Sad News: Track Official Dies At Cornell Indoor Meet After Throwing Accident

Ithacan wrote:

The throw was a slight sector foul. Couple feet to the left. Mr. Koban was standing roughly sixty feet from the circle. He was facing the circle/sector. If his back had been turned people would have yelled out "heads up" or "look out" as the throw headed his way. No one did because he apparently was watching the throw.

But he just didn't move or get out of the way. I can't explain it. I guess a momentary lapse of attention on his part. The thrower certainly didn't do anything wrong or out of the ordinary. Sector fouls are part of the event. Especially slight ones.

A couple athletes who'd thrown earlier in the women's weight said that Mr. Koban was nearly hit twice during that event too. For whatever reason it just seems like he wasn't paying attention that day.

WTF. Because the guy was facing the circle, no one said anything? And he was supposed to see the weight and get out of the way?

How about not throwing dangerous objects at people in the first place!!!!!!!

That's like shooting a gun at someone and saying, well he saw the gun, but just didn't get out of the way.

Obviously, it seems to me that you have no knowledge of track and field or the throwing events. When an official is out in the the throwing area, they must be paying attention at all times. Especially during warm ups when throwers are constantly throwing out into the sector one right after another.

When the weight that struck the official was thrown, the official was retrieving a weight. While doing this, he needed to be paying attention, which indeed he was not. By the time people yelled at him to get out of the way it was too late. I guarantee that if he was still alive, he would have placed no blame on the thrower, and would have said "I should have been paying attention."

So how about rather than making ignorant comments such as this saying that "dangerous objects" shouldn't be thrown at people, you realize that this is a sport. A sport where heavy objects are thrown for distance. Everyone involved realizes the dangers of this sport. DO NOT comment on something that you have no business commenting on. This goes out to everyone on this board.

What happened was an accident, and nothing other than an accident. Yes, it was tragic, but it happened. No one was at fault. So leave it at that.

-A very frustrated thrower who was there

Angry Thrower wrote:

When the weight that struck the official was thrown, the official was retrieving a weight. While doing this, he needed to be paying attention, which indeed he was not. By the time people yelled at him to get out of the way it was too late. I guarantee that if he was still alive, he would have placed no blame on the thrower, and would have said "I should have been paying attention."

So how about rather than making ignorant comments such as this saying that "dangerous objects" shouldn't be thrown at people, you realize that this is a sport.

Warning: This is the type of stupid people who are throwing the weights.

The venue for that event needs to be more uniform everywhere you go. Half the time there isn't a cage, and if there is it's not always sufficient to capture a wild throw. Most of us who have traveled to many indoor meets have seen a weight land on the track, or at least a close call where an official or someone else was almost hit. They should have minimum safety standards that are required to host the event at any meet. As for testing officials, most places are so hard up for help that they are going to take anyone they can get. I'm not familiar with cornell's set up, and I wasn't there, but I've seen several close calls where someone could have been hurt severely. Imagine if a venue tried to rig the pole vault so that the athletes landed on a high jump pit. No one would stand for it, yet half the time we host the weight throw with no cage or even turn a shot put ring sideways. And the officials are usually taught their job ten minutes before the event starts.

Your points are well taken. In the specific case of Cornell, however--as noted above--their layout is probably one of the safest in the country. I've certainly never seen one that was safer, and their head judge (a former thrower there, I believe) is really meticulous about safety.

It's just unfortunate that you can't build in officials' attentiveness. And, as I understand it, the victim was a veteran official, too--not someone you'd think you'd have to worry about.

At the very beginning of my own officiating career I was persuaded to judge a 35# weight event at a dual meet, without a cage. I did a good job at the time but was really terrified afterward, after I'd seen some accidents.

Last year I saw a person walking outside the cage almost get struck while walking about two feet to the side of it. The cage bulged right next to their head.

If they had been a foot closer their head would have looked like a waffle.

Even the cage does not make things completely safe.

Lots of uninformed clowns in this thread. Cornell's cage is very safe. This was 100% the official's error, and unfortunately he paid for it with his life.

Heck, 75 ain't old for a track official, sheesh, you whipper snapper. Have you been to the Texas Relays? Them are some old f@cks working that meet. At least the meet director got rid of that stupid, glory hog, dyke, coach who used to ride around in the wheelchair. Ma, I hated seeing her limping all over the place and getting all the great parking spots.

The height of stupidity wrote:

Angry Thrower wrote:

When the weight that struck the official was thrown, the official was retrieving a weight. While doing this, he needed to be paying attention, which indeed he was not. By the time people yelled at him to get out of the way it was too late. I guarantee that if he was still alive, he would have placed no blame on the thrower, and would have said "I should have been paying attention."

So how about rather than making ignorant comments such as this saying that "dangerous objects" shouldn't be thrown at people, you realize that this is a sport.

Warning: This is the type of stupid people who are throwing the weights.

If it is indeed true that he was facing the throw and didn't move, and had done it a couple of times prior, then the head official should have removed him from the area since he clearly was not fit for duty. As a head throw's official, I NEVER use people who are not agile to mark or shag implements. They are only used to sit on a chair and take down marks.

I was coaching at a huge high school meet one time and I had to actually get in and stop the discus because a woman was too slow to be out in the field and the athletes were freaking out because they thought they would hit her. Caused a huge ruckus by stopping the meet, but heck....which is better? To have the event go a little longer while you find another competent official or to have someone get seriously hurt?

Safety first.

This is a sad story. And it is like most accidents....happens during a somewhat routine event and complacency sets in and someone dies.

Sad news, especially coming at a meet named for a friend of mine, Greg Page. Greg was the first "unofficial" women's track coach at Cornell. I ran my first marathon with Greg in Syracuse.

For those unfamiliar with its layout, here is a look at the throwing area in Barton Hall:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAKK208NODQ

At most setups that I've seen, it's at least possible for someone to walk into harm's way. At Cornell's, there's no real possibility of a Crispus Attucks-type bystander being struck.

[FWIW I was probably one of the people in the large crowd outside the cage, on the right.]