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Post Worlds Thoughts
It’s done. The World Championships of Track and Field were finally held in the United States. Or as we were constantly reminded, in Oregon. So, how did it go? I mean, everyone (talking heads of the sport) said that this meet was really needed to help “build” awareness of the sport in the United States. I disagree, and will tell you why in another post. I do believe that with this being the first fan accessible championship since Doha (I.e. Covid) that it was important to have a good meet. And we did get that! As far as the US goes, Team USA showed out! At the end of things,…
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My Sprint, Hurdle and Relay World Champs Predictions
The toughest Trials competition on the planet is behind us, and the US has selected it’s team for the upcoming World Championships. As have the rest of the members of the World Athletics federations. Beginning tomorrow, they’ll all line up to determine who’s best on the track and in the field. As once again the best of the best gather to compete. And frankly, this year’s results could be even better than last year! With everyone back into normal training cycles. And more importantly, being able to compete in front of fans once again. The feeling of excitement has been rallying athletes to some of the best performances ever seen.…
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Fred Kerley – Different
Fred Kerley is a man on a mission. You see it on the track. You see it in his social media. You hear it in his interviews. The man is focused on one thing – being great. He says so. He’s described on the internet and in podcasts as a ninja, a beast, a demon, an animal. I’m going to simply say that he’s, different. Fred reminds me of athletes from a different generation. Like Bob Hayes, John Carlos, Steve Williams, Carl Lewis, and Maurice Greene. Sprinters that the ONLY thing that mattered to them was, winning! Which is why they all won a lot. National titles. Olympic titles. World…
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Ten Americans to Watch at Worlds
The World Championships are the showcase of the world’s best talent in the sport of track and field. It’s one of the few opportunities during the year to see much of the Worlds talent going head to head. And for us here in America, one of the few opportunities to see our best athletes compete agains their counterparts from other parts of the world. So, in roughly ten days time, we get what is truly something rare in this country. Because most people don’t realize just how good the members of Team America are. Or even worse, who these people are. So following is a brief description of what I…
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The World is Coming
Sound the alarm. The British are coming. The British are coming. And the French, Italians, Nigerians, and Ethiopians. The World Championships begin July 15th, and they’ll be here in the United States for the first time. While people are making a big deal out of it, the US has hosted global events in the past. I mean, We’ve hosted the two largest sports gatherings in the world, the Soccer World Cup (’97/’03) and the Olympics several times – most recently in Atlanta in 1996. As a matter of fact, we’ll be hosting the Olympics again in 2028. And recently we hosted the World Indoor Track Championships in 2016. This just…
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How to Repopularize Track in America
As we prepare for the start of our national championships, one of the biggest “complaints” about track and field in the United States, is that it’s lacking in popularity! And the “question” that is always on the table is, “how do we make it more popular” or interesting. Personally, I don’t see the sport as unpopular, but I have seen the drop in popularity. You see, I’m old enough to remember when the sport was extremely popular in this country. And frankly, I think that same degree of popularity is still sitting there right beneath the surface. The problem being, not a lack of inherent popularity, but poor presentation and…
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Trials Preview
Now that we’ve gotten past the first big championship meet of the year (NC’s) we’re days, not weeks, away from US Trials. Days as in about 10. A meet that many consider as tough as Worlds. Given its depth and cutthroat nature. This year should be no different with several high level matchups on the horizon. In some ways that’s an understatement, because basically every event has some sort of high level matchup. This year, however, there are some matchups that seem more exciting to me than usual. For example. Trey Cunningham v Devon Allen – Men’s 110H At the start of the season, most would have predicted…
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NCAA Preview
We’re a day out from the NCAA Championships and I think I’m nearly as nervous as the athletes and teams are! Based on what I’ve seen during the conference and Regional competitions, there should be some serious fireworks in Eugene this week, because this year, we’ve got serious matchups in just about every event on the program. If there are any “clear” favorites, they’re probably two hurdlers – one male, one female. On the men’s side that would be Trey Cunningham (FlSt). The clear leader (13.07) heading into the heats. He’s been running like he’s the second coming of Grant Holloway this season – at least in the high hurdles.…
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NCAA Regionals and Pre
Well that was one Hell of a weekend. Basically three high level meets, since the NCAA treats the first two rounds of its National Championships as two separate meets. Thoughts on that in another post. Either way, this past weekend was hot hot hot. In spite of two of the competitions having inclement weather! That’s how good the sport is right now – sizzling hot. So, where do I begin with my highlights? Let’s go with the West Regional. Looking at the distribution of talent between the two Regionals, the East “seems” deeper. Watching the competition however, and the results at the top end of both regions, I say a…
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My Prefontaine Preview
As I mentioned in my previous post, things are about to really heat up., with the colleges heading towards their annual championship run! This week’s regional meets being held to select the top 24 Division I athletes that will go head to head in Eugene. If that’s not exciting enough for you however. There will be another little meet called the Prefontaine Classic that will be taking place as well. I say a little meet in jest, as what started as a little meet in honor of a local hero, has become one of the world’s largest meets, thanks to the financial contributions of local employer, Nike. With their financial…