The CHill Zone of T&F

It’s relay season here in the U.S., and with the Texas Relays up this weekend and talk of some top level athletes getting together on a couple of 4×1’s, and 2011 being a World Championships season, it’s time to once again begin talking about the U.S> 4×1’s. The U.S. should be the medal count leader in Daegu,  as our troops should garner some twenty plus medals during the week of championship competition. Up to the Beijing Olympics, two of those medals were guaranteed to come from the men and women’s 4×1 relay squads – more often than not, gold. But in Beijing there were no medals in the relays as…

I had expected to see a few bombs dropped by this point in the season. But aside from L.J. Van Zyl running first 47.66, then 44.86, the season has been rather somber so far. The Florida Relays had some promising entries early on – Tyson Gay in the 4×4, along with the seasonal debuts of Justin Gatlin, David Oliver and Xavier Carter. All pulled out prior to the start of the meet, however – none yet ready to display their wares. And it’s not just the sprinters and hurdlers. The top middle distance runners have yet to step to the track, as neither have the top distance runners, jumpers or…

I received notification today that the California (Modesto) Relays will not be held this year. This will mark the second time in the last three years that the meet will be absent from the schedule. Following is the copy from the notice that I received – with permission from Mr. Miller:   909 15th Street, Suite 7Modesto, California 95354 Modesto Relays, Inc.Dba: California Invitational Relayscaliforniarelays@aol.comGregg E. MillerExecutive Director(209) 988-0390March 30, 2011Re: California Relays 2011Sacramento, California Dear Athletes, Coaches, Managers, Officials and Loyal Fans,The purpose of this letter is to inform you of our status for the 2011 meet. Due to the revailing economic conditions, many of our longtime sponsors including…

That’s the question that has been placed on the table this week, and one that has been bantered around now for decades. After all, while “student athletes” are expected to live a completely “amateur” lifestyle – i.e. accept nothing from anyone – several of the sports they participate in are huge money making endeavors for their schools. Witness the current NCAA basketball tournament which is reaching it’s culmination this weekend. This extravaganza will make the NCAA and member schools $771 Million dollars just from television rights! And schools that participate in the BCS bowl system in football earn millions of dollars for participating. The coaches that lead these programs and…

Track and field can be an unforgiving sport. One minute you are on top of the world, the next you can be fighting for respect. A WR holder can succumb to illness (Wilson Kipketer), an Olympic champion to shame (Ben Johnson). Staying on top can be a challenge, which is why my list of the Greatest of All Time is filled with those that did just that over the long haul. Regardless the reason for slipping from the top, there is always someone waiting to take your place.  Because as much as track can be unforgiving, it is always competitive. Currently the men’s short sprints are more competitive than ever.…

If accepted entries lists and tweets mean anything, then this year’s Florida Relays should be the meet for seasonal outdoor debuts. A fixture on the US track and field scene for 72 years, the Florida Relays has traditionally drawn strong sprint and hurdle fields and this year is no different. Last year there was an appearance from Tyson Gay in the open 400 meters – and Gay burned the track for a 44.86 PR. This year Gay has tweeted that he hopes to run a leg on the 4×4 – something he has stated he would like to do in international competition for the US. In open events the comeback…

With Kirani James heading outdoors this last weekend I felt that there would be a new WL in the 400 before the weekend was out. I was right – except it wasn’t by James. The head turning performance of the weekend was the 44.86 by hurdler L.J. Van Zyl in Germiston South Africa. L.J. Van Zyl (RSA) is THE hot athlete of the early season. Last month he ripped a 47.66 over hurdles. Now it’s 44.86 over the flat – another new personal best. He now leads the world in both events. The question is: can he hold this pace until August and the World Championships? Because most of his…

The outdoor season should kick into gear with several relay meets being held this weekend. The list of domestic meets includes: Florida State Relays Tallahassee, FL Texas/Arkansas/UCLA Tri Austin, TX Arizona State Invitational Tempe, AZ Lopez Bayou Classic Houston, TX LSU Tiger Relays Baton Rouge, LA Raleigh Relays Raleigh, NC Stanford Invitational Stanford, CA Yellowjacket Invitational Atlanta, GA Alabama Relays Tuscaloosa, AL Baskin Relays Columbia, SC Big 10/SEC Challenge Starkville, MS Springtime Invitational El Paso, TX I’m looking forward to the results of the Texas/Arkansas/UCLA Triangular. I’m very excited to see this type of meet on the schedule for these schools, as all three have very good programs and it…

If you’ve read this blog for any length of time then you know that I feel a high priority for the sport here in the U.S. is to host the World Championships – as well as serve as host to another Olympics. To this point one of the key obstacles that we’ve faced outside of a lack of leadership, has been the lack of a facility capable of hosting such an event! Imagine that here in the United States with sports the huge past time that it is, and this country (one of the wealthiest on the planet) lacks a creditable track and field facility when locations such as Istanbul,…

It’s not often that I get excited about a 20.81 deuce. Typically not unless it’s run by an up and coming prep star. But perusing the results from this past weekend’s activity, I came across a 20.81 that I do find a bit exciting as Bryshon Nellum won the Brown Invitational 200 at 20.81 (0.6). That time, at this time of year, after all that Bryson has been through makes me think he may be ready to realize that potential that we all saw just a few years ago. You may remember him. The star of the 2007 prep season. A double threat prep phenom who ran 20.43 & 45.38,…