Maybe it's not something you've ever thought about before. Sometimes it seems like track and field writers and fans are more concerned about the distance races than any other event grouping. Most assume that since the long jump has always been one of the U.S.'s strong suits, all must be well in that part of the kingdom.

American jumpers, after all, have ruled the world, winning 21 of the 24 Olympic gold medals, and 45 of 72, once the silver and bronze medals are included. In the World Championships, the story is different, because the timeline is different. Inaugurated in 1983, and held every two years since 1991, the Worlds are certainly a better sampling of current changes at the sport's top level.

The U.S. won eight of nine medals available in the first three editions of the Worlds. In the four editions since then, only two of 12 medals have gone to Americans. Last summer the U.S. got skunked in long-jump medals. Looking at the world's top 50 performers by a list of their best marks of the season, the decline in American depth is evident. In 1970, 18 Americans made the grade; in 1980, 12 made it. In 1990, 14 made it. Last year, only seven did.

In the anecdotal evidence department, I suspect many areas of the country are experiencing what I see in my backyard: College meets that used to be won with jumps of 24-25 feet now go to 23-foot jumpers.

What gives? To some extent, the long jump is probably suffering from the same NCAA eligibility restrictions that have hindered U.S. depth in the sprints. However, I think another force may be at work.

Does lack of interest have an effect?
It might be hard to believe there's a lack of interest in the long jump, one of the most basic --and therefore widely practiced -- events in the sport. Yet I think its inherent simplicity might be part of the problem.

Compare the pole vault to the long jump. At virtually any meet, you can see the pole vaulters watching each other closely. They freely offer advice. Coaches often crowd around. The vaulters know each other well. Many of them train in groups, and they gather regularly at fantastic events such as the recent Reno Pole Vault Summit. They enjoy a plethora of information on how to master one of the most technical events on earth: books, videos, web sites (Yahoo counts nine pole vault sites out there). The pole vault is more than an event; it is a community.

Watch the long jump at the same meet. There are no long-jump specialists, just sprinters who take their jumps in between heats of their main events. Not as many coaches follow the event closely; they're too busy elsewhere. Technical information does not flow as freely as in the vault. Perhaps that's because there's little demand. After all, any beginning coach knows the most important elements: run fast, hit the board, and leap. Yahoo doesn't list a single web site for the event.

The long jump is simple, and perhaps because it is so simple, few coaches have bothered mastering the advanced lessons the way that Tom Tellez and Randy Huntington -- to name two -- have.

Admittedly, in comparison to the pole vault, virtually every event in the sport seems to want for attention. What the vaulters have done is a remarkable cooperative achievement, from the North American Pole Vault Association to the vault gurus who can be found in every state, not only working with their own high school athletes, but others as well. The vaulters have created a model for other events to follow. The long jumpers, who have fallen on hard times, would be wise to pay heed.

Record roundup
Regina Jacobs seemed surprised when she took down Mary Slaney's American indoor record for the 1,000 meters at the New Balance Invitational at the Boston area's Reggie Lewis Center. She said, "I never imagined I could break a record at my age," after her time of 2 minutes, 35.29 seconds. Admirable modesty aside, it couldn't have been too much of a surprise, if she has been seeing the same Regina Jacobs results as we've been seeing lately.

Wilson Kipketer of Denmark recently grabbed the men's 1,000 world record in Stuttgart, nipping the old best by a mere one-hundredth. Again, not much of a surprise.

The record I took joy in went to a group of young Americans running under the unwieldy banner of "Global Athletics and Marketing." Joey Woody, Karl Paranya, Rich Kenah, and David Krummenacker got together at the New Balance meet and clocked a 7:13.94 in the rarely-run 4 x 800m relay. The old best, 7:17.8, had belonged to the Soviet Union since 1971. Clemson University had run a 7:17.45 in 1989, but that foursome had included a foreign athlete (mixed nationalities are a no-no for world records in the relays).

The Global Athletics guys won a great race, as Reebok (7:14.78) and the favored Santa Monica Track Club (7:16.59) also blasted the old best. Said Kenah, who ran the third leg of the record-breaker, "I have a little bit of a euphoric feeling."

Sub-Fours in the Old West
Our report of the amazing, and surely incredible, 3:45 mile run by Confederate corporal W.H. Green in 1865 inspired reader Scott Hubbard to send us another classic clipping. Hubbard, a writer for the Michigan Runner, noticed that Sport magazine credited the first sub-four-minute mile to Big Hawk Chief.

When Hubbard prodded the magazine for evidence, Sport produced an entry from "Who Was Who in Native American History." It seems that the Big Hawk Chief, a Pawnee whose birth name "Kootahwecootsoolelehoolashar" was as good a reason for a nickname as any, is reported to have run a 3:58 in 1876. The story goes that in the final years of the Plains Indian wars, Big Hawk Chief, who helped the U.S. Army in its war against the Sioux, twice broke four minutes in time trials set up by a Captain North at Fort Sidney, Neb.

Understandably, I'm waiting to see the FinishLynx photo before I pass judgment on this one.

Jeff Hollobaugh, former managing editor of Track and Field News, is a regular contributor to ESPN.com. He can be reached by e-mail at michtrack@aol.com.