Neely Spence Gracey quits Hansons ODP!!

pbj preserves wrote:

A breakdown of some of the tactics being used in posts on this thread (see below)

Classic shadow projection (I'm secure, she's insecure)

Projecting one's own insecurities about emotional vulnerability onto another. If someone is emotionally vulnerable, then someone who is emotionally stable (i.e. secure) might seek to support the person. Instead, through projection, the supposedly "emotionally stable" person spreads vitriol in public in a proselytizing attempt to "warn" the unseeing masses to their great insight. Important to note that the projector is afraid of their insecurity in the big world (shadow), and therefore the perceived insecurity of another draws their explosive wrath (projection).

Demonizing of "emotional woman"

See quotes below for a classic, dime-a-dozen demonizing of an actual person, in most cases a woman ("emotional car wreck woman who can't count to 4"). The (presumably male) posters and their 'pack' are, of course, emotionally stable. The Hansons are emotionally stable. The whole world is emotionally stable... except Neely Spence. Oh, and...

Diminishing statements about those tangentially connected to the evil-doer ("daddy and DB and Kevin Hanson")

"Daddy and Mommy coddled her" (unlike me, who didn't need coddling from mommy and daddy). "I warned Kevin Hanson, who then defended her" (a real man wouldn't tolerate mistakes in another person, especially an emotional woman). "Her DB husband is a huge negative in her life" (while I am a huge positive contributor to society with my comments). "Her teammates don't like her" (when I feel entitled, like a concentration camp guard, to degrade a type of person, then I will gather a mass opinion to back me up in an effort to destroy my projected enemy. "Nobody likes that [insert diminishing derogatory phrase here], which is proof that we should continue to righteously treat them badly")

Over-blown criticism of a developing adolescent

While in literally every myth a hero has to suffer greatly before achieving something of true value, these critics can achieve no meta-perspective on the possible value of Neely having ups and downs. Jenny Simpson also dramatically blew up at NCAAs and cried. She has also switched coaches. She has also succeeded. Ryan Hall has had blow-ups (underperformed at 2005 NCAAs) and great successes. The posters are "splitting" the world into "good and bad", because they are insecure and can't handle the ambiguity. "She's either going to run great or run bad and cry with excuses." Much more societally acceptable to bash and stereotype a woman adolescent, because the poster (another insecure, mortal human) is afraid of a) expressing emotions publicly ("like a girl"), b) reaching greatness and therefore intensified public scrutiny (fear of inner shaming, i.e. 'believing the outer critic who bashes you for trying to win but not winning'), c) the fact that our performances are inconsistent (and adolescents, as 'between-child-and-adults', are the best screens for adults to project their insecurities about our body and mind inconsistencies. 'I need to go to work every day and achieve. Look at this girl/woman who shows me how erratic my experience can be. I must distance myself from her.')

quote 1

A great big world wrote:

Home Schooled socially awkward girl could not leave home to go to college so she stayed home and ran for daddy. Had some sort of mental break down when getting beat in D2 Nationals which I thought was a huge warning sign.

I warned Kevin Hanson that she was not mentally stable. He liked her and said that she was a "good kid". He even defended her inability to count to 4 last weekend. I wonder if he will remain her defender?

Not popular amongst all of the other Hansons runners. Her husband is a DB and a huge negative in her life.

quote 2

I finished in the top 10 at Club Nats in December. When my coach and I went over the competition he said of Neely she will either run great or be crying with an excuse at the finish line. She always has an excuse. That is exactly what happened. She finished out of the top 10 and was all tears. We watched her this last weekend on USATFTV and at the halfway point leading, my coach said "is there going to be an excuse or is today her day?" She dropped out in tears blaming the bell ringer.

MSU4u wrote:

This is a cornerstone of Kevin and Keith's program. They believe in the process of working hard as a team, in crap weather, with no excuses. Certain runners succeed very well under this kind of training, but those who don't fit the mold don't last very long. Kevin has never been shy about his philosophy and it seems that Spence came in thinking she would be able to mold K&K's philosophy to her liking, and it didn't pan out very well. It shouldn't have been some big surprise to Spence when she arrived to the program that K&K would want her to actually train with the team for consecutive months at a time, instead of spending winters in Colorado. It's not surprising she left when she could no longer mold their training and philosophy to meet her own individual needs. Say what you want about Michigan, but Kevin at least sticks to his word.

wrongahead wrote:

MSU4u wrote:

This is a cornerstone of Kevin and Keith's program. They believe in the process of working hard as a team, in crap weather, with no excuses. Certain runners succeed very well under this kind of training, but those who don't fit the mold don't last very long. Kevin has never been shy about his philosophy and it seems that Spence came in thinking she would be able to mold K&K's philosophy to her liking, and it didn't pan out very well. It shouldn't have been some big surprise to Spence when she arrived to the program that K&K would want her to actually train with the team for consecutive months at a time, instead of spending winters in Colorado. It's not surprising she left when she could no longer mold their training and philosophy to meet her own individual needs. Say what you want about Michigan, but Kevin at least sticks to his word.

But he doesn't.

Desi trains on her own, by herself. Is gone for multiple months.

If your big idea is team, then apply it to everyone. The super studs can't be excluded.