V 14 N. 36 More Musings on the Trials and Tripulations

We continue to watch the Olympic Trials through the lens of NBC producers and and their toadies.  The big story was the Athing Mu fall on the back stretch near the 200 meter mark that sent her career into a nose dive.  It just proves that the Trials are one of the toughest, most high pressure events in American sport.   Were this to happen in the UK,  the 'selection committee' might have the option to forgive that mistake and put her on the team.  It appeared to be the result of her own misjudgement when she was cutting across the track.  But that was only from the head on angle that we saw on the screen.

George-Now we see NBC Snooping, read Stooping, to new lows in broadcasting a sporting event. The time spent with him could have been used to broadcast actual USA Olympic Trials events! What has happened to covering the trials with viewers in mind. Surely this is not a prelude to what we will see in Paris!  That women's 5,000 tops the list of exciting competition up to this point. I was just telling my two sons that the athletes who NBC focuses on, are jinxed by their coverage and then Athing gets tripped up and out. So sad. BTW-I thought reigning Oly Champs get an automatic pass into the next Olympic Games. Am I crazy? Darryl Taylor

Darryl

I think Snoop's in there purely to attract viewers who would not otherwise be interested in the Trials.   I fully expect his team partner Martha Stewart to be there soon looking at wall coverings (ie. tattoo designs) with Sha'carri Richardson.  Sydney McLaughlin Levrone or Valerie Allman have too much class for Martha.   It's a shame what happened to Athing Mu.  There's no free pass into the Olympics otherwise an aging Bob Schul might have been selected in 1968 and Bobby Morrow, with his bags packed,  would not have been left at the gate in the airport in L.A. in 1960, so some 'connected' official could have a seat on the plane.  Can you imagine the amount of money that was lost on that solitary trip by Athing Mu?   Just before the event they did a piece on her, and she looked brilliant, like a high level model for all kinds of beauty products and clothing. And she was very articulate.  Now is it all down the drain?  That's show bizz.   Hopefully she might be added to the 4x400 relay and taken to the games.  There is always a lot of lobbying to set that fourth runner on the team.  If not, it's a long four years until the next Games.   Same for Christian Coleman.  His chances are better with his 4th place in the 100 meters. 

In 1968 there were two rounds of Trials, one in L.A. and the second at Echo Summit which was supposed to allow more room for removing error in the selection.  There was still controversy in the elimination of Dave Patrick who was clearly one of the top 1500 meters hopes.  

In a post event interview last night (Monday),  Grant Holloway proved himself to be the most articulate member of the men's team so far and Rai Benjamin not far behind.  They appeared in a post race interview with Mike Tirico.    Holloway also displayed a level of grace after his first round win in the 110HH with an excellent 12.92 timing by greeting a young child in the stands and holding him up for a photo.

And how 'bout that 1500 with Cole Hocker breaking the field with that long kick?  And Elle St. Pierre holding off Liz Cranney.   Nike may produce a pair of training shoes resembling those rubber Wellingtons she wears in the cow barn.  

 The suits on Madison Ave. clearly have a hand in all this in some kind of agreement with USATF to try "one last time'? to promote the sport.  So we go with any recognizable names to the 30-40 years set that we can find on the block that might also match the profile of some of these athletes or events.  When we think Snoop Dogg and pole vault, the common denominator is 'high'.  Snoop in that fake Olympic track suit is the wet dream of some ad exec trying to make a name for her/himself in the marketing world.  Is anyone working on a Taylor Swift connection?  George

Comment from Elliott Denman:

Hi George:

These tsuggestions:

1. Instead of just saying 'new post' each time, give us a few clues as to the subject matter...

would attract more attention..

2. Re: Mu....one factor no one mentioning is that the race had 9 runners, rather than

traditional 8.....all 9 lanes were used on 9-lane track....Presume that Oly. Games (as World Champs did) will 

continue with 8-runner 800 finals..

3. As to Mu, she could still win 2 medals....in the 4x400 and mixed 4x400   (and up to 8 per nation can win relay medals, prelims

and finals....Mu was on 4x400 team in 2021...

All best wishes,

Elliott Denman

Comment from Jim Metcalf former member of Oklahoma State WR 4x880 team

being an old 880 runner there are about 3 choices for strategy.

 

 

1. on the first 300 stay at the back of the pack out of trouble and avoid a 25 second first 200 and then in the home straight move up in the second lane to the leaders shoulder.  avoiding the pack. MU could do that easily

     2.  stay on the leaders shoulder for the first 400 ahead of the pack..but then you run too fast the first 400

 

      3. lead from the beginning. and run a 57 which is a 1:54 pace. the great WR caliber 880 m runners usually run negative splits..

 

but stay out of a crowded pack..

 

the first is the best choice.  so many runners today , women , run 53-54 and then  tie up...no need to run 54  unless you plan on 1:48

 

Jim Metcalf     

From Russ Ebbetts:

George - 

1. Saddened by Mu fall in the 800...I see her as a generational talent but there is a "fly in the ointment"...one of the things I overheard when I was the US National Team chiro in Helsinki in 2005 was three NCAA women's champions complaining in the team's treatment room...it was just me and the three ladies...the basic comment was that they hated running against the Europeans and Africans as they were continually being bumped or touched as they ran along...this surprised me but then I thought about it...one was an absolute front runner...she would break on top and run away from the field...the other two women pretty much did the same in their respective races during their NCAA career...they never learned to "run in the pack" and subsequently did not have the skills/patience to handle the close quarters at the world-class level...as I have said, do you think the Dibaba sisters gave a damn you were an NCAA champ? ...the Ethopian women ran 1,2,3,4 in the 5000 at Helsinki as I recall.
2. One of the things I did as a coach was always make my runners do a race during the season where they raced from the back of the pack and had to finish running around people fast for the last half of a race...the other thing I had them do was run a race where they purposely went out too fast usually against weak competition so that they would get in trouble in the back straight of an 800 and have to struggle home...in either case they were better prepared for a race scenario and could react accordingly
3. I think Mu with Kersee as a coach, winds up training on her own much of the time, or running in a lane beside McLaughlin...her lack of training partners and no real race plan (sit for 300m, move up for 200m and then see who wants to run the last 300m) would have secured her a runaway victory (if she is in top shape - which I have doubts about that also)
4. Bobby Kersee's success with athletes in laned races is unparalleled...I cannot think of a runner he ever had over the 400m distance...Mu is the kind of talent that would make us all look like coaching geniuses but her lack of tactical sense and unfortunate fall show that there is room for improvement and sophistication...sad day all around for her and the US team in that regard...
5. and then there is Parker Valby...leading the 5k..."she needs the qualifying time" one of the announcers justified that tactic but I am pretty sure any of the eventual top three would have pressed the pace...when they moved on her she had no response...I do think the top three best runners made the team but I also think Valby would have been more game over the last 600m and not lost by some 10 seconds, possibly being 5-7 seconds faster...
6. both the HS boys should be on the relays for the qualifying rounds and if...IF....(BIG IF) the US can get the stick around the track in the 4x1 they will be Olympic medalists while in high school...how exciting for them...Russ