Rules? Actually, there is a rule that allows runners who were, say.... on the OLYMPIC TEAM last year... or maybe, let's see, runners who have met the WORLD STANDARD etc., petition their way in. I mean, heaven forbid we would have an ENTIRE team of 3 that have the world qualifing time. Heaven forbid we would present our best possible team to the world...
So, cry me a f***ing river, you're such a tool, GET OVER IT.
Ritz is now listed as qualified in the 10k after never attempting to run a qualifying time during the window. Does he deserve to be in the field? YES Did he make any attempt to follow the rules? NO. This just proves that there are no rules for the elite few.
His 27:38 was within the qualifying window wasn't it?
If Ritz submitted an honest petition, and got in, then any beef should be with USATF. I'm sure he left himself time to get the standard within the window, if he was rejected.
I would have to agree with the decision to let him run. And no crying about it. The USATF rules are inconsistent and should be changed to have uniformity between men/women and US/world standards. There is nobody currently listed as "qualified" who shouldn't be qualified. And that's the bottom line. So instead of having these silly "exceptions", just change the rules to conform more with reality. And by the way, if Ritz did not get the exception, I seriously doubt you would hear him moaning and complaining and crying. He'd just run the 5K. I suppose it could also be surmised that Ritz was informed weeks or months ago by USATF that an exception would be granted, therefore he had no need to schedule another 10K this spring. Just change the silly rule!
this is the same BS that kept MJ of the WC 4x400 in 1991 when we lost to Britain:
MJ: I'm ranked #1 in the world at 200m and 400m and will just be running the 200m at nationals but would still like to run the 4x400 at worlds.
USATF: Nope, sorry, rules are rules and if you don't run the 400m at nationals, sorry there's no place for you on the relay.
same shit in 2001 when he was still the best 400m runner in the world and wanted to close out his career just running relays and USATF wouldn't let him on the WC 4x400m team for Edmonton because he wasn't going to race at nationals. How much positive PR did MJ give USATF over the 1990s and they can't let him finish his career with a relay?
Ritz has an A Standard and represented the US at world cross -- he needs no further qualification.
Did Flojo run the 400 open in order to run the 4x400m in Seoul?
nope.
the point of the USATF meet is to present the best possible US team for worlds and to provide and competitive national championship
if they had not let ritz in, they would be neglecting both of their purposes
they made the right decision simple as that...would geb have ever been kept off
continuing...
would geb ever have been kept off an ethiopian team for not having run a 28:00 prior to some trial they had
no, because ethiopia is intent on sending their best team to world competitions...hence their dominance in the distance events
the rules of USATF are self-limiting...nuff said
You all are crybabies wahwhhaehahahywhhaw3hahehwejaae
yeah the USATF rules are stupid and not just for entry into the trials but also for taking strictly the 1st 3 at the trials with the A standard to the worlds/olympics.
there's just no room for any discretion - if someone awsum has a bad run/isn't well/falls over or something. If the steeple was in the olympics last year Briana Shook wouldn't have got to go and yet she's the fastest by a long long way.
Look people, once again a large portion of your have no idea what you are talking about. Even if it comes in the form of support. Here's the deal. Pay attention.
At the recent USATF Convention, a decision was made concerning this year's qualifying window for US Champs. Unfortunately, the decision was that the window of opportunity would only be going back to July 19th of last year. Usually the window goes back to May 1st of the previous year. For some reason, the Executive Committee changed it, and have since decided that this would affect some of our 10k guys. So they instituted a petition situation, where they would allow certain athletes who seem obvious contenters for not only the US title, but certainly the World Champs, to enter the meet. It does not allow just any old hack to get in. There are standards set in order to apply this rule to only qualified runners. And hopefully this decision will not happen again this way, as now we know what to do differently.
Ritz is obviously one of these candidates, so he was allowed in to the US Champs. He is a great athlete, who will represent us well this summer. USATF recognized this, and allowed his petition to go through. That's the scoop, and that's the end of it.........
You know who I am wrote:
At the recent USATF Convention, a decision was made concerning this year's qualifying window for US Champs. Unfortunately, the decision was that the window of opportunity would only be going back to July 19th of last year. Usually the window goes back to May 1st of the previous year.
The usual qualfying window goes back to Jan 1 of the previous year doesn't it?
I disagree with what seems to be the majority saying that exceptions should be made. As long as the rules are in place early enough that everyone knows what is expected, then follow them. Having seen USATF in action many times including hiding positive drug tests for some and hanging others out to dry makes me think the more objective the rules the better. I don't trust USATF to make the best decision. At this rate, the next two given passes into the meet will be P. Diddy & Oprah.
...,... wrote:
I disagree with what seems to be the majority saying that exceptions should be made. As long as the rules are in place early enough that everyone knows what is expected, then follow them. Having seen USATF in action many times including hiding positive drug tests for some and hanging others out to dry makes me think the more objective the rules the better. I don't trust USATF to make the best decision. At this rate, the next two given passes into the meet will be P. Diddy & Oprah.
Your opinion and logic will be validated when P. Diddy and Oprah get their passes into the meet. If they don't, then your opinion and logic is not valid.
yessiree bob wrote:
Your opinion and logic will be validated when P. Diddy and Oprah get their passes into the meet. If they don't, then your opinion and logic is not valid.
One has already been 'Athlete of the Week', so it is logical and valid that many USATF subjective decisions are illogical and invalid. I want standards. If you don't hit them, run faster or quit being so arrogant that you schedule only one attempt to qualify expecting the rules to change to meet your inadequacies. I am not painting Ritz in this scenario, but I have seen it many times from others. The smaller window of qualification is so we don't have a repeat of '04 in which Lunn was put on the 1500 team with a time from 18 months prior, while currently running 3:45's. An up and coming guy like Myers (3rd at trials) wasn't allowed to even chase the standard. There has to be a happy medium of a qualification window.
It would be better if 2 spots at the trials were locks and then a third were up to a qualified committee -- of course, then with arbitration you have disputes.
But with the American system, Coe doesn't get a spot at LA 84. Pretty ridiculous.
If you have a legitimate problem with it, why don't you write to the USATF and/or Ritz. I'm sure they'd love to hear what you have to say, instead of bitching about it behind their backs on a dinky messageboard.
When our federations don't give someone a break, we cry murder. Why do the same when they help someone? They're not putting him on a team, they're just giving him the chance to try.