{"id":394,"date":"2010-09-07T12:18:00","date_gmt":"2010-09-07T19:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=394"},"modified":"2010-09-07T12:18:00","modified_gmt":"2010-09-07T19:18:00","slug":"continental-cup-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=394","title":{"rendered":"Continental Cup Review"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"float:left;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/view.picapp.com\/pictures.photo\/entertainment\/croatia-blanka-vlasic\/image\/9654609?term=blanka+vlasic\" target=\"_blank\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/view2.picapp.com\/pictures.photo\/image\/9654609\/croatia-blanka-vlasic\/croatia-blanka-vlasic.jpg?resize=380%2C277\" border=\"0\" width=\"380\" title=\"Croatia's Blanka Vlasic competes in the women's high jump at the IAAF Continental Cup 2010 in Split\" height=\"277\" oncontextmenu=\"return false;\" ondrag=\"return false;\" onmousedown=\"return false;\" alt=\"Croatia's Blanka Vlasic competes in the women's high jump at the IAAF Continental Cup 2010 in Split September 5, 2010. REUTERS\/Matko Biljak (CROATIA - Tags: SPORT ATHLETICS)\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"clear:left;height:0px;overflow: hidden;\"><\/div>\n<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"http:\/\/view.picapp.com\/\/JavaScripts\/OTIjs.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>After watching the Continental Cup this weekend, I am more convinced than ever that it\u2019s time to move on with something else. Watching the meet the stands were very sparsely populated, and the sport had to have lost money on the event if attendance is any indication. Probably because it\u2019s just difficult for paying patrons to get behind what is supposed to be a championship level event that is missing so many championship level athletes. And while I love the idea of bringing more of a team aspect to the sport, continental teams are just too broad for most people to truly feel connected with. Especially when the teams are so heavily limited by how many individuals from a country can participate. <\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m also curious how the IAAF planned on promoting the to the world when they provided an audio feed but no video feed for the event? Audio feeds may have been state of the art in say the 1990\u2019s, but this is the year 2010 and an audio only feed was almost an insult. And given that there are ways to find video feeds on the internet, it would have made more sense to the IAAF to simply provide one and bring the audience in. Just another step in the wrong direction for a sport that continues to do that with far too much regularity. <\/p>\n<p>Performance wise the competition was good, but not great. Mostly, in my opinion, because that four team, one athlete per nation, concept really hindered the depth of the fields. Of course there are some athletes in this sport that just show up and perform no matter the occasion. Which gave us some highlights in spite of the set up of the meet itself. One of those was Blanka Vlasic who got to compete at home and put on a show for her hometown fans. Blanka won the competition (of course) and set a new PR 2.05m (6\u2019 8.75\u201d) in the process. She gave the crowd a thrill by going for a WR 2.10 (6\u2019 10.75\u201d), but unfortunately in spite of all the love in the stands she was unable to conquer that height. <\/p>\n<p>Jeremy Wariner continued to show that he is once again the man to beat in the 400 meters as he won the event in 44.22 \u2013 his second fastest time of the year. Wariner is positioned nicely heading into 2011 with the world once again chasing after him. Similar to David Oliver who continued his unbeaten streak with a 13.11 (-1.1) that left plenty of daylight between he and the field. Oliver has had no peers this year, running fast and winning with plenty of room to spare. I hope that next season brings good health to Dayron Robles, Liu Xiang and Terrence Trammell so that he can get that push that will put him over the WR hump. <\/p>\n<p>Something that David Rudisha was able to do twice already this season. And the ease with which he handled the field in Split \u2013 running 1:43.32 in cruise control \u2013 says that given good health there is much more in store from the man that may be the most dominating athlete on the planet right now. Christian Cantwell was back on the winning track with a huge 21.87m (71\u2019 9\u201d) toss. While not as dominant as Rudisha, Bernard Lagat demonstrated that there might not be anyone as adept at handling a slow pace as he is, as&nbsp; Lagat twice took \u201ctactical\u201d paces and turned them into a double victory over 3000 and 5000 meters. Wallace Spearmon gave notice that he is healthy and ready to compete over half a lap as he romped to a half second win with another sub 20 second run \u2013 19.95. And Christophe Lemaitre showed that he is indeed a strong competitor with a win here to go with his European title.<\/p>\n<p>But even with a very close women\u2019s 100 meter hurdles race (won by up and coming Sally Pearson) and two very closely contested 4&#215;4 relays to close out the meet, there was a lack of overall excitement. There are four years until the next scheduled meet, and hopefully the sport can figure out what to do to create a more exciting meet in what is currently the \u201coff season\u201d of the sport. <\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px\" id=\"scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:29fc5b4d-0296-4024-adac-c734c164c5ac\" class=\"wlWriterEditableSmartContent\">\n<div id=\"b2f12cc0-cc0b-4cf4-9aa9-077f67614720\" style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline;\">\n<div><a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=IL8Tu7hhKrE?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US\" target=\"_new\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lh6.ggpht.com\/_q69RXDGKhjE\/TIaeAxNgPwI\/AAAAAAAAAFM\/xc2mD-Zznts\/video6e6b2c1358a1%5B3%5D.jpg?w=960\" style=\"border-style: none\" galleryimg=\"no\" onload=\"var downlevelDiv = document.getElementById('b2f12cc0-cc0b-4cf4-9aa9-077f67614720'); downlevelDiv.innerHTML = &quot;&lt;div&gt;&lt;object width=\\&quot;425\\&quot; height=\\&quot;355\\&quot;&gt;&lt;param name=\\&quot;movie\\&quot; value=\\&quot;http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/IL8Tu7hhKrE?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;hl=en\\&quot;&gt;&lt;\\\/param&gt;&lt;embed src=\\&quot;http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/IL8Tu7hhKrE?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;hl=en\\&quot; type=\\&quot;application\/x-shockwave-flash\\&quot; width=\\&quot;425\\&quot; height=\\&quot;355\\&quot;&gt;&lt;\\\/embed&gt;&lt;\\\/object&gt;&lt;\\\/div&gt;&quot;;\" alt=\"\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px\" id=\"scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:fc474553-3fb1-4bae-a4f0-13d94560eaa6\" class=\"wlWriterEditableSmartContent\">\n<div id=\"8c858aa2-c1a7-451b-b468-d240e39beb37\" style=\"margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline;\">\n<div><a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=IsZgZ25MfS8?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US\" target=\"_new\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lh5.ggpht.com\/_q69RXDGKhjE\/TIaeBFmy6CI\/AAAAAAAAAFQ\/WU8mhpkseak\/videod6c27a323c05%5B3%5D.jpg?w=960\" style=\"border-style: none\" galleryimg=\"no\" onload=\"var downlevelDiv = document.getElementById('8c858aa2-c1a7-451b-b468-d240e39beb37'); downlevelDiv.innerHTML = &quot;&lt;div&gt;&lt;object width=\\&quot;425\\&quot; height=\\&quot;355\\&quot;&gt;&lt;param name=\\&quot;movie\\&quot; value=\\&quot;http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/IsZgZ25MfS8?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;hl=en\\&quot;&gt;&lt;\\\/param&gt;&lt;embed src=\\&quot;http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/IsZgZ25MfS8?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;hl=en\\&quot; type=\\&quot;application\/x-shockwave-flash\\&quot; width=\\&quot;425\\&quot; height=\\&quot;355\\&quot;&gt;&lt;\\\/embed&gt;&lt;\\\/object&gt;&lt;\\\/div&gt;&quot;;\" alt=\"\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After watching the Continental Cup this weekend, I am more convinced than ever that it\u2019s time to move on with something else. Watching the meet the stands were very sparsely populated, and the sport had to have lost money on the event if attendance is any indication. Probably because it\u2019s just difficult for paying patrons to get behind what is supposed to be a championship level event that is missing so many championship level athletes. And while I love the idea of bringing more of a team aspect to the sport, continental teams are just too broad for most people to truly feel connected with. Especially when the teams are so heavily limited by how many individuals from a country can participate. I\u2019m also curious how the IAAF planned on promoting the to the world when they provided an audio feed but no video feed for the event? Audio feeds may have been state of the art in say the 1990\u2019s, but this is the year 2010 and an audio only feed was almost an insult. And given that there are ways to find video feeds on the internet, it would have made more sense to the IAAF to simply provide one and bring the audience in. Just another step in the wrong direction for a sport that continues to do that with far too much regularity. Performance wise the competition was good, but not great. Mostly, in my opinion, because that four team, one athlete per nation, concept really hindered the depth of the fields. Of course there are some athletes in this sport that just show up and perform no matter the occasion. Which gave us some highlights in spite of the set up of the meet itself. One of those was Blanka Vlasic who got to compete at home and put on a show for her hometown fans. Blanka won the competition (of course) and set a new PR 2.05m (6\u2019 8.75\u201d) in the process. She gave the crowd a thrill by going for a WR 2.10 (6\u2019 10.75\u201d), but unfortunately in spite of all the love in the stands she was unable to conquer that height. Jeremy Wariner continued to show that he is once again the man to beat in the 400 meters as he won the event in 44.22 \u2013 his second fastest time of the year. Wariner is positioned nicely heading into 2011 with the world once again chasing after him. Similar to David Oliver who continued his unbeaten streak with a 13.11 (-1.1) that left plenty of daylight between he and the field. Oliver has had no peers this year, running fast and winning with plenty of room to spare. I hope that next season brings good health to Dayron Robles, Liu Xiang and Terrence Trammell so that he can get that push that will put him over the WR hump. Something that David Rudisha was able to do twice already this season. And the ease with which he handled the field in Split \u2013 running 1:43.32 in cruise control \u2013 says that given good health there is much more in store from the man that may be the most dominating athlete on the planet right now. Christian Cantwell was back on the winning track with a huge 21.87m (71\u2019 9\u201d) toss. While not as dominant as Rudisha, Bernard Lagat demonstrated that there might not be anyone as adept at handling a slow pace as he is, as&nbsp; Lagat twice took \u201ctactical\u201d paces and turned them into a double victory over 3000 and 5000 meters. Wallace Spearmon gave notice that he is healthy and ready to compete over half a lap as he romped to a half second win with another sub 20 second run \u2013 19.95. And Christophe Lemaitre showed that he is indeed a strong competitor with a win here to go with his European title. But even with a very close women\u2019s 100 meter hurdles race (won by up and coming Sally Pearson) and two very closely contested 4&#215;4 relays to close out the meet, there was a lack of overall excitement. There are four years until the next scheduled meet, and hopefully the sport can figure out what to do to create a more exciting meet in what is currently the \u201coff season\u201d of the sport. &nbsp; &nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa3DCY-6m","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":393,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=393","url_meta":{"origin":394,"position":0},"title":"World Cup, Continental Cup, How About Another Worlds?","author":"CHill","date":"September 3, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"This weekend will see the first rendition of the \u201cContinental Cup\u201d, which is simply a reworked version of the \u201cWorld Cup\u201d. At the time of it\u2019s inception in 1977, the World Cup was a welcome sight on the track and field scene. After all, we only had one real championship\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 2 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 2 comments","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=393#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":395,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=395","url_meta":{"origin":394,"position":1},"title":"My Version of the US 4&#215;1","author":"CHill","date":"September 8, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Yes I know that the 2010 season isn\u2019t quite done yet. But for my money it\u2019s never too early to put a relay team together. Because one of the most important aspects of relay running is continuity and team togetherness \u2013 and that\u2019s difficult to achieve when team members are\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 19 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 19 comments","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=395#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"OSAKA, JAPAN - SEPTEMBER 01:  Leroy Dixon celebrates after he runs the anchor lane and takes the United States of America to victory during the Men's 4 x 100m Relay on day eight of the 11th IAAF World Athletics Championships on September 1, 2007 at the Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan. The United States of America won in a time of 37.78 seconds.  (Photo by Mark Dadswell\/Getty Images)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/view3.picapp.com\/pictures.photo\/image\/1933806\/11th-iaaf-world-athletics\/11th-iaaf-world-athletics.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":401,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=401","url_meta":{"origin":394,"position":2},"title":"Why Are The Commonwealth Games, and Other \u201cGames\u201d Being Held?","author":"CHill","date":"September 23, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"All year long there have been questions raised about the staging of the upcoming Commonwealth Games. Everything from questions regarding whether or not the facilities would be ready in time, to complaints this week from England, Scotland, Wales, New Zealand, Australia and Canada over the condition of the team accommodations\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 2 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 2 comments","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=401#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"NEW DELHI, INDIA - SEPTEMBER 22: An Indian labourers work outside of the main stadium for the approaching 19th Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on September 22, 2010 in New Delhi, India. Pieces of a false roof inside of the weightlifting complex collapsed today following yesterday's collapse of a footbridge under construction that injured 27 workers at the main stadium for the upcoming Commonwealth Games. (Photo by Daniel Berehulak\/Getty Images)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/view1.picapp.com\/pictures.photo\/image\/9831349\/incident-weightlifting\/incident-weightlifting.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":396,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=396","url_meta":{"origin":394,"position":3},"title":"US Getting Back in the Game Above 400 Meters","author":"CHill","date":"September 10, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"The season is winding down quickly, with the Commonwealth Games the biggest competition remaining \u2013 and it\u2019s restricted to a select few nations. For all intents and purposes US athletes are done, with a bit of rest on the docket before resuming training for the upcoming World Championships season.Lots of\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"BERLIN - AUGUST 23:  (L-R) Joseph Ebuya of Kenya, Vincent Kiprop Chepkok of Kenya, Chris Solinsky of United States and Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia compete in the men's 800 Metres Final during day nine of the 12th IAAF World Athletics Championships at the Olympic Stadium on August 23, 2009 in Berlin, Germany.  (Photo by Mark Dadswell\/Getty Images)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/view.picapp.com\/pictures.photo\/image\/6136061\/12th-iaaf-world-athletics\/12th-iaaf-world-athletics.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":438,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=438","url_meta":{"origin":394,"position":4},"title":"Americans to Watch in 2011","author":"CHill","date":"January 26, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"With the indoor season now beginning to heat up, it\u2019s time to wrap up previews on athletes to watch this year. So last but not least is my list of Americans to watch this year. A tough list since I have so many favorites and see so much potential for\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"image","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lh6.ggpht.com\/_q69RXDGKhjE\/TUCKk3zeBUI\/AAAAAAAAAGY\/t__M0qFaj_k\/image_thumb.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3093,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=3093","url_meta":{"origin":394,"position":5},"title":"Ultimate Championship, or Ultimate Invitational?","author":"CHill","date":"August 30, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"As we get closer to the end of the track season, everyone is talking about the \u201cUltimate Championship.\u201d I\u2019d commented on X that it isn\u2019t really a championship simply because it has the word \u201cchampionship\u201d in the name. The response I got was: if World Athletics calls it a championship,\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trackchill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_0512-300x164.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/394","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=394"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/394\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=394"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=394"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=394"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}