Please consider signing petition asking Louis Luchini to Remove Himself from Olympic consideration

The petition is shameful.

Mr Luchini achieved his current position through years of hard work. Isn't the Olympics the culmination of any competitive runners' dreams? He should surrender that, short of knowing for certain he couldn't compete?

All it takes is a half-second for one's running career to be over permanently. Giving up an earned spot on the Olympic roster wouldn't be "noble" - it would be closer to self-betrayal.

Even if luchini has a one in a hundred shot at making it; i dont think he should give up his spot. It's the olympics were talkin about. ALL THE WORK YOU DO AS A RUNNER IS FOR THIS ONE EVENT and in no way should he even consider giving up his chance. GO luchini!

it is true wrote:

My point is that there is nothign wrong with trying to change the rules.

Then that's where the effort should be. I don't believe LL had anything to do with making the rules.

Rojo,

Just admit the petition was a really bad idea ... apoligize and then we can move on to a new thread.

Since there is no pro luchini petition. I just wanted to post that I think the letter is ridiculous. I also think that it is poorly written. A letter asking an athlete like Luchini to give up his dream should at least be written with a bit more care than this letter was. Did you read over the letter?

You should have cut that letter down to

"Given that he ran a gutsy race and finished in the top 3, he should be given a shot. USATF's policy of submitting the names of those with the B standard is misguided. Those with the A standard should be listed and then order of finish should be honored."

That is your position. Reasonable people could sign that. I still wouldnt have, but at least it is clear. But if you think about it that is a position that should be sent to the USATF and not Louis Luchini.

But instead you bog your letter down with wordiness and assumptions that you, and no one but God for that matter, have any way of reasonably knowing.

Rojo, do you really think someone would "have to be crazy" to believe louis can hit the A standard? I couldnt believe that when I read it. It goes against everything that the olympic dream is about and everything wejo chased for so long. The impossible dream. And its not even impossible, it represents a completely reasonable pr. Is that what you tell your athletes at cornell before big races. You would have to be crazy to pr by 15 seconds?

If you honestly believe that the wording is too strong as wejo has said than that really is pathetic. Before addressing a petition of this form to someone shouldnt you really read it over to make sure that everything is perfectly clear? Wouldnt anything else be nothing more than a slap in the face to a great athlete?

Rojo do not send that petition to Louis Luchini, telling someone that they would have to be crazy to follow their dream is just about the worst thing you can say to someone and it goes against everything this website and this sport claims to be about.

David Rodriguez

Rojo, nothing wrong with you expressing your opinion. Everything wrong with you trying to get petition up. Hang head in shame and apologize.

With this petition, you have *robbed* Louis of the chance to step up and make an incredible gesture. Now, if he gives up his spot, it appears due to the pressure *you* have put on him w/ this petition. Giving up his spot now would give an impression of *caving to pressure*. It would have been more effective to speak to him privately than to do all this grand-standing.

I agree with Rojo....and I usually hardly ever do. Asking him to sign a petition to USATF would be pointless right now. They are not going to change the rules within a month. Everyone with logical thinking knows this. The only way to get Louis to step down in this time frame is for Louis to actully say he wants his name removed. Getting a petition signed with more than one persons name only makes our case stronger and that is what Rojo trying to do. I would like to consider us all track fans...even if our veiw points are different. And being a track fan, if I were Louis and performing the way I was performing right now (the results are there to prove hes not running 13:19 pace right now), I would give my spot up in a heart beat to someone I felt may have a better chance at posting that time. Maybe deep down everyone should be asking themselves who has a better chance of posting a better time right now instead of who ran faster three months ago. You all can tell us how stupid we (the people who support the petition) are if Louis gets the A standard before the olympics....we would surely deserve it. But if he does not post the standard or even run a time equivalent to the third place time at the trials then maybe rojo's petition may not be so bad after all.

he could put the word "rojo" on the bottoms of each of his spikes...that would be cool

rojo,

For all practical purposes you SINGLED OUT Louis.. Your home page doesn't mention Torres as does the full text of your petition. You would do well to strike Louis' name from the home page as an act of contrition. This would at least be a tacit gesture of contrition on your part. You've approached this matter viscerally, which I think has blided, what I think, is your better judgement. It takes a big man to admit he jumped the gun here. I hope you're up to it.

Prediction: come mid-August, Louis will be banging a Ukrainian rhythmic gymnast in the Olympic Village Jacuzzi while Bolota will be banging his fist against his forehead.

You and Rojo must not be runners. If you actually believe a competitive runner would give up on himself because of some petition a joke-ass website put up then you've never been serious about the sport.

You've turned me into Luchini's biggest fan. I hope he goes to Europe and pulls off a miracle and runs the A standard. Then you and Rojo will look like the f**king jokes that you are.

One thing I learned firsthand in running is that you never write anyone off. I've been on the receiving side of that equation before. I was also on the delivering side. My own asshole coach in HS jumped on my teammate's jock because he ran a top-10 US 3200m in a huge PR a week prior to our conference meet. I was struggling through a crappy year and hadn't run within 3 seconds of my 1600m PR yet. At the conference meet, prior to the 1600m (which I was defending champion) I recall the advice my coach gave me: "hang on as long as you can and try to get a good time". You could pretty much distill that to: "Good luck, you suck".

My response was to PR by 9 seconds and kick the shit out of my teammate.

The odds may be small that Luchini will pull off the standard but it is his decision alone to make, and if he has any self-respect at all he will now run thanks to this petition.

[quote]rojo wrote:

Thus the only way to try to remedy this situation would be to address Louis.

All I'm trying to do is to get Louis to think about the situation a little bit. For all I know, he's not even planning on

chasing the A standard. If he doesn't think he's got a legitimate shot, then he should let Bolota have a crack at it,

and I started the petition to get him to at least think about.

Rojo,

For Christ sakes, don't you think it might have crossed his mind without you putting a petition up? So you say you're not sure of his intentions: Then address HIM; Not the entire running community. How about making a friggin' phone call to ASK him about his intentions BEFORE you go public? The brothers "jo" are after all serving as media for the sport. Shouldn't ethics dictate contacting the source before resorting to this crap? Classless.

Rojo,

Great site. Bad, bad, bad petition. I'd say you should apologize, but I doubt Louis gives a shit about what the coach at the service entrance to the Ivy Leagues thinks about him. Best regards.

And if we're right what does that make you.....I like my odds a whole lot more than yours....you even said it would take a miracle. MAybe you should think a little more before you type. No one has ever said that it is not luchini's decision to make. No one ever said quit because of this petition. However people have said quit because it would take a miracle to advance......But it is his decision alone to make. And since when can you not be a runner if you would give your spot up to someone faster than you are right now....Since I would do that and that doesnt make me a runner....I surely hope that all runners arent as self absorbed as yourself....Many athletes have sat the bench or not run because they new someone else could do the job better in a certain cirumstance....does this mean that Michael Jordan had no self-respect when he dished out the ball to Steve Kerr for a three. Or the relay member with the best pr of the team giving up his spot because hes in a rut or small injury and cant perform as well as the alternate....Damn these bastard to hell....they must have no self respect what so ever for doing whats best for the sport.

HMmmmmmmmm i wonder if Rojo has Louis number or knows him personally.......hell i know if i did I would call him up and tell him what was up....but wait its the real world ...I dont know his number...dont know him personally either....I know I can do the one thing that is within my power and that is to sign the petition.......but if i did live in a fairy tale world I would soo call him up and tell him face to face........maybe people should think of that

I think everyone just needs to remember that wejo and rojo are not the voice of track and field. They are a coach and and one of the best 10K runners in the country. This is their forum, and they can do whatever they want. I think everyone sees they don't see eye to eye on the petition.

So why can't they say whatever they want on their own website? Because they are journalists? Remember the threads on that?

Really, why don't we remember that they aren't competing, which makes them fans just like you and me, entitled to their own opinions, and can say whatever they want?!

Rojo,

As one poster stated previously, how would go about explaining this to your athletes. As a former D1 runner myself I must admit that this is not very inspiring activity by coach.

fa-breeze wrote:

HMmmmmmmmm i wonder if Rojo has Louis number or knows him personally.......hell i know if i did I would call him up and tell him what was up....but wait its the real world ...I dont know his number...dont know him personally either....I know I can do the one thing that is within my power and that is to sign the petition.......but if i did live in a fairy tale world I would soo call him up and tell him face to face........maybe people should think of that

...Well i know he damn sure has a better chance of being able to do so than any of us...

Im pretty sure Rojo knows his coach theres a route he could have took...and apprantly he must know louis's address or email....BECAUSE THE GOD DAMN PETITION IS ADDRESSED TO HIM!!!

but intead he decided to to send him a derogatory letter. with a bunch of signiture with a bunch of god damn tools....who will sure as hell never make the A or B or top there or whatever.