Tuesday Morning Thoughts
The first really big outdoor mark of the year came in The Woodlands this past weekend as Alex Neff ran 9:03.33 in front of the home crowd. That's one of the best marks in state history and perhaps the best ever run this early in the year. I can't wait to see this young man race later in the season.
The first really big weekend of results hit and again, as always, most meets do not provide results. I still have to get the majority of results from other sources -- or I don't get them at all. Getting results after Sunday makes it really hard because I have to work on them in the early morning hours (4 am yesterday and 6 am this morning) after giving up my Sunday morning to post results. I don't know if coaches don't understand or just don't care that sending in results several days after the meet puts a huge burden on me
Why do most coaches still report hand times in hundredths? The rule book specifically states that they should be rounded up to the next 10th, but this is almost never done. I know it makes athletes look faster, but essentially it is lying about about times. Every time I travel to other states, people ask why do coaches in Texas do that? College coaches learned years ago that Texas sprint times are not accurate and it hurts our athletes because colleges do not believe any performance made outside of major meets.
Another pet peeve of mine is measuring discus throws in fractions of an inch. The rules state that they should be measured to the nearest lesser inch, but marks are still reported in dozens of meets every week with fractions. This is really easy for meet directors to correct, but it doesn't get done.
Three years I noticed that the discus was being mismeasured at the Border Olympics in Laredo. After the competition was over, I went over to the head official and asked him why. He said that was the way they'd always done. I explained that the rules say that it should be done differently. He looked at me angrily and said, "What rules are those? United South rules?" There's nothing like an ignorant official acting like a jerk, too! Of course, the last two years he has continued to do the same thing. Obviously he has never bothered to read a rule book yet he is in charge of the event at the Border Olympics. I'll be curious to see if he does it again this year.
Speaking of the Border Olympics, this is still one of my favorite events to attend. While the performances are far below what it used to be, the competition is great and the meet organziers really try to host a great meet. The growth of collegiate indoor programs pretty much killed it as the big outdoor season opener for most Texas schools and the violence just across the border in Mexico hasn't helped. I have many good friends there and I know they work very hard on this meet.
