{"id":555,"date":"2011-08-18T07:35:00","date_gmt":"2011-08-18T14:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=555"},"modified":"2011-08-18T07:35:00","modified_gmt":"2011-08-18T14:35:00","slug":"why-the-intermission-and-other-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=555","title":{"rendered":"Why the Intermission \u2013 and Other Questions"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"image\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Today is August 18th. The last big meet on the circuit was in London back on August 5-6th. The World Championships are STILL a week and a half away \u2013 starting August 27th. Can someone tell me why we have such a LONG break before the World Championships?<\/p>\n

We\u2019re looking at a 3 week break with no track and field, smack dab in the middle of the European Circuit \u2013 the heart of the sport\u2019s most visible time of the year! We\u2019re talking about a marketing fiasco of the highest order. I\u2019m not sure how you sell the general public on watching your World Championships when your athletes are on the shelf for the better part of a month. Can you imagine the NFL waiting 3 weeks between the final playoff game and the Super Bowl? No way, because they found out that two weeks was a bit too long! <\/p>\n

Three weeks with no meets \u2013 and nothing to fill the time. No major press conferences. No seminars. No athlete roasts. No Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. Nothing. Leaving the most fanatical of track fans going crazy. I\u2019ve had several friends call, just to talk about track because they\u2019re going nuts waiting!<\/p>\n

And unfortunately the topic that keeps coming up is the recent drug tests coming out of the Jamaican and U.S. Trials \u2013 Steve Mullings & Michael Rodgers! Which brings up another question: what took so long? How long does it take to get drug results back? I can tell you from my own experiences with companies where I\u2019ve had individuals tested that 24 \u2013 48 hours is quite common to expect to receive results \u2013 it\u2019s science but not rocket science! <\/p>\n

As a matter of fact, for those of you who remember Seoul in \u201888, Ben\u2019s samples were tested, he was notified, \u201cB\u201d sample tested, and he was removed from Seoul, DURING THE OLYMPICS! All within three days if memory serves me, because Carl Lewis went from 100 runner up, to gold medalist by the start of the rounds of the 200! <\/p>\n

This is a critical question, because the long lag creates many problems. For one the coaches should know within a reasonable amount of time who is and isn\u2019t on the team. Especially with respect to the relay pools as the 4×1 squads need as much time together as they can get. And one would think that the athletes should know \u2013 both those that will want to defend themselves in sufficient enough time to retain their positions, as well as  those that may be moved up from just missing the team to making the team. In either case their summer schedules could be greatly affected\/altered by knowing they are or aren\u2019t going to be competing at Worlds.<\/p>\n

Not to mention that, like the lag time between London and Daegu, this is another huge marketing fiasco in my opinion. Not only do you have a three week block with no activity in the sport before the biggest meet of the year, but you go into Daegu with everyone discussing drug suspensions! Who got popped. Who\u2019s now off the team, or maybe not off the team. Trying to schedule hurried hearings and get \u201cB\u201dsamples tested. Bottom line, the most audible topic prior to this year\u2019s World Championships is surrounding the drug issue \u2013 a topic that continues to hang like an anchor around the neck of this sport. An issue that should have been taken care of well before the European season hit full stride!<\/p>\n

See what happens when track fans get bored! So much for my intermission rant.<\/p>\n

Of course all is not doom and gloom. As I get back to looking at trying to predict the outcomes in Korea, there are many other questions. For example how is this long layoff going to affect the athletes? Will it benefit athletes that seemed to be struggling earlier with form\/fitness? Will the extra time help athletes on the mend from injuries or minor niggles? Or will those that had been riding the crest of a peak, now lose it?<\/p>\n

And the \u201cbreak\u201d aside, will this be the year that the African juggernaut in the distances gets broken up? Can Mo Farah and Bernard Lagat crash the distance party? Is Mitchell Watt ready for gold? And with both the U.S. and Jamaican relays disrupted personnel wise, who is the favorite? With nine days left, tomorrow I\u2019ll get back to trying to answer these and a few other questions before the starting gun goes off in Deagu.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today is August 18th. The last big meet on the circuit was in London back on August 5-6th. The World Championships are STILL a week and a half away \u2013 starting August 27th. Can someone tell me why we have such a LONG break before the World Championships? We\u2019re looking at a 3 week break with no track and field, smack dab in the middle of the European Circuit \u2013 the heart of the sport\u2019s most visible time of the year! We\u2019re talking about a marketing fiasco of the highest order. I\u2019m not sure how you sell the general public on watching your World Championships when your athletes are on the shelf for the better part of a month. Can you imagine the NFL waiting 3 weeks between the final playoff game and the Super Bowl? No way, because they found out that two weeks was a bit too long! Three weeks with no meets \u2013 and nothing to fill the time. No major press conferences. No seminars. No athlete roasts. No Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. Nothing. Leaving the most fanatical of track fans going crazy. I\u2019ve had several friends call, just to talk about track because they\u2019re going nuts waiting! And unfortunately the topic that keeps coming up is the recent drug tests coming out of the Jamaican and U.S. Trials \u2013 Steve Mullings & Michael Rodgers! Which brings up another question: what took so long? How long does it take to get drug results back? I can tell you from my own experiences with companies where I\u2019ve had individuals tested that 24 \u2013 48 hours is quite common to expect to receive results \u2013 it\u2019s science but not rocket science! As a matter of fact, for those of you who remember Seoul in \u201888, Ben\u2019s samples were tested, he was notified, \u201cB\u201d sample tested, and he was removed from Seoul, DURING THE OLYMPICS! All within three days if memory serves me, because Carl Lewis went from 100 runner up, to gold medalist by the start of the rounds of the 200! This is a critical question, because the long lag creates many problems. For one the coaches should know within a reasonable amount of time who is and isn\u2019t on the team. Especially with respect to the relay pools as the 4×1 squads need as much time together as they can get. And one would think that the athletes should know \u2013 both those that will want to defend themselves in sufficient enough time to retain their positions, as well as  those that may be moved up from just missing the team to making the team. In either case their summer schedules could be greatly affected\/altered by knowing they are or aren\u2019t going to be competing at Worlds. Not to mention that, like the lag time between London and Daegu, this is another huge marketing fiasco in my opinion. Not only do you have a three week block with no activity in the sport before the biggest meet of the year, but you go into Daegu with everyone discussing drug suspensions! Who got popped. Who\u2019s now off the team, or maybe not off the team. Trying to schedule hurried hearings and get \u201cB\u201dsamples tested. Bottom line, the most audible topic prior to this year\u2019s World Championships is surrounding the drug issue \u2013 a topic that continues to hang like an anchor around the neck of this sport. An issue that should have been taken care of well before the European season hit full stride! See what happens when track fans get bored! So much for my intermission rant. Of course all is not doom and gloom. As I get back to looking at trying to predict the outcomes in Korea, there are many other questions. For example how is this long layoff going to affect the athletes? Will it benefit athletes that seemed to be struggling earlier with form\/fitness? Will the extra time help athletes on the mend from injuries or minor niggles? Or will those that had been riding the crest of a peak, now lose it? And the \u201cbreak\u201d aside, will this be the year that the African juggernaut in the distances gets broken up? Can Mo Farah and Bernard Lagat crash the distance party? Is Mitchell Watt ready for gold? And with both the U.S. and Jamaican relays disrupted personnel wise, who is the favorite? With nine days left, tomorrow I\u2019ll get back to trying to answer these and a few other questions before the starting gun goes off in Deagu.<\/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-555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa3DCY-8X","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2685,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=2685","url_meta":{"origin":555,"position":0},"title":"What’s Next?","author":"CHill","date":"July 31, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"This is a different kind of season with the World Championships being held in the middle of July. Usually the championship meet is at the end of the season. September, maybe late August in an early year. Leaving a lot of track season out there left to be run. So,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Commonwealth Games\"","block_context":{"text":"Commonwealth Games","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?tag=commonwealth-games"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trackchill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/6B8E235B-830F-4861-93D3-7B66B5A82440-150x150.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2897,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=2897","url_meta":{"origin":555,"position":1},"title":"Understand the Assignment","author":"CHill","date":"May 13, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The World Relays has come and gone, with a lot of \"unexpected\" finishes left in its wake. After watching the races and the comments made during and after the event, I've come to the conclusion that a lot of people really don't understand the purpose of the meet - including\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"World Athletics\"","block_context":{"text":"World Athletics","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?tag=world-athletics"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trackchill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/2A6245A3-AA6C-4120-AF41-52A4ACA1A12A-150x150.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":399,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=399","url_meta":{"origin":555,"position":2},"title":"ABC\u2019s of the 2010 Season","author":"CHill","date":"September 15, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"A \u2013 Ashton Eaton emerged as a major player in the decathlonB \u2013 Bershawn Jackson, back to form and dominant in the 400 hurdlesC \u2013 Chris, as in Chris Solinsky and Christian Cantwell both looking good heading into 2011D \u2013 David, as in Rudisha and Oliver, the two most dominating\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 1 comment","block_context":{"text":"With 1 comment","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=399#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"BERLIN - AUGUST 22: David Lekuta Rudisha of Kenya celebrates the victory and the new world record in the men's 800m during the IAAF World Challenge ISTAF 2010 at the Olympic Stadium on August 22, 2010 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Boris Streubel\/Bongarts\/Getty Images)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/view4.picapp.com\/pictures.photo\/image\/9579785\/istaf-2010-iaaf-world\/istaf-2010-iaaf-world.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":611,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=611","url_meta":{"origin":555,"position":3},"title":"Is London 2017 a Game Changer?","author":"CHill","date":"November 15, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"This week the IAAF announcedthat London will be host to the 2017 edition of the World Track and Field Championships. Interestingly enough, they will follow Beijing who will host in 2015, just as they follow Beijing as host of the Olympic Games (2008). So the question I\u2019m asking myself today\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"London\"","block_context":{"text":"London","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?tag=london"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":406,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=406","url_meta":{"origin":555,"position":4},"title":"My Vision For the World Championships","author":"CHill","date":"October 5, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Yes, I know it\u2019s October and we just had the opening ceremonies for the Commonwealth Games.\u00a0 But with the majority of top line athletes missing from the Commonwealth, my mind can\u2019t help but fast forward to the next gathering of the world\u2019s best athletes \u2013 the World Championships in Daegu.\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 5 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 5 comments","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=406#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"BERLIN - AUGUST 23: South Korean dancers perform during the Closing Ceremony during day nine of the 12th IAAF World Athletics Championships at the Olympic Stadium on August 23, 2009 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Martin Rose\/Bongarts\/Getty Images)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/view1.picapp.com\/pictures.photo\/image\/6136639\/12th-iaaf-world-athletics\/12th-iaaf-world-athletics.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":115,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=115","url_meta":{"origin":555,"position":5},"title":"Track Shorts","author":"CHill","date":"March 4, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Plans to upgrade the \"Golden League\" to a new \"Diamond League\" were announce this past week. Beginning in 2010, it will expand the current race series to include meets outside of Europe with stops in China, the United States and perhaps Doha, Qatar. With locations still to be solidified the\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/555","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=555"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/555\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}