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Usain Bolt's False Start

08/28/2011 2:37 PM

Just curious how false starts are called in track and why is there no starting "gate"?

I'm thinking a steel plate in each runner's shoe would be held in the starting blocks by an electromagnet, until the flag falls. Then the runner couldn't jump the start.

"The world's fastest man broke out of the starting block early in Sunday's 100 meter final in South Korea and was disqualified from the race"

Video: Usain Bolt's shocking DQ ends three-year reign in 100

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#1

Re: Usain Bolt's False Start

08/28/2011 3:33 PM

I'm thinking a steel plate in each runner's shoe would be held in the starting blocks by an electromagnet, until the flag falls. Then the runner couldn't jump the start.
Sounds like a great way to injure the runners to me.
Del

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#2
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Re: Usain Bolt's False Start

08/28/2011 4:05 PM

Not enough holding force to injure someone. Just enough so that a false start is obvious.

Like a strong refrigerator magnet type force.

Oh, never mind. I'm watching them cut a near net shape "medieval" sword blank on a CNC machining center now anyway.

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#3
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Re: Usain Bolt's False Start

08/28/2011 5:47 PM

So, this sword... it hangs over the runners head right? And if he jumps the gun...
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#4

Re: Usain Bolt's False Start

08/28/2011 5:56 PM

How about adapting photo finish technique to photo start?

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#5
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Re: Usain Bolt's False Start

08/28/2011 6:02 PM

Honestly, I don't know how false starts are called.

But, the point is to speed things up.

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#6
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Re: Usain Bolt's False Start

08/28/2011 6:56 PM

I thought speeding things up is what started this whole discussion?

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#8
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Re: Usain Bolt's False Start

08/28/2011 8:45 PM

Instant read?

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#22
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Re: Usain Bolt's False Start

08/29/2011 10:28 PM

you mean like the HotWheels circuit recently debuted?

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#7

Re: Usain Bolt's False Start

08/28/2011 8:44 PM

Put a strain gauge on his calf.

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#9

Re: Usain Bolt's False Start

08/28/2011 8:53 PM

On the collegiate and international level (and usually at the High School State Meets), there are sensors located within the starting block foot pads that trigger a false start when pressure is nonexistent if a jump start occurs before the starting gun goes off. Everything is done by very precise pressure and sound sensors, and digital electronics, including the electronic stopwatch.

The reason I know is through past experience: Back in my high school days (mid 70's) I was a sprinter with no less than 5 NYS Section 2 championship wins to my credit and won a full track scholarship to Syracuse U. to study Architecture (but I didn't attend there, and instead joined the Army).....my 100-yard dash best was 9.7 seconds and my 220 yard dash was 21.4 seconds for outdoor track......5.4 seconds for the 50-yard dash and 6.34 seconds in the 60 yard dash for indoor track.... and I was on several on several relay teams (440 and 880 yard outdoor) that set several sectional and high school records. I have several state meet medals as well as two medals from the Penn Relays. Not all that bad for a 5'-7" tall 135# weakling with pale skin! LOL

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#11
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Re: Usain Bolt's False Start

08/28/2011 10:09 PM

Better watch out--we'll start calling you Speedy Gonzalez!

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#20
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Re: Usain Bolt's False Start

08/29/2011 10:37 AM

Ahhh, but I can't even speak Mexican........what is a poor rodent to do???!!! LOL

Arreeebbbbaaa arrreeebbbbbaaaa aaaareeeebbbbaaaa!!!!

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#12
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Re: Usain Bolt's False Start

08/28/2011 10:54 PM

I read 9.7 and thought "no way".... but it was 100 yards not meters...still a great time for high school. 0.1 faster than the 1890 world record!

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#19
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Re: Usain Bolt's False Start

08/29/2011 10:34 AM

Thanks....I worked hard to get that time. I did it twice in my Senior year in HS; the first time for the State Qualifying Meet and again a week later at the States.......oh so very close to getting 9.6 seconds. Sorry to say I was the only white guy in the final 100-yard dash. I have short legs and am stocky. Everyone else had long sprinters legs and at the end could fly by me very fast.....I could usually blow-off everyone at the start because I had a tremendously powerful and explosive start and could typically have a 10 foot head start on the other runners as they were leaving the blocks. Even in 9th Grade I was on the Varsity Indoor and Outdoor Track Teams and was capable of doing the 60-yd Indoor in 6.4 seconds and the Outdoor 100-yd in 10.0 seconds. I was the first Freshman ever in our HS history to be on the Varsity team.....even dropped playing football in my Junior year for fear of getting squashed and severely injured (I was on special teams, was a Slot-back, and did punt return), so I could concentrate on my running. Running fast must run in my family as my kid brother was a sprinter too and jointed our 880-yd relay team along with two of my fellow sprinter buddies.....to this day we still hold the NYS Section 2 (Capital District region) record for the 880-yd relay at 1 minute 30.3 seconds. Unfortunately, they switched from the Imperial measurement system to the Metric somewhere for field and track somewhere around the mid-1980's,. Oh well, I'm a "relic" now! LOL

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#14
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Re: Usain Bolt's False Start

08/28/2011 11:27 PM

And if you were like me you got out of basic training at about 165 lbs.

I went into basic at 140 lbs and between all the pt and "all you can eat" gained 25 lbs. Quite the reverse of the majority, who lost flab.

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#17
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Re: Usain Bolt's False Start

08/29/2011 10:13 AM

Hey Hooker, that's exactly what happened to me! LOL While in high school and before enlisting I had a tremendous amount of leg strength (could do leg curls @ 220 pounds on the weight machine all day long), but marginal upper body strength....I truly sucked at chip-up and push-ups! After BMT that had changed drastically as I had inched my weight up to around 155 pounds and had the upper body strength to match the leg strength; all that weight gain was muscle mass in my torso, abs, neck and arms......I'm stocky to begin with and I ended up looking like I had no neck, just a pumpkin head plopped down on shoulders.

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#15
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Re: Usain Bolt's False Start

08/29/2011 3:33 AM

That's some cool sprinting.
I was only just quick enough to out run my older brothers .
Del

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#21
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Re: Usain Bolt's False Start

08/29/2011 10:45 AM

Thanks Del

I was the oldest kid in my family, so I didn't have to worry about outrunning my siblings, just the next door neighbor...she was 4 years older than me and a long- legged redhead. She was fast as grease lightning and loved to tickle me constantly, so I essentially learned (trained?) to outrun her eventually! Maybe I should have turned around and tickled her back? She was gorgeous after all!!!!! Maybe that's why all my adult life I've been smitten with redheads....married two of them!!!

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#18
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Re: Usain Bolt's False Start

08/29/2011 10:15 AM

Thanks. I've wondered about that.

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#10

Re: Usain Bolt's False Start

08/28/2011 9:43 PM

why not use these for human size?

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#13

Re: Usain Bolt's False Start

08/28/2011 10:59 PM

Maybe the best way is to subtract the end time - start time for each runner and then identify the winner.. ofcourse all runners will have to start within a span of 2 secs etc..

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#16

Re: Usain Bolt's False Start

08/29/2011 8:15 AM

"why is there no starting "gate"?"

There's no starting gate because they haven't installed the mechanical rabbit yet. They're working on it.

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