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Dan
Chief Pontificator
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Joined: 22 Mar 1999
Posts: 9334
Location: Salem, OR

PostPosted: Fri Dec 13, 2002 2:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lap counting is one of the most challenging officiating aspects of the sport. Even major international races don't always get it right, and they have TV replay to resort to!

Dan
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Distance_Guru
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Joined: 09 Mar 2002
Posts: 1280
Location: Nebraska

PostPosted: Fri Dec 13, 2002 3:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I actually came up with an almost fool proof way to do it. Last year we hosted the indoor conference championships, and we were fortunate to have plenty of help. So for the distance races I asigned every runner in the field their own personal timer/lap counter. Had the counters introduce themselves to the runners so that they each knew who it was they were to look for when the athlete crossed the start finish line and I gave the lap counters check sheets that they checked everytime the athlete crossed the start finish line. It worked really well, no mistakes and plenty of compliments from the other coaches, just the way you like it. Of coarse we video taped the race just in case.
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Dan
Chief Pontificator
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Joined: 22 Mar 1999
Posts: 9334
Location: Salem, OR

PostPosted: Fri Dec 13, 2002 4:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

That's definitely the way to do it. We've at times had enough helpers to have each lap counter assigned to 2 runners (typically fields of 30+), but even that can get confusing at times, especially as most of our distance races were scheduled to coincide with nightfall and very little lighting by the finish line...

Dan
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will
Water Boy
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Joined: 24 Oct 2002
Posts: 70
Location: South

PostPosted: Mon Jan 06, 2003 12:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

During a dual meet a few years ago, my teammates and I were doing some pack running through a local state park where the university hosted the event. Seeing as it was middle Tennessee, it wasn't uncommon to see deer off in the distance as you drove through the landscape. However, what happened to us was far from ordinary. I was on the left back of the pack just trudging along, keeping pace at about 3 miles into the 8k. All of the sudden, I hear some sounds to my left. My immediate thought was, "someone closed the gap." I glanced left only to be surprised by 5 deer running beside, not away from us. I tapped my nearest team mate Dave and pointed. By that time, our two other team mates noticed us looking over to the left. The pack ran with us for about 100m before they sped up and cut about 15m in front of us and disappeared up over a ridge. Not a single one of us said a word as we finished the race about it, but we were telling everyone as soon as we crossed the line. Very cool sort of nature-lover's synchronicity.
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Dan
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Joined: 22 Mar 1999
Posts: 9334
Location: Salem, OR

PostPosted: Mon Jan 06, 2003 12:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Cool, it's not every day you get a pack of deer offering their services as rabbits! Bernard Lagat would've been proud.

Dan
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will
Water Boy
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Joined: 24 Oct 2002
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Location: South

PostPosted: Mon Jan 06, 2003 12:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yeah, I've had all sorts of neat things happen, but that was definitely one of the weirdest/coolest. Rarely does stuff like that happen.

I also happened to be in Sedona for my honeymoon a few months ago. By chance my wife and I were eating lunch and a guy walked in with his wife and kids. He was thing, looked like a runner....that sort of thing. When his wife walked by, she had on a 2001 USATF Cross Country nationals t-shirt on; I caught on. I went and talked to him. Turns out he used to run at U of O in the 80's at the same time Salazar and my friend Mike lived up there. Small world. That's not so weird though.
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Dan
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Joined: 22 Mar 1999
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Location: Salem, OR

PostPosted: Mon Jan 06, 2003 12:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Did you catch his name?

Dan
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 06, 2003 12:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Buck Jones.
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Dan
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Joined: 22 Mar 1999
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Location: Salem, OR

PostPosted: Mon Jan 06, 2003 12:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Somehow I knew it would be someone I know... Rolling Eyes I've conversed several times with him and actually attended the same college (Whitman; he transferred to UO), albeit at different times.

Did he tell you how he got his nickname "Buck?" Wink

Dan
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will
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 06, 2003 12:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nope, how?
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Dan
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Joined: 22 Mar 1999
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Location: Salem, OR

PostPosted: Mon Jan 06, 2003 1:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm not entirely sure this story is public knowledge, but... As it was told to me (not by Buck but by a former teammate of his), he entered and won the infamous Bare Buns Run up in Spokane and showed up on the news buck naked (presumably with some sensoring bars). When his teammates caught wind of it, the legend was born!

Dan
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will
Water Boy
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Joined: 24 Oct 2002
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Location: South

PostPosted: Mon Jan 06, 2003 1:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

That's too funny. I tried to institute some bare buns runs at my school, but the south is conservative. Normally, a lot of alcohol must be administered before people would even entertain that sort of thought.
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Paul
Olympic Medalist
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Joined: 28 Apr 2002
Posts: 1610
Location: Oregon

PostPosted: Mon Jan 06, 2003 1:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

A son in law of a friend of mine at work has run in that Spokane race a couple of times. He ran XC for Aloha about ten years ago.
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Dan
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Joined: 22 Mar 1999
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Location: Salem, OR

PostPosted: Mon Jan 06, 2003 2:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
He ran XC for Aloha about ten years ago.

I ran several XC races (one per year) at Aloha about 10 years ago...

Dan
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Paul
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Location: Oregon

PostPosted: Mon Jan 06, 2003 5:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jason Rogers?? I think.
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