Shalane, Shalane, Shalane. Willing to piss away her legacy in the sport for Shelby. I just can't understand the blinders.
There was an argument that if they believed Shelby was wronged, then how could they NOT want to help her?
To that I say, HOW ON EARTH DO YOU STILL BELIEVE SHELBY WAS INNOCENT AND WRONGED???????
Where is the evidence that she was NOT cheating??? and don't come at me with stupid semantics. it wasn't a trace amount, she didn't order pork, even if she did order pork that much nandrolone couldn't have gotten in there, it was synthetic, her androgen levels were higher, nandrolone helps distance runners, her progression was hella suspect.
Like, I'm not even trying to push a narrative. If there is evidence of her innocence, please I beg you show it. Because it's insane that BTC has decided to throw their reputation in the gutter for her. Good for GDS for speaking up.
I don’t think Shalane has blinders.
Clearly Houlihan has something on Shalane. Shalane (and Jerry) know Shelby can throw them under the bus and ruin their reputations.
This seems like as plausible an explanation as any.
When the news broke, GDS reached out to Jonathan Gault to let us know she was available. She was very generous with her time and Jonathan's piece is now up.
I’m pretty sure the prohibitions apply to “participation” in competitions, not training. (The rules are different for banned coaches, who cannot participate in training at all.) It’s still not a good look from BTC and puts the athletes on the team in an inappropriate position.
“In competition” can be defined pretty liberally in some cases (see: THC is only a prohibited substance “in competition” and includes the days before any particular race takes place). BTC has athletes all over the world, so depending on the athletes’ schedules, their coaching staff could be considered “in competition” for pretty long stretches of time.
At a bare minimum, BTC should make any legal guidance available to each and every athlete on the team. Common sense would dictate that they not put themselves or their athletes in this position in the first place.
It’s good for Gabriela to get out. I imagine that other non-American athletes may follow suit as their federations won’t want their stars’ eligibility to be up for debate for Shelby Houlihan’s sake.
No, it also applies to training. There was a swimmer banned in Australia not long ago and they weren't even allowed to be at a pool at the same time as any training groups and weren't allowed to receive any communication from coaches related to training. Basically she was forced to be disconnected entirely from her training group and any other training group. She discussed this in a podcast after she returned from the ban.
This doesn’t make sense. If Houlihan “had something” on the BTC’s coaches, they’d give her a lucrative no-show gig at headquarters (see: Salazar’s sons).
Why blackmail BTC into training you for a sport you won’t be able to compete in for several years? The whole situation makes no sense any way you slice it.
The only explanations that makes sense to me are a dumb sense of loyalty, misplaced priorities, and poor professional judgment.
Well done, good article and interpretation. I've never thought much about GDS beyond wondering if the hair antics were a distraction, but I gotta say I'm a fan now. Very articulate and clear thinking.
Don’t know how you could read this and think that GDS is 100% in the right and Jerry/Shalane need to either be completely transparent with what’s going on or cut ties with Shelby. GDS’ requests when they were all in the same place in Flagstaff to not overlap were completely reasonable. We get that Jerry is private but come on it’s time to explain yourself.
We merged two threads into 1. The 2nd thread was entitled, "GDS Adds More Clarity, Implies Shelby Is Still Training with BTC, Calls Situation "Grey Area" We are merging it into the original thread."
When the news broke, GDS reached out to Jonathan Gault to let us know she was available. She was very generous with her time and Jonathan's piece is now up.
“When Lucia made her decision to commit to BTC in the late summer and early fall, neither Lucia nor I were told that Shelby was going to keep training through her ban, nor the extent to which she was going to be around the team,” DeBues-Stafford said. “There was no communication about this situation at all. Had I had a crystal ball to see what December, January, and beyond would be like, I would have left after Tokyo, and Lucia would never have joined.”
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That's a big "oof" to read. I guessed this was the case, but crazy that he straight up didn't tell a recruit "by the way I'm still coaching a banned athlete and she's still going to run with you."
No, it also applies to training. There was a swimmer banned in Australia not long ago and they weren't even allowed to be at a pool at the same time as any training groups and weren't allowed to receive any communication from coaches related to training. Basically she was forced to be disconnected entirely from her training group and any other training group. She discussed this in a podcast after she returned from the ban.
Training group was a funded/official group etc.
Any training group that is a member of the national federation also must follow the same rules not just those receiving funding and BTC is listed on the USATF website as having a current membership (see earlier post).
If you think Shelby is innocent, that's one thing. If you want to root for her appeal and contribute to her gofundme, I get it. But for these coaches to be so brazen to continue coaching A BANNED ATHLETE and actually admit it is just perplexing...
A banned athlete continuing to train? It's never bothered me. In fact, I wish Kiprop had done it instead of getting fat.
Why is it perplexing? It's not agains the rules. I could coach Kiprop or Houlihan and broadcast it live on Letsrun every day. What makes no sense is that I can't do it though if I register Letsrun as a club. It's a poorly worded rule.
If you don't let an athlete train, then their 4 year ban is really a 5 or 6 year ban.
Any training group that is a member of the national federation also must follow the same rules not just those receiving funding and BTC is listed on the USATF website as having a current membership (see earlier post).
she’s not training with BTC. she is coached privately by Jerry and happens to be at the track at a similar time doing similar workouts. not all that surprising considering they share the same coach.
Here are the two key questions that could get Shelby banned again:
Did BTC and/or USATF give Jerry Schumacher money to build/outfit the private gym BTC has been using during covid?
Has Shelby used that gym since she was banned?
Explanation:
BTC have shown themselves using a private gym for weights and s&c during covid, and they've said during interviews that Jerry put it together during covid.
The AIU said the following to LR:
"If the training relationship between an ineligible athlete and a coach is a strictly private arrangement and is entirely unconnected to USA Track & Field or any of its affiliated members (such that it is not funded by USATF or the member in any way and does not involve the use of facilities, personnel or other athletes of USATF or the member), it would not appear in isolation to amount to an activity that is authorized or organized by USATF or one of its member organizations in breach of the Rules.”
If BTC the club, and or USATF gave money or equipment for the creation of that gym, it would be very hard to argue it isn't a BTC facility for the purposes of the above, so not allowed for Shelby to use. I also think that regardless of the above, team weights sessions probably would be an organized practice. Was Shelby ever lifting at the same time the team met to lift?
If any of the above questions are yes, then it looks like Shelby should get another 4 years.
If you think Shelby is innocent, that's one thing. If you want to root for her appeal and contribute to her gofundme, I get it. But for these coaches to be so brazen to continue coaching A BANNED ATHLETE and actually admit it is just perplexing...
A banned athlete continuing to train? It's never bothered me. In fact, I wish Kiprop had done it instead of getting fat.
Why is it perplexing? It's not agains the rules. I could coach Kiprop or Houlihan and broadcast it live on Letsrun every day. What makes no sense is that I can't do it though if I register Letsrun as a club. It's a poorly worded rule.
If you don't let an athlete train, then their 4 year ban is really a 5 or 6 year ban.
Literally no one suggested she can't train. They were suggesting that when you are banned and continue to train with the same group and coach causing teammates to leave that group, maybe that isn't good.
I'm sure you and the other Shelby peeps will do some word smithing and condone all the loopholes they can find...it really is bizarre to see the 180 regarding doping on this site.
That said, you're site is still far far better than the garbage sites out there that concentrate more on 5 hour marathoners than pros...
If you think Shelby is innocent, that's one thing. If you want to root for her appeal and contribute to her gofundme, I get it. But for these coaches to be so brazen to continue coaching A BANNED ATHLETE and actually admit it is just perplexing...
A banned athlete continuing to train? It's never bothered me. In fact, I wish Kiprop had done it instead of getting fat.
Why is it perplexing? It's not agains the rules. I could coach Kiprop or Houlihan and broadcast it live on Letsrun every day. What makes no sense is that I can't do it though if I register Letsrun as a club. It's a poorly worded rule.
If you don't let an athlete train, then their 4 year ban is really a 5 or 6 year ban.
Here's another part of the WADA code that clarifies returning to training which also makes pretty clear that they're not allowed to train as per usual with their team:
10.14.2 Return to Training As an exception to Article 10.14.1, an Athlete may return to train with a team or to use the facilities of a club or other member organization of a Signatory’s member organization during the shorter of: (1) the last two (2) months of the Athlete’s period of Ineligibility, or (2) the last onequarter of the period of Ineligibility imposed.
If you think Shelby is innocent, that's one thing. If you want to root for her appeal and contribute to her gofundme, I get it. But for these coaches to be so brazen to continue coaching A BANNED ATHLETE and actually admit it is just perplexing...
A banned athlete continuing to train? It's never bothered me. In fact, I wish Kiprop had done it instead of getting fat.
Why is it perplexing? It's not agains the rules. I could coach Kiprop or Houlihan and broadcast it live on Letsrun every day. What makes no sense is that I can't do it though if I register Letsrun as a club. It's a poorly worded rule.
If you don't let an athlete train, then their 4 year ban is really a 5 or 6 year ban.
Rojo, why do I feel like there are a lot of instances in this Shelby story, where you are intentionally missing the point?
You brought up Jenny's progression to compare to Shelby to show that Shelby's progression could be seen as normal...But you KNEW that Jenny was a steepler and you were comparing her 1500 meter time...you knew that Jenny was still a collegiate athlete and not focused on the 1500. She saw improvement when she focused on it. But still you tried to bring it up, omitting important context, that YOU REPORTED ON YOURSELF WHEN IT HAPPENED!
Now you're here trying to argue that there is no issue with Shelby training, but that's not the point!! No one cares what Shelby does with her time and with her days. if she wants to travel to Arizona so be it! if she wants to run stupid time trials on her own time, so be it!
The problem comes when Shelby's actions affect other people--other people who DID NOTHING WRONG. Gabriela who was an active member of BTC was legitimately concerned that Shelby practicing around her and around the group breached anti-doping rules. She brought it up with her coach and HER concerns were rejected! You would think that any coach in their right mind would prioritize the needs and concerns of an athlete NOT currently serving a ban. You would think that the banned athlete might take the concerns of her former teammates seriously and be more considerate, since she's...you know...BANNED. But none of that happened. It's fine for Shelby to train but Gabriela's concerns should have absolutely been prioritized over Shelby, and it's just mind boggling to for anyone to think differently at this point.
GDS's concerns were reasonable. She was worried about breaching anti doping code, and wasn't getting any answers from anyone. She brought up multiple solutions she would have been fine with. Train on different days, train at different times, a freaking hour window! All were dismissed. It's wild how selfish Jerry, Shalane and Shelby were to behave like this. I can totally understand why GDS felt nervous, uncomfortable and frankly, irritated. At the very least, even if you aren't concerned, and you just don't want a banned athlete lurking around, you have the right to voice that and be heard.
Any training group that is a member of the national federation also must follow the same rules not just those receiving funding and BTC is listed on the USATF website as having a current membership (see earlier post).
It appears that BTC is no longer a member.
If that is right then how are they covered by the rules ?
