Brenda Martinez represents all that is right with our sport

...aaaaaa wrote:

How is 2nd at NCAAs not good enough? That's crazy.

I love me some Brenda Martinez, but I can see why no training group took her or she didn't get sponsorships.

Yes, she was 2nd in the 1500 at 2009 NCAA's, but the year before she was 14th and the year after she was 15th. There are a lot of athletes between 15th and 1st and I am sure lots of them didn't get into certain training groups either. Every year someone is getting 2nd at the NCAA 1500, but where are all of those girls now?

you are wrong wrote:

Kate Grace represents all that is right with our sport, not Brenda. Kate Grace never even placed top 3 before at NCAA's or any national level meet. Ivy League grad could have gotten any job she wanted out of school but keeps training hard, most likely on a tiny contract with Oiselle. Then comes out of nowhere and wins the Olympic Trials and earns a spot to Rio.

There's been a lot of Montano hate on the boards, but really the women's 800 final was full of athletes who are great representations of what makes US track great.

Montano is a gritty racer who never lost her drive after getting beaten by dopers all through her prime.

Ajee is a consummate professional who puts her head down and gets the job done with no drama.

Phoebe Wright isn't afraid to speak honestly about controversial issues and actually has a personality, unlike the rest of the Nike drones.

Ludlow is the poster child for just barely missing teams but like Montano she keeps grinding.

Rogers and Williams are the bright future of the event and arguably have more pure talent than any of the vets.

And perhaps best of all, the 7 professional women represented 6 different brands- 7, if you count Phoebe as a Brooks runner. If only every event had the same equity.

The women's 800 represents all that is right with our sport.

Gunitaasshat wrote:

Why was she rejected from training camps? Does it have to do with her asma rumors and using inhaler right before racing? Does anyone have insight to any truth in this?

I don't know about that, but I did recently read she has a lion heart. That's got to be performance enhancing.

What the hell is wrong with you? What privilege? Regardless of how rich your family is (and we don't know if kate grace's family has money because it doesn't matter), to get into Yale requires amazing grades in high school. To graduate from Yale and its extremely demanding academics while also doing division 1 sports take a tremendous amount of hard work. Then to train yourself to win at the Olympic Trials obviously requires an insane amount of hard work.

And yet you suggest privilege might play a role in her success?? Seriously, what the hell is wrong with you?

She's also super hot on letsrun.

according to Wikipedia, Grace went to a private school in LA. That doesn't guarantee anything in life, and she's obviously put in the work.

Martinez's circumstances are certainly different. She, too, has put in the work, and she sounds as though she has been generous when she achieved success.

Both sound exceptional.

The predictable hate on the boards is infantile and tiresome.

BOOHOOHOO wrote:

Why does there have to be a story. Everyone in this country has been building churches, parents have Cancer, totally impoverished, everyone killed in a Traffic Acc., born with some disease, recovering now from Cancer, lost this limb or that and on and on and on. Last Olympics the USA BooHoo stories went on and on for an hour on every athlete. Why can't just once every four years we have the top athletes in the world compete. Don't want to hear the life of building churches and saving the world hero stuff. Got to hear that every day, on every channel on all stories and commercials. Every second for four years, then just give us a break for two weeks please!

Except for you, apparently.

Man, the trolls are really reaching today. In case you missed when I said it before: I POSTED A THREAD IN SUPPORT OF KATE GRACE, AND IT WAS NOT SUPPORTED BY REPLIES. If you want, go ahead and do the same, maybe you will have better luck, although hate seems a more motivating force for you.

I'll also be fiercely rooting for BM during the 1500m.

Me too.

kanny wrote:

I'll also be fiercely rooting for BM during the 1500m.

Martinez is a class act and represents whats right in a person and as a runner but also represents whats wrong in athletics, especially the selection process itself not just of America but of many countries. She should be running in the 800m in Rio.

There actually was a few illegals when I ran on the team at UCR, they were always nervous going though the airports and would travel the least.

Did you ever hear about the time the head coach scratched her from one event which really scratched her from both events post season? She is used to it. Mammoth track club rejected her? Thats crazy because the team does an illegal training camp up there ever summer and eats pasta with them.

...aaaaaa wrote:

How is 2nd at NCAAs not good enough? That's crazy.

Terrence already had Uceny and Pierce and didn't think Brenda could get on their level. Not the first (or last) time he was wrong.

+1

What CAS doesn't see wrote:

The women's 800 represents all that is right with our sport.

Great post and so true!

Bob Larsen's attitude changed when he became head coach at UCLA. He suddenly became some kind of elitist when it came to letting talented athletes walk onto the team. He refused walk-on requests from kids who would have definitely scored points for the team a year or two down the line. Also hard to believe a head coach is unaware of rampant doping on his team, that doesn't make him much of a head coach. The distance squad at UCLA were ordered by the the sprint coaches to take steroids. One of the more heralded middle distance guys had already been on steroids since high school and was regularly committing statutory rape (his girlfriend was 16 years old, he was 19).

Is all that stuff going to be covered in the documentary? I'm planning to attend the screening on Saturday.

We need more Maggie Vessey.

Bring Her Back wrote:

We need more Maggie Vessey.

Yeah, she kinda fizzled out badly this time.

Women's 1500 will be amazing. Can't wait for the final on Sunday.