Canadian Team For Osaka???

Name somebody on this team who didn't meet a standard in accordance with AC rules please. I'm not saying you're lying, necessarily, but I will admit I suspect this may be true.

Does AC need to send such a large delegation of officials? Can someone explain this rationally?

desert rodent wrote:

Does AC need to send such a large delegation of officials? Can someone explain this rationally?

No.

Pete wrote:

Name somebody on this team who didn't meet a standard in accordance with AC rules please. I'm not saying you're lying, necessarily, but I will admit I suspect this may be true.

Just a quick 10 min look:

Simon Bairu ran 27:50 this year, Reid ran 27:56 (both under the B+) but Simon goes and Reid stays home. (Although admittedly Reid might have said he would only go in the 5000) And I'm pretty sure that Simon's 28:36 from last year wasn't an A. Simon shouldn't go because he's gone as a Rising Star before, he ran the B+ this year, but did not run a race to prove fitness (or another race at all) as far as I could find.

We're sending a 4x100m team when, according to the AC website again, of the top 4 100m runners in Canada for 2007, only ONE is under the B+ standard this year. And at least one of the members of that team hasn't even run the B standard in 2007. One member has a 2007 best time of 10.40, which would have gotten him a 3-way tie for FOURTH at USATF JUNIOR Nationals. (Note that in 2006 and 2007, 7 athletes total got the B standard and only ONE got below the B+ standard.) Yet we send 6 people WHO COULDN'T MAKE THE SEMI-FINAL OF THE 100M to make the relay.

And, of course, Tyler Christopher is going. Now, he definately has the times to go, but he should have been barred due to the sheer asshatness on his part at the Pan Am Games. That guy is a black eye to Canada.

And if you really want to get into who shouldn't be going, go look at the titles given out: Team Leader, Team Manager, Technical Manager, Head of Delegation, CEO and Media Attache. Now, one man couldn't do all 6 of those jobs, but no way in hell does it take 6 men to do it.

Just a 10 minute answer:

Read the qualification criteria. While the IAAF says you can enter two B standard athletes in the 10,000, only one of them can actually compete.

AC 10,000m criteria says B+ and proof of fitness. Simon got the B+ and proved fitness at least with a 13:25 5000. Or are you saying a 13:25 doesn't prove any kind of fitness?

Not sure why you are harping about individual performances since you are talking about the RELAY TEAM. Look at past championships and you'll see it certainly is more than just adding up everyone's PBs (Canada's golds, France's world record).

All that matters is the TEAM time. AC criteria says A standard in 2006 or B in 2007 with proof of fitness. A standard is 38.93. Haven't they run that fast this year? Who cares if individually they couldn't break 10.3 so long as they get the baton around faster than standard?

So now you are switching tacks and arguing that AC should have a subjective committee that looks at someone's character to decide whether they make the team? 'So what if he ran a world record, I don't like the way he looked at me so he ain't going!' I thought you didn't want messing with qualifying criteria?

I don't profess to know all the administeria, but how does this compare with other teams of similar size or larger ones like the US? Can you list out all the duties these positions entails and show that they only require a smaller number of people?

I've been on Mars. What did Christopher do at PanAms.??

Fools wrote:

Simon shouldn't go because he's gone as a Rising Star before.

To qualify as a rising star you can't have gone to Senior World T&F or Olympics before. Reid went to the last Worlds, making him ineligible. I'd be happy to learn otherwise, but I'm not aware that Simon has been to Worlds or Olympics before.

I don't profess to know all the administeria, but how does this compare with other teams of similar size or larger ones like the US? Can you list out all the duties these positions entails and show that they only require a smaller number of people?[/quote]

The US maxes out their team - you make standard and finish top 3 at Nationals - you go. No "A+" standard, no 2006 times, no "proving fitness" (something which means different things to different people). You max out the number of athletes attending the championships, who cares how many officials and hangers-on want to go. Different story in Canada. AC likes to constantly cry poor, yet they've got money to send far more officials and non-competing staff than are necessary. Let's face it, at this level, most athletes have their own massage therapists and chiropractors going at their own expense, there's no need to appoint these positions at the expense of athletes.

na_carter wrote:

Let's face it, at this level, most athletes have their own massage therapists and chiropractors going at their own expense, there's no need to appoint these positions at the expense of athletes.

"Most athletes"? Wow, I didn't realize most Canadian athletes were doing well enough financially to bring along their own massage therapists and chiros on their own dime.

Maybe then some of that carding money they obviously don't need could be redirected to more developmental stuff.

The US team staff is listed on there website and adds up to 27 people. Assuming they send 3 per event and 5 for the marathon that would be 27 to manage approximately 130 athletes or a ratio of 1:5. The size of Canada's team staff in relation to it's team size is inappropriate. There are 3 people, Oulette, Mortimer and Goulet going simply to attend events on behalf of the federation (lose 2 right there). The number of coaches can be reduced by 2 at least, what athlete listens to the coach with the exception of the relay at a major games anyway? They all have personal coaches who they'll be in constant blackberry contact with. Keep 2 or 3 coaches to go to technical meetings and hand out numbers; oh wait they've already got a technical manager for that (Get rid of the technical manager even though we all like him). Share a Chiro with Ireland and send one of the massage therapists home half way through the trip.

Shit Sullivans still hanging in, you never know what he might do.

I don't know whether you've been on a national team or not, but Bruce Deacon has. When this same issue was raised about the 2005 World Champs team, he made the following post on a discussion list:

That sounds normal but when you've got people making a living hanging off the avails of the athletes there's always drama.

I respectfully disagree with Bruce on this. You have to remember Bruce has worked in a bureaucracy his entire life and isn't familiar with the corporate system of 'trimming the fat';-) One dignitary is enough re: IAAF events. Bid processes are not handled at these major games and successful bids are won with good bid books and pitches not at dinners and cocktail parties. Ask the crew from Edmonton in 2001 how much AC's presence contributed to their successful bid. 'Have to Have them' re: coaches is not an argument, he doesn't back this up with sufficient fact. Sure coaches work hard and get rewarded with these trips to the events but they sure don't work hard at the games. Reid Coolseat and Paul Morrison and Jason Tunks have also worked hard and won't be rewarded with tickets to Osaka. I am arguing that the job of the coaches at the Worlds and Olympics doesn't involve any direct coaching of the athletes unless they actually have athletes on the team, these coaches always have and will be coached by personal coaches. If TC and Perdita and Sully don't have their coach in Osaka and can make do with their IPhone, why can't others. The job of the technical manager and team manager are valid ones but with the amount of coaches on a free ride (Bruce even acknowledges this), there are plenty of people who could pick up the slack of the entire job of the technical manager. We are not reducing the dividend payment of a major corporation by sending these additional people to major championships, we are preventing ourselves from re-investing in the future of our company(sport). AC needs to be run like a business... Accountability needs to be there, we who care are the shareholders. 5 fewer Staff to Singapore and Osaka would amount to at least $20000 to fund future programs.

An AC media liason!?!

There's a joke starting with the punchline!

Scotty Mac was the best communications device AC head until they muzzled him.

It was refreshing to hear a AC staff member actually addressing the concerns of its members in a candid and timely manner.

I'm sure he's still working hard at changing things from within and I know he still reads this board and TNFNorth, but I wish he could still post and respond.

BigMac where did you go?

Unfortunately, any attempt at healthy dialogue was hijacked and became unproductive. If anyone has real thoughts and questions, and would like to better understand, you know where to find me. Not on anonymous message boards though.

lame... and bruce is lame too

So as I see it the only athlete on the team (relay excepted as I actually see the value in having someone coach the relay) actually coached by one of the team coaches is Achraf Tadilli (Diane Cummins lives in Montana and is coached by an American). So there'll be a lot of these conversations happening in Osaka:

"Hey Tyler, need me to hold the watch this afternoon"; "Nope I'm good, bought Kevin a plane ticket over here, he's taking care of me and Kunkel"

"Hey Kevin, wanna discuss how you should run this semi-final?"; "No thanks, going to meet Juli in half an hour for a coffee"

"Hey Carmen, you should really drink lots of water after that race so you're ready for the final"; "You think so? 'Cus All these years I've been re-hydrating with Pepsi, thanks though, gotta go call Marcus"

"Hey Gary, need anything?" "Yeah can you tell me what time the next bus leaves for the Practice track, I'm meeting Wynn there at 2 o'clock"... "Uh yeah, I'll ask Scott"

"Hey Perdita I think you should switch your lead leg"; "Gary would you mind telling Les here that nobody listens to him at his damn meetings he has to justify his job and I sure as hell ain't gonna listen to him now"