How would you react if you were this kids coach? Sprints to front of XC race to take selfie?

Not that old wrote:

Wtfunny wrote:

"Highly disrespectful"?

Hardly. Sure, it was mildly disrespectful, mostly to himself and prolly his coach, but nothing too serious, imo.

I believe it was you who encouraged the behavior, saying "more power to him." Now you seem to be changing your tune.

I don't think it was that bad, I am not saying to kick him off the team or anything. But it was very stupid and disrespectful to everybody competing in and working at the meet, and he should be taught not to do it again. Even a 15 year old should be able to learn that much maturity.

No, I'm not changing my tune. I don't see it as a big deal, and the kid made the news for some childishly stupid joke. Good for him. Or, he could've put his head down, tucked in behind his teammates, and run for a solid 32nd position, before he later drops out of running altogether to go to college and then get a job in some cubicle answering emails and making conference calls for the rat of his life.

Life's too short to be so overly concernd about a kid having harmless fun. Sure, maybe pull him aside after the meet and explain to him why he should not to do it again. Make him run an extra lap in training for being a smarta$$.

Children do childlike things. They have some fun. More power to them.

Cool straw man bro.

Make him run extra laps in practice? I take it you never ran high school XC? If so that explains everything.

You're contradicting yourself. "More power to them" is the opposite of "don't do this."

Wtfunny wrote:

No, I'm not changing my tune. I don't see it as a big deal, and the kid made the news for some childishly stupid joke. Good for him. Or, he could've put his head down, tucked in behind his teammates, and run for a solid 32nd position, before he later drops out of running altogether to go to college and then get a job in some cubicle answering emails and making conference calls for the rat of his life.

What's wrong with finishing 32nd in a race? Are you saying all those kids are wasting their time running? That's a sad view of the sport, especially at the high school level. That's not how I remember it.

Breathe in breathe out wrote:

Wtfunny wrote:

No, I'm not changing my tune. I don't see it as a big deal, and the kid made the news for some childishly stupid joke. Good for him. Or, he could've put his head down, tucked in behind his teammates, and run for a solid 32nd position, before he later drops out of running altogether to go to college and then get a job in some cubicle answering emails and making conference calls for the rat of his life.

What's wrong with finishing 32nd in a race? Are you saying all those kids are wasting their time running? That's a sad view of the sport, especially at the high school level. That's not how I remember it.

You're right, there's absolutely NOTHING wrong with finishing 32nd in a race. Nothing at all. And there's also nothing "wrong" with a kid making a light-hearted move like this. Those kids in the race aren't wasting their time. He's having a good time, and didn't hurt anybody. Why vilify that?

Would you feel the same if he...

Did cartwheels for the whole 5000m (or however long the race was)

Played his Nintendo DS while running

Talked on his phone to his girlfriend the whole race

Read a book while racing

???

Nonsense. It's not like the kid should take XC so seriously that he can't have some along the way. We "play" sport. Good for him. There are a lot more things to this world than winning. There are even a lot more things to this world than "try your hardest at every single thing you do, every single second of your life".

Can you point out who was victimized by this most egregious foul?

What, exactly, would you have done to right this awful wrong? 2 year suspension? 4 years? Lifetime ban AND remove all his records? Make him return every trophy he ever won and forbid him from even attending practice again, or associating, in any way, with anyone involved in the sport?

Wtfunny wrote:

Breathe in breathe out wrote:

What's wrong with finishing 32nd in a race? Are you saying all those kids are wasting their time running? That's a sad view of the sport, especially at the high school level. That's not how I remember it.

You're right, there's absolutely NOTHING wrong with finishing 32nd in a race. Nothing at all. And there's also nothing "wrong" with a kid making a light-hearted move like this. Those kids in the race aren't wasting their time. He's having a good time, and didn't hurt anybody. Why vilify that?

There are many things wrong with it. Given that some XC programs are being cut, it costs money to host these meets, and he's wasting it. He's doing his teammates a disservice - anyone from 1st to 200th can help create a positive culture of excellence. When my teammate won state we all knew we were a small part of that accomplishment, too. He attracted useless attention.

The local Turkey Trot would be much more appropriate for this, at least he'd be spending his own money and running as an individual.

caller outer wrote:

Would you feel the same if he...

Did cartwheels for the whole 5000m (or however long the race was)

Played his Nintendo DS while running

Talked on his phone to his girlfriend the whole race

Read a book while racing

???

No. He didn't do any of those things, either.

If he did cartwheels the entire race, I'd laugh pretty good though. Wouldn't you?

Also, since I know that this board is frequented by Pre fans...

"Running one might say is basically an absurd pastime upon which to be exhausting ourselves. But if you can find meaning in the kind of running you have to do to stay on this team, chances are you’ll be able to find meaning in another absurd pastime - life."

college xc runner wrote:

... " a positive culture of excellence ... "

I bet you're a bunch of fun to hang with.

Life's not really this serious.

Wtfunny wrote:

caller outer wrote:

Would you feel the same if he...

Did cartwheels for the whole 5000m (or however long the race was)

Played his Nintendo DS while running

Talked on his phone to his girlfriend the whole race

Read a book while racing

???

No. He didn't do any of those things, either.

If he did cartwheels the entire race, I'd laugh pretty good though. Wouldn't you?

You said earlier that he's just trying to have fun. All of the things I listed would be the kid just trying to have fun during the race. I would frown upon them as a coach just as I would frown upon the selfie.

If I was not associated with the program and I saw a kid cartwheel 5000m, yes I would laugh. If I was associated with the program, not so much.

Wtfunny wrote:

college xc runner wrote:

... " a positive culture of excellence ... "

I bet you're a bunch of fun to hang with.

Life's not really this serious.

Cross country is actually a lot of fun, and not that serious, if you're surrounded by other people who love the sport as much as you do - as opposed to lazy attention-whoring narcissists who don't want to be there. I am sorry if you never got that experience.

How about in major marathons when video cars and trucks drive alongside and in front of the runners.

That is much more disrespectful to the runners and their coaches.

Wtfunny wrote:

Can you point out who was victimized by this most egregious foul?

?

All those other slow kids who couldn't even keep up with a selfie taker. They will have to live the rest of their lives knowing that somewhere in the world there is a picture of them getting smoked by this kid.

Wtfunny wrote:

college xc runner wrote:

... " a positive culture of excellence ... "

I bet you're a bunch of fun to hang with.

Life's not really this serious.

You've pretty obviously never been on or in charge of a top-level team.

This is a high school kid having fun. It's not the same as Marc Davis acting the jackass at the Atlanta Olympics. It's a high school cross country race. It should be fun.

caller outer wrote:

You said earlier that he's just trying to have fun. All of the things I listed would be the kid just trying to have fun during the race. I would frown upon them as a coach just as I would frown upon the selfie.

Not all things are equal, hence the analogies are rather pointless, imo.

If I was not associated with the program and I saw a kid cartwheel 5000m, yes I would laugh. If I was associated with the program, not so much.

I would hope that should depend somewhat on the program. No?

No need to apologize for anything.

The kid spent a few seconds having some fun and he's a "lazy attention-whoring narcissist who doesn't want to be there"?

It must be nice to live with such omniscient superiority.

fadsfsfsds wrote:

Wtfunny wrote:

I bet you're a bunch of fun to hang with.

Life's not really this serious.

You've pretty obviously never been on or in charge of a top-level team.

You think this is a "top-level team"?

I worked hard as a younger person playing sport; I ran, I swam, played rugby and cricket, and did 2 of those sports at the college level. I wasn't awesome, but I did OK, and I took my pursuits seriously enough. But I also realized that, underneath all of this, it's a game and nothing more.

Still waiting for someone here, anyone, to point out any real injury or damage this kid caused anyone else.