No, sir. You are not the only one who finds this appalling. On a volunteer basis, I help out the cross country coach at a public high school in Washington, D.C. At our league championship meet last Fall, we failed to notice our No. 2 man had a small ear ring. While the race was in progress, officials were on the radio to each other talking about "getting the kid with the ear ring." The kid finished top five and was DQed in the chute.He stood quietly and watched kids who finished behind him walk up to the stage and be recognized with medals and applause.
I sent an e-mail to the league commissioner about this. As you would expect, she cited some rule in the purported interest of safety. I told her I'd come to her office and hand her $500 in cash if she could document one single incident in the long history of our sport in which a runner, from grade school to world championship level,sustained an injury as the result of wearing a very small ear ring. I haven't heard back. The sport can't take place without officials who give generously of their time,but a few are out to prove their authority, and the damage in such instances should not be lightly dismissed.
Life is hard enough for teenagers. We adults tell them to stay away from trouble and engage in wholesome activities. This kid is not a great athlete, but he comes to practice every day, gives a good effort and does everything we ask him to do. It should be a positive experience for the kid. Instead, the adults seize on some peccadillo to take away his moment and humiliate him. Who could blame the kid if he said screw it and quit the sport? It's worse than appalling; it's an outrage.