USATF let's Nike athletes into Olympic Trials who haven't qualified

Let's? WTF?

You also don't want to discourage really talented athletes from trying to make a comeback.

I just wish there was more transparency. Like if an athlete was let in by special permission, USATF had to post a public statement explaining their logic and stating the names of the people on whatever committee that made that decision. Then, if there's cronyism, you boot them the next time there are leadership elections.

gramir sherif wrote:

skinny skinny wrote:

The saga continues. Previous years we've had Goucher and Webb, not we have Chris Derrick.

Derrick is sitting #27 on the entry list in the 10k. They had let the top 24 in as accepted and declared athletes as of last night. The field size, as described by USATF is 24, so all looked normal.

Today, #25, 26, and 27 are now accepted and entered.

At least they had the decency to allow for #'s 25 and 26 to be pushed in by Mr. Derrick.

How come this only happens to Nike athletes?

I guess that's what a 30 year deal buys you.

Please change "athletes" to "athlete" in the the thread title. Derrick is the only Nike 10,000 athlete to be added.

I think the OP was making a generalization not only including Derrick from this year, but Webb and Goucher from previous years as well

I think in the past the USATF has mishandled the trials qualification process pretty badly. But I don't have any real issues with how they are handling it in 2016. The big thing is that they are filling the fields to the size they said they would from the descending order list. They are retaining the right to expand the field if they think there's a compelling reason to do so. Derrick is a former US team member who is behind on his fitness and trying to make a late charge. Giving a guy like this a spot on the line is a good enough reason to expand the field. Will Derrick make the team? Probably not. Is it impossible? No. Do I think it's somehow wrong to give him a shot? Absolutely not.

If he were taking a spot away from an "up and comer" there might be an argument. Or if the USATF were putting a veteran directly onto the Olympic team. But adding 3 athletes to the 10K hurts nobody and gives a proven guy a shot to EARN an Olympic team berth.

Derrick might legitimately make the team. Especially if True opts to run only the 5k if he qualifies. From social media photos of the group it looks like Derrick has been working out well with the rest of them.

skinny skinny wrote:

The saga continues. Previous years we've had Goucher and Webb, not we have Chris Derrick.

Derrick is sitting #27 on the entry list in the 10k. They had let the top 24 in as accepted and declared athletes as of last night. The field size, as described by USATF is 24, so all looked normal.

Today, #25, 26, and 27 are now accepted and entered.

At least they had the decency to allow for #'s 25 and 26 to be pushed in by Mr. Derrick.

How come this only happens to Nike athletes?

I guess that's what a 30 year deal buys you.

Becky Wade runs for Asics.

Shut up.

Dear USATF - Support the troops - Accept Cheseret's entry.And issue a press release with that statement when you do accept him. Might be your only goodwill-builder all week.

WCTC wrote:

The fact that they've accepted Chris Derrick repping nike at 28:31.75 but not Robert Cheseret repping US Army at 28:31.91 is simply unamerican. End of story

#buildthatwall

Parbuster wrote:

This is why you sign on as a Nike sponsored athlete membership in the most powerful group in track has it's advantages.. Told you so in the Boris Berian thread.

.

That's exactly what Ben Johnson said. He got caught immediately after leaving Adidas (large sponsor) to go to Diadora (marginal guys). He feels that had he not done the switch, that he would have been ok.

It seems that being part of a powerful group still has it's advantages...

Fun side note that by adding those 3 guys they added derrick and also a guy that went to college and (I believe) still trains in derrick's hometown of Naperville, IL in John Crain.

Derrick was accepted because his coach, Jerry Schumacher, petitioned USATF to let him compete and USATF accepted the petition.

Possibly, the reason Robert Cheseret remains Unaccepted is because his coach, Dan Browne, did not petition USATF.

That is an unresolved question for Letsrun, Flotrack or some track journalist to investigate.

clearing something up wrote:

People are going to think it's suspicious that they expanded the field to 27, exactly where Chris Derrick is on the list. And the gap to #28 Bernie's brother is only 0.16 seconds, but he will be left out. They obviously chose the field size to let Derrick in.

Why would anyone think it is suspicious that they expanded it to exactly where Derrick is? That implies that there is some question as to whether the two are related, when there is no question that the two are 100% related.

I have no problem with it. Derrick has past accomplishments that are better than anyone else near him on the qualifying list. There is a legitimate (albeit debatable) argument for why he should be let in. I give USATF credit for making the right call to also take numbers 25 and 26 on the list. That is the correct move in my opinion.

skinny skinny wrote:

The saga continues. Previous years we've had Goucher and Webb, not we have Chris Derrick.

Derrick is sitting #27 on the entry list in the 10k. They had let the top 24 in as accepted and declared athletes as of last night. The field size, as described by USATF is 24, so all looked normal.

Today, #25, 26, and 27 are now accepted and entered.

At least they had the decency to allow for #'s 25 and 26 to be pushed in by Mr. Derrick.

How come this only happens to Nike athletes?

I guess that's what a 30 year deal buys you.

Are you going to spend your life complaining about business relationships having influence on decisions? Life across the world's that way.

asdfasdf wrote:

Derrick might legitimately make the team. Especially if True opts to run only the 5k if he qualifies. From social media photos of the group it looks like Derrick has been working out well with the rest of them.

THIS. WILL. BE. EPIC.

Let is wrote:

Let's? WTF?

Let's is short for let us not let is...nimrod.

Er... wrote:

Although no one on this thread will believe it, it IS the USATF who is doing that.

I agree. USATF is a totally independent organization that routinely ignores their biggest sponsor's special interests.

Look at it this way wrote:

John Crain - Zap/Reebok (adidas)

Martin Hehir - Syracuse

John Crain was called (48 hours before the race) and will be racing. I assume Hehir was called as well.

don't you think any of this stuff has something to do with it?

"Derrick later finished 3rd in the 10,000 meters 2013 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships[20] in June 2013 to qualify for the 2013 World Championships in Athletics in August. Derrick finished 18th in the 2013 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 10,000 metres 10,000 meters in a season best time of 28:04.54.[21]

Bowerman Track Club[edit]

In January 2014 & 2015, Derrick repeated as victor of the Great Edinburgh International Cross Country Senior race.

In February 2014, Derrick repeated as victor of the US Senior Men 12,000 meters USA Cross Country Championships in 36:14,[22] in Boulder, Colorado. In March, Derrick finished 2nd place and set an Age Record at the Jacksonville Gate River Run 15k road race (43:16).[23]

Derrick ran 13:08.18 at 2014 Payton Jordan Invitational.[24]

Derrick later finished 2nd in the 10,000 meters (28:18.18) 2014 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships[25] on June 26, 2014.

In February 2015, Derrick won his third consecutive US Senior Men 12,000 meters USA Cross Country Championships in 36:18,[26] in Boulder, Colorado to qualify for the 2015 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Guiyang, China where he placed 24th.[27]"

That's top three in two different U.S. 10k champs, plus three U.S. titles at 12k xc.

Uh he's only made one team in the event, back in 2013.

CD Watch wrote:

Derrick was accepted because his coach, Jerry Schumacher, petitioned USATF to let him compete and USATF accepted the petition.

Possibly, the reason Robert Cheseret remains Unaccepted is because his coach, Dan Browne, did not petition USATF.

That is an unresolved question for Letsrun, Flotrack or some track journalist to investigate.

I think this is exactly right but also the problem. It might be that it wasn't quite Nike that got in Derrick but certainly being a BTC athlete in a Nike environment helps. So his coach petitions and he gets in and we don't know what Cheseret and his coach did. I think that USATF should be responsible for some oversight here. If they move down the list to accept 25-27, they should look at spot 28 and have a clear way that makes sense. There should be a rule that says "if a runner petitions to get in then no runners after her/him are guaranteed entry or runners that are within X amount of time (depending on distance) are guaranteed entry, etc."

It just feels arbitrary when some fields are expanded and some are not. It feels arbitrary when fields are not full and runners have standards. It feels arbitrary when runners are not told that they are in or not or that their times count or do not. Becky Wade probably did not have a shot to make the team but she probably didn't want to run another steeple in gross conditions so close to the Trials if she did not have to. We just need better communication and more clear processes that benefit the athletes.