what is generally the big kick off to the elite portion of the outdoor season (Penn Relays) features a "USA vs the World" section of relay events. However, with there being no global major this year and virtually no meets on the European Circuit offering relays, the Penn meet may just be the highlight of the season as far as international relay units are concerned Read More...

Spring Track and Field

Mar 24th, 2010
9:48 am PDT

Such a quiet week in the sport. Coming off the indoor season it takes a minute before the elite athletes really begin to roll. We probably won't see them really hit their stride until some time after the Penn Relays in late April. So what to do til then?No brainer - high school and college meets! This is actually my favorite time of year when it comes to track and field, because it's the time of year when I can get up close and personal with the sport Read More...

The Diamond League Needs Relays

Mar 18th, 2010
4:55 pm PDT

As I start to look ahead at the season, one of the first things I've taken a look at is the new Diamond League. Of course, as has become the trend in the sport, the meets tend to be abbreviated versions of a "real" track meet - various events left out in an attempt to shorten/quicken the pace of the meet Read More...

What I’ll be Watching this Spring

Mar 16th, 2010
11:41 am PDT

Temperatures here on the West Coast are entering the 70's, and with the close of the indoor season that means that the spring portion of the track season is getting under way. I say the spring portion because that's the time of year dominated primarily by relay meets and the collegiate season - the summer being dominated by the Grand Prix Circuit in Europe Read More...

Championship Weekend – Great Finish

Mar 14th, 2010
8:12 pm PDT

This was how the indoor season was supposed to be - closed in personal setting with lots of excitement. Give me eight to ten weeks of this every winter and I would be one happy camper. As a matter of fact, this is what track and field is supposed to be about - loaded fields and top notch competition competing in ALL of the available events! All available track event, all available field events and fans will stay glued all weekend long (let alone a full single day) as long as the competition is there!Plenty of articles out there covering all of the action, so I will hit what were the highlights for me - starting with the NCAA Championships Read More...

NCAA Indoor Preview – Men’s 400

Mar 11th, 2010
10:58 pm PST

Another event where the NCAA meet could top the World Championships will be the men's 400 meters. The world leader along with half of the top 10 in the world will be in Fayetteville to square off.Top entrants with their seasonal bests:45.03 - Torrin Lawrence, Georgia45.24 - Kirani James, Alabama45.61 - Calvin Smith, Florida45 Read More...

NCAA Indoor Preview – Men’s 200 Meters

Mar 10th, 2010
4:29 pm PST

The World Indoor Championships won't be the only "big meet" taking place this weekend. Half a world away the NCAA will also be holding its indoor championships in Fayetteville Arkansas. Always an exciting meet in it's own right, the NCAA could have one of the hottest races of the weekend - the men's 200 Read More...

World Indoors Preview – Men’s 60 Hurdles…

Mar 9th, 2010
7:30 am PST

The indoor season will end this weekend with the World Indoor Championships in Doha, Qatar. While the season itself has been somewhat unspectacular, the grand finale should be quite exciting as there are several high quality match ups. Perhaps the hottest match up of the weekend could be the men's 60 hurdles Read More...