This week, USA Track and Field announced its lineup of meets for the 2002
Indoor Golden Spike Tour, which will culminate in the USA Championships at
New York's Armory on March 1-2.
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Golden Spikes Tour
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Schedule for USA Track and Field's 2002
Indoor Golden Spike Tour:
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Date
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Event, site
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Jan. 27
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adidas Indoor Games, Boston (Reggie Lewis Center)
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Feb. 1
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Verizon Millrose Games, New York (MSG)
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Feb. 9
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adidas Midwest Classic, Lincoln, Neb. (Devaney Sports Center)
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March 1-2
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USA Indoor Championships, New York (Armory)
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The good news is that there is a series at all. Many of America's top
athletes will participate, and this sort of forum is sorely needed. All of
the meets will be televised by ESPN and ESPN2 (the Verizon Millrose Games will also be shown live on Fox Sports-New York on Feb. 1).
The bad news is that the
series is so short. One doesn't have to look too far back in time to find
years when there were more than twice as many professional-level indoor track
meets in North America.
Now that the big money indoor circuit has moved to
Europe, it has gotten much more expensive for domestic promoters to compete.
Unhappy in Jamaica
Merlene Ottey hasn't always lived so as to please the residents of Jamaica,
her homeland, but her latest decision has ruffled feathers in a big way. The
41-year-old sprinter has announced that she is seeking Slovenian
citizenship. She has lived in the eastern European nation for three years and
is coached by a Slovenian.
Patrick Anderson, president of the Jamaican federation, pointed out the
painfully obvious: "If she became citizen of another country, she would not
be a true ambassador of Jamaica."
Goodwill gone
Much as we feared, Turner Broadcasting has canceled the Goodwill Games, Ted
Turner's commercial version of the Olympics. It could truthfully be said that
the Olympics are simply unbeatable as a commercial entity.
The 2001 Goodwill event in Brisbane, Australia, apparently failed badly,
leaving Turner accountants to assess the damage. Numbers have not been
released, but the marketplace made its feelings felt: Olympics sell, but the
public will accept no substitutes.
Maybe a bobble boycott is in order?
I don't know. Maybe I'm too conservative, but the fact that Fred Lebow has been immortalized in a limited
edition bobblehead doll strikes me the
same way as the gingerbread World Trade Center tribute I saw over the
holidays.
Lebow, the late head of the New York Roadrunners and the
founder of the New York City Marathon, died in 1994 after four years of fighting
brain cancer. He might have even liked the bobblehead idea, too, but that's a
scary thought in itself.
Maybe basketball isn't so bad
Molly Huddle ran to a fourth-place finish at the Foot Locker Championships in
cross country, and made it known that she would not be competing in the New
York high school indoor season. Rather, she would be playing basketball.
Maybe we all should be. Huddle showed up at an all-comers meet at Cornell and
ran the two-mile in 10:19 and the mile in 4:56, both the fastest prep times
of the season nationally.
Then again, maybe basketball is so bad
The 77th running of Sao Paulo's New Year's Eve race saw Ethiopian Tesfaye
Jifar triumph over Guilbert Okari of Kenya. Brazilian fans were cheered when
a local won the women's competition. Said Maria Zeferina Balldaia of her
victory: "I dedicate my victory to the Brazilian people who have supported
me, and to my 9-year-old son Michael Jordan."
Eating issues continue to evoke discussion
My previous column concentrated on female distance runners and eating issues. I
received quite a response, all of it positive, but much of it disturbing. The
problem is widespread, and every person's story is troubling. Here are some
typical excerpts:
"I myself just finished a case against a former coach that I had at a top 5
NCAA women's track team ... He conducted weigh-ins and 'urged' me to write down
all I ate and how many calories were in it. Along with all the emotional and
verbal abuse -- it sent me in a downward spiral. I have learned that some
coaches do this, esp. at the college level because they either want you
broken and brainwashed, or they don't want you at all so they could care less
if you turn into a basket case or not ... I am now finally getting back to where
I was ... I finally found a healthy place that has found a way to be great using
sound methods that produce great athletes AND great young women. Thank you
for looking into the matter of women's health -- if it enlightens just one
girl out there, opens the eyes of some friend or family member, then it has
been worth it."
Another wrote: "I am an unknown 24-year-old runner who put my college career
to a halt because of anorexia. Signs of the disease came my freshman year in
high school. Ironically, when I started running track my sophomore year, the
disease subsided somewhat, as running and my unknown ability enhanced my
self-esteem. I had a so-so junior year due to injury, but senior year I
contributed a lot to my team and had even accepted my new muscular body.
"But college running and my fears about a new school disrupted my progress ...
Unfortunately, due to my own insecurities at a new school and the unhealthy
atmosphere of the team, I quit in the middle of winter track season my
freshman year. My weight kept dropping throughout the fall, and, hence, I
performed poorly due to weakness. A number of girls on the team were also
significantly underweight, but the team managed to finish in the top 5 in the
NCAAs. One girl was even advised to stop running after a severe health scare,
but she ran the next day in the league champs and finished in the top 5.
While I know our coach meant well and had her own pressures to win, the
message she gave us all by letting her run was detrimental.
"I absolutely do not blame college running for my disorder. Eating disorders
are caused by many factors and, for me, primarily all of the factors had
nothing to do with running. But the atmosphere was not conducive to health
and recovery. Again, I am sure my disease would have progressed in college
regardless, but its downturn may not have been as abrupt had I had a
different coach. After years of treatment, I am extremely happy and healthy
and training for Boston (my first marathon). But I will forever be saddened
when I hear of other women (and) men consumed by the disease. So I want to thank
you for educating those in the sports world about these issues. The more we
are aware of these problems, the quicker we can catch the problems in their
onset, allowing for women (and) men to return to their running careers as quickly
and as healthy as possible."
Suzanne Girard-Eberle, a sports nutritionist and former national champion
runner, had this to say: "Thank you for writing on the subject of eating
disorders and female runners ... I am acutely aware of the silent epidemic of
disordered eating/body image issues that continues to spread, particularly
among high school and collegiate runners. If you've visited fast-women.com,
you'll see that the major themes that receive the most attention on the
message board are related to weight. As a sports nutritionist, I am on a
mission to educate coaches--particularly male coaches! Your article was
wonderfully written and will be most helpful with some male coaches I am
working with."
Girard-Eberle knows her stuff, and frequently lectures on the Female Athlete
Triad. Her book, Endurance Sports Nutrition, is another that should be in the
library of every distance coach and athlete. There is a plethora of "Eat To
Get Fast Quick" type books out there, but a sports nutrition book that
focuses on sound research and the real, long-term health needs of athletes is
one that should be on top of the stack.
Jeff Hollobaugh, former managing editor of Track and Field News, is a regular contributor to ESPN.com. He can be reached by e-mail at michtrack@aol.com.
