Jasmine Jenkins

UWRT 1104-002

Ms. White

September 29th, 2018

Genre Analysis

Track and Field

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 of Track and Field). According to some literary traditions, this was the only athletic

event of the games for the first 13 Olympic festivals(The History…). With this, track and field

may be considered the most important olympics sport. Since then, track and field has

transformed into a more detailed and technical sport. In this analysis, the technical aspects of

track and field will be broken down in order to show what the sport consist of. Along with

showing what the sport consist of, the qualifications of the sport , in order to be considered part

of the genre, will be explained as well. ​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.

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). A relay is a race

where four people each run the amount of meters that the race states. In some instances, there a

medley relays which will consists of multiple races still ran by four people. There is a sprint

medley and a distance medley relays. The sprint medley consists of a 100 meter, 100 meter, 200

meter, and a 400 meter(in that order). The distance medley is made up of a 400 meter (one lap),

400 meter (one lap), 800 meter(two laps), and a 1600 meter( one mile).Now that the races are all

considered sprints, the next requirement for sprints is the attire. The attire required includes a

uniform, spikes, and if the race is a relay a baton is require. The spikes that are recommended,

sometimes required depending on the meet, are 3/16 of an inch. For relay, a baton is a hollow

pole that measures about one foot long. The batons are hollow in order to be more aerodynamic

when passing from person to person during a race. Batons come in all colors and designs but are

all the same exact measurement. 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 2) 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. Longer distance races require spikes that are shorter spikes compared to all other events

that require spikes. Long distance races require more shoes that are able to withstand long use.
Also, the shoes need to be able to withstand certain terrains depending on the race. The

steeplechase race has one component that involves water. The shoes will be able to assist in the

aquatic component. More races that may use multiple terrains are cross country races; The races

are not ran on a track. Cross country races are typically ran on trails, grass, ad sometimes through

mud. With that being said, there are spikes 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.

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. These are the basics of jumps: short sprints, airborne, pit landing. 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. The reason why a uniform is needed for all the events is because of how the uniform

enhanced all performances. Typically, all uniforms are made with a spandex material. The

spandex material allows for easy movement. The stretchy quality of spandex allows for the
uniform to form to the body and let the athlete move as they please. In some occasions, usually

with long distance running, the uniforms will be made with a mixture of nylon. Nylon is a fabric

that works well with wind. With the long races and constant movement, this type of uniform is

useful for long distance races.

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

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

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

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

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

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