USATF Indoors - Are the fields too big?

[rainbowgirl28]

The target field size was 16 per gender. Umm what the heck? That's way bigger than we have had in recent years. After all the conversations we had about the top vaulters getting screwed because of the competition taking too long...

The qualifying standards are 5.50 for the men and 4.30 for the women. On the women's side, they stuck with the standard and got 14 athletes, rejected a 15th who was below the standard. Thank you Sue for being consistent!

First, on the men's side, I am annoyed because Ed Gorman told me in December that they were lowering the men's standard. Because EVERY.SINGLE.YEAR they take guys below the standard, that goes back to John Chaplin's days. So what is the point of having the standard? Either ditch it completely or lower it or quit taking guys below the standard and have a smaller field. It makes it impossible for those guys below 5.50 to know whether or not they should enter. 5.30 got in the meet this year... how many 5.31+ guys would have liked to compete, but didn't enter because the standard was 5.50?

[rainbowgirl28]

FACT: The qualifying standard for the MPV at USATF Indoors has been 5.50 for ages.

FACT: EVERY SINGLE YEAR beginning with 2008, so this makes the 7th year in a row, athletes below this standard have been accepted. This was a problem that began with John Chaplin, and that Ed Gorman promised to fix. I have had multiple conversations with him about it. He told me in December the standard was being lowered. Did that happen? NOPE. What.the.heck. (I was going to use other language, but I remembered I have a no swearing rule here).

This is why the men's and women's T&F Meetings need to be at separate times at the USATF Annual Meeting. Everyone expects me to go to the women's meeting because I am a girl. Clearly the men are the ones who don't have their s*** together, I need to be going to that meeting every year.

[kewh]

Yes, I think and alot will disagree, but only ones qualified should go.

[rainbowgirl28]

Yes, I think and alot will disagree, but only ones qualified should go.

I totally agree. I mean we can have a debate about what the standard should be, but once you pick it, be consistent, and if the fields are too small for your taste, lower it. Which Ed TOLD ME he was doing. And then didn't do.

[cdmilton]

Why not make the standard 4.00m for women and 5.20m for men and then take the top X from each gender. It doesn't seem like it should be that hard.

[rainbowgirl28]

Why not make the standard 4.00m for women and 5.20m for men and then take the top X from each gender. It doesn't seem like it should be that hard.

For outdoors, they are changing to a really high A standard, and then filling the field based on the performance list. Maybe we need to just switch to that for indoors, except the field needs to be smaller than 16.

[Righteous Vaulter]

A set field size of a reasonable number would be great. What is a reasonable number? Maybe 12. Knowing your fate a week out from the meet would be ideal and save a lot of stress. And no more picking random people to be in the field, because they used to be good or they have charisma.

[kewh]

I think the A standard will be 5.61 outdoors in 2015 for Worlds.

[hardflex]

What are the starting heights? If they start the men at 5.40 about half will go out at opening height

[rainbowgirl28]

What are the starting heights? If they start the men at 5.40 about half will go out at opening height

5.30-5.45-5.55 are the first three bars, so it should move at a reasonable place. Plus our top two vaulters (Brad Walker and Sam Kendricks) aren't entered anyway.