The triple jump has been my life for the last 36 years. I have a lot of information and expertise in this event and I would like to share it with others. I hope that I can build a following and help coaches and athletes learn how to be better triple jumpers.
It is sad when I see coaches teach the wrong skills to our young athletes. It is worse when I see our elite athletes unable to surpass the the jumps that were barely making the finals 20 years ago! I think it is crazy for a triple jumper to expect respect and praise if they can’t jump further than the 7th place finisher in the Olympic Trials in 1988 (Ray Kimble, 57′-6 1/4″, 17m53). If the triple jump is ever going to regain its prowess as a sport in the US it will need some better athletes.
In the world the triple jump has come a long way. In the past the TJ was owned by the US and Europeans. Recently, many Caribbean and Central American athletes have started to make great strides in the sport. I personally like the “new kids” because they are at least trying to bring their personality into the event. I am tired of watching boring jumpers who don’t understand the event or who just have the audience clap for them and don’t even perform well. It is embarrassing to watch the clapping that I brought to the event being used by rank “amatuers”.
Hopefully, there will be a revolution in the event that will bring back its glorious past!
Mr. Triple Jump 
January 27, 2010 at 7:01 am |
Willie,
I’ve been reading your blog and it occurred to me that you are on the right track for bringing the TJ back to its premier status in the US. I think, however, that we need to get some of these “young kids” and bring them into the process. I watched Will Claye two years ago at the Arcadia Meet and said to myself….”this kid could be special”. Aside from the fact that he was physically gifted with “superball resilience”, he was a very bright and articulate kid. Two years later and you know the story. NCAA indoor and outdoor champion w/ best of 56-6.75 and he is just a baby. The question is…How do we incorporate a kid like that along with some others we may identify into a cohesive effort to bring the event all the way back? Any ideas…let me know.