#1 Track and Field Fantasy

[spammer]

What would your number one track and field fantasy be. It could be anything. Mine would be if they changed the Men's 100m dash to a 110m dash. You would never have anyone break 10 seconds. Just have them start where the hurdlers start.

[gh]

Not my No. 1, but along that line I'd rather they cut the hurdles to 100m so there's a direct comparison between running on the flat and over barriers.

[skyin' brian]

sticking with the high hurdles theme, i think it would be great to have hurdles at random intervals. It isn't fair that the current set up favors a specific natural stride length.

This actually happened at one of my college meets and my roommate would have won the 60m race with the incorrect placements. When they re-ran, he didn't do as well. We were a DIII school agains some DI competition that day so he was a bit out matched as far as speed, but I still contend that he was truly the best hurdler there that day.

I have some other slightly track related fantasies, but I'll keep those to myself since I'm not sure if my wife would approve.

[aaronk]

Oh, so many!!
I can't limit it to just one!
So here's a list, with #1 in the #1 (sic!!) position:

1. Do away with the 1600 and 3200 in HS races, and return to the full 1 and 2 mile distances!

2. Extend all....or at least MOST.....of the 3000 races to two miles, but time all runners enroute at 3000.

3. Not allow ANY times run on oversize tracks to be considered as records, best-evers, or to be included on ANY lists.....unless clearly designated as NOT being a legitimate time!! To this end, do NOT allow ANY times run on OT's as qualifiers for championships meets, or trials.

4. Clearly differentiate between the indoor and outdoor seasons on EVERY list. Do NOT include ANY indoor times on any outdoor list. SEPARATE the seasons!!

5. Bring back monthly lists in T&FN print edition. Bring back the print edition of the Track Newsletter, even if it costs more than $100 per year!

6. Offer more event choices in the DL meets. Keep the same ones for point-getting purposes, but ADD additional events to offer more chances to compete to more athletes.

7. Offer more 5000 and 10000 chances for HS athletes, boys and girls, to compete in. Ditto with the 3000 steeplechase, and the international weight throws!!

Gee, I guess there's only seven!!

These may not be classified as fantasies, but more as wishes and hopes!!

Fantasies??
Um, they're mostly unprintable in a family-oriented forum such as this!!

[eldanielfire]

I'd love a 3000 flat to be available as well as the Steeplechase at the OG and WCs.

I'd also love the pentathalon to come back as a one day event at OG and WC.

[az2004]

aronnk, 1500 or 3000 in place of 1600 anf 3200

make all events in usa, global in common

i prefer the combined be a 10 eventer, would not mind the 5 eventer too

[huntinwr]

More relays in Olympics like 4x800 and DMR so sprinters wouldn't always have a monopoly on multiple golds.

[eldanielfire]

aronnk, 1500 or 3000 in place of 1600 anf 3200

make all events in usa, global in common

i prefer the combined be a 10 eventer, would not mind the 5 eventer too

Interestingly I prefer the 7 eventer to the 10. I don't know if that's because I'm more interesting in female athletics or the Dec is an event or two too far when you don't have a genuine medal interest. However I wouldn't take the Dec away from the men and I'd love to see us have two multi-events in the elite championships a 1 day one (Pent) and a two day one (Hep and Dec).

huntinWR, again I'd agree in wanting to see another longer relay. A 4x800m or4x1000m would be a monster and not be the usual dull automatic North American medal.

[Dave]

I would like to see weekly national class indoor meets during the season with monthly national class heptathlon competitions.I would like to see Hardee and Eaton mix it up at least once a month in the winter and summer.

I would like to see a strong dis incentive for the best runners to duck each other. Make the big bucks dependent on people competing against and beating the the very best in their events often enough for people to care about these rivalries. (You did say fantasy didn't you?)

[exdrake]

1. As another said above--I'd love to see WC & Oly DMRs

2. I'd love to see the best marathoners in the world actually care to compete in the World Champs to un-dilute th quality of medaling there (and, of course, the sheer competition)

3. Echoing #2...see the best 7 U.S. xc runners biannually go to world cross in all the various divisions (by participating in nationals and taking the slots)

[ExCoastRanger]

Well let's see. There's me, a women's 4X100, soft music, dim lights....

[Flumpy]

Merlene wins the 200m in 1996.

[79.]

A healthy Tommie SMITH runs the 400m and also the 4X100m and 4x400m in Mexico 1968...
Four Gold medals, four fabulous World records!!! He remains the 400m WRman in 42"94...

[az2004]

i like the dmr and 4X8 idea

kenya in dmr kiprop kiplagat rudisha in 400 and 800 kitum

4X8

rudisha kitum rotich and konsencha

usa dmr has a chance

centrowizc rupp symmonds merrit

4X8

solomon symmonds robinson jock

[ExRun]

Track and Field to become as popular in the US as it is in Europe. All races streamed live for free and accessible on the internet!

[eldanielfire]

Merlene wins the 200m in 1996.

I thought you were strongly against athletes who had drug taints? Marie-José as far as I'm aware is as clean as the best of them and has given back to the sport since.

[drdan]

Am sure there are all manner of technical reasons against it, but I'd love to see mixed gender 4x400m relays: 2 women, 2 men per team, no rules about who runs which leg.

On the mixed gender thing, I really liked what they did in the Archery at London2012: rather than having all the women's heats then all the men's heats (or semis or finals), they did them interchangeably. So the first round was three women's matches, then three men's then three women's etc. Would be great to see that in, say, the sprints: two men's heats, two women's heats etc.

I'd also like to see someone the IAAF magically turn into something like the ATP/WTA and contract the athletes to turn up to, like 80% of DL/GP meetings, rather than the occasional Usain Bolt v whichever b-list sprinters the organisers could afford with what they had left over after giving him a trillion dollars to turn up.

(I realise that of all of these the IAAF one is the most laughably farfetched)

[drdan]

Track and Field to become as popular in the US as it is in Europe. All races streamed live for free and accessible on the internet!

Now *that's* fantasy!

[26mi235]

4X8

solomon symmonds robinson jock

No love for Sowinski?

[Flumpy]

Merlene wins the 200m in 1996.

I thought you were strongly against athletes who had drug taints? Marie-José as far as I'm aware is as clean as the best of them and has given back to the sport since.

We're so not going there again.

I adore Mary -jo. She's my 3rd favourite athlete of all time but has enough Olympic golds.The Queen has 0

[Brian]

I thought we were done discussing Favor-Hamilton...?

:]

Oh, the question was what.

Well, in that case, NO RABBITS.

Preems instead, maybe, if there must be something to keep people honest.
.

[bushop]

#1. US moves to the international age-group throwing implements.

[Fortius19]

Fantasy?

Every eligible T&F athlete in the history of the Olympics is able to compete to the best of their ability in the Games.

i.e. no world wars, no boycotts, no injuries, no falls, no cheating...

[GHM]

1. Remove all world words and start all over again. Never it is going to happen.

2. World indoor with strange distances and events: 300m, 500/600m, 1000m, 2000m, and 4000m. High jump and long jump combine, Shot and weight combine.

3. Ten man Deca team competition: I would like to see top eight teams enter in 10 person Deca. Each country has one athlete in each event. All events are done in one set. 100m first after a few minutes 8 long jumpers go at it and so on. Done by the end of the day with 8 person 1500m.

It is not going to save track and field though.

GHM