Fair or foul: HS Coach scratches athlete from state qualifying mile race as coach didn't like effort he gave in 800

Not really

There are always circumstances which we do not know about. It's not a good idea to be a quick judge.

Perhaps the coach lost some competitive edge because of the football coach. He may have been a little out of his mind to have continued to coach beyond what was done to him. We do not know these things. I am not saying what he did was okay. Not at all but there should be some compassion for coaches. It's not 1950.

There are Hall of Fame track coaches who do not understand distance running. I know one who won a state title!

Seems like no one is impressed with you either

And who said he's going to college?

He's committed to Butler apparently

I can admit that there seem to be a ton of dynamics between coaches/parents/athletes these days & we don't know what this athlete is like day to day. Some HS athletes are not great at being a big fish in a small pond. But, on the surface, this is foul to me. HS & college coaches are guilty for using athletes to try to get short term results at championships. Should a HS athlete be running 3 events in the Florida heat? Maybe not. Dude might've just been cooked early on in the 800 & frustrated that we wasn't gonna run anywhere near his PB. So his coach punishes him for not running close to his PB. He's really being punished for not scoring points for his coach. The coach isn't asking if the athlete is trying to do too much. We don't know if the athlete wanted to triple. Athletes at this level are malleable. It can be easy to convince someone that a triple will be talked about for years to come when it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things.

The coach needs to be the adult in the room. If you think the athlete's attitude was bad then use that to motivate them in the 1600 if they really want to run that event. Tell them that you know they're better than the 800 & they can crush their preferred event. Don't punish them & actively try to penalize them. Makes no sense even if the kid doesn't have the best attitude -- not saying that's the case. Don't think that would even make stuff like this from the coach acceptable.

This coach is an IDIOT and shouldn't be coaching anyone. First, if there's an issue with an athlete wanting/not wanting to compete in an event it should be discussed and settled BEFORE the meet, not during. If the kid decides not to run because of the weather and is scheduled to compete in two other events then let it be. There may be more to the story, but it seems to be a coach on a power trip and wants to prove his authority. Running the 800, 1600, and 3200 is a tall order, especially in hot/humid conditions. Being the sprint coach he has NO clue about running three middle-distance events in a day.

So you think there is a situation where they should be having an argument between coaches on the starting line? I would love to hear that one. Either handle it before or after, not on the starting line holding up everyone to watch this distraction.

So the coach got fired...

milesplit.com

Florida Coach Fired After Controversy At District Meet

Cory Mull

The Viera High School track and field coach who was embroiled in controversy this week has been fired, a Florida newspaper reported on Monday.

Link:www.milesplit.com/articles/333122/flor...

Now you're back-tracking what you originally posted. Line-ups and putting kids in and taking them out is a football, baseball, basketball mentality and is a simplistic view that doesn't work with running. No one's arguing the authority of a coach, we get that. The issue at hand is that this IDIOT "coach" can't or doesn't know how to communicate with the athlete. If the athlete is disrespectful and or insubordinate then the coach should take the necessary steps after the meet in private with both the athlete and parent(s). You NEVER confront and humiliate a young athlete out in the open, not too mention while they're on the starting line. A classless and cowardly act on behalf of this so-called "coach". Glad he was fired!

A hardship waiver has been granted and Rendek will be allowed to run according to FL.Milesplit’s Instagram post

Can someone clarify the order of events for the meet? To the best of my knowledge, the 3200 was run first (much earlier in the day). My confusion is that in Florida, the 1600 is typically run BEFORE the 800. How is it that 800m was run first?

Could this change of schedule also explain some of the confusion?

I don't know why it was what it was, but yes, it was 3200 - 800 - 1600.

He ran 2:11 in the 800, reported to the line for the 1600, his coach showed up and threw the hissy fit. They let him run under protest then gave him a DQ (now reversed on appeal).

It my area (not sure about theirs), sometimes the 3200 would be moved to early in the day if it typically gets hot.

I live in Colorado now far away from the Northeast and for good reason. I have learned to despise the petty people in positions of authority that intentionally injure others because they can... no other reason... simply because they can....
I had a brother and he was a very good runner (this was 45 years ago) His coach was my teammate in college and a constant complainer... never a smile... just a real sour guy...
My brother had trained for 4 years with the Sour Guy (SG) as his high school coach. And my brothers HS X Country and distance team were very good.. several did win scholarships to college.
At the HS All Class Outdoor State Meet, my parents are in the stands waiting for my brother to run in the "seeded 2 mile". It never happened. The SG pulls my brother from the race because he had missed a "voluntary practice" after his HS graduation.
To this day, what happened to my brother still pisses me off....I was a very good runner in HS and College. Some times there are unfair things that happen to us in life and we feel slighted or we get very angry because the punishment does not fit the offense. This was one of those situations. The SG didn't hurt me, but he did hurt my parents. My parents had invested everything they had so that my brother could compete for 4 years in HS. This was a slap in their faces. I'd like to mention the Douche Bag's name here but I won't at least not today. But let this be a lesson to the petty people that are the authoritarians in this sport, there are many of us that do not forget nor will we ever forgive you for your unnecessary pettiness. Your meanness detracts from a sport that is a last vestige of equality of opportunity and meritocracy based on performance.
Leave the little people alone and let them all race. That's the way it used to be 55 years ago.

Your dad was the petty one. He couldn't give you one day off for an important meet?