i am not happy with the rules of the Long jump

i am a perspiring football journalist but i have many strings to my bone. i love a broad spectum of stuff like all sports, music, T.V. and other culturral stuff like that.


i am a big fan of track and fields and the following onion piece is something that has bothered me for a long time mates. i posted it on facebook a while ago but as part of the transaction across to my new blog i thought i would post it here. i hope you agree with me.


the Long jump


an athelete who jumps less than a rival can still beat him and that is a sorry business mates. athlete A has his jump measured at 8m50cm dispite the front of his foot being shy of the jump limit by 10cm so in reality he has jumped 8m 60cm if measured from the jump point to the landing point. but happy chappy athlete B has his jump measured at 8m55cm and he hit the board bang on. so dispite his actual jump not being as long as athlete A his shorter jump defeats athlete A in the LONG jump and that is an utter disgrace.

the defenders of the ridiculas current rules of the Long Jump would have you beleive that the timing of the foot on the board is the ultimate skill and yet from my observations of the event the actual hitting of the board is owing hugeley to Luck rather than skills. further i contend that as the judges are fussy about measuring preciseley the furthest point backwards made by the jumper and that includes a fall backwards or even stepping or walking backwards. so why not lend this laudible pedanticness to marking the exact point which the athlete left the ground to begin the jump. cameras easily help in this matter. just as cricket tennis and rugby make use of camera tecnology, well so should the Long Jump.