Wheel Chair Athlete Competing Against Able Body Athletes

Couldn't anyone just get on a wheelchair and race then if it's not an "aid"? What about a bike? Where do you draw the line?

Agreed that she should be allowed to race, but scoring points shouldn't be allowed. It's just unfair to the other teams at the meet. I do find it odd that the athletic director is having her score, despite the fact the athlete or her parents don't seem to care.

kartelite wrote:

Couldn't anyone just get on a wheelchair and race then if it's not an "aid"? What about a bike? Where do you draw the line?

Complete and utter BS. Imagine this for a minute: You are at this track meet, you race the 1600 in your wheelchair and smoke the competition. When they announce your name as the winner, you get out of the chair, walk up to the podium and stand and accept your award. People would be livid that you were able-bodied and competing in a wheelchair.

Why, oh why, are people so delusional to continue to think that life is fair?

The runners she is competing against in the longer races should just box her in...

While technically you could be able-bodied and compete in a wheelchair, racing wheelchairs are extremely difficult (and expensive) to obtain. In fact, any wheelchair is difficult to obtain, even for those people who show a definite need. There won't be a rush of able-bodied people going out and buying racing chairs anytime in the near future.

That being said, I don't think it's fair for the girl to score points since her means of propulsion is different. I mean, based on the times she ran (wheeled?) at the Paralympics, she'd break several county (and state, and national) records. Wheelchair racing is a different sport than running. That's why there's a seperate division (and start time, and awards) for them at every major road race.

They are two different sports. If it is an exhibition to give her the opportunity to wear the uniform and represent her school, that's up to the coaches and athletes participating.

Flame On wrote:

McFadden has never competed in a 1,600-meter race, but her time of 3:30.60 in the 1,500 last summer would be the fastest time ever on foot, male or female.

Isn't the WR 3:26?

lol. Yeah. That reporter sure is accurate with his reporting. 3:30 for the 1500 in a wheelchair is haulin. I doubt she was that fast.

I think the school system officials are smarter than we give them credit for. Keep in mind that it was a preliminary injunction--a ruling on the case's merits will be heard later this year.

By going to this asinine extreme of allowing her to win points against able-bodied athletes, it will likely turn any sympathizers against her, and either the permanent ruling or a lawsuit by the parents of an able-bodied athletes will allow the school system to get what they've wanted all along...to keep the wheelchair races separate.

This could seriously damage HS track. Imagine the state 1600 final with all wheelchair racers. That could easily happen as wheel chair racers are faster than runners. Why doesn't the wheelchair winner at Boston sue the organizers. Afterall that's the course record if running and wheelchairs can't be seperated. He should get the bonus money.

I worked with some wheelchair athletes one summer. Able-bodied athletes could hold their own in the sprints...up to about 400. After that, the wheelchair athletes DOMINATE. There's no doubt in my mind that this girl could "wheel" a 3:30. It's a fast time, but it's believable. Check out the winner of the Boston Marathon's wheelchair division. Ridiculously faster than the world record. And this girl is a Paralympic champion...so a 3:30 is not out of the question.

My son loves badminton. However, his high school does not offer badminton as a sport. So should we sue the school system in order to put him on the tennis team?

Wheelchair racing and track and field are NOT the same sport. It'd be similar to entering a racecar in the Kentucky Derby. It's a completely different means of propulsion. Reading some past articles, I thought the school system was being fair by adding wheelchair events to the meet schedule. The judge seems like a real wimp.

I see nothing wrong with allowing her to compete since there are not many wheelchair races for paralympic athletes to compete in on a regular basis. Besides, it gives her a chance to compete with her friends. However, I do not think she should count for points and even the girl herself is saying that she shouldn't. What they should do is put her in an alley start in lane 4 so she can build her speed and take the lead without interferring with the rest of the competitors (face it, she could be a safety hazard for both herself and other competitors). By the end of the backstretch, she will hopefully have the lead and be able to ride away unimpeded.

You are exactly correct. The injunction says that the wheelchair is not an aid, therefore you must treat her as the same as other athletes. Taken to its extreme, this means that she scores like any other athlete and presumably would achieve records like any other athlete. Either she is the same or she is different. If the opposing coach wants to continue the process, he would hold his team out of the events she competes in citing safety concerns of runners running next to someone in a large metal object. Track has this long list of rules governing what can and can't be worn based on the argument that its for safety. The wheelchair athlete becomes a liablity on the track. unfortunately it would appear as though the judge didn't think this one through to its logical conclusion.

The thing is that when you sue for equal rights and opportunities you do not have the luxury to define what equal is. Her parents should have understood this before bringing courts into it in the first place.

In other sources where this issue is being talked about there is a post by one of her "teammates" where it is said the girl does not even come to practice and the coach does not have the power to place her in events. The coach is told which events she is competing in and he has to tell other runners they cannot compete because their place was taken by her. So it sounds like she wants to be part of the team only when it is convenient for her.

Couldn't an opposing coach get her DQ'd because the wheelchair is a violation of the jewelry rule?

I'm going to do a race with a pimp cane.

I don't really mind her competing, although it's silly to even think of having her result used in scoring. She does more than the 1500m, she won medals at the paralympic games in the 100,200,400 and 800m. Her story is actually pretty interesting. She has spina bifida and was born in Russia. Her mother abandoned her and she was found by an American and brought over here. In any case, she can run the 100, 200 and 400m no problem but in the 800m and 1500m she could be a problem since her wheels could really injure someone.

Well, if a wheelchair athlete tried to line up with me at the start of a race I would not start that race. You won't see me on the starting line of a cycling race without a bike or in the gates at a horse track without a horse. Track & Field is a sport, and it has rules. Using a wheelchair in a footrace violates those rules. There are safety concerns, and fairness concerns. Wheelchair racing is a distinct sport just like cycling and horse racing are distinct sports. Combining sports is for reality tv, not real competition.