-
Who Will Emerge in 2012 – Women
Now that we’ve taken a look at the men, it’s time to do the same with the women, because there will certainly be those women that step out of the shadows to make headlines. After getting drubbed by the Eastern Bloc sprinters in ’76, Evelyn Ashford became Kryptonite to the Iron Curtain Superwomen demolishing them at the ’79 World Cup before making headlines at the ’84 Los Angeles Games. The ’88 Games in Seoul saw both Jackie Joyner Kersee and Heike Drechsler blossom, as one of the sport’s greatest rivalries was born. And the Games of 2000 saw Gabriella Szabo burst onto the scene. The question now is who will…
-
Who Will Emerge in 2012 – Men
Christmas is behind us and that means the new year, and the 2012 Olympic season, is only a week away. If there is one thing that is certain about an Olympic year, it’s that there will be athletes that step out of the shadows and into the spotlight. The ’76 Games in Montreal gave us Edwin Moses. The ’92 Games of Barcelona brought us Quincy Watts and Kevin Young. 2004 was the big stage debut of Keninisa Bekele, and of course Beijing was Usain Bolt’s time to shine. You never know whose star is going to shine, but you can bet that someone unheard of, unheralded, someone that’s lost before,…
-
Looking Forward to London
It’s Christmas Eve, which means we’re just a week away from the year 2012 – the year the ancient Mayans predicted the world would end. Of course we track fans know that the real excitement won’t be watching the world crumble around us, but watching the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in London! So, as I prepare for the excitement of Christmas morning, I’m also starting to to look forward to the London Olympics. After all, Christmas comes once a year, but I’ve been waiting almost four years for the Olympics! and in the world of sport, NOTHING is bigger than the Olympic Games. Can you believe it’s been…
-
Lee Evans to Have Brain Surgery
Scanning the internet I just came across the news that Olympic gold medalist Lee Evans is set to undergo surgery on a tumor in the pituitary gland area of his brain. While it doesn’t seem to be getting much play this is big news for the world of track and field – at least for those of us old enough to remember cinder tracks and hand timing. Evans was a member of the San Jose State track team and the Santa Clara Valley Youth Village Track Club – the precursor to clubs such as the Santa Monica Track Club (featuring Carl Lewis); H.S.I. (featuring Maurice Greene) and the Racers Track…
-
Rupp Enters U.S. Marathon Trials
The calendar has yet to turn to 2012, but already we have news that may shape the U.S. Olympic team for London, as Galen Rupp was a last minute entry into the marathon trials scheduled for January 14thin Houston, Texas. Interestingly enough Rupp will be running his first ever marathon at the Trials. He was able to enter the race because 10,000 meter and half marathon times are allowed for entry. Rupp set an American Record of 26:48.00 for 10000 last year, which is easily under the qualifying standard of 28:30, as is his half marathon time of 60:30 run at last year’s New York City Half marathon (qualifying standard…
-
Very, Very Early London Favorites
Christmas is less than a week away, and we’re within counting distance of the dropping of the ball in Times Square and the start of the New Year. So it must be time to start talking about the Olympics! Olympic talk will dominate the world of track and field in 2012 – it always does in an Olympic year. So what better way to start/instigate discussion, than to put some early predictions out there. Of course we don’t even know who will be competing in London just yet, since everyone will have a selection process of some sort to go through. So instead of saying these are my predicted “winners”,…
-
Dear Track Santa – 2011
It’s that time of year to put in my request to good old Track Santa for my track and field gifts for 2012. The 2011 season was pretty good overall, but one can always wish for more! So here’s my letter and list for Track Santa (I hope I get everything)! Dear Track Santa, I’ve been really good this year. I watched every meet that was available on television – indoor, elite, college and high school. I watched a ton of meets online (thanks for increasing the free feeds this year). I supported my local high school team, and I got finish line seats at every meet I went to.…
-
Twelve Days of Track Christmas
It’s the holiday season, and exactly twelve days before Christmas. So in the spirit of the season, I thought I would retool the Twelve Days of Christmas to fit my favorite sport. This should be sung to the tune of the original. So a quick departure from the serious before closing out the year, my twelve days of track Christmas. “On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me”: A squad that doesn’t drop the baton Two unexpected stars Three new tracks Four world level meets Five gold medals Six runners running Seven steeplers leaping Eight sprinters training Nine vaulters vaulting Ten jumpers jumping Eleven javelins…
-
Exciting and Disappointing Moments in 2011
As I continue to look back on the 2011 season, there were several moments that were both exciting and disappointing. That’s one of the wonderful things about this sport – one moment it can give you chills, the next leave you disappointed. So I decided to sit down and come up with 10 things that did both for me this year. I have to say that as I contemplated the season, I found that the sprints were very disappointing overall. I hope that trend changes in the Olympic year. Cheerfully, however, I found much excittement across the board, which I think bodes well for the upcoming season. So with that,…
-
The Best Performers of 2011
December is already a third gone – not much time left in this year. As a matter of fact the indoor season is already getting started! My how time flies when you’re having fun! So before the month gets away, and Baby New Year shows up, I want to give out some kudos to athletes that I feel really got the job done in 2011. I’m going to call them “The Best of 2011”. Some categories are a bit nontraditional – Best Start for example – while others will probably be seen on other lists – like Best Performance. Just a bit of fun as we wind down the year,…