Conway asks:
>...Should not the world record process also take into consideration "equal
>opportunity" of venue / conditions ??? Just a thought ...
Well, it would be the logical extension of the wind limit and the altitude
notation. And track's already got a thousand rules, so why not add a couple
of hundred more? Just go all out and remove from record consideration any
mark not achieved in a controlled time trial held on a totally windless, sea
level track of specified composition and hardness and run under
hermetically-sealed conditions of prescribed lighting, barometric air
pressure, and relative humidity. Better get a lot more strict about the
type and composition of the shoes and clothing the athletes can wear as
well. And while we're at it, better check for any local fluctuations in the
force of gravity just to be on the safe side.
On the other hand we could be like a popular sport such as baseball where
every venue is different and each has its own unique "ground rules", and the
emphasis is on competition without a lot of fuss over whether each and every
mark or record is exactly comparable to every other. Nah, better not. To
do so would be a revolt of the fans against the tyranny of the
statisticians. And revolts are always messy.
Kurt Bray
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