Analyzing The U.S. ”Disaster” - by Allen Bashian

[Marlow]

[article on home page]
Bashian's main point is that since we have no national development program, it's left up to college coaches, whose ranks are overpopulated with distance coaches, who abuse their distance athletes and ignore the non-distance types. These distance coaches look for 'finished products' overseas, thereby prevented USA kids from developing.

The solution, says Bashian, is for ATHLETIC DIRECTORS to correct this. As Texas is wont to say: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

While I would readily agree that the USA 'should' be doing better in the Big Meets, and I don't like USAian money spent on helping non-USAian athletes, the premise of Bashian's argument and his solution made me laugh out loud. Please tell the D1 ADs that they should feel responsible for T&F's lack of success! I think they might be a little too busy counting the gate from their last football game.

[26mi235]

We should get this straightened out at the top; LSU, FSU. Florida, Texas A&M, AZ St etc have GOT to stop wasting their time on those distance runners and get a few sprinters in their to right the sinking ship - while you are at it, get a few field event guys as well.

As for having foreign athletes, that recent scourge is ruining us, too bad it was not a problem when those sprint powers like UTEP and Oregon when winning titles, not to mention Arkansas.

[Daisy]

Re: Analyzing The U.S. ”Disaster” - by Allen Bashian

So who is Allen Bashian?

[lonewolf]

I don't know Bastian but he has some valid observations.
My alma mater, Oklahoma State, although periodically respectable in X-C, has not had a mens's "track" team for 10-15 years. Coach Wiese was under an edict to spend his seven scholarshijps on distance runners. No room for sprinter,jumpers or throwers.
I was as surprised as anyone when OSU signed three of the top HS distance runners in the nation. Maybe the track program squeezed out a little of Boone's 165 mill grant.

[hi-tech]

Distance coaches!

Coaches can't improve athletes' speeds they can only improve endurance that's why they love the longer distances. And, there's more stability with runners who share the obsessive/compulsive tendency to overtrain.

[gm]

Re: Distance coaches!

Coaches can't improve athletes' speeds they can only improve endurance that's why they love the longer distances. And, there's more stability with runners who share the obsessive/compulsive tendency to overtrain.

Are you serious???

[Bruce Kritzler]

One solution would be to devote a certain number of scholarships to cross country and certain number to track & field. Now a coach can give all 12.6 and 18 to distance runners!

[gh]

Re: Analyzing The U.S. ”Disaster” - by Allen Bashian

So who is Allen Bashian?

his cv as a respected college coach is listed with the piece, unlike some of the know-nothing poseurs who pretend to have better insight than he.

Christ, the guy has helping the sport as is only motivation, and already he's being trashed. What the heck is wrong with you people?

[Daisy]

Re: Analyzing The U.S. ”Disaster” - by Allen Bashian

So who is Allen Bashian?

his cv as a respected college coach is listed with the piece, unlike some of the know-nothing poseurs who pretend to have better insight than he.

Christ, the guy has helping the sport as is only motivation, and already he's being trashed. What the heck is wrong with you people?

That was not a rhetorical question.

[malmo]

Re: Analyzing The U.S. ”Disaster” - by Allen Bashian

So who is Allen Bashian?

his cv as a respected college coach is listed with the piece, unlike some of the know-nothing poseurs who pretend to have better insight than he.

Christ, the guy has helping the sport as is only motivation, and already he's being trashed. What the heck is wrong with you people?

Yet trashing athletes for doing nothing except being among the top athletes in the world is and striving for excellence is permitted?

What cv? Bashian has been a peripatetic assistant coach at third tier (being very generous) programs. There is nothing - zero, zip, nada, zilch - in that piece that is helpful, or will do anything to further the sport, or stop a few unfortunate injuries and dropped baton passes. Certainly nothing that will alter the birthplace of 6'4" freaks of nature.

If he's truly a passionate historian of the sport he'd have realized that results at the Olympic Games vary just like the results of any other events in every day life - sometimes your team wins sometimes they don't . Nothing to lose sleep over.

Embrace your failures and move on. All athletes and coaches from successful top tier programs understand this.

I see guys like this on the subway platform every day. I try not to make eye contact, and humor myself by observing the perplexed frowns of other commuters until my train arrives.

Move along, nothing new here.

[Marlow]

Re: Analyzing The U.S. ”Disaster” - by Allen Bashian

So who is Allen Bashian?

his cv as a respected college coach is listed with the piece, unlike some of the know-nothing poseurs who pretend to have better insight than he.
Christ, the guy has helping the sport as is only motivation, and already he's being trashed. What the heck is wrong with you people?

You are defending the man, who was not attacked. His ideas were.
Care to defend his position that the 'woes' of American T&F should be solved by college ADs telling their coaches how they should recruit and coach?

Any problems we have should be addressed by USATF. The new CEO is trying to do that, and he's the one getting bashed. Perhaps we need more support for him.

[gh]

USATF can do virtually nothing to solve the sport's woes. The colleges own the infrastructure (in terms of both facilities and the performers).

[Kevin Richardson]

Maybe a hybrid solution is the best approach. The ADs have different motivations than the good of our sport. Perhaps USATF could find a way to establish an infrastructure that benefits the collegiate athlete (and thereby the ADs), by establishing a cadre of consulting coaches, or enabling more head to head competition. And not just for the top tier schools, but for all schools. We have seen in the recent past some fine athletes emerge from lower tier schools. With a little more help and encouragement, perhaps more are out there.

I think we are ill served if we allow this to devolve ino anything other than a debate of ideas on how to improve our sport.

I would be interested in hearing what Malmo has to say about allowing foreign athletes to compete for American schools on scholarship (a practice that I do not personally mind). He, more than most anyone here, is in a unique position to describe how it impacted his impressive career.

Thanks.

[Marlow]

USATF can do virtually nothing to solve the sport's woes. The colleges own the infrastructure (in terms of both facilities and the performers).

So you realistically expect the ADs to do what he asks? It's not much of a solution if there's no follow-through and I see no possibility for that.

How is this NOT USATF's arena? We need POST-collegiate athletes to stick with it and have access to good support. I know we don't have much $$$ to throw at developing athletes, but we sure could do better in organizing and structuring and communicating our OD program. We could also do lots better in targeting HS and collegiate athletes to know what their options are. From where I sit (admittedly out in the boondocks, but I keep track of this stuff) shoe contracts are a primary means of 'drafting' athletes and that seems very disorganized and random. Couldn't we have more USATF oversight (i.e., communication) the same way the NFL, NBA and MLB have oversight?

[Kevin Richardson]

Professional sports organizations do not have any oversight of collegiate athletes. Indeed, the NCAA regulates when its athletes can be declared eligible for leaving and entering the professional ranks. I don't know that we want to go that route, either. The best bet is for the two groups to find a way to perform synergistically, so that each benefits from the relationship.

And I think Garry was more put off by the attack on the man's ideas, rather than a more balanced discussion.

Of course, I could be wrong..................