WTF GERMAN?

Didn't this happen to Rupp outdoors in the 5k and he stopped put his shoe back on tied it and won the race.

It happened to Centro in the DMR. Oregon was favored but he finished the race

German didn't even try...

I think it was a 10k, but I could be wrong.

Boo German. He's not white.

I guess in the end of things it really does not matter because it is JUST Track and Field, which is a dead sport that no one even cares about. SO I could care less who runs or who wins, but it is funny as hell to see you nut cases get mad at people you do not even know over a dumb race. Indoors at that! Like I have said time and time again if the real athletes ever thought about running America would be up there with the Africans, but they do not care about T&F so they concentrate on the real sports in America. People like Rupp, GF Derrick and so on would not even be mentioned if the most talented athletes competed in this sport.

German played football and I think basketball? And Galen was in an Olympic Development soccer, so you can't say he was not one of the most talented athletes.

blue-collar bruce wrote: I wish the best for German, but, to me, though maybe not to others, part of being the best is finishing when you know you might not win.

Hey, thanks for the thoughtful response -- I appreciate it. And of course, you're entitled to your own reaction to today's events.

I guess what I find so unwarranted and distasteful about many of the posts in this thread is the assumption that a split-second decision provides a window into German's soul and his future as an athlete. If you'd taken a survey a few months ago about what the appropriate response to losing a shoe early in an NCAA final is, and German had responded "You should drop out, because it's not worth finishing if you've lost your chance to win," then I'd agree with you. That would be a terrible attitude, and disrespectful to his competitors and to the meet itself.

But things happen in a split-second in a race, with thousands of fans watching, and you don't always make the decision that, even 10 seconds later, you wish you'd made. German made a bad decision -- but given the sequence of events in the past few weeks (and even the past few years), it's not too hard to guess some of what may be going on in his mind. So to me, the drop-out is disappointing, but I don't believe that it's fair to assume that it tells you something about whether he takes the competition and the opportunity to be there seriously or not. If I had to guess, I'd say that he probably takes it more seriously than you can imagine. He has certainly run hard at the last two XC championships with little or no hope of winning.

It's entirely possible that German will never again run at the level he reached two years ago. Running at an elite level is tricky, and a lot of things -- both physical and mental -- can go wrong. But those who think we can confirm that he doesn't have the "inner champion" on the basis of his split-second response to a fluke mishap have been reading too much Malcolm Gladwell. Sometimes an accident is just an accident.

minnesota fan wrote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BG5nLIRvxhQ

unreal

WTF! How did it take 3 years for this video to make it here? That was sick!!

He can lose his shoe, put it back on and still win a world title.

Let it go. It happened. It's done. German will live to fight another day. Indoor Nats should be not the pinnacle of any runner's career.

Are you kidding? Only a pussy would be that disappointed with a tough season.

Close eye wrote:

Can you say suicide watch? Somebody needs to keep on an eye on this kid. Just too weird. I hope his coach and teammates look after him tonight.

O Righty wrote:

Make sure you add Centrowitz, Derrick and Luke to your list. They either win a race or two or lose or are hurt! Seems like they are all in the same boat. Who would have thought that Derrick couldnt keep up with Heath in a 3000m race or a 5000m? We know about Luke and Centro having a bad caoch like Gf has. They are always hurt the past few years as well, arent they? If the Oregon coach is so good why would he run his to stallion Hasay in the 3000m with ducks 30 points ahead? I guess he doesnt believe in burnout? You need to stop forgetting about the same results and injuries that are hurting the guys i mentiioned or how they are also losing to people that they shouldnt lose too.

You are missing my point. I don't expect these guys to win all the time. I also understand struggling and losing or finishing badly due to injury or being in bad shape.

But I can't understand failing to show up or dropping out when you aren't 100% sure you will do well. Fernandez has a history of that, the others don't. Times when Fernandez has actually fought through and finished when things were going badly? I can only remember one: NCAA XC '09 (with a team title on the line).

Based on post race interview Hasay discussed the 3k prior to and it was her decision to run. And I'm no Oregon coach fan or anti - but you hafta admit Hasay's 3k was pretty exciting.

rojo wrote:

minnesota fan wrote:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BG5nLIRvxhQ

unreal

I was about to delete that post thinking it was un-related video.

Every time I watch that it gives me chills. THat might be the most amazing thing I've ever seen in running.

Agreed. I've never seen anything like that. To fall so late in such a short race... Jesus Christ. My jaw dropped for like 10 secs after the race. Sent shivers up my spine. Thanks for posting it minnesota fan. I'd take that lady as my wife even though she didn't even seem very hot. Just because of that race.

Is it ever wise to post a video in which Carol Lewis is the commentator?

Nothing Better wrote:

This is the clip where Jenny Barringer-Simpson loses her shoe at the 2007 NCAA Outdoor steeple.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdqLvL28grw

:30-1:20

and 6:30-7:15

Take some notes, German.

Rojo:

Did you delete your own post stating that U.S. born runners shouldn't attempt to race when they lose a shoe? Or did another mod do that?

German had a good race at XC NCAAs and maybe just needs to get used to faster track racing. I believe German will fare better in outdoor NCAAs than his indoor campaign.

i once lost a shoe with a half mile to go in an xc race. I finished the race. However, I was hurt the rest of the season and barely improved. Maybe German made the right move. He didn't want to get hurt. Everyone knows outdoors is more important.

german has fans. no matter whether he loses a shoe or not, he has to remember that people love to see him race.

Hey, maybe your right. wrote:

i once lost a shoe with a half mile to go in an xc race. I finished the race. However, I was hurt the rest of the season and barely improved. Maybe German made the right move. He didn't want to get hurt. Everyone knows outdoors is more important.

What most of the people are ragging him about is the fact that he made no effort to put his shoe back on. He just flat out gave up.

It takes 10, maybe 15 seconds to put your shoe back on. Given how slow the race was (as most US championship track races - NCAA or USATF) and how talented he is, there is no excuse to why he just stepped off like that.