Track and Field on TV - USATF Indoor 2/26/06 3:30 East. ESPN

[rainbowgirl28]

The USATF Indoor Track and Field Championships will be shown on ESPN from 3:30-5:30 eastern time on Sunday, February 26.

[rainbowgirl28]

It's on right now!! Watch for pole vaulters in the background!

[rainbowgirl28]

Men's coverage:

They showed Brad Walker's winning jump. Horrible camera quality. It looked like something somebody shot from a camcorder acrosss the stadium.

They showed a jump of Jeff Hartwig's right before the commercial break, twice, but I am willing to bet that is was a jump from Millrose Games.

[rainbowgirl28]

Women's Coverage:

They showed Kellie and Jill clearing 14-11 and Jill missing at 15-1.

[Russ]

They spend more air time showing the sprinters getting into position and into the blocks than they do on the vault in total.

Is it simply because I'm biased, or is the vault the most spectacular track and field event? Doesn't the general public want to see more of it?

Actually race walking got more air time. Now I admit that those guys can walk a mile faster than I can run it, but pole vaulting has got to be the most crowd-appealing track and field event that there is. Right? I'll never understand the lack of coverage.

[Flying D]

I totally agree Russ. Pole vault is the most exciting, and more time should be spent showing its greatness.

[Mecham]

I think once someone breaks the american record, or even better, a world record, it will get more coverage.

[Skyin' Brian]

Is it simply because I'm biased, or is the vault the most spectacular track and field event? Doesn't the general public want to see more of it?

the problem is assuming that the general public wants to see any track event at all.

[polevaulter08nw]

yes, track is mostly liked by the runners, coaches and family of those who run and coach. i wish more would like it though!

[CHC04Vault]

People who dont run track hate watching it, all i hear is "i just see ppl run in circles". However, i have gotten some of my friends to run, jump or vault, and now they have quit their respective (or non respective) sports and follow track as much as i do. We just need people to stop thinking so negativly. "Basketball players win basketball games, Athletes win track meets." As Shane Battier has said...kudos to that. I'd rather watch people run in circles then see some1 drive in circles.

[fx]

track might be just guys running in circles, but the pole vault vault is much more interesting. Besides, there's no freakin way that people like watching curling more than they would like to watch track and it gets prime time.

[LHSpolevault]

watching curling (to me) is pretty exciting... but nowhere close to the point of exciting that watching pole vaulting is at.

even before i started pole vaulting (freshman and most of sophmore year HS) i thought it was like the the most amazing thing ever watching a couple guys at my school doing it.