Track And Field, Interrupted

TigerBlog is writing about track and field today. 

In fact, he was 348 words into it when he saw this tweet, which stopped him cold:

Congratulations to Jamea Jackson, the new Women's Tennis Coach for ⁦@Princeton⁩.

She played on the ⁦@WTA⁩ tour from 2003-2009, & went on to work for ⁦@usta⁩. She also captained the 🇺🇸 U16 team that won the Jr. ⁦@BJKCup⁩ in 2019. https://t.co/xskdiSklcN

— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) July 27, 2022

When Billie Jean King chimes in on something related to Princeton Athletics, then you have to drop everything and mention it. There is nobody, anywhere, in any sport,  in any capacity, in any way, who has ever done more to advance the cause of women's athletics than Billie Jean King.

That's just a fact. There is no current Princeton female athlete who wouldn't be forgiven for not knowing that, but it's 100 percent true. Without her, women's athletics would never have advanced the way they did, even with Title IX.

So yes, when she wants to compliment Princeton on something, of course TB will start with that.

Meanwhile, back at track and field:

If this was an Olympic summer, then TigerBlog would have made sure he didn't miss out on the equestrian events.

They are among his favorites. He loves the dressage, which he calls "horse dancing." And he loves the show-jumping. It looks so fluid when the horses clear the barriers and reverse position and cover the course, and yet it has to be a really complicated and delicate relationship between rider and horse.

The horse-jumping was called "steeplechase" in Ireland, where it originated as a sport that saw riders go from one town's steeple to another. The distance running sport of cross-country grew out of that, as did the track and field event that shares its name.

Were this the Olympics, TigerBlog would have again made sure to watch the steeplechase, which has been his favorite event ever since he saw Donn Cabral run in it as a Princeton undergrad. Back in his senior year of 2012, Cabral won the NCAA championship and then went on to make the Olympic final, something he repeated four years later in 2016.

Watching Cabral, and then getting to know him, made the steeplechase a can't-miss event for TB. He's loved to see how Princeton track and field has continued to excel in the event, sending one man (Ed Trippas) and one woman (Lizzie Bird) to the Olympics last summer.

They were both on the track at the recently completed World Athletics Championships, which used to be the World Track and Field Championships until now. In fact, both Trippas and Bird finished 20th in the steeplechase events.

Think about that. They're both in the top 20 in the world in their event. That's incredible. 

What makes it even cooler is that they are continuing to build on Cabral's legacy. And, even cooler, they weren't the only Princeton athletes to make a mark at the World Championships. 

Sondre Guttormsen has certainly enjoyed his time at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon. First, last month, he won the NCAA men's pole vault title on that field, repeating his indoor pole vault championship.

(note - this is where TB was when he saw the Billie Jean King tweet).

Guttormsen followed up his NCAA titles with a 10th place finish at the World Championships, also at Hayward Field. What's more impressive, an NCAA title or a 10th-place at the World Championships? 

TB might suggest finishing 10th in the world.

Guttormsen's brother Simen, who finished fourth in the NCAA indoor and outdoor meet, barely missed the top 12 in qualifying and settled for 15th place. Still, that's also amazing.

Also finishing 16th was Princeton's Julia Ratcliffe in the hammer. Again, that's amazing stuff.

The other Princeton competitor at the championships was Nathan Crumpton, who was a Summer (100 meters) and Winter (Skeleton) Olympian within the last 12 months. Crumpton ran an 11.71 in Oregon.

That's your track and field update. 

And your Jamea Jackson update. TB wrote yesterday that there seems to be a lot to like about Jackson.

When Billie Jean King concurs, then you're probably on the right path.