Editor's Note: We changed the title of the thread to be more descriptive. Original title was "Mallard Creek DQ." Here is an article about the DQ: http://charlotteobserver.com/s...
Here is a new video showing what the runner in question did earlier in the meet after winning the 300 hurdles. The official claim she warned him after that win even though what he did in that win seems fine: https://x.com/Sheena_Marie3/st...
Ok, so now I am seeing compilation videos (Instagram) of other event winners from this same meet, crossing the line and holding up a #1 finger, or doing airplane wings, etc., and none of them were DQed.
When you look at this athlete's casual celebration (DQed) alongside the other casual celebrations (not DQed), the DQ looks MUCH, MUCH worse.
This was selective enforcement that cost a whole team the greatest team achievement in our sport, at their level.
This is a good argument to scrutinize the officials, but not a very good argument to excuse any one athlete’s choice to taunt or yell.
It’s sort of like when people complain about getting a speeding ticket when lots of other people also speed and aren’t caught. All of that is true… but you were still speeding.
Ok, so now I am seeing compilation videos (Instagram) of other event winners from this same meet, crossing the line and holding up a #1 finger, or doing airplane wings, etc., and none of them were DQed.
When you look at this athlete's casual celebration (DQed) alongside the other casual celebrations (not DQed), the DQ looks MUCH, MUCH worse.
This was selective enforcement that cost a whole team the greatest team achievement in our sport, at their level.
This is a good argument to scrutinize the officials, but not a very good argument to excuse any one athlete’s choice to taunt or yell.
It’s sort of like when people complain about getting a speeding ticket when lots of other people also speed and aren’t caught. All of that is true… but you were still speeding.
You'd have to be the most fragile person alive to think any of this was worth a DQ. Unless the "lesson" you're trying to teach kids is that sometimes in life you get screwed for no reason.
You'd have to be the most fragile person alive to think any of this was worth a DQ. Unless the "lesson" you're trying to teach kids is that sometimes in life you get screwed for no reason.
Here's a sub-problem in all of this... to me, as a lifetime educator (5 years in high school, 20+ in college):
Kids today need to be taught to be MORE passionate. No, not to taunt (which this kid didn't), but to invest in themselves tirelessly. To join things like a team, a theater program, the marching band, etc., and to INVEST in it tirelessly. To work every day in the hopes that there will be a fruit of the labor, and to accept that even when there is no "victory," the pursuit in and of itself was worthy. To set down the phone for awhile, to stop doom scrolling, and to join others in a common goal and to work for it.
Here we have a student-athlete, teammates, coaches, and a community that are investing in the pursuit of greatness and achieving it (five state titles!), and someone is going to steal the moment of joy from all of them for an incredibly minor show of excitement that had no downside, no victim, no taunted party.
This moment shows kids at their best, and one adult at his or her worst.
This post was edited 1 minute after it was posted.
And regardless, unnatural stride movements before the line (especially in a final) will get you wanted or disqualified by many high school crews.
Therein is the problem.
Why do these egregious DQs only happen in high school? Imagine if Bolt had been DQd in Beijing.
I think that’s a fair point. I think we get it backwards sometimes. Professionals should act like professionals. Instead, we often let them do whatever. We even have guys openly taunting at most races and even guys getting shoved (see Noah/Kenny last year). The problem is getting worse. I think some officials feel a need to step in and nip it in the bud early though, and I understand that perspective. A fair amount of people argued that Bolt should have been DQed on the 9.69, but that was easily overlooked because of the result. Then kids copy this sort of behavior from bad role models and think it’s right. Bolt matured as his career moved on. But many don’t. I think there’s something to be said for demanding good sportsmanship.
You'd have to be the most fragile person alive to think any of this was worth a DQ. Unless the "lesson" you're trying to teach kids is that sometimes in life you get screwed for no reason.
Here's a sub-problem in all of this... to me, as a lifetime educator (5 years in high school, 20+ in college):
Kids today need to be taught to be MORE passionate. No, not to taunt (which this kid didn't), but to invest in themselves tirelessly. To join things like a team, a theater program, the marching band, etc., and to INVEST in it tirelessly. To work every day in the hopes that there will be a fruit of the labor, and to accept that even when there is no "victory," the pursuit in and of itself was worthy. To set down the phone for awhile, to stop doom scrolling, and to join others in a common goal and to work for it.
Here we have a student-athlete, teammates, coaches, and a community that are investing in the pursuit of greatness and achieving it (five state titles!), and someone is going to steal the moment of joy from all of them for an incredibly minor show of excitement that had no downside, no victim, no taunted party.
This moment shows kids at their best, and one adult at his or her worst.
That’s fine… but you clearly see on video the kid yelling and shouting on one clip and taunting on both clips. This gets you disciplined or possibly DQed many places, which is exactly what happened here. So we need to apply your principles to what actually happened.
I really feel like there’s a cultural/geographical difference. This stuff was never allowed when I ran, which was just over a decade ago. Not that long ago.
Here's a sub-problem in all of this... to me, as a lifetime educator (5 years in high school, 20+ in college):
Kids today need to be taught to be MORE passionate. No, not to taunt (which this kid didn't), but to invest in themselves tirelessly. To join things like a team, a theater program, the marching band, etc., and to INVEST in it tirelessly. To work every day in the hopes that there will be a fruit of the labor, and to accept that even when there is no "victory," the pursuit in and of itself was worthy. To set down the phone for awhile, to stop doom scrolling, and to join others in a common goal and to work for it.
Here we have a student-athlete, teammates, coaches, and a community that are investing in the pursuit of greatness and achieving it (five state titles!), and someone is going to steal the moment of joy from all of them for an incredibly minor show of excitement that had no downside, no victim, no taunted party.
This moment shows kids at their best, and one adult at his or her worst.
That’s fine… but you clearly see on video the kid yelling and shouting on one clip and taunting on both clips. This gets you disciplined or possibly DQed many places, which is exactly what happened here. So we need to apply your principles to what actually happened.
I really feel like there’s a cultural/geographical difference. This stuff was never allowed when I ran, which was just over a decade ago. Not that long ago.
He never taunts anyone. You are one of very few people that incorrectly see or claim that.
A casual, common-sense, benign celebration (holding up five fingers) of a massive accomplishment (five titles) is not tantamount to taunting, no matter how many times you post it.
That’s fine… but you clearly see on video the kid yelling and shouting on one clip and taunting on both clips. This gets you disciplined or possibly DQed many places, which is exactly what happened here. So we need to apply your principles to what actually happened.
I really feel like there’s a cultural/geographical difference. This stuff was never allowed when I ran, which was just over a decade ago. Not that long ago.
He never taunts anyone. You are one of very few people that incorrectly see or claim that.
A casual, common-sense, benign celebration (holding up five fingers) of a massive accomplishment (five titles) is not tantamount to taunting, no matter how many times you post it.
You fell for the spin, as many others have, because the flavor of the day is to attack any authority figure over anything, so you view everything through that lens. It’s taunting.
I think we are going in circles at this point, but answer this question: why is it so hard to cross the line, act like you’ve been there before, shake your opponent‘s hand, respectfully hand the baton to the official, and return to your team? Instead, we must always look for an opportunity to taunt our opponents and try to viral on TikTok. Well, he succeeded. He succeeded at all of it, except actually winning the competition.
He never taunts anyone. You are one of very few people that incorrectly see or claim that.
A casual, common-sense, benign celebration (holding up five fingers) of a massive accomplishment (five titles) is not tantamount to taunting, no matter how many times you post it.
You fell for the spin, as many others have, because the flavor of the day is to attack any authority figure over anything, so you view everything through that lens. It’s taunting.
I think we are going in circles at this point, but answer this question: why is it so hard to cross the line, act like you’ve been there before, shake your opponent‘s hand, respectfully hand the baton to the official, and return to your team? Instead, we must always look for an opportunity to taunt our opponents and try to viral on TikTok. Well, he succeeded. He succeeded at all of it, except actually winning the competition.
There isn't a world where that is taunting. He's looking straight forward. Taunting is what Noah did to Kenny when he passed him at USA's. This is something that happens at every track meet in america every weekend without punishment. For the official to, as you say, take it upon themselves to nip this behavior in the bud early is a complete abuse of power and outside of the scope of their job.
Why do these egregious DQs only happen in high school? Imagine if Bolt had been DQd in Beijing.
I think that’s a fair point. I think we get it backwards sometimes. Professionals should act like professionals. Instead, we often let them do whatever. We even have guys openly taunting at most races and even guys getting shoved (see Noah/Kenny last year). The problem is getting worse. I think some officials feel a need to step in and nip it in the bud early though, and I understand that perspective. A fair amount of people argued that Bolt should have been DQed on the 9.69, but that was easily overlooked because of the result. Then kids copy this sort of behavior from bad role models and think it’s right. Bolt matured as his career moved on. But many don’t. I think there’s something to be said for demanding good sportsmanship.
The problem getting worse is high school officials thinking any unnatural stride pattern warrants disqualification, not Bolt having one of the most iconic races in the history of the sport.
You fell for the spin, as many others have, because the flavor of the day is to attack any authority figure over anything, so you view everything through that lens. It’s taunting.
I think we are going in circles at this point, but answer this question: why is it so hard to cross the line, act like you’ve been there before, shake your opponent‘s hand, respectfully hand the baton to the official, and return to your team? Instead, we must always look for an opportunity to taunt our opponents and try to viral on TikTok. Well, he succeeded. He succeeded at all of it, except actually winning the competition.
There isn't a world where that is taunting. He's looking straight forward. Taunting is what Noah did to Kenny when he passed him at USA's. This is something that happens at every track meet in america every weekend without punishment. For the official to, as you say, take it upon themselves to nip this behavior in the bud early is a complete abuse of power and outside of the scope of their job.
There isn't a world where that is taunting. He's looking straight forward. Taunting is what Noah did to Kenny when he passed him at USA's. This is something that happens at every track meet in america every weekend without punishment. For the official to, as you say, take it upon themselves to nip this behavior in the bud early is a complete abuse of power and outside of the scope of their job.
I’ve got to believe he is trolling at this point.
I agree.
I 'm done with him because I am sure it is trolling.
But I do wonder if, instead of five fingers, the athlete pointed up one finger (arguably "I'm or we're #1" or a point to the heavens to "thank God") would he also consider that to be "taunting."
Here's a sub-problem in all of this... to me, as a lifetime educator (5 years in high school, 20+ in college):
Kids today need to be taught to be MORE passionate. No, not to taunt (which this kid didn't), but to invest in themselves tirelessly. To join things like a team, a theater program, the marching band, etc., and to INVEST in it tirelessly. To work every day in the hopes that there will be a fruit of the labor, and to accept that even when there is no "victory," the pursuit in and of itself was worthy. To set down the phone for awhile, to stop doom scrolling, and to join others in a common goal and to work for it.
Here we have a student-athlete, teammates, coaches, and a community that are investing in the pursuit of greatness and achieving it (five state titles!), and someone is going to steal the moment of joy from all of them for an incredibly minor show of excitement that had no downside, no victim, no taunted party.
This moment shows kids at their best, and one adult at his or her worst.
That’s fine… but you clearly see on video the kid yelling and shouting on one clip and taunting on both clips.
Yelling at no one in particular and where is the kid taunting?
He never taunts anyone. You are one of very few people that incorrectly see or claim that.
A casual, common-sense, benign celebration (holding up five fingers) of a massive accomplishment (five titles) is not tantamount to taunting, no matter how many times you post it.
Why do these egregious DQs only happen in high school? Imagine if Bolt had been DQd in Beijing.
I think that’s a fair point. I think we get it backwards sometimes. Professionals should act like professionals. Instead, we often let them do whatever. We even have guys openly taunting at most races and even guys getting shoved (see Noah/Kenny last year). The problem is getting worse. I think some officials feel a need to step in and nip it in the bud early though, and I understand that perspective. A fair amount of people argued that Bolt should have been DQed on the 9.69, but that was easily overlooked because of the result. Then kids copy this sort of behavior from bad role models and think it’s right. Bolt matured as his career moved on. But many don’t. I think there’s something to be said for demanding good sportsmanship.
This is a terrible argument, and the problem you present is not a problem that exists to anyone. No, there was not anyone thinking Bolt should have been DQed. Maybe you did, but therein is the problem; weird and entitled dudes squashing the real accomplishments of others. Then you go and get everyone banned for calling you out about it. Absurd at all levels.
He never taunts anyone. You are one of very few people that incorrectly see or claim that.
A casual, common-sense, benign celebration (holding up five fingers) of a massive accomplishment (five titles) is not tantamount to taunting, no matter how many times you post it.
You fell for the spin, as many others have, because the flavor of the day is to attack any authority figure over anything, so you view everything through that lens. It’s taunting.
I think we are going in circles at this point, but answer this question: why is it so hard to cross the line, act like you’ve been there before, shake your opponent‘s hand, respectfully hand the baton to the official, and return to your team? Instead, we must always look for an opportunity to taunt our opponents and try to viral on TikTok. Well, he succeeded. He succeeded at all of it, except actually winning the competition.
No, it is not taunting. Not to any normal human being or track athlete. It was poor officiating and that is all this was.
9
3
Follow the rules & act like an adult = zero problems
"Unsporting conduct is behavior that is unethical or dishonorable. It includes, but is not limited to: disrespectfully addressing an official, any flagrant behavior, intentional contact, taunting, criticizing or using profanity directed toward someone. This shall apply to all coaches, contestants, and other team/school personnel."
he's not addressing an official
no criticizing
no profanity towards someone else
no physical contact
i already explained how it's not taunting to celebrate your own "W" without reference to others
i don't see how it's "flagrant," "unethical," "dishonrable"
i have run out of rule to punish the kid for
I might agreewith you, except:
1) He was warned previously in 300H ("F" bomb?? From lip reading from the clip)
2) All teams in the final were cautioned before the start of the 4x400 not to celebrate early
3) Three strides before the finish, he raises his hand with the five fingers facing backwards (towards others still running). Sorry (not sorry), that is celebrating early and taunting.
IMO, it is unlikely this will be overturned at the state level.