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STOP ME IF YOU\u2019VE HEARD this one before: It\u2019s not an easy year in which to be a track fan. But before we dive into that in depth, let\u2019s discuss a vintage take on the various categories of track-fandom:<\/p>\nSTOP ME IF YOU\u2019VE HEARD this one before: It\u2019s not an easy year in which to be a track fan. But before we dive into that in depth, let\u2019s discuss a vintage take on the various categories of track-fandom:<\/p>\n
Cordner Nelson produced a lot of the best writing ever seen in the pages of T&FN<\/em>\u2014or in any other track source, come to think of it. In case his name isn\u2019t familiar to you, Cordner\u2014along with brother Bert\u2014was one of the magazine\u2019s founders, way back in \u201948. The Nelsons are now deceased, Bert in \u201994, Cordner in \u201909.<\/p>\n Through the years, we were so enamoured of one of Cordner\u2019s best pieces\u2014dealing with the various kinds of fans that can be found in the sport\u2014that we ran it multiple times. And this is the third time I\u2019ve used it for inspiration in my column. (Continued below)<\/em><\/p>\n As noted in my March\/April column, when the dating system for the magazine\u2014followed by May\/June and now this edition, which is tagged July\/August\u2014doubled up, so to speak, as talented as our writers are, with no hard news to generate exciting new plotlines we need more time in which to craft enough suitable material to justify your subscription cost. Therefore, until we can justify the product, we\u2019re doubling-up the months and only publishing every 2 months.<\/p>\n As we pointed out then, we\u2019re doing everything to maximize your bang for the buck. So fear not, if you paid for a given number of issues, that\u2019s how many issues you will get, even if it takes longer to fulfill our obligation to you. So, not only for your track-entertainment pleasure, but also for the general health and welfare of all, we hope you can stay safe and continue to enjoy our trying-times product. Long live track & field! Cordner divided fandom into 7 distinct types (most of which fortunately don\u2019t require actual attendance):<\/p>\n 1. Collectors Of Statistics<\/strong> 2. Competition Lovers<\/strong> 3. Prognosticators <\/strong> 4. Scouts<\/strong> 5. Technique Specialists<\/strong> 6. Special Collectors<\/strong> 7. Enthusiasts<\/strong> In summation, Cordner said, \u201cIf I had to be only one of these 7 types, I would choose to be an Enthusiast. To them, everything else is a bonus.\u201d<\/p>\n And Then There\u2019s Category 8, Contributors<\/strong> Prime among the Contributors are the always underappreciated officials. You know, the people whose reward for standing in the hot sun\/cold rain for hours on end is frequently little more than a funky t-shirt and a stale sandwich. The Contributors group also includes people you wouldn\u2019t normally think of, like the spotters and charters who keep a steady flow of information going to the announcers. Or those who work in meet hospitality, even if it\u2019s something as mundane as running shuttles between the meet hotel and the airport.<\/p>\n And How About Category 9, Those Who Love It All?<\/strong> \u201cWho are these hard-to-find people? They\u2019re those rare birds who like the sprints as much as the distances, the jumps as much as the throws, the men as much as the women, and the preps, collegians and pros pretty much the same.<\/p>\n \u201cIn short, while I don\u2019t have a catchy title for them (\u201cReal Fans\u201d seems a bit too precious), they\u2019re pretty much the people who still read T&FN<\/em>. I don\u2019t claim for a minute that we have a monopoly on these catholic-in-taste-fans, as there are certainly those who don\u2019t like our thrust, find us too expensive, whatever. But I am surprised in reading our message boards-and those on other sites-to find out how tightly focused most people\u2019s appreciation for the sport is.<\/p>\n \u201cI hasten to clarify that that\u2019s in no way a putdown; just an analysis of the way it really is. Some people only care about left-handed Armenian hammer throwers born on Tuesdays. What About In-Quarantine Fans?<\/strong> At the risk of entering old-fartdom you can wallow in the early days of the sub-4:00 mile, but the concept works for all ages. There\u2019s nobody alive, one suspects, who saw Paavo Nurmi run, but reveling in the Flying Finn\u2019s feats is no less appealing now than it was decades ago. Same goes for Jesse Owens and all the giants who helped make our sport as great as it is.<\/p>\n\nIn Case You Were Wondering About Your Subscription<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
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\nThe numbers can be more important than the meet. There is no end of sub-categories to be explored here.<\/p>\n
\nFast times don\u2019t matter; head-to-head competition reigns even if it\u2019s the proverbial\u2014and in this case we really mean proverbial!\u2014tortoise vs. the hare.<\/p>\n
\nPicking winners ahead of the meet provides the rush. An enjoyment that can be enhanced if you and like-minded trackfreaks engage in some fantasy track by scoring your picks.<\/p>\n
\nWho can be first on the block to tab an unknown as a superstar-to-be? This has great appeal to close followers of the high school scene.<\/p>\n
\nEnjoying the nuts & bolts of how it\u2019s really done. It helps to qualify here if you like watching lots of slo-mo video, particularly of jumps and throws<\/p>\n
\nOne who travels all over the country(ies) to see some specialized barrier (back in the day, when it was still feasible, like every sub-4:00 mile). Can also include pursuit of record performances, or even improving upon your own best-seen list.<\/p>\n
\nThe broad-based fan, who samples some\/all the other categories.<\/p>\n
\nI first talked about Cordner\u2019s categories in this space in December of \u201906, and at that time I identified what I considered bracket No. 8, and that\u2019s the Contributors. Those who typically spend a lot of their own time and money\u2014even if they do get a minor stipend\u2014making sure the sport keeps running at the competitive level despite its co-opting much of their ability to actually watch meets.<\/p>\n
\nIn my January \u201910 revisiting of the topic of fan types, I said,
\n\u201cThe rise of the Internet and its omnipresent chat-rooms has caused me to realize that there\u2019s yet another category of follower of the sport. It\u2019s one of the most important there is, but it\u2019s small, and on its way to becoming an endangered species.<\/p>\n
\nThe good news is that the Internet finally gives them a place to go; the bad is that finding their niche online only makes actually going to meets\u2014with all those other boring-to-them events\u2014something of little interest to them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nIn this, the summer of our discontent (sorry Shakespeare\/Steinbeck fans, you\u2019ll have to wait for the Winter Of Our Discontent for a few months; hopefully that won\u2019t come at all) it continues to be exceeding hard to be a fan of any of the 9 categories. Is it time to declare the need for a No. 10, the Historical\/Nostalgic fan?<\/p>\n