Albuquerque indoor nationals playing a game of chicken on sked
I get letters. A week ago, one said: “I cannot find a schedule for the Albuquerque Indoors in March. Do you know if the LOC has posted a schedule yet?” Nope, and I’ve been trying. The USATF portal for the March 4-6 event doesn’t say. The meet contact page is naked. The Local Organizing Committee link goes to a tourism site. I wrote to New Mexico USATF a few weeks ago and got no response. So here we go again. No sked means a chance for fewer entries. Who will veer off the tracks at the last minute? “Kinda hard to plan travel, etc., without a schedule!” a friend writes.
As of New Year’s Day, athletes get no help on who to contact for information.
32 Responses
The host city has no say in the schedule. The Games Committee is in charge of all event scheduling.
Mike
Still, you would think the event would be listed or blocked off on the convention center’s schedule. It isn’t.
I found this online so it appears that we are on their schedule. https://www.cabq.gov/parksandrecreation/documents/2016-indoor-track-schedule.pdf
The meet seems to be scheduled which is great but I could not find an event schedule. It would be helpful to know what day & time to show up for your event.
http://www.usatf.org/Events—Calendar/2016/USATF-Masters-Indoors-Track—Field-Championships/Schedule.aspx
They must have just posted this!
This is a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad schedule.
The indoor Pent is supposed to be a stand-along National Championship and was attached to the National Indoor Meet the day prior with little conflict. For example, in 2006, the only “main” event likely to conflict with the Friday’s Pent was the W30+ and M60+ Pole Vault, which is not a Pent event:
http://www.usatf.org/events/2006/USAMastersIndoorTFChampionships/schedule.asp
Ten years later, the Friday Pent conflicts have really piled up. Does the “games committee” really expect athletes to complete in the Pent on Friday AND also squeeze in the:
M-W30+ 400 Prelims
M-W60-79 Shot Put (also a Pent event)
M30-44 Long Jump (also a Pent event)
W70+ Long Jump (also a Pent event)
M30-39 High Jump (also a Pent event)
W30-59 High Jump (also a Pent event)
W30+ Pole Vault
M65+ Pole Vault
This is a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad schedule.
And how can you trust a “games committee” that lists a schedule showing the M30-44 Long Jump on Friday, but no schedule for the other Men’s Long Jump age groups?
http://www.usatf.org/Events—Calendar/2016/USATF-Masters-Indoors-Track—Field-Championships/Schedule.aspx
Perspiring minds want to know.
Yes, Liz, this is definitely “hot off the press,” to resurrect a phrase from the old days. And David Ortman, it appears that there has been a philosophical shift in terms of how we treat opening day (Friday).
A lot of our best pentathletes are “bouncy,” but surely they’re going to lose some of that bounce if, in addition to the 5 events in the pentathlon they decide to compete in one or more of the jumps listed above for Friday.
To me, however, the change that stands out the most is that after at least 14 consecutive years of running “finals only” in the 400 we are going to run trials first and then finals later in the meet. Personally, I am opposed to going back to trials.
In many of our age groups we have a cluster of 400-meter competitors who are extremely fast, and I don’t like the idea of, for example, running a trial to eliminate 1 or 2 runners (which would be the case if we have either 7 or 8 athletes in an age group).
If there are 8 in a specific age group, I favor 2 finals of 4 runners each, with those (Antwon Dussett, Charles Allie, Emma McGowan, Sue McCarthy, etc.) who have demonstrated in recent years that they have “the right stuff” placed in the second race.
I wonder what others have to say about this huge change, which will also make it somewhat harder to double in the 200 or 800.
Another change, although not nearly so large, is that after many years of contesting the 1-mile run we will switch to 1500 at Albuquerque.
I hope that many readers will take a close look at the schedule and then express their opinions.
Ken
Thanks for your support. Interesting note for throwers – once upon a time the ASAP, Wgt & Superwgt were one each day. Last year the two Wgt throws were combined the same day. This year we get to do all 3 the same day! Got bounce?
Not ASAP, the SP (Shotput).
Thanks for that, Tim. Yes, I noticed that in my second review. For years we have had a plethora of outstanding throwers in the M60 and M65 groups, for example, but I just noticed that this year, unlike in other years, these gentlemen will do all three throws (shot, weight, and superweight) on Friday morning, after which they can go home.
This new type of scheduling will hold for men in other age groups as well as for all women.
Another change I noticed is that we will have “racewalkers heaven,” as after many years of having only a 3000-meter racewalk we will have racewalks at both 1500 meters and 3000. This is a huge change.
Finally, the schedule definitely shows the 400 trials on Friday, but the finals in the 400 have not yet been given a time slot, at least as far as I could see.
crazy Sunday morning Schedule – they must be starting very early or cramming all the men and women into a single heat for the 3k. Usually the 3k run is scheduled for the first day – late afternoon into evening – have not seen it scheduled for Sunday morning along with 200 and 800m.
I am not going – cannot handle the altitude there for 1500 and 800 never mind the 3k as I discovered when the meet was there before.
One reason they do not post the schedule early do the people have less time to bitch about it :-). HJ M60 plus Sunday. Unusual, but I will live…less traffic on the field
corr.: One reason they do not post the schedule early so the people have less time to bitch about it :-). HJ M60 plus is on Sunday. Unusual, but I will live…less traffic on the field
I really like this ‘framework’ schedule idea where they tell you AM or PM. You can actually plan out your flights and hotel ahead of time.
If the 400m on day 1 is a semi, when is the final? I don’t see it on either the Day 2 or 3 schedule. Is it possibly a misprint and the Day 1 race is in fact a final on time?
Gee, all I had to do was ask! Guess I should post my schedule nag earlier next time.
Somebody help me out. First I don’t see a schedule for women under 50 in the shot, wt, swt. Second, throwing 3 events in one afternoon is a lot of throwing even for an thrower like myself. I like the one day but we need morning and afternoon for 3 events. It sounds like they are trying to hurt somebody.
Mary:Does the altitude make that much difference in the 800? I’ve run in Albuquerque and although I did feel the altitude effects, I think people would be okay below 1500/mile distances. FWIW, I ran a 5k race there last year and was fine at 1 mile. 2 miles…different story.
Myrle: You’re still stuck with doing all three of your throwing events on Friday afternoon. I guess you’ll have to bring some liniment on your trip from St. Louis. Is liniment legal?
As far as the 400 dash, it has been changed to “timed finals.” Regarding the very full running schedule on the final day of the meet, I am indeed concerned about the 3000. Last year, in Winston-Salem, we ran eight 3000s, a ton of 800s, and a huge number of 200s. Hard to see all of that being squeezed into one morning unless we start at 6:30 or earlier.
One more thing: Women under 50 are not included in the schedule for the shot, weight, or superweight.
Liniment, what’s that!!!!. My coach is planning on throwing and she is in that under 50 group. It will be her first master’s meet. I told her masters track was very organized, well not exactly those words. Anyway, hope somebody gets that fixed. I will be ready. Just broke my American record in shot at Throwing and Growing Annual winter throws camp and competition. 2 other National records set F 13-14 and F 17-18. Ken I will send you the information.
W50-59 throwing events end the meet on Sunday as of this morning
Fidel B -altitude is very tough for me for the 800 and mile – I live at sea level and have exercise-induced asthma. It was a painful and depressing experience and I have no desire to repeat it again. I am indeed older and slower now!
According to the schedule, the 400m will not have a prelim. It will just be a timed final.
This schedule is crap and I already signed up for the 3000m and booked air based on a Friday start. Now they have the 800 and 3000m on the same day and 1500m instead of the Mile? Based on this I probably won’t even bother going now.
I just sent an email for a refund. I had myself flying in TH for a Friday 3000m. I have another event elsewhere that weekend. When I entered on 12/3/15 the schedule was up and the 3000m was on Friday.
The 3k has been on Friday afternoon/evening for decades – well at least since the mid 1990’s. Changing it to Sunday morning is unbelievable – who makes these schedule changes.
This is just about as bad as the schedule changes to the Outdoor nationals – when all my middle-distance events are on the first two days – not that I can run 2 events in one day any more with nothing that I run on Saturday and Sunday- and makes me wonder if I will ever go again to a national masters indoor or outdoor track meet.
No shock I got a response saying thanks for the money but sorry no refunds. So, I won’t be attending this meet either this year nor next for that matter.
1/4/2016 – The schedule of events is currently down for revision and will be posted as soon as possible.
Bill and Mary,
In Boston and Salem the Schedule was: 3 k, Friday; mile, Saturday and 800 on Sunday.
I made my fly and hotel reservation and registration with that in mind. I can´t cange reservation, so I´ll be there on friday without competition and on dunday with doublé competition.
I hope they change something or at least they refund some money.
German
Bill, you should definitely get your money back, as you were misled. You entered on one set of information and now would have to compete under another set of information.
Not that you would know, at my only indoor nationals as a competitor (held at Princeton University) I competed in the race walk. Then and now I think it was a shortcoming of the meet that there was only one race walk. To me, they needed two race walks, one on the track and the other on the road, to attract more walkers to indoors.
Well, as I discuss in post 10 (above), this year Albuquerque solved the problem by having two race walks, a 1500 and a 3000. But guess what, Bill and others, the 1500 race walk has no entrants, at least according to “Status of Entries.” In fact, it’s not even listed there as an event.
You pointed out in your comments, Bill, that in the running events there has been a switch from the mile to the 1500. I went to “Status of Entries” and found no entrants at all for the 1500, but there were 13 for the mile. I wonder whether those who entered the mile will be allowed to run the 1500.
Now that I think of it, I don’t think that will be a problem, as the 1500 did not even make the “Status of Entries” page, leading me to believe it will not be contested in Albuquerque.
right now on the status of entry page – there is only one race walk competition, and the mile and 3k – no 1500 run. Historically it has been the mile for the indoor meet. I hope they do not change that – I set the WR for the mile indoors for W 70 in Boston ten years ago. That record long since smashed to pieces – but then records are made to be broken. It seems that the schedule is current being redone – and I hope the 3k returns to Friday afternoon and they keep the mile and do not change it to the 1500.
I was very disappointed to see the 3k moved from Friday to Sunday schedule. This is not a good schedule for distance runners. I like that they added the additional race walk. I think it would have been a better call to put the race walks on Saturday and Sunday and leave the 3k on Friday.I think this meet schedule will hurt not only attendance, but the amount of events each athlete will do. Should be able to do better than this schedule.
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