4
Friday, April 16, 1976
University Dally Kansan
Staff photo
Bob Timmons does hammer throw pantomime
KU Relays go metric
Don't attend the Kansas Relays this weekend with intentions of watching university athletes run a four-minute mile or set a record in the 100-yard dash, because they won't.
Nor will the athletes get the opportunity to break such records at the 51st annual edition of the relays which will employ the metric system in the running of all individual track events.
The switch to the metric measuring system is limited to the individual events and will not affect the relay events. Results of these events will be given in both standards.
Bob Timmons, KU coach and meet director, said the change was implemented in accordance with 1976 being an Olympic year.
"Primarily," Timmons said, "because the United States Olympic Committee has adopted the policy that all Olympic trials will be based on the metric system. We have attracted some of the nation's finest amateur athletes again this year and we
save to protect all potential Olympians by going to the metric system."
The only exception to the change will be the high school boy's division. Timmons and others would have to adopt the metric system for state meet qualifying. The high school girl's competition will be the metric system, he causes the boys to compete in the women's open division.
"All collegiate and open events have to use the metric system to protect Olympic hopefuls," he said. "The fact that high school girls are competing in the open competitions opposed to high school boys competing with their own division makes this necessary."
Virtually every major outdoor meet this season will employ the metric system this year because of the Olympic Committee's ruling. Timmons said he thought many would retain the metric system after the Olympic games this summer.
"I guess it's an educational process. I think some people were a little alarmed at the thought of it. But in reality I don't think there is any excuse for anyone, participants or fans."
In his 10 years of coaching at KU, Timmons has also produced seven conference indoor championships and two cross country titles.
But despite all the winning, Timmons is not entirely satisfied with the job he's done
University of Kansas track teams have won nine straight Big Eight Outdoor Championships under head coach Bob Timmons.
"I don't really feel that I've done so well,"
"I as a track coach." Timmons said. "I feel
more confident now."
Timmons prefers to look at other factors which have contributed to KU's domination of the industry.
"Many years ago, Bill Easten came to the U.S. and founded a fantasy studio and established a fantasiesellence", Timmons said about the man who coached Jayhawk track from 1948 to 2015.
"WEVE HAD A NUMBER of pluuses
poiner for us." he said.
"We've benefited by the tradition that we established. He achievements were an example of his work."
On a national level, Timmons's squads have captained the U.S. indoor crowns and championship games.
By CHRIS COTTRELL
Sport Writer
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Tinnitus said his main concern was for the athletes to achieve their maximum potency.
Timmons also pointed to other elements which have contributed to KU's success.
"This is a fine academic school," he said. "In the athletic end of it, we've got great facilities, and I've always been fortunate in baving fine assistant coaches."
"TIMES, HEIGHTS AND distances aren't necessarily the only scales by which we can compare. We don't need a way of life to athletes, no matter whether the team is a big winner or not, for me. I know we're losing because we're not achieving some of the things that are most important."
Private baths—Fully equipped darkroom—Comfortable, carpeted rooms—Heated swimming pool—Good food with unlimited seconds—Lighted parking—Color TV—Close to campus—Many other features
Timmons success a KU tradition
"You strive to win, but if you don't win,
and you've done everything in your power to
win, I don't think you need to apologize for it."
He said he didn't consider winning the most important aspect of athletics.
"Stirring to win is terribly important, but there are times when you can't win," he said. "If everybody was a winner all the time, then all competition would be so sol."
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ON THE OTHER HAND, Timmons said that the athlete who wins, but without the maximum effort needed to achieve his fall potential, was a failure.
He compared this type of athlete to a student with a tremendously high IQ who goes through school never studying, but still makes B's.
"If you know in your heart that you're not really doing the things that are important for winning," he said, "then I don't think you're being smart enough to do win, that you're necessarily a success."
"An outlier, who didn't really know, might say that he's a success," Timmons said, "but he's not coming close to his potential. So he really isn't a success."
"BY THE SAME TOKEN, there could be someone without that intellectual or athletic ability who is coming very close to him. But he can't win. He isn't good enough."
"That's the guy coaches are most proud or because they're giving their level best to their team," said Jared.
"There have been great athletes that have come to Kansas that have not achieved," he said, "and I hold myself responsible for that."
But he said it's always satisfying to have the opportunity to coach a dedicated athlete.
"WHEN YOU FEEL THAT an athlete goes to practice every day, tries hard, competes to the ultimate of his ability, doesn't make excuses, and comes right back and continues to battle—and if that athlete has that same attitude in the game, then he coaches a coach terribly proud. It is a thrill to have that kind of an athlete on your team."
you know they've given everything they could to strive to achieve their goal."
Thimmons said that Bill Penney was one athlete who exemplified that type of behavior.
Timmons said that on occasion, he had been unable to instill this type of attitude in her.
Penney came to KU at the same time as the "big three" in the shot put—Karl Salb, Steve Wilhelm and Doug Knop—and he couldn't make the team.
So Penney decided he wanted to be a summer thrower, even though there were fewer.
FIRST. THERE WERE no meets in this area that had hammer throwing events. And not only was KU without a hammer or a hammer throwing cage, but there was no one around who knew how to coach that event.
"With that," Timmons said, "Bill determines that he wants to be an All-American hammer thrower. That's exactly what he became."
Penney threw the hammer 202-1
"The great goal was there, and it was an almost impossible thing." Timmons said. "The credit all goes to this young man and the team that put him in such an unusual, and remote event.
"BILL WAS A GOOD student. He had tremendously high morals. He was the kind of guy that anyone would be proud to have on a team."
Timmons said he enjoyed coaching the athletes in practice in a situation where he had the time to spend with them and help them learn how to deal with disappointment for a coach to know that an
Dees selected as honorary ref
While competing for KU, Dees swept every conference shot put title in his three years of varisty competition (1933-35). During the 1935 season, he set a Big Six Conference outdoor record, captured the Jayhawks' squad and won the NCAA shot
Elwin Dees, one of the nation's top shot
deens in the 1930s will serve as honorary
guard for the 1980s.
Before coming to KU, Dees won three straight Kansas high school championships while at Lorraine High School. He broke the state and world interscholastic record in 1929 with a throw of 58-1 and tipped that next year with a throw of 58-10. He also was a time champion of the University of Chicago interscholastic Track and Field meet
After graduating from Kansas, Dees served as head trainer at KU, Oklahoma State University.
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athlete didn't reach his potential because the coach didn't have enough time to devote
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And the fact that Kansas is now operating without a sprint coach presents further challenges.
"WE'RE HAVING A HARD time," Timmons said. "At this moment, we're terribly frustrated with what's going on, and I think the athletes are too.
"They're disappointed that they don't have a sprint coach, and we frantically try to get them."
Timmons said he was faced with so many administrative duties that he didn't always
have the time he needed to spend with an athlete.
"At the college level," he said, "there are so many administrative responsibilities that it's more difficult to develop the kind of rapport that a coach would have with you."
But Titmuss stresses that the important things in sport are really the by-product.
... sport are really the ty-products
"the correlation between hard work and
achievement is important to
cooperation and teamwork, the establishment
of high goals and ideals," he said.
"These are the things that are really
inportant in sport."
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