Grace Ping not allowed to run Nike Nationals

The race isn't even sanctioned by the national federation and the "teams" can't even use their school name. They have to come up with a "club" name. Now they are trying to use separate state rules do decide whether somebody is eligible to run?

It really pi55es me off when people in power spend more time figuring out ways to take opportunities AWAY from athletes rather than providing opportunities for them.

Nike should be ASHAMED to not let her run and Utah should be ASHAMED if they tried to penalize her in some way if she was allowed to run.

it has to be said....... wrote:

The race isn't even sanctioned by the national federation and the "teams" can't even use their school name. They have to come up with a "club" name. Now they are trying to use separate state rules do decide whether somebody is eligible to run?

It really pi55es me off when people in power spend more time figuring out ways to take opportunities AWAY from athletes rather than providing opportunities for them.

Nike should be ASHAMED to not let her run and Utah should be ASHAMED if they tried to penalize her in some way if she was allowed to run.

The precedent has been well established, I am shocked the regional let her run. They should be ASHAMED they entered her in the qualifier knowing the rules.

Either let everyone have a chance or no one.

Odd to me a state would let JH athletes compete with HS athletes. Looking at the Minnesota State Championship there are a lot of JH girls in the results. Where do they go as upperclassman?

She ran at Nationals last year as a 7th Grader so I don't see why she shouldn't be allowed to compete there again if she qualified.

I'm against Middle School teams competing against High Schoolers, but if it is just an individual than they should be allowed.

Local burn out wrote:

They have a USATF middle school cross country championship.

No they don't. They have age group competitions at the USATF National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships. It's not a middle school championship. The age groups they use (11-12, 13-14, 15-16) don't put all middle schoolers in the same age group and all run different distances (3K, 4K, 5K).

it has to be said....... wrote:

The race isn't even sanctioned by the national federation and the "teams" can't even use their school name. They have to come up with a "club" name. Now they are trying to use separate state rules do decide whether somebody is eligible to run?

It really pi55es me off when people in power spend more time figuring out ways to take opportunities AWAY from athletes rather than providing opportunities for them.

Nike should be ASHAMED to not let her run and Utah should be ASHAMED if they tried to penalize her in some way if she was allowed to run.

Then you must REALLY hate the Footlocker Nationals meet, which has banned middle school athletes from competing for the last 38 years and counting.

Barefootie wrote:

She ran at Nationals last year as a 7th Grader so I don't see why she shouldn't be allowed to compete there again if she qualified.

I'm against Middle School teams competing against High Schoolers, but if it is just an individual than they should be allowed.

Question: Why are you against middle school teams, but for middle school individuals, competing against high school athletes? It's a non-contact sport, so I don't see why one situation would be better than the other.

Are post-grad high schoolers eligible for Nike or Footlocker?

If 8th graders aren't eligible, are 13th graders?

From the Farm wrote:

Odd to me a state would let JH athletes compete with HS athletes. Looking at the Minnesota State Championship there are a lot of JH girls in the results. Where do they go as upperclassman?

+1

How can a middle school runner represent a school they don't attend?

From the Farm wrote:

Where do they go as upperclassman?

Through puberty.

Coach Soles wrote:

Lets keep college championships for college men and women only. High school championships for high school boys and girls only. If anyone wants to start a middle school championship, I'm all for that, but get them out of the high school races and keep an even playing field for all of the teams entered so we are all playing by the same rules.

I'm also glad the girl she displaced at NXR Southwest gets to go. Would suck to be a the first high school girl out for a high school championship because a fast middle schooler took your spot. Probably the same feeling teams have when other teams get to qualify and race middle schoolers against them...

I'm rooting for Grace Ping to be an amazing high school athlete over the next 4 years. :)

Not a big deal, NXN requires you be a member of high school team and Grace is in a state where middle schoolers can't run for a high school team.

Nothing complicated about this one, the rule is plain and simple. Ping will now have 4 opportunities to run NXN, just like 99.9% of all high school students. Ping has the option of running in the AAU and/or the USATF XC nationals, which are designed for girls her age.

Oh? wrote:

Barefootie wrote:

She ran at Nationals last year as a 7th Grader so I don't see why she shouldn't be allowed to compete there again if she qualified.

I'm against Middle School teams competing against High Schoolers, but if it is just an individual than they should be allowed.

Question: Why are you against middle school teams, but for middle school individuals, competing against high school athletes? It's a non-contact sport, so I don't see why one situation would be better than the other.

Gymnastics is more non contact than running, yet it has very strict rules about middle school athletes competing for high school teams.

TrackCoach wrote:

Barefootie wrote:

She ran at Nationals last year as a 7th Grader...

Did you miss this part? Not allowed as 8th grader. Allowed as 7th grader.

Nike's rules that the individuals must be eligible for their HS team is basically what loosely allows the meet to happen as it is. It's a house of cards that probably violates several state's rules and most of those states look the other way and some don't(Michigan). Everyone thought with Northville qualifying and going that meant Michigan would open up, the opposite happened, they took any question out of the wording of their rules so unless they change them again there will not be another Michigan team.

trackcoach - You are missing the point. This has NOTHING to do with gymnastics vs running. 7th grade gymnastics can compete in Minnesota at the varsity level. 7th grade FOOTBALL players could if their school allows. It is up to state to decide, then within those states, individual schools can have their own rules as some schools in Minnesota do. Soe don't allow 7th graders to compete at the varsity level, some don't allow 8th graders to compete. Most however, have a protocol to determine if a 7th or 8th grader can and should compete at the varsity level including an explanation by the coach, parent permission and AD approval.

Nike is wise in their decision to keep the language of their bylaw as is. They would enter a quagmire if their rules were "looser" than the states/schools rules. Their only mistake in this process was allowing Grace to run at NXR SW. That may have been a late decision by a SW official that the national organizers now have to deal with.

It'e not a high school event and is out of season.

Her parents should hire a lawyer (and Nike should chip in) to get her in and to change the rule.

runn wrote:

It'e not a high school event and is out of season.

Her parents should hire a lawyer (and Nike should chip in) to get her in and to change the rule.

...and it is not held in Utah. State rules have no jurisdiction over out of state events. She doesn't even run for her MS.

From the Farm wrote:

Odd to me a state would let JH athletes compete with HS athletes. Looking at the Minnesota State Championship there are a lot of JH girls in the results. Where do they go as upperclassman?

Question along these lines. Do they have more than 4 years of eligibility? Theoretically they could be on the varsity team for 6 years? Doesn't seem right.

A rule follower wrote:

From the Farm wrote:

Odd to me a state would let JH athletes compete with HS athletes. Looking at the Minnesota State Championship there are a lot of JH girls in the results. Where do they go as upperclassman?

Question along these lines. Do they have more than 4 years of eligibility? Theoretically they could be on the varsity team for 6 years? Doesn't seem right.

She is not on a varsity team. 2 years as MS plus 4 years as HS. Or, as in some places, 3 years as MS plus 3 years as HS. I grew up in San Diego. My MS-HS was 3-3 years. The neighboring school district, less than 3-miles away was 2-4 years. Then what happens?

Ping is faster than the majority of the competitors in the "best of" Nike meet. That meet is now a joke.