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Another 1968 Olympic Book by Richard Hoffer, Journalist

When you think of the Political Olympics, you immediately think of 1936 & 1972.  Some may include 1968 “up there” in the ranks.  While you`re at it, add 1980 and 1984.  Heck, add Montreal 1976 with the African boycott and the whole Taiwan mess.
That is why Ben Johnson’s 1988 Seoul race was so special.  For […]

Good Luck and Bad Luck Superstitions - the Olympic 1952 110mH

Do you have any Track and Field Superstitions?  Hallowe’en is around the corner!
I used to always wear black and yellow sweat pants and sweatshirts.  Why?  Because they are the colours of a Tiger.  The last time I checked, tigers were fast animals.  (I stole the idea from a Rocky movie)
I also wore a T-shirt of […]

How to Increase Indoor Track Attendance & TV Coverage

I have an idea on how to increase the indoor Track and Field attendance, as well as TV coverage… chase after obscure World Records.  That is, chase after WRs set in Yards from over 25 years ago.
A recent case of this type of marketing was the special 500 yards WR setup for Jearl Miles-Clark, […]

Asafa Powell and Carmelita Jeter - Peak Training Age

Can you imagine having a 17 year old male sprinter on your team who runs 11.45 for 100 meters, then the following year as a Junior he runs 10.50.  10.30 is the IAAF “A” standard so you dare to write him off as “Nah, he’ll never be a world class sprinter” kind of attitude.  Would […]

Differences in Maximal Speed Running between Baseball Players and Sprinters

With the World Series in full swing (no pun intended), I couldn’t help but notice how baseball players run “slightly different” than Track and Field sprinters.
I’ve often argued that in a 40 yard dash test, technical changes are required just to cover the distance in 36.8 meters.  The starting position is a good example.  You […]

400 Meter Training Tips from Bill Bowerman

Bill Bowerman is more famous for co-founding NIKE and coaching long distance runners, but he did coach sprinters and field events.  I covered Harry Jerome and Otis Davis in previous articles.
From his book Bill Bowerman’s High-Performance Training for Track and Field (Third Edition) he compares the training patterns of Stan Wright, Jim Bush, and John […]

The Return of Konami Track and Field Arcade Game

Who was a teenager or young adult during the 1980”s? 
Who remembers spending countless quarters on the Konami Track and Field Video arcade game?
What techniques did you use to hit the buttons at a rapid-fire rate?  Cadence was the key! Some even used a flat pencil back and forth to hit the two buttons.
I remember […]

More Natural Painkillers - MSM and Celadrin

I am currently based about 40 minutes north of Rome in a town called Nepi.
Nepi is famous for their natural bubbly spring water (Acqua di Nepi) where locals can bring their empty bottles and fill them up for free between the hours of 2-6pm.  The bubbly water tastes like Perrier but the price is right.  […]

Adidas Super 7 - How Did They Do?

I love the world of sports marketing, branding, and world dominance.  And yes, I follow their commercials.
The Adidas Super 7 series of videos were filmed in March 2009.
I purposely waited until the Berlin Marathon to post this.  Haile Gebrselassie won the 2009 Berlin Marathon in 2:06:08 setting a new 30 km world record (unofficial) of […]

Bahamas Track and Field - From Vancouver To Athens

On September 28, 2009, a new book titled “From Vancouver To Athens (1954-2004)”.by Alpheus ‘Hawk’ Finlayson will be released in Bahamas.
Why 1954?
Because the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
The first British Empire Games were held in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada in 1930, and it was renamed to simply “Commonwealth […]

Who wins? Kenenisa Bekele vs. Usain Bolt at 600 meters

Donovan Bailey and Michael Johnson – step aside…
Why on earth would Kenenisa Bekele and Usain Bolt race each other at 600 meters is beyond me.  If anything, it would help promote Bekele as he is not a household name as compared to Bolt, despite his amazing accomplishments.  If you don’t believe me, just go to […]

Otis Davis, 1960 400 meter and 4×400m Olympic Champion

In my last article about the Harry Jerome, Bill Bowerman and the University of Oregon connection, I didn’t mention Otis Davis, the Rome 1960 400 meter and USA 4×400m Olympic Champion.
I am currently in Rome, so there is a special connection every time I visit the Rome Olympic Stadium, whether it’s for the Rome Golden […]

Proposal to the IAAF - Scheduling the 100 200 400 for Usain Bolt

If Usain Bolt runs the 400 meters in 2010 or 2011 as promised, and sets the WR in the process, he might consider running the 100, 200, 400 and 4×100m relay all in the same Olympics to achieve his 4 Gold medal dream.  He will achieve iconic status if he accomplishes this incredible feat.
To beat […]

I Love Track and Field, but This is Ridiculous

Thoughts on the post 2009 World Championships in Berlin
I love Track and Field (Athletics to the rest of the world) primarily for one reason.  With the Track running events, the first person to cross the line is the winner. 
Usually.
In the Winter Olympics, all but one event is either a time-trial or a judging event.  […]

Video Casting – Comparing YouTube, Blip.tv, Viddler, Vimeo and now Dartfish.tv

By the time I hit “publish” on this article, it will already be out of date.
The online video casting industry changes by the minute.
It wasn’t long ago when YouTube (now owned by Google) was the only player in town.
I was an early adopter and beta tester for Blip.tv, and will continue to use their services […]

Pole Vault World Records should be Modified

Watching the Men’s Pole vault with an injured Steve Hooker inspired me to write this article.

In the past article on Technological Innovations in Track and Field,  I forgot to mention the Pole vault standards that support the bar were changed from 76mm to 55mm.
We are talking about the days of super dominant Sergey Bubka from […]

2009 World Track and Field Championships - Half-time Report

Here are some thoughts and opinions from the 2009 World Championships in Berlin “half-time report”.
As usual, I’ll try to focus on coaching and training concepts.
Starting Blocks – Back to the Low Blocks
Track and Field at the elite level has gone back and forth from low blocks to high blocks during the last 3 decades.
With the […]

Move over Matt Bogdanowicz, here comes Alicia Weber!

When Speedendurance covered Matt Bogdanowicz’s World Record attempts, a lot of you were wondering who set the equivalent WR for a women?
As you know, my good friend Matt is also a sub-Masters middle distance runner who set WR for 1 minute pull-ups (46), 1 hour pull-ups (522), 30 minute pull-ups (433 set in 2006) but […]

Usain Bolt London Grand Prix Video

Usain Bolt at the Aviva London Grand Prix Video

How fast will Usain Bolt run?

His past performances in Manchester, Toronto, Lausanne and Paris were all in less than ideal conditions for world records, notably, rain and headwind.

It’s pretty scary to think a 9.79 and 19.59 were set in non-perfect conditions. And his reaction times were […]

Simon Fraser University joins NCAA Div II

Last week, Simon Fraser University (SFU) in Burnaby, BC is the first Canadian university to be admitted to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).  For the past 35 years, it competed under the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).
As much as I would have preferred “Div I” status, it will compete under Division II.  The […]

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