Why The Heck Does High School Track Resist Wind Gauges?

Measuring wind for the speed events is an idea that has been around for as long as the sport has. Back in 1889, Detroit sprinter John Owens was denied a World Record in the 100-yard dash because of aiding wind. No controversy. Even back then, everyone in the sport understood that wind at an athlete’s back could be a big boost in any straight (or mostly straight) speed event.

The vast majority of track meets worldwide use wind gauges and record the readings on the official results. It is standard operating procedure in U.S. college meets, whether they be governed NCAA or NAIA. Again, it’s not a controversial matter. In 40+ years in the sport I can’t think of anyone who has objected to the practice.

So why is there so much resistance to wind measurement at the high school level? In Michigan, they are usually only taken in two cases: state finals meets (and not all of them), and those few meets where I am the announcer and insist on it. Yet there is a long history of wind measurement in the state. In digging through the records, I’ve found that gauges were used at virtually all of the state meets dating from the 1920s to the 1970s. The early 1970s is where the practice fell apart. That was when the state finals went from being hosted at the colleges with trained officials to the high schools themselves, where directors sometimes struggled to find qualified officials and volunteers.

The low point, in my experience, came in the late 1990s, when I returned to my home state after 7 years of living in California and covering track meets all over the world for Track & Field News. I secured a media credential for the MHSAA state finals. From the press box, I looked for the wind gauge—having seen them at virtually every meet I had been to—and spotted a device unlike any I had seen. I went down to the track to examine it closer. It was a wooden model of a “wind gauge”—it actually had the words painted on it. It was non-functional. I asked a nearby official what on earth it was. He laughed and said, “It’s to impress those idiots in the press box.”

Okay then. I realized it would be a long haul to try to get the high school crowd back on board with wind readings. For years I had my daughter or various high school athletes run one at the D1 state finals. Eventually the meet management adopted the practice, though I still bring mine just in case. But 99% of other HS meets in the state are uncovered.

The Objections

The biggest resistance that I have encountered comes from coaches who feel it diminishes their athletes’ achievements to slap a “wind-aided” label on a performance. Yet college and world-class athletes deal with this all the time with no traces of psychological trauma.

You also have the “we’ve always done it this way” crowd. They point out that they have a school record on their wall that didn’t have a wind gauge, so it would be impossible to start now. (I have lots of thoughts on schools’ bizarre practices with records, but that will have to be another article.)

Some coaches and officials will argue against the measurement of wind on principle, that it’s wrong or unscientific or ridiculous in their experience. These are usually the folks who don’t follow track at the world-class or NCAA level and so have no idea how the sport actually works outside of their high school conference. In short, they tend not to be fans of the sport they work in. But I’ll bet good money many of them understand the intricacies of arcane NFL rules!

Some coaches may object for practical reasons. Putting on a meet is hard work. It means lining up officials and parent volunteers. Having someone man a wind gauge means one more body is needed (or 2, if you’re covering the long jump). I hear that. But it’s not really hard to show a kid how to run the gauge. If you have a big meet on your hands, or sprinters who you expect to go fast, it’s worth the few minutes.

The Advantages

We are all creatures of self-interest, the psychologists tell us. If we can see a plus side of using wind gauges, then we are liable to do it more often. The most obvious one is huge: credibility. Maybe when someone runs something really fast at your meet, everyone in the team circle accepts the time at face value. But at a certain level of excellence, other people are curious whether that performance is legitimate. With FAT timing, we know we can usually trust the time itself (though there are occasional bad eggs that show up on Athletic.net). However, with no wind reading, knowledgeable fans don’t trust the time, college recruiters don’t trust the time and statisticians like myself don’t trust it. A wind reading, though, means instant credibility.

And good luck calling that time a state or national record. That sort of recognition doesn’t go to a sprint/hurdle/long jump mark without a wind reading. A record must be absolutely trusted and verified. And that can’t be done without a wind reading.

Another Big Advantage To Wind Readings: Accurate Feedback

It’s easy

Providing wind readings is not hard. Not at all. A wind gauge legal for World Athletics purposes can be bought online for less than $15. A volunteer can be taught how to use it in 2 minutes or less (if I’m looking for a wind gauge operator, I usually ask the coach if they have a freshman who isn’t running; they’ve never failed me). Here are 2 of the forms I've used for student wind gauge readers:

Version 1 (includes basic directions for beginners)

Version 2 (used at the state finals)

Easier still is if your timing company has a wind gauge that remotely ties into their results program. Those beasts can cost $500 or a lot more, but they’re pretty cool. And, they’re generally certified by World Athletics, so would count to have a World Record ratified. For high school purposes, a less expensive gauge is fine.