Kate Murphy using Gofundme to get her coaches to Eugene

A safe bet wrote:

Well, if she makes the team for Rio, I will pony up the 200K myself.

Throw in an extra 10k for me?

I can be her food taster. Rio is sketchy you know.

Again....read it carefully. Kate Murphy is not asking anyone for their support. This plea has gone out not from Kate, but from an alumni, and youth coach for support from the Lake Braddock community for the coaches who have supported Kate. No one is expecting anything per se....Kate is certainly not demanding anything. The fact of the matter is that a Lake Braddock alum and track supporter is simply trying to help out the people who have helped Kate, and who might not otherwise be able to get to Eugene. I think it speaks volumes about the LB community that they would want Kate's coach and supporters to be there for her, and have given them a chance to see Kate run in the biggest race of her career when they might not otherwise had the means to get out there.

Inverter Man wrote:

plug this in wrote:

Electric cars are really coal powered. Or hydroelectric. Or nuclear. Just an added step in the delivery chain.

I love hearing the myth of the "free" charging stations from Wannabe EV owners who assume they can charge for free. Ha!

A few places provide free charging, but when the battery is at 5% you'll pay to charge or you'll pay a tow truck and then pay to charge. Charging at home isn't free either.

I can drive my humongous gas guzzler more than 400 miles, then "recharge" it in 5 minutes at one of hundreds of places, then get back on the road for another 400+ miles. No wasting of time every 150-200 miles and spending 30 minutes at each charging station.

The secret? Internal combustion gasoline engine. What a concept. EVs are not ready for long trips, at least not without staying on freeways, carefully planning the charging stops, and wasting time waiting for the charging.

Spin it however you like, it still stinks of entitlement and elitism. And tone-deafness.

TrackCoach and NoVA Fan say it right!

The opinions of anonymous posters who think a coach and parent(s) and a massage therapist should live like ascetics or stay the hell home -- hey, Kate Murphy isn't Top Ten in da woild, you know! -- hopefully will be dismissed as irrelevant by Kate and her family/coaches/therapist. To the alum who is doing his best to round up money, from generous donors who are willing to give of their own free will, I say good for you! The spirit of giving is 100% positive. I hope Kate's immediate supporters -- who do have a hand in her successes -- do benefit from this generosity, and are able to travel and live comfortably, in order to maximize this thrilling opportunity for Kate to excel on the national stage, at a mega-meet that only happens once every four years.

Nah, forget that! They should all live like ascetics on the West Coast if they want to be there, practicing self-discipline and abstention from all forms of indulgence. Anything but the cheapest airfare is GREEDY. They should fly into Portand and drive from there to save money. They should eat bologna or peanut butter sandwiches three meals a day. Let's not forget ticket prices; they should watch on TV in their cheap hotel! I mean, c'mon, they can talk to Kate before and after her run or runs. Ditto on the massages.

We have taught our daughter not to be dependent on her coach because one day she will be at an important meet and he will not be able to attend.

Here are the coaching tip she needs:

1. Don't lead off the start

2. Don't get boxed in

3. Stay with the pack

4. Enjoy the experience you are going to remember this day the rest of

your life.

Part of maturing as an athlete is to be able to prepare for meets on your own.

A massage therapist too? Come on you can use one of the therapists supplied by the meet or pay for a local therapist.

$7500??? Are they flying first class?

Viva la Cram wrote:

There already was a thread on this from several days ago:

http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=7412193

That thread has an inaccuracy in it. In the fundraising email, it says, "100% of your donations will go to FUND the cost of Airfare, Lodging, Admission, Transportation for Kate's Support team of LAKE BRADDOCK COACH MICHAEL MANGAN and PETER SHERRY (Herndon HS Coach and Kate's personal Massage Therapist). There is NO funding to bring Coaches, Trainers and Family to the Trials, so WE NEED to take care of our own!"

Not true. 8% of it will go to GoFundMe.

Even if this was started by a well-meaning area person it is unrealistic. I'm glad that she is in an affluent area where as the star of her HS team her needs can be met. How will she ever survive on a college team? Sharing dorm rooms, riding a bus/van for hours, not having a massage therapist on-standby to rub her down,... Even Big 5 college teams drive from Portland to Eugene depending on the airline connections.

On second thought is this GoFundMe the modern version of "when you don't care enough to throw a spaghetti supper" to raise money and honor an individual?

I'm a coach and have paid for my fair share of trips. Never ha be we brought a massage therapist. Never has it cost me $3750.

The coach can fly southwest into Portland. Stay there at a very nice Embassy Suits for $139. Drive down for the race in Eugene. Fly back the next day.

Let's say 2 night stay and car rental. Flight $500 max.

$1000 should cover food, parking, spectator ticket... Where's the rest going?

Is the therapist bringing a massage table? That's at least $25 each way.

What is Happening? wrote:

I'm a coach and have paid for my fair share of trips. Never ha be we brought a massage therapist. Never has it cost me $3750.

The coach can fly southwest into Portland. Stay there at a very nice Embassy Suits for $139. Drive down for the race in Eugene. Fly back the next day.

Let's say 2 night stay and car rental. Flight $500 max.

$1000 should cover food, parking, spectator ticket... Where's the rest going?

Ok. I'll bite.

$700 for plane ticket. A planet ticket this late to Portland is unreal from Was - trust me. I'd say it's about 600 but am adding in more for the luggage in case you have to bring a massage table.

$700 x 2 = 1400.

Now, hotel's are expensive. You could stay in Portland for 2 nights but we're dealing with an entiteld HSer. How is she going to get to the meet and what not?

So you got to get there 2 days before the race to get to used to the time zone and hold her hand at practice. I"m saying 6 nights hotel.

6 x 250 = 1500. That's just for the coach and massage guy. It says something about the parents. Where is the girl goign to stay? Let's triple that as her parents need a room as do mom and dad. $4500.

So we are basically at 6k. Add in another 500 for rental car and 1000 for food and we are at 7.5k.

I'm dead serious. How do some of these poor sprinters afford? 3.5 guy for a sprinter is a lot but 7.5 for a rich entitle distance runner is way too much.

At least some of that $7500 should be used to buy that poor girl a burger.

This is absolutely ridiculous and embarrassing...in my opinion

You people need to get a life. If you're posting anonymously and talking senseless trash about one of USA's brightest stars, I am 100% confident that she would kick your ass in a race. That still probably wouldn't shut you up. Go back to Jr. High school and gossip amongst your friends.

Bring Back the 880 wrote:

I assume the athlete's trip is funded buy USATF due to her meeting the auto standard.

.

Don't athletes pay their own way? When I did OTrials in 2000 and 2004 we paid our own way, I'm pretty sure, and there was prize money/reimbursement based on place.

What's the setup now?

JMS3 wrote:

You people need to get a life. If you're posting anonymously and talking senseless trash about one of USA's brightest stars, I am 100% confident that she would kick your ass in a race. That still probably wouldn't shut you up. Go back to Jr. High school and gossip amongst your friends.

I'm posting under my own name.

I'm not talking trash. Many of us are just talking what it costs to get 2 people to Eugene.

And if you post something publicly asking for money, expect a little discussion. You can't have it both ways.

People are free to give to whatever cause they want.

And I just noticed she's about to pass Boris Berian's defense fund:

Kate $4940

Boris $5272

And I am glad to report the Ethiopian distance runners run over by the car have raised the most: $6890

Last time I checked they had raised way less so I'm glad they have the most. That's just my personal preference.

Flounder wrote:

They are only covering expenses for her coach and massage therapist? How is she going to survive?

What about her personal chef, physician, orthopedist, mani-pedi-ist and stylist? I am guessing her personal maid is staying in NoVa. How will she know what to wear? Who will lay out her clothes?

Gofundme has become as pathetic as charity scams.

What about her publicist, personal assistant and chief of staff? Her driver isn't going to be free. This jerk Sherry is making it difficult to like this girl.

NoVA Fan wrote:

I think it speaks volumes about the LB community that they would want Kate's coach and supporters to be there for her, and have given them a chance to see Kate run in the biggest race of her career when they might not otherwise had the means to get out there.

If they are so damn supportive then why don't they raise the money among themselves rather than solicit strangers online?