USATF announced Dead Heat Solution For Allyson Felix & All Dead Heats

So how is this going to effect the prediction contest scoring? I feel like even if one of them declines the position (Felix), she still got 3rd.

domination wrote:

I think it makes sense to select the athlete with the slower reaction time as she would have run covered the distance quicker

No it doesn't! I get your sentiment and that you could train them better, blah blah blah. But, both athletes trained for this final. Reaction time IS and WAS part of that training. The final time is the unbiased judge of each athlete's comprehensive preparation. It punishes the athlete that was more attentive to small details. Honestly, a run-off at the end of the trials is the most reasonable since it is a "best two out of two". if neither athlete cahres, then a coin toss is sufficient to pick the one with the least competitive spirit.

Had to be said.Then I, Obama, your king, can call it!! I am the only one who knows how to count to a trillion. This is a proven fact as I have added trillions to the US deficit!! WOOHOO for me.

Mr. Perfect wrote:

THEY SHOULD GET BETTER TIMING SYSTEMS THAT GO TO THE TRILIONTH DECIMAL PLACE.

Actually, I predicted a tie for third.But not with Felix....

inquiring minds wanting wrote:

So how is this going to effect the prediction contest scoring? I feel like even if one of them declines the position (Felix), she still got 3rd.

Swimming uses the swim-off fairly frequently since they only go to the 100th of a second in timing. Usually it's for something dull like who gets the last spot in the B-final, but last year, Josh Schneider and Cullen Jones had to do a swim-off to see which guy would go to the World Championships in the 50M free, and yeah, it gets exciting right quickly when the swim-off determines an international team slot.

Mr. Perfect wrote:

THEY SHOULD GET BETTER TIMING SYSTEMS THAT GO TO THE TRILIONTH DECIMAL PLACE.

The torso still has to be visible for that to work. Perhaps a series of cameras buried at the finish line shooting straight up...

Yeah, a coin toss sounds silly, but if neither one wants to do a run-off, what are ya gonna do?

rojo

I don't think they announced how the coin toss would be done. Who gets to call it? I mean i'd want to call it.

They have a runoff to see who gets to call it -- since the caller wins 60% of the time.

I read through the USATF's statement and in spite of the detailed write-up, it still appears that they have overlooked a possibility referred to earlier:

-> One athlete prefers coin toss or run-off, and the other athlete doesn't state a preference. What is to be done?

While they state:

"If the athletes disagree on the tie-breaker, the tie will be broken by a run-off."

this doesn't strictly cover the case outlined above. Perhaps they meant for this statement to cover the aforementioned scenario. However, if one athlete wanted a coin toss and the other athlete "refuses to indicate a preference" (to use their language in another clause) then it would seem more logical for the USATF to have written a rule saying that a coin toss should be used.

I am okay with this. I am also okay with them taking some time to decide the matter. A good decision make slow is better than a quick, poor decision.

The person with the higher international ranking gets to make the call or is assigned heads if the person does not choose.

Your home page says, "I can't wait to see a runoff in a 10,000 meters." Apparently they did this to determine 7th man at the University of Arizona in about 1984. Two guys side-by-side for 30+ minutes until the final few meters.

I think Tarmoh should read this Stanford Study about the coin toss.

http://www-stat.stanford.edu/~susan/papers/headswithJ.pdf

IOC & NBC wrote:

A run off is awesome for the sport. Lay down a 100m track in Times Square and have the race at night during prime time. imagine the coverage...

Now you're talking!

Never happen in Times Square.

But run it in Prime Time and cut into regular NBC programming, all they need is a few minutes -- what better promo for NBC's upcoming Oly broadcast...

I really would love to see a runoff. However, if Allyson makes the 200 team and Tarboe does not(which seems likely),I believe that there will be pressure (internal and external) on Allyson to give up her spot to Tarboe in the name of good sportspersonship and since she seems to be a wonderful and unselfish person, I believe that she will do it and forever cement her image as a lovely and considerate person.

Eden J. Weiss wrote:

I really would love to see a runoff. However, if Allyson makes the 200 team and Tarboe does not(which seems likely),I believe that there will be pressure (internal and external) on Allyson to give up her spot to Tarboe in the name of good sportspersonship and since she seems to be a wonderful and unselfish person, I believe that she will do it and forever cement her image as a lovely and considerate person.

But then how will I get my points!

This is classic Sue Humphrey.

Zero leadership as women's chair.

She can't make a decision on the women's vault weather delay.

She can't make a decision on the women's 100m tie.

But she can spend $21,320 on travel, meals, and hotel at the championships.

No sport can survive without some aspect of direction and order.

Three predictions:

1)There will be a coin toss.

2)The coin toss will be performed behind closed doors.

3)Felix will win the coin toss.

A coin toss? For real?

Shame, shame, shame.

What happens if a runner false starts in the run-off? Another situation would be a DQ in a hurdle run-off. There is no provision in the new rule for this situation. Are they DQed from the event or do they maintain alternate status?

I agree with employee 1.1 that this "rule" needs more work. Hard to believe that after the 2008 Olympics and Swimming situations that they couldn't predict this was coming.