For years, we've been ripping the way USATF lets people into the Trials. They consistently fail to realize that the Trials are a big dream for many runners. In year's past, we've all been aware of runners being in Eugene for the Trials there is a scratch and they don't let them run.The 1500 has been a joke for years. In 2012, we realized they were running 3 heats of the 1500 and yet only letting 30 people enter.http://www.letsrun.com/2012/symmonds-0623.phpIn our 2012 preview, we wrote.
LRC wrote:
In the 1,500, barely anyone gets eliminated as the field is reduced from 30 to 24. That is truly a waste of time and an insult to both the fans and the potential Olympic hopefuls Let in 48 and take it down to 24 or at least let in 36 and go down to 24. But to only let in 30 when a 1,500 naturally works better for more people to be in a heat than an 800 is so stupid.
And people want to know why the sport isn't more popular? Because the administrators either are complete morons or don't care about putting on a good product. They insult the fans and ask them to watch basically no one get eliminated.
So they had 4 years to improve the situation and let in at least 36 and yet it's still 30 and they won't fill the fields with scratches.
Take a look at the women's heat sheets.
HEAT 1
LN/POS ATHLETE
1 Amanda Eccleston
2 Rebecca Tracy
3 Alexa Efraimson
4 Heather Kampf
5 Rachel Schneider
6 Shelby Houlihan
7 Sarah Brown
8 Christina Aragon
9 Erin Donohue
10 Kate Murphy
HEAT 2
LN/POS ATHLETE
1 Elise Cranny
2 Heather Wilson
3 Brenda Martinez
4 Kate Grace
5 Stephanie Schappert
6 Katie Mackey
7 Cory McGee
8 Melissa Salerno
9 Kerri Gallagher
10 Morgan Uceny
HEAT 3
LN/POS ATHLETE
1 Lauren Johnson
2 Sara Vaughn
3 Treniere Moser
4 Sara Sutherland
5 Shannon Rowbury
6 Jenny Simpson
7 Shannon Osika
8 Mary Cain
9 Gabriele Grunewald
10 Stephanie Brown
Kate Grace is already a scratch so we are done to 29. Grunewald, Mackey and Houlihann will likely all scratch after the 5000. So we'll be down to 26.
24 make the next round. So they will run rounds to eliminate at most 2 people?
1) It's a waste of money and insult to the fans to see this. If two more people pull out, it would be amazing if one woman just walked the whole thing to show everyone what a joke this is.
2) It needlessly denies lots of people to compete in the Olympic Trials.
It's not like the people on the bubble aren't marketable or accompished. Look at the names next on the descending order list.
Dana Giordano 4:11.86
Megan Moye 4:11.91
Brie Felnagle 4:12.13
Dana Mecke 4:12.25
Emily Lipari 4:12.31
Lianne Farber 4:12.35
Katie Rainsberger 4:12.60
Katrina Coogan 4:13.13
Felnagle and Lipari are NCAA champions.
On the mens side, Princeton's Garrett O'Toole ran 401 in HS. He's #31 on the list. Wouldn't it be great if he got some experience so he'd be ready in 4 years. They should have let in at least 36. Given the high likelihood of 5000 scratches, it should have been more.