Jearl Miles-Clark Left Off 4 x 400 Relay

I believe this Jearl's 5th Olympics. Most compaies give at the least a gold watch after they have completed 20 years of loyal service to their company. Jearl has puit in her 20 years of service to USA track and field. What kind of message is this sending to our future Olympians? It is not how you compete, but who you know. Loyalty and service deserves to be recognized. Besides that she can still run with the best in the world. This is a travesty

Congratulations to Team USA. This still does not justify leaving off Miles/Clark. Her ability to run mid to low 49's on a split is unquestioned. You just can't throw her to the curb because she is 37.

If an athlete can run a great 800 or 200 and didn’t run the 400 doesn’t mean they aren’t capable. It means they are strong or very quick and should be able to pop a good time if they needed to in the 400 and in Jearl’s case we know this for a fact. She has proven many times that just because she didn’t run an open 400 doesn’t mean she pop a 49.

By running the 800 it makes a stronger and mentally tougher 400 meter runner and if you have the strength and experience what is there to question?

All of us runners started out running high school and college relays. If you are a freshman you know the older with equal or better talent healthy senior will always be on the relay before you. The equal or better talented healthy senior was booted off the relay in the Olympics and that just doesn’t make any sense.

I am very proud of those that competed in the semi and final rounds. They ran awesome splits, but we are trying to make a change so this never happens again. If you don’t speech up for what you believe you are doomed to repeat it.

#1 USA

TROTTER DeeDee 49.19 (1)

HENDERSON Monique 50.28 (1) 1:39.47 (1)

RICHARDS Sanya 49.81 (1) 2:29.28 (1)

HENNAGAN Monique 49.73 (3) 3:19.01 SB

A decision was made by the Olympic coaching staff and fortunately for the USA, a gold medal was won. Many of you may not like the decision that was made, but it should be respected.

In 1996 a decision was made in a similar fashion leaving Carl Lewis off the 4x100. He could have been the most decorated track athlete ever and it was his last Olympics. I am sure He was disappointed also because he was capable of anchoring the relay and medaling.

I do sympathize for Jearl, but I respect the coaches decisions (gold was won) and probably would have made the same decision myself. Many of you were waiting for the USA too fail, so you blast the decision made by the coaching staff and say "this would not have happened, if Jearl had been on the relay team." Now, all you can say is the decision was a travesty, injustice, a slap in the face to Jearl, etc. More respect and praise should be give to the up and coming USA runners and coaches.

This is written in a nuetral and noncondescending tone, and in admiration of all your posts, beliefs, and values.

Please forgive me of my grammatical errors.

The USA won the relay and good for Sue, Brooks, Craig and Stephanie, they got what they wanted Gold Medals. But in the end the gold medal in the 4x400m relay simply tarnished the very system that this sport was built on. Hard work, focus, loyality, and integrity, All of which Jearl has. When it is all said and done and the medals are counted and the uniforms packed away, this staff ultimately put a stake in the spirit of one of America's greatest 400/800 and no medal count can repair that. As coaches the one thing you always try to protect is the athletes spirit. Thanks goodness she has a coach/husband who will do damage control and Jearl will overcome this. It would be nice to hear from Jearl to hear what she thinks. So Jearl if you are out there reading these messages we would love to hear from you.

You can respect someone's decisions, but that does not make their decisions right. As for Carl in 1996, that is a different story. Carl could not make the Olympic team in the 100 or 200, and did not make and Olympic final that year. He was not on top of his game. Jearl was on top of her game as she made the Olympic final(800) and would have run low 49 like she always does. I am happy for the USA, because I am a true American. I did not want to see a mishap. Jearl should have been in the finals or at least in the Prelims where someone split 51.99! Miles/Clark is worthy of a 51.99..come on.

The younger athletes are not at fault and for victory respect should be given. As for the coaching staff and the personal agendas of the staff. No respect should be given. People should be accountable for their decisions. Respect, honor, and appreciation should be given to all athletes. And as for as wanting the team to fail, I think people myself included wanted something like that to happen so the coaches would have to answers to the powers that be. It is unfortunate that something like that has to be thought of before something is done, but that is the reality. And addressing Carl Lewis, the staff wanted to prove a point and as many know he was not accepted by the USA public after the 1984 Olympics. However overseas he was KING CARL. When he retired the USA did not event give him a retiring circuit. That was done in Europe. Carl and Jearl are different athletes especially when it comes to perceptions.

I was just surfing the net and came across this website. I saw the head lines about leaving Jearl off and I was like no way dude. Jearl's been rockin for years, and she's still cool. I was out smoking the other night, maybe Brook and Sue were in my group when they made the choices..Jearl's the best

Leaving Jearl off was a clear case of age-ism. What message does it send to these young athletes of USATF's "youth movement theme" that they're pushing ad nauseum to NBC? That you will be put out to pasture at 37 even if you're strong and fast enough to make an Olympic team? Jearl is by all accounts one of the classiest and kindest people and finest athletes to ever run for the USA. But while the USATF has always gone out of its way to help dirty athletes who are clearly on the juice, being 37 is a crime in their eyes. I am so sickened by this blatant case of age discrimination. They did nothing about Regina Jacobs for years, but they treat a clean athlete like crap.

Jearl, this was no way for you to go out, girl. Read this nearly 100-message thread and know that there are dozens of people who will not be renewing their dues to USATF OR buying the overpriced garbage off their Web site -- BECAUSE OF HOW THEY TREATED YOU.

And while Brooks Johnson is congratulating himself tonight for treating Jearl like crap and letting his protegee/whatever/chick run the relay, hopefully he'll get so much heat for this blatant age discrimination that he'll be flipping burgers at McDonald's in a few months. Oh wait--you actually have to have some brains and integrity to be able to do that!

The purpose in putting an olympic relay team together is to win, not to prep other athletes for the future olympics. The focus is to put the fastest most experience athletes on the track. I cannot understand how it is prudent to run someone that is 2 seconds slower than Jearl. Brooks should find a real job. Sue better think for your self or get out of the way.

For years sue has passed herself off as a strong women coach. Not only of high school kids but Charles Austin, Tonya Henry and a few more. I think now she should step down from coaching period. And if she is coaching at the high school level I hope when she gets back they will fire her for being To short to teach the HJ.

sleepness in NJ...Very well said

The US girls were talking about the USATF "youth movement" tonight in their interview after the race.

Tasteless, especially when they all must be very aware of how devastated Jearl was by the decision.

Jearl is probably more of a "team player" than any other athlete in the world. She isn't the one upset at the decision...it's the rest of the country that cares. It's a complete joke to leave off such a dedicated, disciplined and experienced athlete. This decision is a slap in the face not only to Jearl, but to the rest of the country as well.

Removing Jearl from the relay team was taking away from America. She is a very good person completely dedicated to her sport. You could not ask for a better person to represent the country.

It should be a concern of USTF that age discrimination was not considered by the head coach prior to making her decision. USTF must have provided training and policy for staff relating to this topic. Coaches are considered professionals and are held accountable for their decisions. The ogranization they represent are also held accountable for providing training, policy and resourcess. The head coach obviously lacked the understanding that an oportunity cannot be witheld from a qualified person for the reason of age. The head coach stated this as a reason, publicly. I would assume age discrimination is against USTF policy. To promote a person for the sole reason of youth at the expense of a older person is clear a voilation. In the professional world outside of USTF this is wrong, I wonder how professional is USTF. Lack of professional training and no enforcement of policy allows staff to make poor decisions and leads an organization to ramifications.

The last time I was on the board there were only 2 pages, it now almost 6!. I hope that Jearl is out there reading these messages. She would see that America is behind her. As for Brook and Sue I hope they make a public apology.

Keep e-mailing them maybe they will get the hint. Sue Humphrey

humphreyhj@aol.com

, Brooks Johnson

sutrac@aol.com

Stephanie Hightower,

shigh1211@aol.com

., Craig Masback

cmasback@usatf.org

I am listening to all of this youth movement stuff on TV and on the message board. Are there any lawyers out there? Can they remove Jearl from the team because she is 37? Brooks stupid plan is clear now. Now I see why he took Jearl out of the rounds who could run a 49 split and replaced her with a 51.99 youth. Is this really helping the youth? This sounds like age discrimination. Any lawyers out there please speak up.