From the Editor – RUSS EBBETS
PIONEERS
When Phil Knight wrote Shoe
Dog a few years ago there was a line he repeated several times – “The cowards never started and the weak died along the way. That leaves us, ladies and gentlemen. Us.” Admittedly a little rough but it encapsulates his feelings as to the tone and tenor of the people who followed Marcus Whitman, survived the Oregon Trail and settled America’s Great Northwest.
Pioneers, of course, are the first people to do something, often risking life and limb to achieve what they achieve. Those who follow have a road map of sorts that gives them signposts, intermediate goals and confidence which can at the same time offer direction, incremental motivation and peace of mind.
The 1950’s were a time of great worldwide accomplishment with the conquering of physical, psychological and even physiological challenges. The month of May 1954 must have left the masses wondering, “What’s next? The moon??” after Roger Bannister’s 4-minute mile (May 6th) and Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay’s summiting of Mt. Everest (May 29th). The impossible was achieved twice in a little more than three weeks and the men were still alive to talk about it.
Coaching theory in track & field evolved rapidly in the 1950’s, and 60’s. Hans Selye’s The Stress of Life was published in 1953 and was soon followed by the Soviet application of modulated stress and the application of the scientific method to sport. Sport science moved ahead at full speed; the limits of human capabilities were continually being tested.
Austrian Franz Stampft knew there was a better way and his interval training ideas led the way to Bannister’s mile breakthrough in 1954. Other pioneers emerged Down Under, with Arthur Lydiard and his New Zealand stable (Snell, Halberg, et al.) and of course the iconoclast Percy Cerutty whose Stotan philosophy titillated the track world and produced the magnificent Herb Elliott. Let’s not forget another pioneer of the time: Mihóly Iglói, who first developed Hungarian record breakers Iharos, Rózsavölgyi and Tábori, and later coached American runners like Jim Beatty to new heights.
Pioneers blaze trails that set examples for future generations. They are willing to take great risks to make things happen. There may be disappointments and setbacks but there is also valiant effort and persistence, the confidence that one has tested one’s limits and has not been found wanting. This willingness to push boundaries provides something remarkable for everyone to admire, whether you are a coach, a competitor, or just another shoe dog.
An in-depth interview in these pages with Canadian running icon Bruce Kidd, the product of another pioneering program—Fred Foot’s East York Track Club, tells how his running career evolved. Also in this issue is Part I of a roundtable on the high jump. The panel of experts are coaches who have had success on personal and professional levels. The high jump is an event that has languished somewhat in the U.S. in recent years; perhaps the words of wisdom in the roundtable will help get us back on track.
On another note, I’d like to mention the passing of coach Oscar Jensen. In his 60-plus years coaching the sport, Oscar was a constant force in New York state track & field. A national HS coach of the year, he made his Syracuse-area teams and athletes constant threats for league, sectional and NYS titles. A devoted family man, Oscar was a mentor to many and friend to all. He will be sorely missed.