I am well aware of the irony – err, hypocrisy – of arguing against dual meets and head-to-head competitions in the same newsletter. But they’re different! Two professionals talking smack and then stepping into the arena to face off against one another is the definition of competition, and it is the easiest storyline to follow.

Tara Davis thinks she can jump farther than Quanesha Burks. That’s it. That’s the plot! Every day on playgrounds across the country there are similar disputes, except those kids tend to have fewer Instagram followers and are not ranked number one and two in the world, so no one cares. (Okay, they aren’t actually WA-certifiably ranked there, but they do have the top two jumps this year outdoor season.) Davis leads the lifetime matchup, 5-4.

These two do not like each other. I wish I had insight as to why, but what we do know is that Tara had to use her husband’s Instagram account (her own was apparently blocked by Burks) to issue a challenge saying, “anywhere, anytime! I’ll pay for your flight.” This came in response to Burks saying she doesn’t need the “hype” – clearly in reference to Tara’s quite extensive social media following.

Regardless of the beef’s origin, the pair faced off against each other this past weekend at LSU. It was Tara’s first competition since serving a one-month suspension for marijuana, an innocuous offense that no one really cares about, minus the technical stripping of an indoor national title.

Tara won the battle in Baton Rouge, jumping 7.05m, but with a substantial 5.9 m/s tailwind. Obviously having the breath of God propelling you forward helps, however, a gust of that level can really complicate the step measurement so a legal jump at all in those conditions is actually quite impressive. Burks finished in second with a legal 6.95m (+1.6) jump – that’s the legitimate top mark of the season, and she let it be known.

After the feud blew up on social media, our good friends at Trials of Miles in partnership with Rae’s Take made sure that the stage could be set for a showdown at Track Night NYC, May 19th at Icahn Stadium. The meet will be streamed for free by CITIUS MAG. There is a confirmed $10,000 prize purse. Tara has officially committed. The wheels are in motion!

There is no discipline that would benefit more from head-to-head competition than the jumps. Firstly, no one currently pays close attention to the long jump. And that’s not because we don’t want to. It just doesn’t get much TV time. But stand next to a runway and there are few events in track and field where there is more shit talk being exchanged in the middle of a competition. And while the track events have storylines that develop before and after a race, with six attempts in the long jump, the storyline builds incrementally as the smack talk flies and the pecking order becomes clear.

If it comes together, then it will undoubtedly be a great spectacle to witness in person. The drama is not contrived. It is high stakes because it is personal. I have this original idea that I just came up with: track and field should do a Drive To Survive-type series! This would make a good pilot episode.

UPDATE: Looks like a showdown in New York may not happen. Burks posted "7.9.23" on Twitter and Instagram stories. The 2023 U.S. Championships long jump final will be held on July 9th, 2023.