SC 7TH GRADER RUNS 15:47!!!!

I have to say, I thought the kid was screwed when I was reading about his dad, his times, his age, etc... until I noticed that he was black. Then, I immediately thought, "That kid must just be crazy talented."

Reverse racism?

She was a freshman. You have to be in high school to compete.

ttyfk wrote:

Turns out this kid is a little punk who thinks he is better than everyone else and he doesn't have to follow the rules.

http://www.milesplit.com/article/11728

He's a punk because he wants a true race instead of destroying the kiddie 3K and beating everyone by 4 minutes?

Just maybe, the Footlocker officials should have made an exception and let him run the seeded race.

That would have been the smart move not DQ'ing a kid who obviously has the ability to run with -- and beat -- the high school guys.

So what happens next year when that Girma Macheso guy wants to compete? He is going to be older than the age limit. Should they make an exception for him to run? He is a junior in HS right now so he will only be a senior. If you break one rule, you will have to break them all. It is not the Footlocker Officials fault for what this kid did. They knew it was wrong and did it anyway. They contacted the Footlocker people, they said no, yet they did it. The smart move would be for him to not have broken the rules.

"Breaking" one rule does not mean you have to break them all.

It's clear a younger runner -- like Mark -- has no advantage over older competitors while a runner who is older than his competitors -- like Girma -- might have an advantage.

Question?

Since Mark is competing now in 7th grade. Will he be able to compete through his senior year or will he lose eligibility when he is a junior or Soph? It doesn't seem fair for the kid who will probably win the south carolina state chamionships next year, to be able to compete for 6 years.

I'm usually a "rules" guy myself but I seem to recall that Cory McGee participated in the South Regionals last year as an eighth grader, finishing in the top ten. She was not listed in the official results and did not go on to Footlocker Nationals but I don't recall any suggestion that she had crashed the race or any criticism of her for doing so. If the Blackmons were aware of this precedent and Mark had prepared to run a 5K, only to be accosted at the start line by an official, I can understand the frustration and the desire to go through with his plan for the day.

The linked story doesn't say anything about the Blackmons directly discussing the issue with officials in advance of race day. If that did in fact happen and they ignored the guidance given them, then I am less sympathetic.

ttyfk wrote:

Turns out this kid is a little punk who thinks he is better than everyone else and he doesn't have to follow the rules.

http://www.milesplit.com/article/11728

He doesn't think he's better, he is better.

That being said, in the picture he definitely doesn't look like a 7th grader, he looks older. So, I wonder if he's not crazy talented, and is some what like Jim Ryun and is a physically a grown man, before his age would suggest.

his sister is very good but nothing that is unprecendented (10:59) 3200 in high school.

Mark was entered in the 13-14 year old race. He sent in his race form indicating he had intentions of running the 13-14 year old race. He then attempted to sneak into the senior race, when he was approached by a meet official and told to leave. He then attempted to enter the junior race where meet officials again saw him on the starting line but could not get to him before the gun went off. It was direct disobediance as well as checking the wrong race on the entry form when he had every intention to run the senior race, not the middle school race he was entered in. I believe Cory last year spoke to the meet director beforehand and asked to enter a more competitive race than the 13-14 year old girl's 3000 meter race. She was denied weeks before the race took place, but then snuck into the seeded race the day of. Because of the direct disobediance, she is banned from competing in future footlocker events. I don't know if Mark or Mark's family/coach contacted the meet director, but I'm sure if they did, they were given the same answer Cory was given last year. Even if Mark or Mark's family/coach did not contact the meet director and had intentions of running a 5k (whether that was the seeded, senior, or junior race) he is still guilty. I'd call him a punk but we don't know if he was pressured by parents or coaches to run a more competitive race. Someone in that triangle of lies is guilty though.

I understand wanting better competition.. but really I think it was the father trying to prove that people cannot tell him what to do. I think that if middle school kids want the better competition then they should have raced the open race.

[quote]heyheyhey wrote:

I believe Cory last year spoke to the meet director beforehand and asked to enter a more competitive race than the 13-14 year old girl's 3000 meter race. She was denied weeks before the race took place, but then snuck into the seeded race the day of. Because of the direct disobediance, she is banned from competing in future footlocker events. quote]

McGee came back this year to compete in the '06 Footlocker South Regionals and is listed in the official results as a Footlocker qualifier, so far as I know. Are you saying she is going to be disqualified and not allowed to run in San Diego?

actually i remember people arguing whether to let her ever compete at footlokcer again

I appreciate the additional info. The reports I read of McGee's participation in '05 didn't mention the controversy.

Now that it's happened two years in a row with high profile underage runners, I do think it would be appropriate to publish a warning to all that there will be severe consequences and then apply that rule to everyone from now on.

"He tried to get in the soph race, but was removed from the line. Then he tried to sneak in the junior race, but was removed. Then his father started arguing with the race officials (and I heard he was hitting them) and when the gun went off, Blackmon took off and caught up with the juniors, working his way up to the front until he was DQ'd after crossing the line."

This came from a poster on Dyestat... I just found the part about the officials interesting. Sounds like the father is too involved and has one of those short fuses that you see on those idots who go crazy at youth football games

equal for all wrote:

Now that it's happened two years in a row with high profile underage runners, I do think it would be appropriate to publish a warning to all that there will be severe consequences and then apply that rule to everyone from now on.

Or, how about make the rule more reasonable so someone motivated and looking to do well in sport (and harms no one) doesn't have to worry about things like that.

"Severe consequences" are what you would want to apply to people who commit assault, bring guns to school, cheat on tests, etc. Wanting to compete doesn't compare.

I think the rule is a healthy one. Kids are pushed too hard by their parents sometimes, and this helps put a lid on some of that. Footlocker is an established event and if you don't like their rules, go elsewhere. He may be a nice kid but he needs to realize this is bad publicity.

As far as howling over the unfairness of it all, keep in mind Footlocker has put on a first class program for 20+ years now. Making exceptions for one will lead to more rules twisting for others, and before you know it, it'll be just be another politicized debacle like NTN.

zzzz wrote:

equal for all wrote:

Now that it's happened two years in a row with high profile underage runners, I do think it would be appropriate to publish a warning to all that there will be severe consequences and then apply that rule to everyone from now on.

Or, how about make the rule more reasonable so someone motivated and looking to do well in sport (and harms no one) doesn't have to worry about things like that.

"Severe consequences" are what you would want to apply to people who commit assault, bring guns to school, cheat on tests, etc. Wanting to compete doesn't compare.

"Severe" is a contextual term. Not being allowed to take a trip to San Diego is not the same as being sent to prison. The consequences need to be severe, contextually speaking, in order to get people to take the rule seriously, which will help prevent fistfights at the start line.

Motivated runners who are under-grade for Footlocker have plenty of other outlets. Jordan Hasay was, relatively speaking, better than either McGee or Blackmon. Hasay could have won Footlocker Regionals and Nationals as an eighth grader. But she didn't crash the race. She competed in JO xc appropriate for her age group.

There are a lot of good reasons not to let Footlocker Regionals be an open race. If a ten year old entered the race and got trampled, that could be a legal action. And no, those race waivers aren't sufficient. (And yeah, I'm a lawyer.)

PCXC in SC 7th and 8th graders can run XC for a HS team for 6 years. We had a girl that won the state AA XC title 7th,8th,9th,10th,11th,and 12th grade years. Diana Willard.