Amby is right that the trials can produce arbitrary results and bad luck can punish runners who have proven themselves worthy of a spot.
Hear hear. Any Brit who remembers the 1976 OG trials saw how the "first three whatever" system can backfire dreadfully. With the likes of 2:09'ers Ron Hill and Ian Thompson to choose from, three B-listers (nice guys all)made the team in a race won in 2:15, and predictably all bombed in Montreal, with none breaking 2:20. We were all crying in our beers with the selection process.
But your country has that royal family thingie. In America we don't have A-listers and B-listers. Hill and Thompson proved they were C-listers when it counted, didn't they? That's what competition is about. Everyone gets their fair chance. Do you guys not believe in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion?
Ambit Burfoot is probably a liberal. We progressives sometimes like to innovate, to improve things. Malmo is a conservative, so he thinks the way an Olympic team is selected cannot be altered one iota as it offends his very sensibilities. I agree not to try to fix it if ain’t broken. But sometimes conservatives are blind and cannot see that something is broken. And sometimes we liberals are too quick to say something is broken. And so it goes…
Ambit Burfoot is probably a liberal. We progressives sometimes like to innovate, to improve things. Malmo is a conservative, so he thinks the way an Olympic team is selected cannot be altered one iota as it offends his very sensibilities. I agree not to try to fix it if ain’t broken. But sometimes conservatives are blind and cannot see that something is broken. And sometimes we liberals are too quick to say something is broken. And so it goes…
But nothing is broken. Quit vandalizing this thread with your politics. There is nothing political here.
Ambit Burfoot is probably a liberal. We progressives sometimes like to innovate, to improve things. Malmo is a conservative, so he thinks the way an Olympic team is selected cannot be altered one iota as it offends his very sensibilities. I agree not to try to fix it if ain’t broken. But sometimes conservatives are blind and cannot see that something is broken. And sometimes we liberals are too quick to say something is broken. And so it goes…
But nothing is broken. Quit vandalizing this thread with your politics. There is nothing political here.
You are acting exactly the same as you do with the thousands of posts harassing Greg. Grow up.
wow that is quite the accusation from someone who called Boston Marathon winner and Running Legend "stupid" and told him to "shut the f*ck up." grow up yourself
How about I revise my comment? Amby Burfoot isn't stupid, his ideas are both stupid and indefensible. I know it's not going to be good enough for you but those are the facts. While we're at it, quit saying the selection process isn't perfect. It is both fair and perfect.
Calling the selection process "stupid" is childish. Waaaaah!. Itr's stoooopid! It's spooopid!
Quit defending him for his stature as a Runners World writer. Runners World ... really? Runners World hasn't been relevant in over 40 years. It used to be about competitive running -- long ago. If I want to know the latest fad diet for housewives, or how Oprah's training is going, I'm going to Runners World. Other than that ... never.
Malmo aren’t you the same guy who vented about how so many people criticize EVERYTHING and EVERYBODY and maybe you posted an Andy Kaufman video about it? Then here you are doing the same thing that you castigate others for. I think you’re just cantankerous sometimes. But Amby Burfoot deserves better.
Burfoot doesn't deserve better, he's the one who called our OT selection process stupid without even a smidgen of supporting evidence. Our system is incredibly fair, and that's what matters.
Ambit Burfoot is probably a liberal. We progressives sometimes like to innovate, to improve things. Malmo is a conservative, so he thinks the way an Olympic team is selected cannot be altered one iota as it offends his very sensibilities. I agree not to try to fix it if ain’t broken. But sometimes conservatives are blind and cannot see that something is broken. And sometimes we liberals are too quick to say something is broken. And so it goes…
But nothing is broken. Quit vandalizing this thread with your politics. There is nothing political here.
you're the one who vandalized the thread by telling Amby Burfoot to "shut the f*ck up"
Malmo aren’t you the same guy who vented about how so many people criticize EVERYTHING and EVERYBODY and maybe you posted an Andy Kaufman video about it? Then here you are doing the same thing that you castigate others for. I think you’re just cantankerous sometimes. But Amby Burfoot deserves better.
Burfoot doesn't deserve better, he's the one who called our OT selection process stupid without even a smidgen of supporting evidence. Our system is incredibly fair, and that's what matters.
he does deserve better. So do we. Go away and stop posting here
Your posts just reek of jealousy. I actually agree with you (and disagree with Amby). Unfortunately, you chose to be a jerk when it was completely unnecessary. "STFU" could've been replaced with, "terrible idea Amby...here's why."
For those of you that haven't been on Letsrun for the past 20 years, this is typically Malmo behavior. He gets the night crazies about once a year....it'll pass.
You are acting exactly the same as you do with the thousands of posts harassing Greg. Grow up.
wow that is quite the accusation from someone who called Boston Marathon winner and Running Legend "stupid" and told him to "shut the f*ck up." grow up yourself
That's a fair cop, as I said before.
His idea is stupid, and his labeling the selection process stupid is indefensible. But you're not interested in any discussion about that are you?
Ambit Burfoot is probably a liberal. We progressives sometimes like to innovate, to improve things. Malmo is a conservative, so he thinks the way an Olympic team is selected cannot be altered one iota as it offends his very sensibilities. I agree not to try to fix it if ain’t broken. But sometimes conservatives are blind and cannot see that something is broken. And sometimes we liberals are too quick to say something is broken. And so it goes…
But nothing is broken. Quit vandalizing this thread with your politics. There is nothing political here.
Agreed. As I said in post #31 page 2, leave it alone...please.
It has ZERO to do with politics, zilch. Like the 60 minute stopwatch, don't change a good thing.
Like the Olympics, you have to perform well on "that" day, and so should the Olympic Trials that get you there, on "that" day. It involves both pressure and stress, which can make favorites crumble and dark horses soar, that is what makes it special. Let it be.
Your posts just reek of jealousy. I actually agree with you (and disagree with Amby).
In my entire life, Amby Burfoot has never come up on my radar, not even once -- until now. It's doubtful it will ever appear again. The only reason why his name in on my radar today is his unforced error, and his gratuitous attack on our completely fair selection process.
At least you backtracked a little and said his point was stupid. You've been around a long time...certainly you can see this piece was meant to stir up controversy, or at least a discussion. I'd like to know how many of his three most deserving actually make the team. I'd say there's a real chance it's 0 or 1.
I think the IOC is actually the one that's stupid. This selection process is nuts. The "road to paris" list is silly. They' should've had a standard (209, 211:30, 214, whatever) and given countries the chance to select their top three that had run the time. 211:30 is still fast...yes it would allow the field to grow from 80 to maybe double that, but it's the one event that can easily handle that many.
Think about the number of swimmers. I guarantee the swimmers eliminated in the early rounds are far worse than the a 212 marathoner.
But nothing is broken. Quit vandalizing this thread with your politics. There is nothing political here.
you're the one who vandalized the thread by telling Amby Burfoot to "shut the f*ck up"
My bad. My emotion got the better of me. I should have said, "you're wrong. please don't post again until you can support your offensive mischaracterization of our completely fair selection process."
