Agree both should have been DQd. Dowling was pushing in. City High should have been DQd and as they did sent home. Pushing back is one thing, clobbering him with a fist on the back of the head was another.
The sport needs more of this. So tired of the wimps having all the advantages. Time to even the playing field a little bit. This might help revive a dying sport. Some sort of physicality should be permitted.
Punching him was also unwarranted but you also shouldn’t fall to the ground from one punch
I think it’s hard to say what “should” happen when you get unexpectedly punched while running at ~17 mph, but it’s not surprising it affected his balance.
By the letter of the law both should have been DQ’d from the 8, but the decision was made by humans and it’s hard to ignore the optics of the head punch (probably especially if you were there and had a better angle).
Some people are painting Heidesch like an entitled puss for this incident, but I don’t think he’s getting enough props for shaking this off and coming back with a big 4:07.3 PR 3 hours later. That’s pretty dang legit for a junior.
Punching him was also unwarranted but you also shouldn’t fall to the ground from one punch
I think it’s hard to say what “should” happen when you get unexpectedly punched while running at ~17 mph.
Some people are painting Heidesch like an entitled puss for this incident, but I don’t think he’s getting enough props for shaking this off and coming back with a big 4:07.3 PR 3 hours later. That’s pretty dang legit for a junior.
The facts are:
1. Officials need to look at the safety concerns of the start of this race and not put kids in a position to impede and retaliate even if they are ultimately responsible for their own behavior.
2. Officials should be firm, fair and consistent with the ruling from year to year, which they aren't due to "interpretation" and what they have allowed to be reviewed or not reviewed in all events. I dont believe officials at this meet are out to get kids disqualified but the fact is, they are inconsistent and rule on emotions or not full perspective considering everyone involved including the other runners in the race.
Why does one kid get a time trial on the rail with a free track while all other kids get to try and avoid the pileup, negotiate traffic etc...and then watch all but 2 of their results change? The officials should have re-run the whole field if they were only going to dq one kid.
3. Again, Both initiator and retaliator should have been dq'ed.
4. He is a puss for his response to the local paper which should have given no attention to it when there were many other legit record breaking performances throughout the day. He knows darn well what he said was BS and that he didnt mean it. I dont have the link to share here.
5. Both are great runners and nobody is denying that. However, again, one walks away feeling cheated and with regret for his actions and the other knows he got by with something he started, was rewarded for and then lifted up for it in the news report. He knows he was wrong.
Just as a final point and ill let it go... A more appropriate response by the Dowling (Christian) runner would have been: I will own up to provoking this incident, apologize to the City runner and forgoe the rerun time trial 800 as to not disrupt the final results of that race for the rest of the field. I ask forgiveness from the City runner and I fully forgive him for his retaliation. I hope we can find peace with this and move forward to many great/fair races in the future to help each other discover how good we can be together with exemplary sportsmanship for those that follow.
That being said, I will reference a somewhat similar situation from the state cross country meet several years earlier.
In the final stretch of the state xc meet, a Burlington runner was in a battle to repeat his title from the year before. An excited teamate (non participant) of the other runner emerged from the crowd to get across the course for a better view but didnt see the runners approaching the finish at full tilt. He knocked the Burlington runner out of contention and his teammate ended up winning. The young man who interfered was totally devastated. After the race had come to a conclusion and the disbelief and outrage, confusion about a pending dq, team trophies on the line etc... the Burlington runner approached the distraught spectator and said, I forgive you! Later the Burlington runner reffered to what he learned from his study of Jesus and had that same support from his coach on a daily basis. He said he knew that was the only solution/way for all to be able to move on. He was awarded recognition later for his character by the State Athletic Association. Burlington HS is not a parochial school. That young man taught/reminded a lot of peoe that day what was imlortant to remember in such situations.
Both situations could happen to any one of us in any walk of life. But not by the Grace of God, should I throw the first stone. I apologize for harsh criticism but im human too.
Just as a final point and ill let it go... A more appropriate response by the Dowling (Christian) runner would have been: I will own up to provoking this incident, apologize to the City runner and forgoe the rerun time trial 800 as to not disrupt the final results of that race for the rest of the field. I ask forgiveness from the City runner and I fully forgive him for his retaliation. I hope we can find peace with this and move forward to many great/fair races in the future to help each other discover how good we can be together with exemplary sportsmanship for those that follow.
That being said, I will reference a somewhat similar situation from the state cross country meet several years earlier.
In the final stretch of the state xc meet, a Burlington runner was in a battle to repeat his title from the year before. An excited teamate (non participant) of the other runner emerged from the crowd to get across the course for a better view but didnt see the runners approaching the finish at full tilt. He knocked the Burlington runner out of contention and his teammate ended up winning. The young man who interfered was totally devastated. After the race had come to a conclusion and the disbelief and outrage, confusion about a pending dq, team trophies on the line etc... the Burlington runner approached the distraught spectator and said, I forgive you! Later the Burlington runner reffered to what he learned from his study of Jesus and had that same support from his coach on a daily basis. He said he knew that was the only solution/way for all to be able to move on. He was awarded recognition later for his character by the State Athletic Association. Burlington HS is not a parochial school. That young man taught/reminded a lot of peoe that day what was imlortant to remember in such situations.
Both situations could happen to any one of us in any walk of life. But not by the Grace of God, should I throw the first stone. I apologize for harsh criticism but im human too.
Yeah but that Marshall Moyer was kind of a weird dude. Incredibly nice guy, and he and his also-once-state-XC-champ teammate approached me with sincere congratulations after I beat them in the state 1600 once (this is obviously me bragging), but so nice as to make you wonder how does one be so nice? I’m not that nice. My friends and family aren’t that nice. Almost tweaked me out, but good for him.
Both kids should have been disqualified. Faller cut in on another runner impeding his progress.
The penalty shouldn't be based solely on the result. e.g. Just because a kid fell, does that mean the pusher is DQ but if the faller had kept his balance and continued on then the pusher isn't DQ? That makes no sense. Either a push/punch is illegal or not. And either cutting into your opponent when there's no room is illegal or not.
Regardless, in no way shape or form is a solo rerunning of the race merited. The runners the kid beat should have then been offered a time trial as well since they didn't get a known time to shoot for to get Top 3 or whatever, or a chance to out kick the faller and didn't get a chance to run in lane one the entire race. Makes no sense to give this kid a time trial as a reward for cutting in on a runner that he clearly knew was there.
I think we forget that track events that are considered open lane under the national federation have contact rules. You can rub elbows with kids and try to take the pole if someone slower than you is blocking it. This is an extreme example but you can pass a runner and elbow passed them, REASONABLY. The kid who got the rerun was forceful but reasonable, the other kid was not.
I think we forget that track events that are considered open lane under the national federation have contact rules. You can rub elbows with kids and try to take the pole if someone slower than you is blocking it. This is an extreme example but you can pass a runner and elbow passed them, REASONABLY. The kid who got the rerun was forceful but reasonable, the other kid was not.
I think we forget that track events that are considered open lane under the national federation have contact rules. You can rub elbows with kids and try to take the pole if someone slower than you is blocking it. This is an extreme example but you can pass a runner and elbow passed them, REASONABLY. The kid who got the rerun was forceful but reasonable, the other kid was not.
From the angle I saw, the first push was not reasonable. He didn't "cut him off", he gave him a shove trying to get him to move sideways, almost pushing him off to the inside of the track.
A fast Dowling Catholic runner acting incredibly entitled, and getting rewarded when someone reacts to it, is very predictable. He is likely going to go D1, race an indoor 800, try the same stuff and learn the hard way.
Props to the little guy, even though the DQ is warranted. He knocked down a guy, what, at least six inches taller or more? Don’t let them push you around, my man!