6. Boys hammer throw: A nice run of record-setters the last couple of years, led by Conor McCullough (219-7) and Walter Henning, showed this event is ripe for the pickings if some of those behemoths with quickness want to put in the time. Very hard on the body and not much opportunity in meets that most high school track athletes attend. Conversely, make yourself good and you are almost guaranteed a scholarship if you can handle the other weights, too.
7. Boys 300: Same as the girls, except Reggie Wyatt, who ran 35.02 in 2009, possessed those traits of size, speed, agility and reckless abandon that allowed him to attack the race. That is the only way to produce a truly fast time. Many wonder why not many outstanding quarter-milers are willing to give this a try but it is way more than just a speed event. Technique counts.
8. Boys discus: It used to be that a 200-footer was special, but no longer. This event just seems to produce a wunderkind every few years and although I certainly don't have a crystal ball, I still think that Mason Finley's 236-6, while sensational, is still somewhat vulnerable. It's getting tougher, though, as that truly is a good mark.
9. Girls high jump: This is really just an opinion. There is absolutely nothing wrong with either Amy Acuff or Toni Young's best of 6-4 — and that record could last forever. Acuff's international record is truly envious. No one on the horizon, no magic beans, just a feeling that this record should be closer to 6-5 or 6-6.
10. Girls shot put: Michael Carter's daughter, Michelle, who was a future Olympian, holds this one at 54-10 ¾ but Anna Jelmini scared it a couple of year ago at 54-4 ¾, so eventually someone will come along, avoid the injury bug, and launch it beyond 55 feet.
It was more difficult to find 10 events whose records were approachable than it was to find 10 that were untouchable.
Again, just an opinion and, after all, isn't that what makes track fun — comparing performances and recalling some of the truly great athletes who might not have even set a record. While it's true that records are made to be broken, it happens rarely enough that on those occasions they do fall, there is nothing better than being there to witness it.
