Shannon Butler USATF 1996 lawsuit article

usatf 98 wrote:

Does anyone remember new orleans 98.It was the 1500 .There was a local funny man.

Ha ha, I was in that race. Not to mention the dude looked like he was 16 years old. I remember hearing someone yelling out as if he'd pulled a hamstring down the 1st 100 meters, then was later told what had happenned.

I think Kara's WC bronze medal waves her need to have a qualifying time for USATF's. Actually, I think anyone who has been on a WC or Olympic team can compete in a USATF champtionship without a qualifier.

This is the first that I have heard of the Shannon Butler story for the 1996 Trials.

Pretty crazy to not let him run.

If I recall correctly, they had 10,000 m prelims that year.

So having a 25th runner only meant that one heat would have 13 runners, no big deal.

I was a provisional qualifier for the 1500 that year.

I thought I was in but I never heard confirmation. So after the final declarations were set, I called to ask where I stood. The person said my time should have qualified. I got a call back saying they accidentally had me as an auto qualifyer...in the women's field (#1 seed, world record).

I was ahead of other runners they already let into the meet.

You know what they did? They let me in and added to the field above the amount they had restricted it to.

Also, in the 1500m semis (which I did not make) Jeff Atkinson pushed one guy and they wound up letting two additional runners into the final on appeal.

The 1500m final had a 14 man field instead of 12.

This is they same meet where they would not let Shannon Butler, a highly accomplished former national champion who actually had a rightful qualifying time, into the meet.

Something is strange here.

Although this wasn't the Olympic Trials, it's kind of funny how precedent was already set for "expanding" fields; yet, everyone made a bitch about Adam Goucher's legal appeal into the 10,000 in 2008. He had been an Olympian and USATF champion in years past and proved that he belonged in that race, forcing the pace for the chase group for much of it and lapping guys that had no business running it. And while Butler's case was less controversial or should've been, I agree he got screwed. But politics always play a role. Maybe Butler grinded on the wrong people?

eddie grant wrote:

Actually, I think anyone who has been on a WC or Olympic team can compete in a USATF champtionship without a qualifier.

NO SUCH RULE. But you realize that her medal was NOT in the last WC.

Below is the qualifying rules. She is currently NOT qualified.

"A" and "B" Standards

Athletes who attain the "A" Standard will automatically be qualified for the event.

Athletes who have attained the "B" Standard will be allowed to declare, but will be notified if they have been accepted into the Championships to compete in order to fill an event for competitiveness. The Sport Committee chair will make the final field size determination once declarations close. The "B" Standard may be used to fill the fields, in ranked order of those athletes who have entered and declared their intention to compete. For notification purposes, a current phone number/e-mail address should be provided during the declaration process.

Qualifying Guidelines for Championships in Non-Olympic Years

1.All qualifying performances for running events may be made on an indoor or outdoor track for the outdoor championships. There are no allowances for altitude, nor for indoor facilities of differing size, banking or other configuration.

2.Qualifying marks must be made in accordance with USATF Rule 149 and verifiable in one of the following:

a.USATF or IAAF sanctioned events which prescribe to or exceed USATF competition rules

b.Events at collegiate meets which prescribe to or exceed USATF competition rules, or

c.High school meets, but not dual or triangular meets.

d.Meets or events which meet a minimum for competitiveness set by the Chair of the Sport Committee and determined to be valid by the USATF National Office staff member responsible for verification.

3.This is an annual Championship which requires qualification within a specific period of time.

Qualifying marks from outdoor competitions must be attained on or after Thursday, June 24, 2010 through Sunday, June 19, 2011. Qualifying marks from indoor competitions must be attained within the same time period. Qualifying marks for the 10,000-meters, Race Walk, and Combined Events must be attained on or after Saturday, January 2, 2010 through Sunday, June 19, 2011.

4.* F.A.T. is the only method of timing acceptable for qualifying marks for events listed with an asterisk. Times submitted in hundredths of a second, must be fully automatic times.

5.** A manual time may be used for qualifying in events with a double asterisk only if no fully automatic qualifying time exists for the individual in that event during the qualifying period. A manual time may not supersede any fully automatic qualifying time for an event.

a.women - Qualifying manual times, for eligible events, are the F.A.T. qualifying time without the last zero for events 200m and longer; the F.A.T. time minus 0.14 for events 400m - 1 Mile. The seed time for a submitted manual time will be in accordance with USATF Rule 76.

b.men - Qualifying manual times, for eligible events, not already listed, are always the F.A.. qualifying time without the last zero. Manual times will be converted for seeding purposes using USATF Rule 166.

6.All performances are subject to verification by USATF or its statisticians.

A Salazar wrote:

Any bets on whether Kara runs the 10k in Eugene? SHE DOES NOT HAVE A QUALIFIER.

Even if she has to go through an appeals committee, do you really think she shouldn't be in the race? Common sense man. People are a bit too fastidious and/or have a serious aversion to Salazar. Don't hold that against Kara.

First I've even heard of this story. Chaplin is an asshole! Yes Butler did 'grind on the wrong people,' but that's not legally relevant. He should have been able to compete at the 1996 Olympic Trials.

As one of Shannon Butler's sisters, I'd like to point out that the very first sentence of this article - "Boulder-based elite distance runner Shannon Butler has overcome adversity, raising himself in an unstable foster home environment in Eureka, Mont., with virtually no contact with his parents" - is completely false.

Assuming this must have been a statement from Shannon himself, because I can't see any reason the author would make this up, I can assure you that Shannon lived in the home of our parents until he graduated from LCHS in Eureka, MT, in 1986. Our parents still live in Eureka, and have regular contact with Shannon (now residing in Darby, MT) to this day.

I know this has nothing to do with the reason the article was written, and my response may very well never be seen considering how old this post is, however it is important to set the record straight. Anyone that personally knew or knew of the Butler family, knows Shannon did not raise himself in a foster home. If the author of this article ever sees this response, I'd love to see that first sentence deleted.

Thank you.

I'm sure the OP will get right on to editing a 15 year old article.

james hansen wrote:

I'm sure the OP will get right on to editing a 15 year old article.

Hi James! Precisely the reason the last paragraph of my response acknowledges how old this article is and that the author may never see my response. Thank you for your sarcasm though, you have a nice day.

sibling - no matter how late, I think it a nice touch you corrected the article.

I hope you are enjoying your family and your parents. The relationship between parents and children shift as the children become adults, and it is a strangely rewarding experience to take care of parents just as they took care of you. I hope also your family has a relationship with your niece (Shannon's daughter).

Running is just a way to express one's self. There are many more important things in this world.

Cheers.

Wow. Was hanging out at Swanee's grill outside of Polson watching Farah and Rupp take the 10K the other day. The bartender out of the blue mentioned Shannon and what a relaxed person he now is. Good for him and his family if true. As for the article I remember watching Joseph Kimani setting the still standing Peachtree record in '96 on a rare cool morning on July 4. Time goes by . . . hopefully in a good way.

Thank you for posting this correction! I don't post here much but have been around this board specifically for the Olympic Games.

So fair enough. For the record here, I wrote/tape recorded this detail exactly as Shannon related it to me, and I knew him (somewhat) well at the time. Is it possible that he may have stated a few things that were not 100% accurate to bolster his cause or agenda?

As a matter of course I also consulted with Shannon and his attorney on this piece, because this was a touchy legal issue with rather far-reaching ramifications. You can contact David Mastbaum in Boulder, CO to verify this.

No disrespect was intended toward you and your family, but this was his detail, my editor may have chosen to lead with that. So unfortunately, I cannot issue a correction or retraction this far down the road as I have not been associated with that publication (The Colorado Daily) since 1999 (and that editor is long gone also).

And many of us still believe your brother got a really lousy deal from USATF, regardless of whether the first sentence is accurate or not. John Chaplin should have been canned a long time ago and he's still in place--that is the intrinsic value of this piece.

So I wish you & Shannon well. I won't be on for a several hours or possibly tomorrow as I have to get off work here and go coach/run with my running club. Best regards.

whatever man, I appreciate your response, and understand a correction/retraction cannot be done to the original article. Your acknowledgement is well enough at this point, considering the # of years that have passed since this was written. If you would like to talk further, please let me know how to reach you. Thank you.

Several athletes have suffered the same almost identical issue.

Chaplin is a crafty dirty old bird who survives , Teflon might be a good word for him. He is a cancer of the old guard , the sport will be much better the day he leaves it.

Maybe the USATF gets smart and limit terms in many of the roles that make decisions in the sport. No one should be allowed to hang on as long as he has. Good or bad.

Hello to you...you're most welcome and Shannon always spoke well of you. I would be more than happy to talk further. My email is coachcarlrose AT gmail DOT com (I'm hoping to dodge some of the spambotniks on here).