Talk:Hal Higdon

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As one of the finalists for NASA's Journalist in Space program, Hal Higdon made the first cut to 100 out of approximately 5,000 applicants. Then he made the second cut to 40, before NASA abandoned the program in the wake of the Challenger explosion. KarateLadyKarateLady 03:53, 21 September 2006 (UTC)

Material copy/pasted from Higdon's biography page

I noticed that a lot of the material in the biography section seems to be cut and paste, and very slightly rewritten, from Hal Higdon's biography page on his website (http://www.halhigdon.com/biography/bio.htm). For example, this is from the WP page:

Hal Higdon has been writing and running for half a century. He grew up in Chicago, Illinois. In 1947, he participated in track at the University of Chicago's Laboratory School. He placed fourth in the conference with a 5:04.7 mile. Due to switching schools, he did not run in his junior year, but he started again in his senior year and has been running ever since.

Here's the opening of Higdon's biography page:

Hal Higdon has been writing and running for half a century. Higdon grew up on the south side of Chicago. He first went out for track as a sophomore at the University of Chicago's Laboratory School (U-High) in 1947, placing fourth in the conference with a 5:04.7 mile. Higdon explains: "I skipped sports as a junior because I switched schools, but started running again my senior year. Except for a month or so off now and then, I've been running continuously since the spring of 1949."

And again, from the WP page:

Higdon attended Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. He won the Midwest Conference titles in the mile, half-mile and cross-country. His best mile time (post-college time) was 4:13.6, and he had notable success at running long distances races. In 1952, he participated in the US Olympic Trials for 10,000 meters. It was the first of eight Trials appearances for Higdon, with a high-water mark of fifth in the 3,000 meter steeplechase in 1960. He had two other top-ten Trials finishes. (Only the top three make the Olympic team.)

From Higdon's bio:

Higdon attended Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, winning Midwest Conference titles in the mile, half-mile and cross-country. His best mile time was 4:13.6, although he had more success at longer distances, including road races. In 1952 he participated in the US Olympic Trials for 10,000 meters. "I was dead last in 15th place, but two dozen other runners got waved off the track after being lapped." That was the first of eight Trials appearances for Higdon, his high-water mark being fifth in the 3,000 meter steeplechase in 1960. He had two other top-ten Trials finishes. (Only the top three make the Olympic team.)

Ain't no way that's coincidence. Maybe it isn't a copyright violation--heck, for all I know, Hal Higdon himself set up this WP page and copied in material from his bio. But it looks fishy to me. -- Narsil 01:13, 31 October 2007 (UTC)