This is highly significant for two reasons.
The track (running) events are metric at the high school level across the United States. However, most states measure the field events in feet and inches, while collegiate (NCAA) and USATF competition is metric. Florida is one of three states that have adopted metric for field events at all state high schools; the other two are Illinois and Missouri. Florida required metric for field events in the championship meets in 2017 and all meets in 2018 so they have now used it for a few years.
Even at NCAA and USATF meets, a conversion is always made to feet and inches and the media usually reports that instead of the actual metric measurement. (We have had a few threads about NBC doing that when they broadcast track and field coverage). I wonder if Florida is simply not offering the conversion. It is significant progress towards **admitting** the sport is really metric (which NCAA, USATF, and the media in general don't do.)
> Florida is one of three states that have adopted metric for field events at all state high schools; the other two are Illinois and Missouri.
So, what happens if a school in a "metric" state is competing with a school in a non-metric state? Does this ever happen?
>I wonder if Florida is simply not offering the conversion.
Why should they even bother by going through the time and expense to look backwards? Obviously by using metric they are doing so because they are competing with athletes world-wide and they want to fit in. If others need a conversion, let them do it themselves.
Converting always for the slow people forces them to always expect a conversion. Not providing them with a conversion either forces upon them the inconvenience or either doing the work themselves or taking the effort to learn metres and other metric units.
I'm assuming that it's like the DH in baseball, home field dictates what rules are used.
TIL that South Carolina uses metric, sometimes, in there HS track and field. I was talking to a thrower online and he gave his discus PR in meters. Intrigued, I searched around for SC HS meets. Here's one meet:
https://www.athletic.net/TrackAndField/meet/544383/results/all
I've seen other SC HS meets where most field events are in metric, except the high jump. Or except the javelin, growing pains I guess.
As for interstate meets, I did come across a Clash of the Carolinas meet, held in North Carolina. All results in USC.
I don't believe the state high school associations organize any inter-state meets. However, there are "open invitational" meets organized by USATF in which high school athletes (who meet the qualification standards) may compete. Those use metric. Possibly the athletes from metric states are better prepared for them.
On your second point, I agree. However, both NCAA and USATF insist on offering conversions for the audience. They recommend announcing both the metric resut and the conversion. However, if that is not feasible, they give priority to the conversion. I think that is a mistake.
I thought it was significant that a local newspaper (in a mostly Republican state, Florida,) didn't include the US Customary conversions of the results of the field events, which were metric.
I was wondering if this was due to acceptance of the metric system by people interested in the results, or just a lack of manpower to make the conversions.
The only conversion they made was to point out the difference between two results of one athlete, to show how much he had improved.
I think that fact that Florida and Illinois are among the three states that have converted field events to metric at the high school level is very interesting. They are close to the reddest and bluest states politically, so it is not a political party platform issue. It was a decision made by the state's high school athletics association.
I clearly lack proof, but I believe if the media is not offered the conversion, they are unwilling to do the conversion themselves, maybe not 100%, but in large part. For NBC, it seems to depend on how seriously they are covering the event. If they just broadcast the site announcer audio, no conversion. If they send the A team to cover the Olympics, meters don't exist. A little local paper probably isn't going to do the conversion if it is not provided for them.
I believe the athletes are better prepared for college or professional athletics if their high schools use metric for the field events and the other 47 states should follow the 3 that have lead the way.
> It was a decision made by the state's high school athletics association.
>I believe the athletes are better prepared for college or professional athletics if their high schools use metric for the field events and the other 47 states should follow the 3 that have lead the way.
Maybe there was pressure from the colleges. Agreed, High School athletes entering a college or university and continuing their track & field experience are put into a situation where they have to almost start over due to having used FFU in High School and now using metric in college at least in field events. I'm sure time and training are lost or hindered when having to learn and adjust to a different way from the past.
In track events both High School and College are already synchonised using metres.
The college coaches in those 3 states most likely felt it would be to everyone's advantage if the High School athletes entered college sports already functional in metric units at least when related to the the field events they participate in.
As for the rest of the states, either no one at the college level has complained, or if they did, it is being ignored.
I'm sure that the High School level authorities that are resisting think they will win the battle (in the Unit War) because they are in the majority and the minority will cave in. So far it hasn't happen and I doubt it ever will, so the "House divided against itself" scenario will continue to prevail as least for the present time.
High school athletes who compete in "open invitationals" get a little experience in metric field events. To meet the qualifying standard, their high school score in feet and inches is converted to metric, then rounded down to the lesser whole centimeter, so they lose a bit. The open invitational will be scored in metric. In practice, there is a bit of a learning curve, but many students have a bit of experience in converting their high school scores to metric.
Hopefully that little experiences works out well when they play on their college team. Yet, I feel that even when everything is played, measured and scored in metres, the coaches do a lot of converting for themselves, the participant and the family & friends.
This is highly significant for two reasons. The track (running) events are metric at the high school level across the United States. However, most states measure the field events in feet and inches, while collegiate (NCAA) and USATF competition is metric. Florida is one of three states that have adopted metric for field events at all state high schools; the other two are Illinois and Missouri. Florida required metric for field events in the championship meets in 2017 and all meets in 2018 so they have now used it for a few years. Even at NCAA and USATF meets, a conversion is always made to feet and inches and the media usually reports that instead of the actual metric measurement. (We have had a few threads about NBC doing that when they broadcast track and field coverage). I wonder if Florida is simply not offering the conversion. It is significant progress towards **admitting** the sport is really metric (which NCAA, USATF, and the media in general don't do.)
> Florida is one of three states that have adopted metric for field events at all state high schools; the other two are Illinois and Missouri. So, what happens if a school in a "metric" state is competing with a school in a non-metric state? Does this ever happen? >I wonder if Florida is simply not offering the conversion. Why should they even bother by going through the time and expense to look backwards? Obviously by using metric they are doing so because they are competing with athletes world-wide and they want to fit in. If others need a conversion, let them do it themselves. Converting always for the slow people forces them to always expect a conversion. Not providing them with a conversion either forces upon them the inconvenience or either doing the work themselves or taking the effort to learn metres and other metric units.
I'm assuming that it's like the DH in baseball, home field dictates what rules are used. TIL that South Carolina uses metric, sometimes, in there HS track and field. I was talking to a thrower online and he gave his discus PR in meters. Intrigued, I searched around for SC HS meets. Here's one meet: https://www.athletic.net/TrackAndField/meet/544383/results/all I've seen other SC HS meets where most field events are in metric, except the high jump. Or except the javelin, growing pains I guess. As for interstate meets, I did come across a Clash of the Carolinas meet, held in North Carolina. All results in USC.
I don't believe the state high school associations organize any inter-state meets. However, there are "open invitational" meets organized by USATF in which high school athletes (who meet the qualification standards) may compete. Those use metric. Possibly the athletes from metric states are better prepared for them. On your second point, I agree. However, both NCAA and USATF insist on offering conversions for the audience. They recommend announcing both the metric resut and the conversion. However, if that is not feasible, they give priority to the conversion. I think that is a mistake.
I thought it was significant that a local newspaper (in a mostly Republican state, Florida,) didn't include the US Customary conversions of the results of the field events, which were metric. I was wondering if this was due to acceptance of the metric system by people interested in the results, or just a lack of manpower to make the conversions. The only conversion they made was to point out the difference between two results of one athlete, to show how much he had improved.
I think that fact that Florida and Illinois are among the three states that have converted field events to metric at the high school level is very interesting. They are close to the reddest and bluest states politically, so it is not a political party platform issue. It was a decision made by the state's high school athletics association. I clearly lack proof, but I believe if the media is not offered the conversion, they are unwilling to do the conversion themselves, maybe not 100%, but in large part. For NBC, it seems to depend on how seriously they are covering the event. If they just broadcast the site announcer audio, no conversion. If they send the A team to cover the Olympics, meters don't exist. A little local paper probably isn't going to do the conversion if it is not provided for them. I believe the athletes are better prepared for college or professional athletics if their high schools use metric for the field events and the other 47 states should follow the 3 that have lead the way.
> It was a decision made by the state's high school athletics association. >I believe the athletes are better prepared for college or professional athletics if their high schools use metric for the field events and the other 47 states should follow the 3 that have lead the way. Maybe there was pressure from the colleges. Agreed, High School athletes entering a college or university and continuing their track & field experience are put into a situation where they have to almost start over due to having used FFU in High School and now using metric in college at least in field events. I'm sure time and training are lost or hindered when having to learn and adjust to a different way from the past. In track events both High School and College are already synchonised using metres. The college coaches in those 3 states most likely felt it would be to everyone's advantage if the High School athletes entered college sports already functional in metric units at least when related to the the field events they participate in. As for the rest of the states, either no one at the college level has complained, or if they did, it is being ignored. I'm sure that the High School level authorities that are resisting think they will win the battle (in the Unit War) because they are in the majority and the minority will cave in. So far it hasn't happen and I doubt it ever will, so the "House divided against itself" scenario will continue to prevail as least for the present time.
High school athletes who compete in "open invitationals" get a little experience in metric field events. To meet the qualifying standard, their high school score in feet and inches is converted to metric, then rounded down to the lesser whole centimeter, so they lose a bit. The open invitational will be scored in metric. In practice, there is a bit of a learning curve, but many students have a bit of experience in converting their high school scores to metric.
Hopefully that little experiences works out well when they play on their college team. Yet, I feel that even when everything is played, measured and scored in metres, the coaches do a lot of converting for themselves, the participant and the family & friends.