Any track and field stars here?

[Scarlet Fire]

Just wondering, as I just got home from practice. What events did you do?

I'm doing four events this year. Javelin, Discus, Long jump, and High jump. I did Jav and Disc last year, and I did a little but of High jump, but this will be my first year doing Long jump.

High jump is by far my favorite, though. Something about knowing that I can jump over the freshman at my school is very satisfying.

[aborgman]

Originally Posted by Scarlet Fire

Just wondering, as I just got home from practice. What events did you do?

I'm doing four events this year. Javelin, Discus, Long jump, and High jump. I did Jav and Disc last year, and I did a little but of High jump, but this will be my first year doing Long jump.

High jump is by far my favorite, though. Something about knowing that I can jump over the freshman at my school is very satisfying.

Not since High School...

In HS I did:

100m, 200m, 400m, 400m relay, 800m relay, 1600m relay, 110m High Hurdles, 300m intermediate hurdles, high jump, long jump, and discus.

Personal bests include:

Long Jump - 19'4"
High Jump - 6'4"
Disc - 126'
400m - 54.7

[sublimestylee]

I did shotput and discus, football coach sorta made me and the linemen do it to stay and shape, and not sit home and eat and be fattys... i was pretty good at shot put, i was throwing the 12lb 50' and almost made it to state my last 2 years of high school

[5andFretless]

HS and College I ran the 1/4 mile. Now...

http://www.weendure.com/user/MarkMcCain

I run a lot slower, but also a lot farther.

[peterbright]

Sure...I can get to the fridge in 3.2 seconds.

[Thor]

For a HS of 500, we had a great track team. Our X-C team
won the Sectional Championship in NY my senior year. Dual
meets were 8-0. (Football team unfortunately went 0-8).

We were limited in how many events you could compete in
back then, it was only 1 running event and one field event.
I understand that has changed. I spent a few summers in
Scandinavia in HS, and ran every event the team needed.
400, 800, 1500, 3000m, 3000 steeplechase, 5k and 10k.

I did the high jump. My best was 5'6". No big deal.

At my recent HS reunion, I was shocked to find out that I still
hold 3 school records.

50.1 - 440 yd ( should be a 49.9 400m) 1970
Sprint Medley Relay (440,220,220, 880) 3:38.8 1970 (I ran the 440)
Distance Medley 10:52.8 IIRC that is 3/4, 440,880,Mile.
I ran the half.

Also, we picked up 2 medals at the NY Relays, which I am
pretty proud of. 1968 we had a bronze there in the distance
medley. That was the record above.

In 1970 we took a Gold in the Sprint Medley there.
Don't have the time logged though. The record above
was set at the Arlington Relays in Arlington NY in May 1970 iirc.

Other personal bests were 4:28 mile, 1:52 880. That was Freshman
and Sophomore years. Junior and Senior years I ran the 440.

I just seems really weird that those records should stand for
38 to 40 years. But the best guy on our team won the NY
State XC meet, and I wasn't that that far behind him. That
guy is now a vet and part time track coach in Maine.

Did I mention that we didn't have a track to practice on? We
ran up and down Rte 9 Broadway in Westchester. We also
ran around the school driveway and a dirt path around the
football practice field. Shin splints galore.

Anyway, for a small school we had great talent and a great
coach.

A bunch of us got together and bought a bronze plaque for
our old coach, he is in his 70's now, and had it mounted in
his honor at our old High School. We had over 100 people
contribute money to do this that were coached by him for almost
35 years. That was 2 years ago.

We all felt our coach had made a big difference in our lives.
The football coaches OTOH, always told me I had 'Bad
Attitude'. Wonder why that was?

Edit: I should mention that I was also coached by and
trained with my older brother. He was always a bit better
than me. He ran throughout college (I didn't, I had had enough)
and in 1972 he competed in the Olympic Games in Munich in the
800 meters represent Iceland. He was seeded in the same qualifying
heat as Dave Wottle, who later won the Gold Medal in a stunning
upset in the 800 meter finals. Nice to have access to
great coaches. Bro got knocked out in the first heat, but heck, he
got to go.

[Stu L.]

I ran the 300m hurdles, did the high jump and triple jump. I also did cross country in h/s as basketball off season. My personal best was a 6.15 mile as a sophmore.

[TallLankyBastyd]

I can spend hours just sitting around as I TRACK those little floaters going across my FIELD of vision.

But then... that probably doesn't really count for anything.

[smperry]

I have asthma and couldn't run fast even if I were being chased by a pit bull...but my father was an accomplished sprinter. He set a world record in the 60 yard dash (5.9 seconds) in 1965. Here's a link from a short article in the Times years ago:
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpag...53C1A963958260
Although it's a little misleading in that he broke the record in 1965, the previous one of 6.0 seconds held by Ben Johnson. I still have and wear the watch that he received when he got the 5.9.

Marshall

[ADbassman]

I was a pole vaulter, though I wasn't particularly good at it. I think my personal best is somewhere around 10 feet.

[spade2you]

Originally Posted by smperry

I have asthma and couldn't run fast even if I were being chased by a pit bull...but my father was an accomplished sprinter. He set a world record in the 60 yard dash (5.9 seconds) in 1965. Here's a link from a short article in the Times years ago:
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpag...53C1A963958260
Although it's a little misleading in that he broke the record in 1965, the previous one of 6.0 seconds held by Ben Johnson. I still have and wear the watch that he received when he got the 5.9.

Marshall

I feel your pain. I could have never dreamed of any of that and had asthma since I could remember until I was about 22 or 23. With persistence and dedication, I can run a sub 5 minute mile and am an avid cyclist. Taking the right asthma/allergy medications and some serious dedication paid off. I went on a 40 mile ride with a local Trek team on a day with 45mph gusts and did jussst fine.

[smperry]

Originally Posted by spade2you

I feel your pain. I could have never dreamed of any of that and had asthma since I could remember until I was about 22 or 23. With persistence and dedication, I can run a sub 5 minute mile and am an avid cyclist. Taking the right asthma/allergy medications and some serious dedication paid off. I went on a 40 mile ride with a local Trek team on a day with 45mph gusts and did jussst fine.

Yeah, I'm on daily asthma meds too. I rode a bike from San Francisco to LA a few years ago, so I get by. Even if my breathing were perfect, I'd be a poor runner though. That's what my dad gets for naming me after him.

Back on topic...anyone who throws a discus, pole vaults, or does high or long jumps is a BA in my book. It all just looks cool.

M

[Mark Wilson]

I haven't done track since grade 9.
but, when I started in grade 4, I could clear 1.12 Meters.
I probably should've stuck with that...I could've been meeting Allison Stokke!!!

[hbarcat]

Yes, I am a track and field star.




Oh wait.. That other thing........

No.

[rstansfield64]

In high school I ran 110m hurdles, 300m hurdles, 4x100m relay, and 4x400m relay.

PR's were 15.3 in the 110's, 50.0 in the 300's, and was All State my senior year in the 4x100. We broke the school record but for the life of me I can't remember the time.

It is funny how long some track records can hold for. My dad still has records at his high school from the late '70's.

[tbrannon]

High school and College-

200, 400, LJ, TJ, 4x100, 4x400

[Thor]

Hey, I found pics. Set the wayback machine to 1968!!!

First pic is the baton pass from a senior named Gene to me
during a relay.

Second pic is the New York relays bronze medal plaque. I am
on the upper left, our coach, and Gene N. to my right.

Below left is Ed B, team captain and right is Steve H.,
who was one of NY states top runners that year. Ed B
and I are still friends and we talk on a regular basis.
He now runs marathons and half marathons. I run to the
store for groceries, that's about it.

[Scarlet Fire]

Glad to see that track shorts haven't gotten any longer in 40 years.


First meet of the year is coming up in two weeks. I'm getting pumped.


High jump needs some work, though. Last year we were a class C team, this year we're class B, meaning the starting height is a lot higher.

[Thor]

Originally Posted by Scarlet Fire

Glad to see that track shorts haven't gotten any longer in 40 years.

Those are actually long shorts, I just happen to sport a 36"
inseam. so that makes them look short by
comparison.

[dave64o]

I ran spring track all four years and added cross country and winter track my sophomore, junior, and senior years. I graduated in 1982 and at that time high school track in this area was just starting to convert from English to metric, so sometimes I ran 880s and sometimes 800, etc. and I no longer remember which of my times were for which distances.

My bests in individual races were:

440y/400m - 54 (I didn't have sprinter speed, hardly ran this distance)
880y/800m - 2:01
mile/1600m - 4:37
2 mile/3200m - 10:12

I did run a 4:32 1600 split in a distance medley in an indoor championship meet and we set a school record for that event in that race. I wish I could remember the time we ran, but I know it stood for somewhere between 10 and 15 years. I was talking to one of my friends at my 15 year reunion in 1997 and he told me he heard it was finally broken in the recent past.

My best 5K time on a cross country course was in the low 16's but a) I can no longer remember the exact time, b) it was cross country so the time doesn't compare well to times in a track event, and c) I can't say how accurate the course measurement was.

You'd never guess by looking at me today that I was a distance runner back then. I graduated high school weighing 128 lbs. and I'm now weigh 200 lbs. I started lifting weights a few years after getting out of college and did a pretty major bulk-up, but I'd still say about half of what I gained since then is simply middle-aged blubber.