Thoughts about Alberto Salazar and Mary Cain???

She doesn't even run against high school girls. Also no matter who is coaching it is always going to be unequal. Some coaches are just better than others.

Stop whining. There is no unfair advantage. Mary Cain's parents are paying Salazar for private coaching. The parents of every other girl can do the same.

Opinion!!!! wrote:

I am sure there are a few outside the ball park that are running in the 4:40's that are capable of the times she is running if the coaching is available.

The other girls weren't capable of running the times she was running before Salazar started coaching her! There are plenty of great coaches around...but no other Mary Cains.

Opinion!!!! wrote:

This is not a ripping on her success post this is just a post about what is right!!!

I find it fascinating that people think life should be fair.

you now what would be better? let's make mary cain wear a 30 lb weighted vest so that other high school girls can keep up

Cain earned a better coach by performing well.

"Then Jesus said, 'I’m telling you that to everyone who gains, more will be given; but from the one who does not gain, even what he has will be taken away.' " An excellent summary of economics, if not world history itself. The gifted use their success to acquire more advantages leading to yet more success leading to more advantages leading to more success leading to...

Opinion!!!! wrote:

When I was in high school I had to make do with a coach that did not know anything about running I still managed a sub 9:20 3200m off of the 15 miles a week he allowed me to run.

You generally need to appear to be a possible future world-beater to gain access to (and the interest of) top coaches. Your 9:20 isn't all that remarkable (doesn't even convert to a sub-15), and to say "I could have run xx time if..." is simply conjecture and sour grapes.

brogan1 wrote:

Stop whining. There is no unfair advantage. Mary Cain's parents are paying Salazar for private coaching. The parents of every other girl can do the same.

I'm sure every other parent in America can really afford Salazar's coaching. Right.

That being said, life isn't fair. Gotta accept situations for what they are. The poor in 3rd world countries don't complain about not being able to afford private coaching like the Cains, yet some of them will come out to meets and leave Americans that grew up with wealthy parents in the dust.

We should clone Salazar and increase his growth rate in a laboratory and send all the mini Salazar's STAT all over the country to every high school.

easy weeks wrote:

Opinion!!!! wrote:

When I was in high school I had to make do with a coach that did not know anything about running I still managed a sub 9:20 3200m off of the 15 miles a week he allowed me to run.

You generally need to appear to be a possible future world-beater to gain access to (and the interest of) top coaches. Your 9:20 isn't all that remarkable (doesn't even convert to a sub-15), and to say "I could have run xx time if..." is simply conjecture and sour grapes.

9:20 is not as fast as I ran during my career as a runner. In college with real coaching I was fortunate to find my real events and managed bests of 800m 1:48 and 1500m 3:44. My best 5000m was 14:16 as well.

Look realistically life isn't fair yes we all know that it's a given. However, the school and the coach has to promote and honor equal opportunity to all its students. Some kids may not have rich parents which isn't their fault. What happens when a girl like Mary Cain gets hooked up by her parents money with a coach that is worldly know, It becomes media and I am just throwing this out there but she is going to have to live with the fact that her team mates might not be so happy about this. Not only is she about to take away their chance at a scholarship, but she is waving her entitlement in other faces. I don't have to agree with this it is my right to state my opinion. I guarantee I am not alone in my thoughts.

Opinion!!!! wrote:

9:20 is not as fast as I ran during my career as a runner. In college with real coaching I was fortunate to find my real events and managed bests of 800m 1:48 and 1500m 3:44. My best 5000m was 14:16 as well.

So, you are now changing your story a little to include slightly better times as an older, physically more mature runner in college, as well as being coached.

This natural, not too remarkable progression (about 13-14 seconds per mile faster in a 5k with very low mileage and, by your accounts, terrible coaching, from high school to college with higher mileage and good coaching) is expected, not some sort of crazy eye-opening outlier performance.

The bottom line is that nothing changed here. You went from a good competitive local high school runner to a good competitive local college runner. Nothing changed.

Opinion!!!! wrote:

I guarantee I am not alone in my thoughts.

I agree - I am sure there are lots of people who like to think that world-class coaching is what separates them from talent like Cain, and not much else.

So let me get this straight: if a kid has an exceptional talent (be it athletic, artistic, or academic), then the parents can't do anything to nurture that because it would be an "unfair advantage"?

easy weeks wrote:

Opinion!!!! wrote:

9:20 is not as fast as I ran during my career as a runner. In college with real coaching I was fortunate to find my real events and managed bests of 800m 1:48 and 1500m 3:44. My best 5000m was 14:16 as well.

So, you are now changing your story a little to include slightly better times as an older, physically more mature runner in college, as well as being coached.

This natural, not too remarkable progression (about 13-14 seconds per mile faster in a 5k with very low mileage and, by your accounts, terrible coaching, from high school to college with higher mileage and good coaching) is expected, not some sort of crazy eye-opening outlier performance.

The bottom line is that nothing changed here. You went from a good competitive local high school runner to a good competitive local college runner. Nothing changed.

I never said I became world class but solid coaching is what improved my mentality and fitness. Not too mention not every 9:20 high school 3200m runner becomes a solid college runner and my times with the exception of my 5k were better then local. I qualified for the USATF Outdoor Championships in the 800m. I had other solid times I do agree my 5k was not impressive and am not here throwing around my 5k time as world class. If we are discussing endurance how many 1:48 800m specialist ran under 29:10 for 10,000m also? If we are discussing times what did you run?

Opinion!!!! wrote:

Look realistically life isn't fair yes we all know that it's a given. However, the school and the coach has to promote and honor equal opportunity to all its students. Some kids may not have rich parents which isn't their fault. What happens when a girl like Mary Cain gets hooked up by her parents money with a coach that is worldly know, It becomes media and I am just throwing this out there but she is going to have to live with the fact that her team mates might not be so happy about this. Not only is she about to take away their chance at a scholarship, but she is waving her entitlement in other faces. I don't have to agree with this it is my right to state my opinion. I guarantee I am not alone in my thoughts.

Plenty of people have made it without Salazar's coaching so you don't really have a point. And if the other kids' parents wanted him to coach their kids then they should have found a way to make more money. Salazar's coaching isn't that expensive. Life is fair here.

Opinion!!!! wrote:

Look realistically life isn't fair yes we all know that it's a given. However, the school and the coach has to promote and honor equal opportunity to all its students. Some kids may not have rich parents which isn't their fault. What happens when a girl like Mary Cain gets hooked up by her parents money with a coach that is worldly know, It becomes media and I am just throwing this out there but she is going to have to live with the fact that her team mates might not be so happy about this. Not only is she about to take away their chance at a scholarship, but she is waving her entitlement in other faces. I don't have to agree with this it is my right to state my opinion. I guarantee I am not alone in my thoughts.

"If you build it, he will come" Field of Dreams

"If you have talent it, they (coaches) will come" Chimpy

qAMNMS cxj wrote:

Opinion!!!! wrote:

This is not a ripping on her success post this is just a post about what is right!!!

I find it fascinating that people think life should be fair.

____________________________

Right. The real question is, how long before Alberto tries to give her some "supplements" he was famous for taking in the 1980's ?

Opinion!!!! wrote:

Look realistically life isn't fair yes we all know that it's a given. However, the school and the coach has to promote and honor equal opportunity to all its students. Some kids may not have rich parents which isn't their fault. What happens when a girl like Mary Cain gets hooked up by her parents money with a coach that is worldly know, It becomes media and I am just throwing this out there but she is going to have to live with the fact that her team mates might not be so happy about this. Not only is she about to take away their chance at a scholarship, but she is waving her entitlement in other faces. I don't have to agree with this it is my right to state my opinion. I guarantee I am not alone in my thoughts.

I'm not really even sure what you're saying. Your basic argument seems to be that everyone in America has a right to the same level of coaching, running on soft trails, in sunshine every day. What about kids in any sport that get private coaches? Is that unfair? It's unfortunate you had a bad high school coach, but why should that be held against someone else? Should we all fall to the lowest common denominator? It's not fair that some kids don't have rich parents? Again, I'm confused. I am all for making opportunities available to all, but your attitude seems to be the communism theory of coaching and distance running. It is also the kind of entitlement too often seen in young people today. By your logic Cain is supposed to hold herself back because she was born with more talent/ability than other athletes into a wealthy family? The logic is so backwards it's crazy.

Your scholarship argument makes no sense. Cain ran 4:11 1500m before even working with Salazar. Do you think that might have lead to a scholarship? (if she chooses to go to college) Cain is clearly the most talented high school distance runner in ages. Who her coach is has nothing to do with her scholarship potential.