It would seem there has been an interesting change that has gone largely unnoticed over the summer. The change comes out of the State of Florida. There, the Track & Field Advisory Committee, the Athletic Directors, and Ed Thompson, Director of Athletics for the FHSAA, all voted to mandate that all field events be measured in metric, starting Spring 2017. More can be read about that decision here.
This leads to the obvious question: should Arkansas follow suit? There are some pretty convincing arguments either way. So we decided to set out a poll. Read the arguments for and against below, and weigh in your opinion. We're interested to see what the general feedback is, so reach out to us on twitter as well, @armilesplit
. Tell us what you think!
Pros
- The metric system is the international standard for all field events. Not only that, it is also the standard for the NCAA. In order to better prepare our athletes, we need to adapt the metric system as early as possible.
- The switch to metric would add the ability for a higher degree of accuracy in measurement. As mentioned in Florida, "Going to metric allows us to use factors of ten anywhere on the measuring tape. We often find our champions using a Laser-drawn line on a high speed camera image in our running events. It's extremely difficult to accurately gauge the ¼" to ½""
- Track events are already in the metric system. Even the mile has dropped down to the 1600m, because it is easier to manage.
- The transition costs are minimal. All tapes measures routinely come with a side for metric on the opposite of the imperial side.
- We already do this at the Decathlon / Heptathlon
Cons
- Our sport already struggles with the casual viewer. Do we want to alienate ourselves further, by no longer being relatable to the casual athlete? Saying someone has jumped 20-feet, is a lot easier to conceptualize to new American athletes, than saying they lept 6.1 meters.
- There are genuine "Magic Barriers" in our sport that exist under the imperial system. The Sub-4 Mile may be one of the most prominent, but a 7-foot plus High Jump, a 50-foot plus Triple Jump, and a 60-foot plus Shot Put barrier exists within the High School ranks as well.
- The imperial system carries an American Identity. Much like the mile, which has a strong movement to "Bring Back The Mile," the field events are deeply rooted historically in this system. The chase for a 30-foot long jump, or a 60 foot triple jump, is ever more encapsulating than saying 8.95 meters.
- The imperial system would still be required, as all boards are measured in feet. So you will still have the 12-foot board, the 16-foot board, but they will not translate into the pit measurements.