Could have been a cycling race or an ultra-marathon

 

From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf
Of Carleton MacDonald
Sent: 06 May 2012 20:23
To: U.S. Metric Association
Subject: [USMA:51630] RE: Track & Field Hides Who's on Second

 

I was driving in D.C. yesterday and passed a marker on a pole on
Massachusetts Ave NW that said "Mile 32".  It couldn't have been for a
marathon, unless they were actually marking off kilometers and mislabeled
them "Miles".

 

Carleton

 

From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf
Of John M. Steele
Sent: Sunday, May 06, 2012 06:36
To: U.S. Metric Association
Subject: [USMA:51629] Track & Field Hides Who's on Second

 


In previous track & field rants, I have mentioned that the conversion of
metric results to feet and inches in javelin, discus and hammer throw hides
the athlete's performance because multiple centimeter marks convert to the
same inch mark.  But I did not have a previous example of it really
mattering.

 

This article is mostly about other events.  A little over half-way down, it
has this clumsy paragraph about javelin:

http://www.times-standard.com/sports/ci_20560862/humboldt-state-trackster-os
hier-takes-two-titles-earns

The Jacks' Matthew Horsfall engaged in a spirited competition with UC San
Diego's Nick and Nash Howe in the javelin. Nick Howe, last year's national
champion, claimed his fourth straight CCAA title with a throw of 219-10.
Horfall's 199-1 was deemed equal in feet and inches to that of Howe's
younger brother, Nash Howe, but using the metric system, the underclassman
was awarded second place by a single centimeter. 

 

So who won second place, and who was third?  Well, if you Google the real
results instead of settling for media conversions:

http://www.calstatela.edu/athletics/track/index.htm

Nick Howe won with 67.00 m, Nash Howe second with 60.69 m, Horsfall third
with 60.68 m.  Would it have killed the reporter to just say that?  Would it
kill the public to see how the event is really measured?

 

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