Props to Joe Stilin for calling USATF out!

Cool. I was rooting for him in the 1500 because he's almost Joseph Stalin.

When has Joe Stilin ever led a race in his life, including anything in his conference? Typical Longhorn. He didn't qualify, he shouldn't run. And way to bash Nike, when you wear a Nike singlet. Get a clue, no wonder their program is about to get turned upside down.

Angry elite wrote:

All to often many athletes are denied the chance to compete and gain exposure because of how corrupt USATF is. Good for this guy for putting it out there and gaining some perspective from an athletes point of view!

I agree completely. Good job, Joe Stilling. Keep speaking up, and loudly. Pretty soon other athletes who've been screwed by USATF will speak up, too. The USATF is a horribly run organization if they think that US Championships was a good meet. It was terrible. From all the problems with too many in heats, to cutting from huge numbers to very small numbers from heats straight to finals without semis, while other events only cut two or so athletes from heats to semis, to lining up NINE freaking men in the 5000m final, it is obvious that the USATF leadership is either incompetent or corrupt...or both.

Yes, the USATF is there to put on championships and to select teams to represent the USA at world competitions. But, part of the USATF mission is to promote the sport as best it can. If that US Championship is the best it can do to promote the sport, then they all need to be fired.

Csls wrote:

When has Joe Stilin ever led a race in his life, including anything in his conference? Typical Longhorn. He didn't qualify, he shouldn't run. And way to bash Nike, when you wear a Nike singlet. Get a clue, no wonder their program is about to get turned upside down.

One of the most idiotic things I have ever read in my life.

1). He traded off leading duties in the Payton Jordan 5,000 meters with Noureddine Smail of France for about 1.5 miles because the rabbit didn't even go 1,600.

2). So a field of 9 in the USA championships is acceptable to you?

3). He's not sponsored and does not wear a Nike singlet. Check out his blog if you want to know more about this.

Why do people even make posts like this?

This is why I post, because you don't follow the sport. Joe wears UT gear, which is Nike. He qualified at Payton Jordan in a Nike singlet.

Get a freaking clue -

http://www.flotrack.org/video/715305-Maverick-Darling-Joe-Stilin-Mick-Byrne-Make-5k-Statements

Here is Payton Jordan -

http://www.flotrack.org/video/707799-Joe-Stilin-2nd-in-heat-2-5k-at-2013-Payton-Jordan-Invite

Clueless, Confused High Schooler. Your name says it all. Learn the sport, son, some of us have been part of it for decades.

There has been several athletes and coaches that have called out USATF but it makes no difference. This is not special or unique.

Csls wrote:

This is why I post, because you don't follow the sport. Joe wears UT gear, which is Nike. He qualified at Payton Jordan in a Nike singlet.

Get a freaking clue -

http://www.flotrack.org/video/715305-Maverick-Darling-Joe-Stilin-Mick-Byrne-Make-5k-Statements

Here is Payton Jordan -

http://www.flotrack.org/video/707799-Joe-Stilin-2nd-in-heat-2-5k-at-2013-Payton-Jordan-Invite

Clueless, Confused High Schooler. Your name says it all. Learn the sport, son, some of us have been part of it for decades.

Did he or did he not lead at Payton Jordan?

Joe Stilin > Letsrun Trolls

Joe Stilin's PBs after 2011 Season:

03:44 1500m

04:09 Mile

08:26 3000m

14:22 5000m

(2 years later)

Joe Stilin's PBs after 2013 Season:

03:39 1500m

03:58 Mile

07:53 3000m

13:33 5000m

Didn't bother to watch the video. He didn't even PR.

ConfusedHSer wrote:He's not sponsored and does not wear a Nike singlet.

There's your answer. In this year's USATF Nationals, a number of 100m provisionals got accepted, enough to fill up the heats. Same for 800.

But it seems like provisional distance athletes only get entry if they are sponsored by Nike. Do a search for "Gouchergate."

Stillin's coach screwed up. He should have told Stillin: If you don't have the A standard and don't get accepted before the meet, DON'T GO. You will NOT get in. Coaches that actually try to develop athletes don't like it, but that's the way it is.

Csls wrote:

This is why I post, because you don't follow the sport. Joe wears UT gear, which is Nike. He qualified at Payton Jordan in a Nike singlet.

Get a freaking clue -

http://www.flotrack.org/video/715305-Maverick-Darling-Joe-Stilin-Mick-Byrne-Make-5k-Statements

Here is Payton Jordan -

http://www.flotrack.org/video/707799-Joe-Stilin-2nd-in-heat-2-5k-at-2013-Payton-Jordan-Invite

Clueless, Confused High Schooler. Your name says it all. Learn the sport, son, some of us have been part of it for decades.

HE'S NOT SPONSORED BY NIKE. Why in the hell does it matter if he wears his COLLEGE uniform at a meet? He didn't choose to put a swoosh on it. Maybe he doesn't feel like going out and buying another singlet. Because, if you read his blog, HE'S NOT SPONSORED. He doesn't have any money, he's just grinding away in the minor leagues trying to make it, paying his own way out to races and hopping the fence at tracks to do workouts. How can you come on here and flame a guy like that? Guys like him are what the sport is about, and they're getting screwed over by the USATF. We need to see a change, and now we have a guy trying to advocate for that (Nick Symmonds has even shown his support for Stilin on Twitter) and you're gonna come on LetsRun.com and hate on him?

Sad.

coach d wrote:

ConfusedHSer wrote:He's not sponsored and does not wear a Nike singlet.

There's your answer. In this year's USATF Nationals, a number of 100m provisionals got accepted, enough to fill up the heats. Same for 800.

But it seems like provisional distance athletes only get entry if they are sponsored by Nike. Do a search for "Gouchergate."

Stillin's coach screwed up. He should have told Stillin: If you don't have the A standard and don't get accepted before the meet, DON'T GO. You will NOT get in. Coaches that actually try to develop athletes don't like it, but that's the way it is.

Also Stilin went to the meet because he competed in the 1,500, but was eliminated in the first round. I'm not completely sure why Byrne brough Darling.

Cry me a river, Stilin...

UT has a lot of money from football, and their AD sent some people to USATFs, just like Florida and USC did. If you want to look at this as a reward for working hard during the season, and MAYBE you get to compete, great. I'm sure Bryshon Nellum, after doing the 200/400 double in Pac-12s, NCAA Regionals, NCAA Championships, knew there wasn't much left in the tank...but he went anyway.

But I think a coach should level with his/her athletes about their realistic prospects. We had another scandal like this just last year, if memory serves be correct.

Csls wrote:

This is why I post, because you don't follow the sport. Joe wears UT gear, which is Nike. He qualified at Payton Jordan in a Nike singlet.

Get a freaking clue -

http://www.flotrack.org/video/715305-Maverick-Darling-Joe-Stilin-Mick-Byrne-Make-5k-Statements

Here is Payton Jordan -

http://www.flotrack.org/video/707799-Joe-Stilin-2nd-in-heat-2-5k-at-2013-Payton-Jordan-Invite

Clueless, Confused High Schooler. Your name says it all. Learn the sport, son, some of us have been part of it for decades.

I guess you still haven't learned to respect the sport and the ones who are taking part in it at the top levels... The way Stilin stepped up is pretty admirable! Also, he did meet the qualifying time USATF asked for but didn't make the field BECAUSE OF THE OTHER RUNNERS IN FRONT OF HIM THAT EVENTUALLY SCRATCHED!!! Your comment about racing in a Nike singlet is absurd because he doesn't have a choice which brand those Texas singlets are made by. Maybe you should get your facts straight before bashing him and others on here with your stereotyping and ageism...

I agree with most of what you said, except what you say about the Nike sponsored athletes . . . however, this supports your point, I think. In the 10,000, fourteen runners had the "A" and USATF added ten who had the "B". In the 5000, they added no one who had the "B". So, as for the poster who said Stilin didn't qualify--well, be did: he achieve the "B" standard, which means he qualified in some important manner. If he didn't qualifier, how is it that those who had the "B" in the 10 were allowed to run? As for the coaches, I know Mick Byrne stood up for his athlete. Did the Texas coach? Did the Texas AD? Did the Texas Chancellor? Indeed, no one with any clout did.

ConfusedHSer wrote:

coach d wrote:

There's your answer. In this year's USATF Nationals, a number of 100m provisionals got accepted, enough to fill up the heats. Same for 800.

But it seems like provisional distance athletes only get entry if they are sponsored by Nike. Do a search for "Gouchergate."

Stillin's coach screwed up. He should have told Stillin: If you don't have the A standard and don't get accepted before the meet, DON'T GO. You will NOT get in. Coaches that actually try to develop athletes don't like it, but that's the way it is.

Also Stilin went to the meet because he competed in the 1,500, but was eliminated in the first round. I'm not completely sure why Byrne brough Darling.

Considering how emotional he probably was, I thought he stayed fairly tactful while still showing he doesn't have to be a politically correct robot.

This is a big opportunity for someone like Rupp to stand up and be a true leader, speaking out against the way it went down. He is too good to be effected by the political aftermath, and he could cache a ton of goodwill by standing up for all the guys that could've filled the spots of those who DNFd, which would have surely made it a more interesting race. Someone like Stilin may never have this fitness in his life again, and just racing at US Champs would be enough to cap a lot of guys' careers.

In fairness to Texas, Stilin didn't compete for them outdoors, because he was out of eligibility,

Csls wrote:

Clueless, Confused High Schooler. Your name says it all. Learn the sport, son, some of us have been part of it for decades.

Pretty sure I do not have to bash you as others have given you a good spanking.

Good for, Stilin. The sub-elite guys need to get to flex their muscle in the highest level of comp in the U.S. In that style of race, you never know how things could have shaken up with 10 more athletes in the 13:30 to 13:40 range.