Also, as a state with sovereignty throughout our country, we have the right to deny foreigners benefits such as participating in championship athletic events. I'm not saying we should, but we have the right to enforce it.
Also, as a state with sovereignty throughout our country, we have the right to deny foreigners benefits such as participating in championship athletic events. I'm not saying we should, but we have the right to enforce it.
The cutoff for age to run in Footlocker is that the runner cannot be 19 before August 1. Futsum was born in 1992 and either has turned 19 or will turn 19 this month. This was kindly posted above:
http://www.usatf.org/events/2007/USATFJuniorOlympicXCChampionships/results/national/Intermediate.asp
I have do not know of any published data on Edward Cheserek's age. Anyone?
Edward Cheserek age is 17 as published in IAAF site: DOB 2-2-1994.
I'm embarrassed for you.
Futsum was born at the end of 1992, which means he is just now 19. This makes him like any "American" who is held back 1 year in school. Take into consideration the fact that English is his second language, he needs to still be in high school to work on his academics.
When he came here in 7th grade he had never ran competitively and didnt even plan on running until the gym teacher witnessed a sub 5 mile in gym class. People on this board act as if he was trying to gain a competitive advantage by being a year older, when really he was just a kid trying to adapt to a new country, culture, and language.
It wont matter next year when he is still 19 at NCAAs and finishes top 10. The kid will only get better when the distance increases to 10K, and also the fact that he has only touched 60 miles in a week a few times.
Bryan Dameworth, 1989 Kinney Champ from California, turned 19 the month he won his national title.
Real American Americans wrote:
BS. Period. No other country in the WORLD allows elite athletes, whose ages are indeterminate, to come in to their country at the college level, no less the high school level, as is happening in the US, most recently exemplified by Cheserek at the high school level, and Lalang at the college level.
Actually you are wrong. Japan has Kenyans running at both the high school and university level. Here they are brought over just to run. They are recruited by the high schools specifically for their running ability.
Speculate on whether or not Galen Rupp is a drug cheat: thread is deleted immediately.
Speculate on whether or not two African high school students are age cheats: no problem.
Rojo wonders why everyone thinks he's a racist.
futsum and cheserek seem human compared to lawi lalang
Tommy2Nuttz wrote: Lastly, this is amateur running...do you really think anyone cares?
Who cares? For starters, how about 250,000 legitimate American high school runners who put their heart and soul into doing their best and working their way up a natural American chain of command only to have to contend with foreign interlopers who are carefully recruited for their professional skills, of questionable and indeterminate age. Add to that a growing chorus of coaches, parents and officials who recognize the impending destruction of the U.S. amateur high school and college running scene by the exploitation of foreign runner by unethical US coaches, and you have the makings of a sea change in the current U.S amateur running scene. Just calling it as I see it. Thoughts?
Can’t speak for Futzum, but Cheserek didn’t just come from out of nowhere and started running for an American H.S. Cheserek came from an Orphanage which keeps records, he competed in age group competitions in Kenya and his DOB has always been consistent. Cheserek had an established DOB long before he ever thought he would come to the U.S., Edward and no one else had no incentives to make him out to be younger than he actually was. The people that actually interact with him accept his age to be correct, its people who have never met him that are the conspiracy theorists. His DOB could be off, he could be younger, but he definitely does not have the demeanor of a 20 year old. Btw, if he or someone on his behalf really wanted to cheat, they could have simply made his age perfectly match is grade.
Real American Americans wrote:
Tommy2Nuttz wrote: Lastly, this is amateur running...do you really think anyone cares?Who cares? For starters, how about 250,000 legitimate American high school runners who put their heart and soul into doing their best and working their way up a natural American chain of command ...
The only one who should care is Nathan Weitz. All the rest of the 250,000 would have lost even if Cheserek and Futsum never came to America.
http://clatl.com/binary/bbcc/1303504479-web_kkk_rally009.jpgReal American Americans wrote:
Tommy2Nuttz wrote: Lastly, this is amateur running...do you really think anyone cares?Who cares? For starters, how about 250,000 legitimate American high school runners who put their heart and soul into doing their best and working their way up a natural American chain of command only to have to contend with foreign interlopers who are carefully recruited for their professional skills, of questionable and indeterminate age. Add to that a growing chorus of coaches, parents and officials who recognize the impending destruction of the U.S. amateur high school and college running scene by the exploitation of foreign runner by unethical US coaches, and you have the makings of a sea change in the current U.S amateur running scene. Just calling it as I see it. Thoughts?
I have no problem with foreigners running at U.S. high schools, but the age issue matters. I graduated at 17 years and 9 months as a 9:10 guy in the 3200 (with nearly 30 seconds improvement in each of the previous 2 years and still only running 45-55 per week). I was not even close to qualifying for Footlocker that year. And I was recruited, but not by the top schools and certainly didn't have any scholarship offers. Another year puts me sub-9 and to Footlocker, another 2 years (like Futsum!) maybe makes me a national contender. And that scenario is paved with scholarship money to top schools. Who knows? Of course, maybe it doesn't happen that way. But to suggest that it's a level playing field and that it has no impact is silly.
Futsum should be a young sophomore in college, not beating up on high school runners.
Neither of them are old enough to have a relationship with a letcherous old man like yourself. Does this answer your question? Good.
Here's what I see on most of these age threads: wah, wah, wah, wah, wah. Somebody from another country is stealing something from our kids, blah, blah, blah.
These kids got out of whatever dumpy situation they were in their home country, and now have a chance to live a productive life rather scrape by as a dirt farmer. I'm not saying everybody from Ethiopia and Kenya is a dirt farmer, but many people that move to Indianapolis from that part of the world are not in best of places. Now they are whomping on American kids in a niche sport. Nobody is fudging their age so they can go and win the world youth championships.
Please find something more useful to complain about.
Good kids but the American born kids are scared of them. I would think that is a regression for US distance running development at the youth level.
You say kids need to stop being lazy and train harder to beat the Africans. I think what will and is happening is kids giving up on the sport instead because of the Africans. Much like Lukas. "What is the point in trying I will never beat that Kenyan? Let me focus on something I have a shot at like Triathlons or Soccer. No crazy talented Kenyans there."
Racist or not. This is undermining US youth development. I don't what, if anything, can be done but within a few years we will regress back to the 1990s-style African ass-kicking.
It matters wrote:
Futsum should be a young sophomore in college, not beating up on high school runners.
False. Futsum should be a senior in high school.
..... and he is a senior in high school.
You really want to argue that American youth distance running or running in general has been regressing?
I here ya guys complaining about the imgrants. No good there. I was just a good achieving white anglo kid growin up 1800s and then all these germans and irish started comin and i couldn't keep up. i tired to tell everyone whoed listen we are a nation of just good white british folks, plus the slaves, but no one would listen. now look ware we be.