RACISM/PREJUDICE AT GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY TRACK AND FIELD/XC

Westside wrote:

All coaches struggle with this. I am sure there has been miscommunication both ways and maybe too quickly of a jump in training.

Look at her PRs from high school 2:10, 4:49 1600, 10:30 3200. In college she has run 2:17 800 and 5:12 Mile! Any coach in the country of any color would be hoping to get rid of her!

I'm hijacking the thread a bit, but here's a perfect example of D1 "coaching" that is anything but. It's a follow-my-excel-template-that-I-made-10-years-ago program.

I quickly went from 40 miles a week to 60 miles a week. My cross-country season was mediocre. I went from running 8 miles as a long run to one day running 16 miles. Very quickly I got hurt. This is where the businesses becomes faulty

She was doing State-level well on lower mileage.

Other than that, it reads typical D1 to me and a young person used to being the best with little support.

traxa wrote:

Stef . . . routinely partied, got fat . . . .

I confess this was about the first question that came to my mind when I took a look at the thread.

Just sounds like a bad situation for all concerned. I once had an assistant who was not a bad worker or person--and I think most people would say I wasn't a bad boss--but we just couldn't work productively together. In that situation you recognize the reality and part ways as amicably as you can, trying not to burn bridges along the way.

My lord the responses to this post are hard to read.

It seems like the popular response to examples of unequal treatment is "we'll pretend to accept non-white people as long as they pretend to be white."

If you want to criticize a coach who in his 3 years has been 12th, 5th and 4th at the NCAA XC meet that is fine but is the investigation about him being a good or bad coach? No. Your argument is stupid unless you can find that he coached the white girls differently. Please show me evidence of that.

Ah, what would we boomers do without spoiled millennials around to act out and create drama?

She can cry race; although that card usually works on me, it doesn't work here, at least the way she tells her story. There's some blame on both sides, but she seems entirely disinclined to accept her portion.

I was, however, struck by this brief passage within her indictment:

"My cross-country season was mediocre. I went from running 8 miles as a long run to one day running 16 miles. Very quickly I got hurt."

I agree with her that 16 mile long run is excessive, especially for somebody specializing in shorter distances. I'm surprised that the coach would allow that. I find it hard to believe that he would prescribe it. I'd like to know more about that.

She's making a brief for the prosecution, not offering an objective assessment. Stepping out like this is a big deal. I'm sure that Dave Zirin is sussing out the story and will soon be framing it in a way that makes it merely the latest outrage in the long and sordid history of The Black Athlete Being Mistreated. And of course that history IS real, and deserves to be told. John Carlos's memoir inventories some of this stuff. So it's a bad idea to mock her outright, without knowing more. There are even sometimes--here and elsewhere--where it's more important to stand on principle than to think opportunistically about one's future profitability.

The problem is, she's not just protesting: she's whining. We all hear that. And some of her whining is clearly based on a misunderstanding of what D1 athletics actually means and what kind of track school Gtown actually was.

Stefanie,

I know of any number of athletes (black, white, etc) who faced your problems and I understand some if not most of your anger..but I must say you picked the absolute wrong forum to announce to the world your frustration.

LR is filled with lots of racist, little hicktown, twerps who wouldn't give your story any credible value once your race was mentioned.

First illusion destroyed..4 year ride..

Second illusion...

You actually expect coaches to take blame for your injury??? You have just found out that you were brought in on a silver platter and spit out the exhaust..

There are plenty of high school seniors who are eager to take your place and the prestige of GT pretty much assures that will happen..yeah it hurts as you lie injured watching new recruits line up with your tender.

Ignore these foolish no talents who blame you for being naive about the nature of big sport, as most of them are jealous that you got a ride to GT. You now realize that it was a myth or illusion dipped in bs. Welcome to growup world.

The transition from hs star to college is tough, very tough, and there is no one at the Univ. to help you through it.. The adjustment to college workouts is not easy. Some coaches seem to relish burning out hs stars with the attitude of, "I don't care what made you successful then,now it's the my way or bye way" approach to development.

You are faced with the following:

Stay at GT and realize that your competition days are behind you and get into being a regular student OR go to another school in a smaller division so you won't have to sit out a year. Rest and get your injury in order (you don't want to suffer the rest of your life with a pain) and come back slowly. You are very young and can return to great performances.

A year seems forever when you are a youngster but the track will be waiting for you when you are injury free. Track & Field is the worlds greatest sport, so please, don't lose the fire and don't let these morons take the desire away from you. Good luck from an old timer who has seen a lot..

KudzuRunner wrote:

I agree with her that 16 mile long run is excessive, especially for somebody specializing in shorter distances. I'm surprised that the coach would allow that. I find it hard to believe that he would prescribe it. I'd like to know more about that.

That's not excessive. Lydiard had a 2 hour long distance run for the milers he trained. This girl isn't a sprinter, she was recruited to run XC and middle distance, she can do a weekly 2 hour approx run.

Lydiard's milers weren't going from 40 mpw to a 16 miler once a week.

jjjjjj wrote:

Lydiard's milers weren't going from 40 mpw to a 16 miler once a week.

40 to 60. If she can't handle that then she's not fit for college sports. If she was such a delicate flower she should have raised her own mileage gradually over the summer between high school and college.

exthrower wrote:

Hard to read wrote:

My lord the responses to this post are hard to read.

It seems like the popular response to examples of unequal treatment is "we'll pretend to accept non-white people as long as they pretend to be white."

Where in the World have your enlightened brethren created a sucessful society.....Nowhere....

i.e. White people have license to do whatever the hell they want whenever the hell they want and everyone else has to deal with it.

I'm pretty sure that coming on a internet forum and calling your coaches racist and prejudice, is a very serious case. And, with a lack of clear evidence, is open to extreme scrutiny.

dylanroof wrote:

exthrower wrote:

Where in the World have your enlightened brethren created a sucessful society.....Nowhere....

i.e. White people have license to do whatever the hell they want whenever the hell they want and everyone else has to deal with it.

O wow. Look blacks are the privileged race in America. Somehow every other race just "pretends to be white" (works for a living).

Accusations like these can and should tear down a program and change lives forever. I know xc/track alumni are pensively watching for some sort of resolution. I know both these coaches very well. I know nothing of the accuser. I'm keeping that fact in mind. NOTHING I know regarding the character of either Smith or Henner could make the presented accusations plausible. I hope the university does a thorough investigation. I hope there are no scapegoats. If the discrimination claimed is based on a culture of bias, substantiation of that fact from other team members (not one) seems likely. At this moment, there's more evidence of an axe to grind than institutional bias.

soihsoisoishidh wrote:

jjjjjj wrote:

Lydiard's milers weren't going from 40 mpw to a 16 miler once a week.

40 to 60. If she can't handle that then she's not fit for college sports. If she was such a delicate flower she should have raised her own mileage gradually over the summer between high school and college.

I think we agree that she was not prepared and did not have good support to run at D1.

Beyond that, your simplification is wrong in many ways.

If true wrote:

Accusations like these can and should tear down a program and change lives forever. I know xc/track alumni are pensively watching for some sort of resolution. I know both these coaches very well. I know nothing of the accuser. I'm keeping that fact in mind. NOTHING I know regarding the character of either Smith or Henner could make the presented accusations plausible. I hope the university does a thorough investigation. I hope there are no scapegoats. If the discrimination claimed is based on a culture of bias, substantiation of that fact from other team members (not one) seems likely. At this moment, there's more evidence of an axe to grind than institutional bias.

TRANSLATION: Accusations of racism are worse than the actual racism itself.

hard to read wrote:

If true wrote:

Accusations like these can and should tear down a program and change lives forever. I know xc/track alumni are pensively watching for some sort of resolution. I know both these coaches very well. I know nothing of the accuser. I'm keeping that fact in mind. NOTHING I know regarding the character of either Smith or Henner could make the presented accusations plausible. I hope the university does a thorough investigation. I hope there are no scapegoats. If the discrimination claimed is based on a culture of bias, substantiation of that fact from other team members (not one) seems likely. At this moment, there's more evidence of an axe to grind than institutional bias.

TRANSLATION: Accusations of racism are worse than the actual racism itself.

Yes. that's how non blacks asking for justice are shouted down, the controlled media refuses to address black privilege and white oppression:

First - I have no personal knowledge of all the things allegedly going on with the Gtown track team. But I do know a few people who are close with administration and some connected alums. From what these people have said things are not good on the Hilltop. Things are beyond if the coaches will remain. People are angry, bewildered, hurt and straight up pissed. This talk of racial prejudice at a Gtown sport now effects basketball. It effects Nike and it jeopardizes the new 65 million basketball facility planned for campus. John Thompson Jr. is pissed.

There is talk of suspending or even go as far as dropping track as a sponsored sport.

There is a lot on the line for Georgetown- both dollars and reputation. The adminstration its sounds like to me is taking these track investigations very seriously. More than those kids who aired the grievances on social media - ever thought.

I hope they don't go to the very extreme and drop track - but this is a business and if a non- rev sport is hurting their flagship sport- you better believe there going to be change.

As a track fan I hope it's just a coaching and culture change. Bring back Gags.

Maybe Georgetown will now understand that it just can't ignore the concerns of athletes. Public opinion matters. From what I hear there may be more issues outside of track

[quote]Ghost of Rienzo wrote:

.....

Your post is 100% conjecture.

"First - I have no personal knowledge of all the things allegedly going on with the Gtown track team."

You obviously have an axe to grind.

"But I do know a few people who are close with administration and some connected alums."

So you have, at best, 3rd party information.

"Things are beyond if the coaches will remain. People are angry, bewildered, hurt and straight up pissed."

If you knew anything about what was going on with the allegations, you would know that many of the allegations are just that...allegations. People are angry/bewildered/hurt/pissed...still just allegations.

"The adminstration its sounds like to me is taking these track investigations very seriously."

They should be. These are serious allegations.

"This talk of racial prejudice at a Gtown sport now effects basketball. It effects Nike and it jeopardizes the new 65 million basketball facility planned for campus. John Thompson Jr. is pissed. "

No it doesn't & you have no idea how JTIII feels.

"There is talk of suspending or even go as far as dropping track as a sponsored sport."

No there isn't.

Culture change and bring back Gags...

Neither the problem nor the solution.