Jasmine Jenkins

UWRT 1104-002
Ms. White
Rough Draft 1
Genre- Track and Field
Artifacts:Sprints, Throw,Distance, Jumps

Track and field is a genre that is composed of many component which are the events that

the sport consist of. A genre is a repeatable product and has a specific communicative purpose.

The communicative purpose of this genre is for athletes that are apart of the sport; or even people

who understand the sport and are able to communicate about the sport. The genre of track and

field was first started at the​ ancient Olympic Games in the year 776 BC. A cook named Koroibos

from the nearby city of Elis and won a stadium race that was a foot race 600 feet long(The

History...). According to some literary traditions, this was the only athletic event of the games for

the first 13 Olympic festivals(The History…). ​The purpose of the track and field genre is to

individualize itself from the huge genre of sports. Sports genre is composed of all the sports that

are played and officially established as a sport. To narrow down the genre, track and field, which

is within the sports genre, will be used in this instance. Track and field is a subculture to sports

but is also a genre itself.

(Main Body Part 1)In order to qualify under the Track and Field genre, what is needed is

an event to be under the four categories of sprints, distance, throws, or jumps. The sprints

category includes races that are 400 meters and under. These races could possibly (depending on

the season and gender of the athlete) include: 100 meter, 100 meter hurdles,110 meter hurdles,

200 meter, 300 meter hurdles, 400 meter, 400 meter hurdles. Along with these sprint races comes

the sprint relays for them. The sprint relays include 4x100 meter , 4x200 meter, 4x400 meter,

4x800 sprint medley relay(combination of 100 meter, 100 meter, 200 meter, 400 meter). Now
that the races are all considered sprints, the next requirement for sprints is the attire. The attired

required includes a uniform, spikes, and if the race is a relay a baton is require. Once all these

necessities are obtained, then the sprint subgenre of track and field is fulfilled.

(M.B Part 2)Another component of track and field is the throws. The throws is apart of

the field portion of track and field. In order to be considered throws, the event has to be either

shot put, discus, javelin, hammer or weight throw. Any one of these events qualify under the

subgenre of throws within the genre of track and field. The requirements and attire needed for

throws is a uniform, rotational shoes, throw spikes, and optional wrist braces. The rotational

shoes assist in the spin part of the throws. Almost every single one of the throws, except javelin,

require a spinning motion before actually launching the implement. “​Most top putters use the

spin method”(Dale) which shows the importance of these shoes due to the dynamics of throwing.

With the majority of shot putters/top putters using the same method, a specific shoe that assist in

this method is needed. The shoes have a slick sole with no grip in order to gain speed during a

rotation. The throw spikes are another type of throw shoe but are specifically used in javelin.

With javelin, the thrower has a run down a short runway in order to build up speed to throw their

implement. ​ These spikes are different from sprint spikes and long distance spikes. These tend to

have a lesser amount of spikes in the shoe, and have a different grip on the sole. Lastly, wrist

braces are used more for collegiate and professional throwers. This is an essential part of their

performance. All of these materials are need in order to be apart of throws. They are all needed

in order to perform the event correctly.

(M.B. Part. 3)Along with the two components described, another component is long

distance. Long distance races are all of the races that are 800 meters and up. The races include
800 meters , 1500 meters, 1600 meters(the mile), 3200 meters, Steeplechase, and there are some

relays. Long distance requires long distance spikes which are shorten spikes that are specifically

meant for long distance. In some cases, a long distance athlete may prefer the traditional running

shoe with no spikes. The traditional running shoes have more foot support and comfort. They do

not grip the track as well but are still a good choice of shoes for long distance runners.

(M.B. Part 4)The last component to qualify under the genre of track and field is jumps.

Jumps is composed of the events: high jump, long jump, triple jump, and pole vault. Jumps falls

under the field portion of track and field. Though pole vault doesn't seem like a “jumping” event,

pole vault is still considered a jumping event because of airborne quality. An athlete has to

sprint, plant and vault over a pole. The athlete becomes airborne over the pole and lands in a soft

landing pit. In order to be apart of the jumps, a landing pit is needed( either sand or a large foam

landing depending on the event) is required for all the events. Also, the airborne state is required

to be considered a jump. The spikes used for jumps are the same spikes that are used in sprinting

events. Like all the other subgenres of track, a uniform is also needed. The uniforms need for all

the subgenre are usually form fitting so they enable to body to perform at the best of it’s ability

while competing in the event.

(M.B. Sim.&Diff.)The most similar components of track and field are sprints and jumps.

Both are equally apart of track and field. Jumps and sprints usually do the same exact workouts

with slight differences. The cardio portion of the workouts are typically the same but when

working on dynamics, the two do not focus on the same dynamics. Jumpers work different

muscles in order to increase the height/distance of their jumps. Sprinters work other muscles that

focus on speed and endurance. Along with completing the same training/workouts, they also
wear the same shoes-spikes. These two qualities make them the most similar components of

track and field. The biggest difference between jumps and sprints is that jumps are airborne and

they land in pit. Sprints are strictly running races. Sprints does not become airborne, unless the

race includes hurdles. Hurdles ​are normally between 68–​107 cm​ in height (or 27-​42 inches​), and

vary depending on the age and gender of the hurdler. Events from 50 to 110 meters are

technically known as high hurdles races, while longer competitions are low hurdles

races(Buttermore). Though sprinting hurdles races have a slight airborness to them, they do not

qualify enough to be apart of jumps. They also do not land in a pit like jumps.

(Conclusion) The genre of track and field is composed of many different components and

requirements. When all of the components and requirements have been fulfilled, that’s when

something can be considered a part of the track and field genre. The genre is so large, because of

the subgenres it comes with, that many different events are allowed to fall under track and field.

All of the events require similar equipment as well. All of the events require a uniform that is

form fitting to the body. The uniform doesn't have much variance throughout the events. All of

the events can use the same uniform. The shoes however, vary between events. Depending on the

event, the shoe requirement will either be spikes, throw spikes, distance spikes, or rotational

shoes. Each type of shoe corresponds to the type of event that will be performed.
Works Cited

The History Of Track And Field. Where Running Started. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.athleticscholarships.net/history-of-track-and-field.htm

Dale, P. (2017, September 11). Track & Field Throwing Events. Retrieved from

https://www.livestrong.com/article/344818-track-field-throwing-events/

Buttermore, U. B. (February 11). Hurdle Placement & Height Comparison. Retrieved September

18, 2018, from

http://www.usatf.org/groups/officials/files/resources/track-events/Hurdle-Placement-Heig

hts-Feb2011.pdf

Personal Sidenotes:

More differences & similarities

More use of resources/ use more resources

Detail and expand more on topics

Transitions . (Page Count:4)