GH wrote:
><< Harden and Montgomery, the two NCAA-trained sprinters, sat patiently in
>their blocks, were not charged with any false starts, and while everyone
>else was playing these games, they just did what they were supposed to do.
>They might have won the gold and silver anyway, but I had the impression
>that their abstention from the beat-the-gun-if-you-can business gave them a
>mental edge when it mattered.>>
>
>Harden confirmed this in the post-race interview aired as part of the ESPN
>telecast. To paraphrase, he said, "I don't know what those guys were
>thinking. You can't beat the blocks. It worked out to my advantage."
>
I would agree that Harden and Montgomery were better prepared for the false
start situation .. The question is was it the NCAA rule itself or the
subsequent training that prepared them ?? And the answer is the training ...
Which is just an indication that the athletes need to be better trained in
the art of starting, not change the rules to penalize them for the mistake
... The key here is coaching not rule making ...
Now I am sure that you will argue that it was the change in rules that was
the impetus for the change in coaching and in this case that may have been
true .. But in so doing the change in coaching has shown the benefit (yes I
will agree that a benefit has been shown in this case)that others can either
incorporate and utilize to their benefit or choose to ignore .. A further
changing of the rules at the elite level will provide no further inducement
UNLESS several athletes are lost to major finals because of false starts ...
I can tell you that if there ever was an inducement to do so it would have
been Christie's DQ in the Olympic final .. The biggest race of them all ..
But it hasn't changed anything ... Why ?? Because contrary to popular belief
most false starts are the result of things such as nerves ... Heightened
sensitivity to noises whereby sprinters often react to ANY noise that they
hear ... Movement along the line as an athlete will see a flinch or other
movement of a fellow athlete and react to it ... Obviously the clicking
cmamera noises of the media whom we so want to attend our meets ... Block
slippage ... And a mirad of other little things that happen to sprinters who
wait to perform their 10 to 20 seconds of activity ... So tell me why you
want to punish someone for an accident ??? Or how you separate accidental
false start from "I'm trying to gain an advantage" false start ??
See in almost every other event you get the chance to make up for your
mistakes .. Distance races there is always another lap (unless it is the
bell lap) ... Field events you get to try again and again ... YOu can take
another attempt ... Have another run up ... But you want to take the
athletes who spend the LEAST amount of time on the stage and tell them YOU
HAVE TO BE PERFECT ... First time ... Every time .. If not you don't even
get to compete ... OK so let't take the high jumpers and pole vaulters and
tell them pick your height .. Any height .. And take one attempt .. Period
.. Hope you make it .. Its your one shot .. OR the throwers and jumpers to
take just one .. And that is what you will be measured on ... Or olets make
all distance races devil take the hindmost ... You have a bad lap and you're
out buddy ... Because essentially that is what ya'll want to do to sprinters
... No mistakes allowed .. You blow it get off the track and try again
another day ...
Now I've seen a lot of posting talking about cheating and fairness ... You
tell me where the fairness is in that .. At least with the rule the way it
is if you blow it once you get a break, but do it twice and shame on you ...
And still we don't allow them to compete .. Heck in the distances even if
someone gets caught up and falls before they get around the first turn good
the race can be called back so they can try again and have a good start ...
And if you're talking about the fans when was the last time a meet was hyped
to get the fans to attend using a cadre of distance runners ??? But even the
casual fan can spit out the names of Maurice Greene, Carl Lewis, Michael
Johnson, Marion Jones, FloJo .. Heck even Ben JOhnson bless his soul ... And
your big money makers on the circuit at who ??? Sprinters ... Why ?? Because
around the WORLD they are the show ... Like it or not ... So you need to
look for ways to get em to your meet ... And then try to keep em on the
track when you get them there ..
Conway Hill
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