SoCal indoor-meet-outdoors director seeks your input
For the fourth consecutive year, Andy Hecker of Southern California is putting on a masters/open meet with “indoor” events in advance of masters indoor nationals in mid-March in Maryland. The 2009 “Southern California Indoor Meet . . . Outdoors” will be Sunday, March 8, at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana. (Here’s the meet site.) “Rain or shine,” Andy says, “and last year’s weather proved we will be there if it rains. We hope by being a couple of weeks later this year we will have better weather.” Andy also is looking for input on what events to include. So below are some polls he’s created. “Do you want to do the same distances you usually do on an outdoor track — like 200, 400, 800? Or should we do odd, indoor-type distances like 150, 300, 600 (or maybe even 600 yards, wouldn’t that be a kick) and 1,000?”
Andy also writes:
By the way, all races will be FAT.
Well, the 800 and 1,000 meters is already part of the meet. As we did last year, we will hold the Indoor Pentathlon . . . Outdoors. The women run an 800 at the end of their events, the men run a 1,000 at the end of theirs. The pentathlon is usually a small field, can we get these folks some competition?
We will also do the 60, 60 Hurdles, Mile and Weight Throw. We also threw in the 10,000 racewalk, 5,000 racewalk, 100 and discus. Sorry, no hammer, javelin or steeplechase — we just don’t have the facilities. That also leaves 3,000, LJ, TJ, HJ, PV and SP. Is there anything innovative to try with those? Are there any other events you are dying to try? 500 meters, 352 yards, 1320 . . . If you want to show up, if you can get competitors, we want you.
Andy offers these polls as well:
5 Responses
Bring on the 500 meters!
Use the 100 meter start line, and everyone breaks for the pole.
Those last 200 meters are going to be ugly!
If there is not a standard World or National Record to compare the event too, why have it. It would be like running for nothing. Like the 55 meter sprint. What is the standing World Record or any record to it. Does anybody know?
I respectfully disagree with the agrument against running odd distances. We ran 500s in college and I would like to know how I compare now, unfortunately I’m an East Coaster. Cali is a little far to travel for a tune-up meet considering the wealth of opportunities out east. I think the SoCal meet is a kick-ass idea. I run all types of odd distances in workouts (150s, 250s, 300s, 350s – just to name a few). Which leads to a good question – what is the most oddball distance you have ever raced on a track? I have run a 45 meter dash and been at a meet with a 300 YARD dash (my coach would not ever let me run it)?
I would guess the most oddball distance would depend on the size of the indoor track. Years ago some meets like the still existing Mason-Dixon Games has a banked board track, a 55m dash with a finishline crash matt at the end. Its a nostalgic event. Many of the greatest track runners of “all time” ran on the very same track. Its held in February or March.
I remeber running 300 yards 600’s at Ohio State All-Comers meets back in the 70’s. It really doesn’t matter what the event is if you have competition.
Since Southern Calif. doesn’t have an indoor facility, Andy has been running “indoor events” on an outdoor facility . . .
The meet was at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana last year, and it was a very nice facility.
ALSO . . .
I believe there will be an West Region Indoor Championship in Arizona in Feb. (2009) . . . .
I am looking forward to both meets.
Jeff Davison
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