From The Editor

THE TRACK WORLD has only so much room for ranting and raving, so T&FN doesn’t allow its editor, E. Garry Hill, to run off at the fingers every month. But perhaps you’ll enjoy hearing the babble he puts up several times a year. The opinions he expresses—needless to say—reflect his personal point of view, not necessarily that of the rest of the editorial staff, and are in no way meant to be construed as company policy.

The editor unabashedly admits that he’s an elitist (the higher the level of achievement the more he likes it) and that his prime interest in the sport is for the professional side of things. And more than anything else, he seeks to ensure that the presentation of the sport keeps it a viable entity on the crowded modern sporting field. Recent, and not so recent, pontifications:

Issue Topic
March 2023 Happy Birthday To Us! (in which, gh steps down as Editor)
February 2023 Remembering Bob Hersh
2022
November 2022 10 Ways To Enhance Your Enjoyment Of The Sport
October 2022 Did ’22 Confirm The Feasibility Of An Even-Year Worlds?
September 2022 They Call It TrackTown USA For A Reason
August 2022 It’s Time To Fill Those Empty Lanes
July 2022 A Look At The World Champs Meet Records
June 2022 The False Start Rule Revisited
May 2022 And With The First Pick In The 2022 gh Draft…
April 2022 Where Are The Best Seats At A Track Meet?
March 2022 USATF’s Split Nationals Is A Good Thing
February 2022 The Jesse Owens Challenge
January 2022 The Return Of The Rankings
2021
December 2021 What Am I Thankful For?
November 2021 Random Thoughts From An Olympic Year
October 2021 2021 To 2025: A 5-Year Thrill Ride
September 2021 Watching The Games From Afar
August 2021 It’s Time To Fill Those Empty Lanes
July 2021 An NCAA Anniversary That Wasn’t
June 2021 WA’s Hall Of Fame Still Stuck In Neutral
May 2021 What’s Your Favorite Olympic Men’s 1500?
April 2021 Why Does WA Undervalue NCAA Competition?
March 2021 High-Tech Shoes: Evolution Or Revolution?
February 2021 T&FN’s Publication Schedule Returns To Normal
January 2021 What? There’s No 2020 World Rankings?!
2020
November/December 2020 Who Makes This Year’s Podium?
September/October 2020 The Diamond League Gets Creative
July/August 2020 What Kind Of A Fan Are You?
May/June 2020 What If All The Olympics Were Shunted By A Year?
March/April 2020 So What’s Up With T&FN?
February 2020 Is Shoe Technology Moving Too Fast?
January 2020 The Decade’s World Records Revisited
2019
December 2019 Landmark! This Is T&FN Edition No. 900
November 2019 Thoughts On The Diamond League Contraction
October 2019 That’s How A Season Should End!… Or Is It?
September 2019 4 Decades Of World Championships Memories
August 2019 Timing Of U.S. Trials Meets Still Not Right
July 2019 The U.S. Still Needs Summer Meets In 2019
June 2019 Say Farewell To IAAF, Hello To… WA?!
May 2019 In Praise Of The Legendary RLQ
April 2019 The 400 Is A Great Race… But It Could Be Better
March 2019 Call me a heretic, but the IAAF’s Diamond League
tightening might actually be the right move
February 2019 So who is the G.O.A.T. of men’s track & field?
January 2019 Is the IAAF being innovative in the right places?
2018
December 2018 After 50 years, my favorite Annual Edition ever
November 2018 The IAAF rankings run into a roadblock
October 2018 The dichotomy that was Mexico ’68
September 2018 The mixed-sex relay, firecracker or fizzle?
August 2018 The U.S. needs summer meets in 2019
July 2018 Maybe you can tell the players without a program
June 2018 As always, the athletes ride to the rescue
May 2018 I missed a major anniversary
April 2018 A leaner, meaner fighting machine? Is that what we might see
from Diamond League 2.0?
March 2018 My first track memory is of Roger Bannister
February 2018 When a record isn’t a record… or is only sort of a record
January 2018 Welcome to a brave new (digital) world, episode 1
2017
December 2017 Will we be singing the off-year blues in 2018? (aka, why not
a World Champs?)
November 2017 The state of the sport: maybe it is broken, and those fixing
it deserve recognition for it
October 2017 To keep track & field viable, presentation is everything
September 2017 Heretical thought: is it more fun watching track on your computer?
August 2017 The IAAF’s Hall Of Fame still doesn’t have nearly enough members
July 2017 Seb Coe wants innovation & bravery? How about the sprint
straightaway on the infield?
June 2017 I too was in favor of a new World Records list… 17 years ago
May 2017 2017 is not going to be one of those dreaded Olympic Hangover
years: here’s 6 reasons why
April 2017 Usain Bolt has had multiple triples, but think about Carl Lewis’s
quads, both real and potential
March 2017 In the Diamond League, all events are no longer created equal
February 2017 With the 2016 version, T&FN’s World Rankings are now 70
years-old. Here’s a look back at ’56, ’66, ’76, ’86, ’96 & ‘06
January 2017 When did “tactical” become a dirty word?
2016
December 2016 My favorite women’s races ever, event-by-event
November 2016 My favorite men’s races ever, event-by-event
October 2016 Are field-event rounds 4 & 5 really necessary? Well, yes
and no…
September 2016 The 8 Questions I Most Want Answered In Rio
August 2016 Somebody actually listened to me for once! (An upgrade in signboard
presentation)
July 2016 It’s time for another look at the false start rules
June 2016 This restaurant features healthy doses of speed
May 2016 Meets tend to be unkind to those who think of our sport as field
& track
April 2016 If ever a sport needed a Darwinian pruning, it’s ours— sorry
about that
March 2016 What to do about track & field’s demographics problem?
February 2016 The OT & OG qualifying standards aren’t doing athletes any
favors
January 2016 My story and I’m sticking to it: I’m 1-0 lifetime in races against
Seb Coe
2015
December 2015 10 ways to increase your enjoyment of the sport
November 2015 Team USA’s stunning lack of seasonal bests in Beijing points
yet another finger at the bad timing of the USATF Championships
September 2015 I can’t remember the last time I was so excited for the summer
season
August 2015 Both of the IAAF presidential candidates are talking about calendar
reform… yesss!
July 2015 The best part about going to a track meet is visiting with your
like-minded friends
June 2015 Will the split-sex NCAA Championships dramatically improve the
product?
May 2015 I’m still in favor of 3 World Championships in every quadrennium
April 2015 Is there a way to transfer the magic of the vertical jumps to
the other field events?
March 2015 The IAAF’s new World Championships qualifying system: are we
actually going to end up missing the old hell of A-B qualifiers?
February 2015 So what if we had no choice but to cut Olympic events?
January 2015 It’s already time for USATF to be thinking about the timing
of its 2019 Nationals
2014
December 2014 Eugene’s biggest strength for a WC bid? The locals actually
care
November 2014 2015 Diamond League: 5 meets in 14 days in May/June? 0 meets
in August?
October 2014 A big-league sport can’t survive if its biggest names aren’t
going head-to-head
September 2014 Is it time to revisit the no-false-start rule?
August 2014 The World Relays was awesome, but it can be awesomer
July 2014 Do you remember your first sub-4:00 mile viewing?
June 2014 Incomprehensibly, the IAAF has made the spectacle of the jumpoff less likely to happen
May 2014 You can disrespect the rights of the athletes for only so long
April 2014 After Albuquerque, is it time to start thinking about a separate
federation for the pros?
March 2014 Hang in there, U.S. throwers—the USATF Foundation cavalry is
on the way!
February 2014 Thoughts on how our Athlete Of The Year process works
January 2014 The IAAF & USATF Halls Of Fame need more members
2013
December 2013 If we thought the IAAF’s A/B qualifying system was confusing,
might the new A-only be worse?
November 2013 Personal highlights of each of the 14 World Championships to
date
September 2013 The stuff of dreams: Adam Nelson got a do-over of his ’04 Olympic
victory ceremony
July 2013 Reflections on seeing the NCAA Champs in 5 decades
June 2013 It’s not easy to be a fan of NCAA track & field
May 2013 New/upgraded U.S. meets: a ray of hope for domestic competition
for U.S. pros?
April 2013 You might be a hardcore track fan if… part 2
March 2013 You might be a hardcore track fan if…
February 2013 Why Usain Bolt & Allyson Felix didn’t end up as T&FN’s
Athletes Of The Year
January 2013 For the first time in a long time, London’s Olympic Games felt
like a World Championships meet
2012
December 2012 The ink-stained wretches of the world struggle to remain relevant
in an electron-driven era
November 2012 Are track’s biggest stars getting enough Diamond League exposure?
I think not…
October 2012 Team USA’s men and women were on elevators going in opposite
directions in London
September 2012 Heresy coming from me, I know, but it is time to rethink the
Olympic Trials format?
August 2012 A new way to stage separate-sex NCAA Champs at the same time
July 2012 The greatest meet on the planet? Not the OG, not the WC—it’s
still the OT
June 2012 Which problem should USATF’s new CEO Max Siegel tackle first?
May 2012 For post-collegians, the pre-OT U.S. schedule is a farce
April 2012 11 ways to increase your enjoyment of the sport
March 2012 Uh-oh! Is there nobody who’s the face of U.S. track & field?
January 2012 Why the IAAF’s 3-per-nation rule is surely here to stay
2011
December 2011 There’s clearly frustration with the IAAF
October 2011 19 days in August…track goes into stealth mode
September 2011 The August issue marked the 800th edition ever published. A
look at what happened in all the other 100th-issue markers
August 2011 Words fail me in trying to describe the NCAA Regionals
July 2011 What if they didn’t give any track meets?
June 2011 Two different NCAA meets?
May 2011 Is the Diamond League cursed like King Tut’s tomb?
April 2011 Do you still enjoy T&FN when we get into depressing reality?
March 2011 Would you believe a T&FN without ink or paper?
January 2011 Aural abuse at a meet is aural abuse, whether you love or hate
the music in question
2010
December 2010 No More ‘Off-Years’ for the World Championships
November 2010 Was the Diamond League’s first year a success or failure?
October 2010 Going back to some old rules might actually be good for the
sport
September 2010 Might the radical changes in the ’11 World Champs schedule backfire?
July 2010 WRs are the currency that keeps the sport alive: are we floating
counterfeit money?
May 2010 Why aren’t Americans peaking at the Olympics and World Champs?
April 2010 Does track & field need a touch of the X-Games mentality
March 2010 OK, that was the best 4 decades of my life… so far
January 2010 As Cordner Nelson liked to ask, “What kind of fan are you?”
2009
December 2009 Without a Chicago Games, when will the U.S. host the World Champs?
October 2009 Is it possible that superstars might actually be bad for the
sport?
September 2009 Wiser heads appear to have prevailed in the 2012 Trials schedule
decision
July 2009 Programs! You can’t tell the players without a program! But
even then…
June 2009 When will U.S. teams start wearing uniforms that are distinctive?
May 2009 Just where did they find all the athletes who hate the 10-day
Trials?
April 2009 A single-weekend Olympic Trials? Bad-bad-bad!
March 2009 I’m biased on the subject, but I like the Olympic Trials just
as they are
January 2009 EAA presentation tweaks: inspiration or pure panic?
2008
October 2008 Forget the dropped Olympic batons! What about the ongoing U.S.
men’s field-event meltdown?
August 2008 Two of the all-time greatest words in the English language:
Road Trip! (gh & dj head to Des Moines in tornado season)
July 2008 The greatest meet on the planet? Not the OG, not the WC—it’s
the OT my friends
May 2008 Watching 3 rounds of dash prelims is as good as a cliff-hanging
serial at the Saturday matinee
March 2008 A column dedicated to Willi Krause, who epitomized all that
was great about coaches
February 2008 Happy 60th Birthday To Track & Field News!
2007
September 2007 Some think the World Champs is held too often; I don’t think
it’s held often enough
August 2007 Can’t anybody run a scoreboard properly at a track meet?
May 2007 How about making the NCAA Champs a finals-only meet?
April 2007 Would you believe an NCAA meet that’ll be done in time to go
have a beer after the meet and it’s not even noon?
February 2007 Sacrilege! Maybe the finishline isn’t the best place to sit
and watch a meet?
2006
December 2006 Which of the 8 kinds of track fan are you?
November 2006 It’s time for the rulesmakers to revisit the lane-draw procedures
August 2006 Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to tell where sprinters are relative
to each other during a race?
July 2006 There’s a simple solution to the logjam that is Nationals scheduling—some
events have to go
April 2006 I say take the relays out of the NCAA Championships
January 2006 Does the idea of a new set of World Records still have real
merit?
2005
December 2005 The worst year of track is better than the best year of just
about any other sport you can name
November 2005 The final rounds in field events deserve their own private window
on big-meet schedules
October 2005 There aren’t too many tries in the field events; it’s just that
the wrong people are taking too many
August 2005 As affiliations go, is “unat” the University of Nat?
July 2005 Would it be too much to ask to have a uniform uniform-policy?
June 2005 Only a hard mile relay leg can turn you from Michael Johnson
into Michael Jackson
May 2005 The sport has suffered this year from the rash of young collegians
going pro early
February 2005 Meets tend to be unkind towards those who think of the sport
as field & track
January 2005 Having Craig Masback and Bill Roe set for additional terms at
USATF is a big plus for the sport
2004
November 2004 The 500lb gorilla on T&FN’s back: how can we remain relevant
in today’s Internet world?
August 2004 Is it wrong to stand up for the sport we all love so much?
July 2004 My dictionary doesn’t seem to define the NCAA’s ‘honest effort’
dictum very well
June 2004 It’s getting hard to appreciate out-of-the-blue performances
May 2004 What’s the most popular event in the sport, the mile or the
100?
April 2004 Pictures really are better than a thousand words
March 2004 The Olympics—just like Christmas, only way better
2003
December 2003 The latest rounds of drug revelations have left ugly fingerprints
on the World Rankings
October 2003 Paris—more proof that the U.S. Trials meets need to be moved
later
September 2003 If T&FN doesn’t speak out for the track fans of the world,
who will?
August 2003 Little things can mean so much in increasing spectator enjoyment
June 2003 It’s time for the rulesmakers to leave the pole vault alone
May 2003 Paula Radcliffe vs. U.S. men—ugh!
April 2003 presentation—presentation—presentation!
March 2003 Landmark issues of T&FN: Nos. 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600,
700
February 2003 2003–the year collegiate track came back to life
January 2003 2003 is shaping up as a truly vintage year for the sport
2002
December 2002 More bang for your T&FN buck!
November 2002 It’s time for me to be mean to the Hall Of Fame again
October 2002 Rabbits on the Euro Circuit: is this a race or a damned parade?
September 2002 Why the year 1971 should inspire you in 2003
August 2002 Adam Nelson helped show why the sport can be field & track
July 2002 10 ways to increase your enjoyment of the sport
June 2002 The most successful track meets are successful because they’re
more than just track meets
May 2002 When you crank the tunes during a race, you remove the most
viscerally satisfying part of the sporting experience
April 2002 Question: are the timetables at the Nationals hampering the
U.S.’s international efforts?
March 2002 The significance of an experimental Millrose Games high jump
(a jump mandated every 45 seconds, only 3 misses total) was missed by many
February 2002 The “amateur” label continues to hurt track’s development
2001
December 2001 Ultimately, the World Rankings belong to you, the readers
November 2001 I’d rather watch a tactical—aka slow—race than an El Guerrouj
World Record attempt any day. Death to all rabbits!
October 2001 Edmonton is the perfect kind of city in which to stage a World
Championships
September 2001 The answer to the Maurice Greene wild card problem is a simple
one
August 2001 Would it be premature to declare we’re seeing a renaissance
for track in the U.S.?
July 2001 Are sprinters cheating when they try and second-guess the starter?
June 2001 Proposed new IAAF rule changes range from the ridiculous to
the sublime
April & May 2001 Standing up during track meets: a way to alienate longtime fans
of the sport?
March 2001 Sadly, field-event presentation hasn’t kept pace with the technological
revolution
2000
March 2000 How Jesse Owens came to be our Trackster Of The Century even
though he wasn’t our choice for top athlete
1997
April 1997 The track world has undergone a lot of changes in my half-century
on the planet