17 year Old US Racewalker Posts Olympic B Standard

Here's an interview with this guy, right before he went to racewalking's world cup, I think.

We'd be lucky if half of our runners were half this gracious. Class act.

I'm not about to say a racewalker isn't an athlete, they clearly meet the requirements of needing to train, be fit, etc. But I don't agree that just being an olympic event makes someone an athlete. People always being up curling; you don't need to be an athlete to curl, or even be a great curler. It's about as strenuous as mowing the lawn (I've curled, I've seen fatties curl, it's just not that tough). If chess became an olympic even it wouldn't make the participants athletes.

I do agree that it's a silly event. I don't believe it should be in the olympics or governed by the USATF or IAAF. I'd put it about on the same level as an event where people leap-frogged around a track. Can you compare abilities? Does it take athletic ability? Is it a race? Yes to all, but it's too far from the sore spirit of track and field to be under the same umbrella. And for the record, I also wish the triple jump and pole vault would go away.

This is my feeling, I don't want to knock anyone, especially a 17 yr old kid, but racewalking is hideous to watch and the ways rules are enforced or not is frustrating. That being said, I'm not mad at you if you like it. Just don't expect me to be excited.

Hell Yeah!!!! The great white American hope in the RW!!!

It's not even walking, and officials gotta monitor every stride in case they mess up/cheat. Whole thing is ridiculous.

MSCoach wrote:

...I'm just questioning if this is the forum to discuss race walking.

So do you go on the TdF threads and tell them to go to Letsride.com?

How about the World Cup threads and suggest they visit Letskickballsaround.com?

Or the golf threads and point out that Letswearfunnypantsandwalkaroundapark.com might be more appropriate?

What we have here is a failure to communicate.

Some points

1. Racewalking is an event in track and field. Has been for a very long time. Like someone said, Letsrunners bashing racewalkers is like discus throwers bashing hammer thowers. Same concept, different rules.

2. The rules stipulate that contact and straight leg are to be judged by the unaided eye. Soccer too. Baseball too.

3. Racewalking is not running. The primary difference in movement is the straight leg. That is what makes it biomechanically distinct from running. In running bend and then straighten the knee in order to spring. In racewalking, this does not occur. The straight leg does not allow for a springing action. Instead, it's something like a vault over a straight leg.

Any biomechanist worth their weight in wood shavings could tell you that.