Jearl Miles-Clark Left Off 4 x 400 Relay

NJ Olympian wrote:

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.

As do the rest of the young ladies. This argument is idiotic. There was no reason at all to substitute which has now been proven.

AT wrote:

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.

Removing?

Cara wrote:

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.

Remove?

I know J.J. and the Clark family doesn't have this many members?

Cara wrote:

IWhat are we teaching our youth, that it is more acceptable to have unacceptable behaviour reprenting our sport than to age?

What unacceptable behaviour did the ladies on the 4 x 400m demonstrate?

I was introduced to this message board and thought really hard before added to the comments. I will say as a four time Olympian and having run my best time of 1:57 when I was 38 I am diappointed in Sue's decision to not inclued Jearl the relay pool. Having trained with Jearl for over a decade I never once questioned her commitment, focus , dedication, and team play. As an Olympic athlete I can say if I was told I was going to be in a relay pool and then in the middle of the night the coaches changed and did not tell me until the next day, and talked about this youth, young, age, not in shape and future stuff. I would have handled it differently. That is why Jearl is a class act and has gotten the support of so many people. I will be brief, but I will say I contacted Sue and Jearl should get a public apology if for nothing else than trivalizing her success over 20 years and being the staple to many great relays over the years. I am too close to Jearl and this situation to comment any more about the decision of the USA Womens Olympic Staff and Brooks. I will say there is a time for coaches to move aside, not because they are old,not because they are selfish, or not because they no longer have a pulse on the reality of the sport. A coach should step down when they no longer have the respect of athletes because of age and they can no longer appreciate the comment, focus, hard work , and dedication of someone like Jearl. "I will leave them with this "For it isn't father mother, sister or wife or verdict you must pass, but the verdict that counts most in your life is the one looking back at you in the glass" Can this coaching staff look themselves in the mirror and say Jearl is a has been. More importantly can they tell her to her face. The is as we know in NO.

Joetta Clark Diggs

1988, 1992, 1996, 2000 Olympian @ 800m

2000 Womens' Olympic Team captain

It was stated in the NY Times that USTF pays Brooks Johnson $100,000 a year to coach the relays. But he is not part of the 2004 Oylympic staff. A direct employee of USTF practicing age discrimination. Brooks Johnson coaches an athlete in the 400m pool. Sounds like conflict of interest too.

Yes, I can't believe he gets $100K and he and Sue Humphrey botched the women's 4 x 100, running Marion when she was tired from the long jump and had little experience passing a baton (she usually only anchors). Allyson Felix could've run but the politics did her in just as they did Jearl.

In my opinion USATF should fire Brooks and Humphey for their statements about Jearl. Plus the conflict of interest with Brooks putting his own athlete in the relay pool.

Hopefully this is the last we'll see of the "dynamic duo" (Brooks and Humphrey) on the world stage. They should not be allowed to be involved in any international track and field competition ever again.

$100,000 for Brooks!! Who is Brook's boss, is it Craig Masback? If it is Craig will he tighten up on Brooks or is he afraid to make a stand like Sue was?

If Brooks did coach someone in the relay pool, that was very very unprofessional.

Making as much as he does, maybe he can give Jearl some of the money she lost for not running the relay!

"USA Track and Field pays the relay coach over $100,000 that they have not announced to have this relay team set up, and we didn't win one gold medal. That's a problem."

Carl Lewis in Sunday Aug 29 NY Times

He also says they should've switched the order in mens 4 x 100 and put Allyson Felix in the women's 4 x 100 instead of Marion Jones, who had just finished the long jump comp and was too tired... and lays into them for putting the blame on Lauryn Williams.

I didn't know they paid Brooks Johnson $100,000 just to set up two relay teams that didn't bring home any gold medals.

Interesting. Who does pay Brooks Johnson, how much and for what purpose? He is the chair of the USATF high performance division, but I doubt that post provides him enough to live in the style to which he is accustomed.

Not only does Brooks get 100k from the usatf it is reported that he also gets 100k for preaching/ teaching his critical zone theory. And then he hired himself as the relay coordinator. To add insult to injury he will also get a percentage of his athlete's ,money that she will get for running a 51.8 split. Go figure not bad for an old man.

now we know why there is no money for the athletes in USA track and field.

Can someone confirm that Craig is going to resign this year and Brooks is going to lobby for his position? I hope for love of this sport this is not true.

He collects the $100k plus has an expense account. The developemnt committees are aware of this - as is the USOC (the development committee gets a grant from USOC just for this...).

This was determined by the High Performance Division - Article 14 (page 19 of

http://www.usatf.org/about/governance/2003Governance_Section2.pdf

). Oh, Brooks is the Chair of that Division. The committees run these programs. If you read through this, the sport committees (Chaplin and Hightower) and Athletes Advisory Council (Farmer-Patrick) elected him. People need to vote these clowns out.

If all you people are upset with the way things are run by USATF, don't renew your membership. The only way to hurt them is to hit them where it hurts, in the pocketbook. If Wejo can get everyone who frequents letsrun to quit being a member of USATF, then certainly changes will be made. I get tired of disgruntal fans complaining about how their particular team doesn't care about winning/improving while still going to the ballparks or stadiums. If you don't buy the damn tickets and line the owner's pockets, then that owner will be forced to listen to the demands of the fans.

This is not about $20. It is about getting more involved and trying to make a change. May be near impossible in many areas, but some of the folks here go to convention and can vote. A few hundred people stopping their $20 membership will do nothing to the finances and just let Chaplin, Johnson, Hightower, Humphrey and others gain more power. I know it is easy to pick on Masback, but he is powerless on these decisions - he is supposed to get sponsors and meets on TV and more members and run the business functions - he does not pick the Olympic coaches or the relay order.

30 years ago, you could not run outside USA without AAU permission and 20 years ago, supposedly not supposed to make any cash running. Change can be made.

Idea - cut the Board of Directors to 10 people (like USOC) and make all committees follow policy of no free trips/expense accounts/polo shirts.

The only way to make changes is to go the Convention. Brook has put himself in postion to control a lot of decisions. This has to stop, but it all starts at the convention..what are the dates for that?

As this story unfolds it gets more and more interesting. And all of the coaches and support staff seem to have a personal agenda. This sport is head down the tubs if someone with some back bone and true understanding for the sport does not take Craigs spot. What happened to Jearl was ridiculous and it should not be allowed to happen to anyone else. Jearl if you are out there your are great and your are still kicking butt at 37 and do not let the "youth movement of team USA dampen your spirts. Run Jearl run

Does anyone know the dates of the convention?

Also who is Brooks' athlete who ran the slow time in prelims--the one he put in there by bumping Jearl? This slow runner gets a gold medal and Jearl--who would've run a 48 or 49 -- got nothing.

I'm not sure of the convention dates. Brooks Johnson works with CRYSTAL COX who split 51.8. He does not coach MOUSHAUMI ROBINSON, she split 51.99. Still trying to figure out why you would leave off a 49 split??