State 1600 champ DQ'd for pacing...

Insensitive and uncaring. You need to attend a workshop to gain an understanding of others' plights. Let us look forward to the day when the state championship 1600 is an all-wheelchair final.

"Seriously, it is three times easier to roll around in a wheelchair than it is to run. I'm sorry but this girl will never get "equal rights" when it comes to a foot racing contest. She's in a wheel chair, c'mon!"

I still dont understand why she is in the race, I understand the idea that you want to be on the track at the same time and get the attention that the able-bodied athletes receive, but it still doesnt make sense. I can't believe the judge granted the injunction.

This decision to DQ her is way way way way beyond dumb, and it seems more and more that officials are dubiously interpreting the rules to upend the accomplishments and aspirations of scholastic athletes.

You can argue whether or not the wheelchair athlete should have been in the race. But once she IS allowed in, she's an entrant like anyone else, and NOTHING she does should be construed as illegal pacing, unless she was intentionally physically blocking other competitors.

Any way you slice it this is political correctness run amock. If she wants to compete then she should sue the state high school activities association to create a championship for disabled athletes. I feel sorry for the girl that got disqualified but I'm glad it happened... maybe these idiots will wake up and realize that this is out of control.

If I hurt my arm and a leg then can I compete on

a motorcycle?

I hope the PC police let me in......

Riding a Harley is alot easier than training....er I mean

I'm hurt and just want to compete.

I was at the meet and she took up the entire lane 2, which made it harder for the second place girl to make any moves, at one point they were very close and a race without a wheelchair in the field could have resulted differetly. So I think the Dq is allowable there.

But if they are Dqing her in the sense that she was just setting the pace for her teammate thats wrong because she should of been treated as an equal competitor, and like one person was saying, faster people hold back and run with thier teammates all the time.

I agree, if they let hre in the race, they cannot DQ her teamate for being paced. Should we DQ Bekele for slowing the pace down to allow Geb to catch up in the olympics? since when is helping your teamate illegal? I agree the situation should never have happened, but they let her in the race...They can't pushish her for helping her teamate at that point. That happens all the time and nothing happens.

pisano wrote:

If I hurt my arm and a leg then can I compete on

a motorcycle?

that is just stupid.

you would use a moped.

why wasn't she on a moped in this race? it would seem that should could go faster on a moped than a wheelchair.

Actually, Kahlid Skah was DQ'ed in the '92 Olympics when his lapped countryman sped up to pace him and Skah wound up out kicking Chelimo for the Gold. He protested the DQ and was givin the gold back but obviously there was a legitimate case to be made.

This wheelchair thing is just crazy. Men shouldn't pace women (wejo) and wheelchairers shouldn't pace runners. The chick in the wheelchair was not at all competing with anyone or against the clock.

The coach should not have let this happen.

ridiculous wrote:

Pacing is only illegal when it is from someone who is not in the race.

Wrong - pacing is always illegal.

NFHS Rules Book - Rule 4, Section 5, Article 8:

It is an unfair act when a competitor receives any assistance from any other person. Assistance includes: .... (b) Pacing by a teammate or persons not participating in the event. PENALTY: Disqualification from the event.

NFHS Case Book - Rule 4, Section 5, Article 8, Situation F:

Teammates A1 and A2 are well ahead of the field in the 3200-meter run. (a) A1 keeps speeding up and slowing down allowing A2 to keep pace; or (b) A1 tells A2 of his intentions to pace him. The referee overhears this conversation and disqualifies both A1 and A2. The coach of Team A appeals the referee's decision on the grounds that A1 and A2 were well ahead of the field and it did not create and unfair advantage over the other competitors. RULING: Appeal denied. COMMENT: Technically, A1 is committing an unfair act when he slows down and speeds up to pace his teammate A2. Therefore, the referee has the option of disqualification if he or she chooses. When the referee overheard the conversation regarding A1's intention to help A2, he/she considered that as a blatant violation of the rule, which states it is an unfair act when the competitor has in any way been aided by a coach, teammate or anyone connected directly or indirectly with the competitor concerned. The question here is not how far ahead of the field the competitors were, but did A1 aid A2?

This appears to be a judgment call on the part of the officials. If an official believes that the wheelchair athlete was intentionally slowing down to pace her teammate, then there is no option but to disqualify them both. Being an "exhibition" athlete has no bearing; as stated above, aid cannot be given by anyone "connected directly or indirectly with the competitor." It is even illegal for a coach or teammate to give splits at the 200m mark if he/they are in a restricted area (i.e., on the infield). The problem is, these types of rules are often either not known by officials or ignored by them, so when an official does enforce them it appears that he is "out to get" the athlete. I have officiated numerous collegiate meets where teammates are trying to help each other reach qualifying times but they must be careful how they do it. If a pacer runs an even pace at the pace required to hit the standard and his teammate just hangs on his shoulder the entire race there is no problem. But if the pacer is looking back and adjusting his speed to help his teammate maintain contact then it may be judged as illegal aid.

If the wheelchair athlete was slowing down on the backstretch, talking to her teammate, riding in lane 2 beside her, etc., then I feel this is a clear cut case of illegal aid being given and both competitors must be DQ'ed. I feel bad for the non-wheelchair athlete if she did not want the pacing and ended up getting DQ'ed for it, but rules are rules and they must be enforced equally.

Everyone,

If you'll were in front of me, I'd run you'll over.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/preps/track/2006-04-19-wheelchair-racer_x.htm?csp=34

roller skating runner wrote:

And in my college conference, we had something called an "honest effort" rule. If you didn't show honest effort in one of your races (jogging in a 10k, etc.) you'd be DQed. Somewhat subjective, but there was never really a borderline call. To me, a girl who can roll a 4:20 1600 is not showing honest effort when she rolls a 5:00, in lane two, talking to a teammate. The teammate may have been innocent, but it still looks like pacing to me.

I am curious. If you're a 13:25 5K runner and the next best runner in your conference at some particular meet is a 14:45 runner, if you jog a 14:20 for team points and he all-out runs 14:47, are you disqualified for not showing an "honest effort?" The rule intrigues me.

You made an honest effort to win. so theres no problem

Hrm wrote:

roller skating runner wrote:

And in my college conference, we had something called an "honest effort" rule. If you didn't show honest effort in one of your races (jogging in a 10k, etc.) you'd be DQed. Somewhat subjective, but there was never really a borderline call. To me, a girl who can roll a 4:20 1600 is not showing honest effort when she rolls a 5:00, in lane two, talking to a teammate. The teammate may have been innocent, but it still looks like pacing to me.

I am curious. If you're a 13:25 5K runner and the next best runner in your conference at some particular meet is a 14:45 runner, if you jog a 14:20 for team points and he all-out runs 14:47, are you disqualified for not showing an "honest effort?" The rule intrigues me.

Everyone knows the girl won the state meet. The dq will not change that. Everyone knows how good the Michigan Fab Five were. Expunging all of their records does not change that. Barry Bonds has 714 home runs. How he achieved that does not change that fact.

The girl got paced. Michigan got some fringe benefits. Barry took roids. Big deal!!!! Nobody is really going to care after about next week anyway. If people do actually still care, they need to realize there are much more important things they should be wasting their time bitching or complaining about.

whoa!! ealier posts compare this to bannister being paced. So your saying basically every distance world record isn't really the record? I guess El G's 3:43 isn't legit since there were rabbits in the race. A rabbit(s) is not the same as a person in a wheelchair rolling in an outside lane cheering for an athlete. I've been in a race (1600) where there was a wheelchair athlete. I think he ended up at like 4:30 somethin, so he was never actually in the lead, but he was trying as hard as he could.

I think the girl should have been DQ'd. The wheelchair athlete wasn't in the actual race even though they were run at the same time. She shouldn't have coasted, it's the same thing as a coach running next to their athlete on the side of the track.

The "Honest Effort" Rule was not just your conference - it is an NCAA rule.

Honest Effort

ARTICLE 2. a. Athletes must participate honestly in all trials and finals of all track or field events in which they legally are declared or they shall be barred from all remaining events in the current meet. Athletes must compete with maximum effort and/or qualify from trials into the finals.

b. Athletes must participate honestly in the finals of all events in which they are legally declared and qualified, and in which such participation is a criteria for entry in a subsequent meet.

Note 1: It is understood that passing on attempts in field events is a strategy available in those events and is not considered a question of honest effort, provided at least one attempt has been made.

Note 2: Failure to complete a combined-event competition shall not affect subsequent participation in an open event.

The story isn't over yet, Maryland courts have allowed her to play on the boys football team. An aspiring running back, here's a photo of McFadden preparing for next year's season:

no. as long as you are trying to win it is an honest effort.

you only get DQed in a distance race (for the rest of the meet) if you don't finish. You can also get DQed if it is obvious that you are trying to win (for example you are walking when the rest of the field is running).