This 'measuring discussion comes up often and while we argue the
'purity' of metric vs. foot and inches, our sport in the USA continues
to diminish. In other posts writers talk of the past success of indoor
classic meets. These wonderful noisy, colorful and stimulating sport
events were usually held on Friday and/or Saturday.They were surrounded
by meeting old friends in old restaurants, parties late into the next
morn in local hotels, watching the local kid who 'got away' to Texas or
Stanford come back to race against the kids who had to stay!. The Boston
"Kof C", the "BAA" you name 'em' in Cleveland, NYC and wherever!
For throwers, we knew we were not usual part of the main stage
except in NYC. We were in some nearby college gym, or an oversize bus
garage or 30 miles ( 48 km, I believe) away in a cold, dirt floored,
manure milieu. But just to make the qualifying, to be listed in the
newspaper, to throw against a Harold Connolly, or Bob Backus, or Parry
O'Brien or Big Gary Gubner from NYU or now Lance Deal for cripes sake!.
This was the deal!! Our coaches , friends, fellow athletes, girlfriend
and boyfriends wanted some measuring stick to brag about knowing us, to
their friends. We threw 48 feet or 60 feet or 57 feet feet and our
friends jumped for joy or sagged in comfortable disappointment. We had
been, even if a 'virtual reality', part of the big time.
Well, all that is gone and with it we have added 90 channels on
cable, an endless list of basketball games, hockey that starts in fall
and ends in springtime, baseball, with more wealthy athletes than there
are pole-vaulters in the USA and TV Track and Field that show endless
interviews of sprinters, by sprinters. They stretch, pose posture,
grimace, act good , act bad, followed by interview with a female runner
who wears an abbreviated running outfit and has beautiful hair wich
segues into her falling, tripping, being pushed, excusing, crying, while
the winner from Portugal or Barbados runs out of camera range.
We see the winner in the background with one sole spectator from
her country, carrying a flag we do not recognize. The crowd of
photographers, coaches who are experts, coaches who are not experts,
coaches who are jealous and media types who wish they were coaches
surround, Tonda, or Suzy or Kim to get the excuses. I ask you who cares
about metrics or even feet and inches? It is now about contracts, color
of shoes, hair style, 'secret coaching', and clothing lines to be
designed while out of breath from just getting blown away! The bus
leaves for the Hammer or Wt., at 7AM while all these guys and gals are
sleeping off the night-before party'.
We all need in the USA to get back to the 'product', what it is,
who understands it and what they understand. They could care less that
herbie has a new clothing line but they do know that anything under 10
seconds for a football field type run is fast, really fast. They do not
know that 60 meters is almost 200 feet. They know that a meter is
something you put coins in so you can shop. When you ask someone outside
our sport, and that is about everyone in the US of A except those who
voted for Ralph Nader, how far 15 meters is, they stop, think a bit.
shrug their shoulders, turn and ask the clerk at the Dunkin Donut
counter. But...when you say " Hey, this guy next to me just threw the
discus 203 feet!" Their eyes light up, "Wow that's about the length of
my school gym, including the new bathrooms. It would probably go right
over the building!" Everyone in the Dunkin Donuts is now looking at my
friend and of course me! I can now bathe in his accomplishment and be a
somebody also!
We design cars different, we drive on the 'other 'side of the
road, we like different kinds of food, we lead the world in clothing
styles ( as any Russian kid whose music he listens to and what kinda
jeans she wears?) why should we not measure in feet and inches so that
our own people can become fans again.Then our kids will want to be a
miler, or shot putter, or triple jumper. What the hell is a 17 meter
triple jump?? Is anything in America 'somethin' special if it is a '17'(
except for the pole vault).
We lead the world in marketing products from jet jeans to 'CD's"
because our marketing people give them what they want and when they want
something different they change the packaging and the product.. Let's
give us what we want and what most of us can really relate to. Don't
worry about Europe.They are quickly becoming a large USA shopping mall.
We don't need to be 'them'. they need to be 'them'. We need to be us.
Joe Donahue
Former Throws Coach Northeastern University
Joseph J. Donahue M.Ed.
CMHC, CH, Master Practitioner NLP
Academic, Career, Sports & Performance Counseling
