MileSplit North Carolina

@coach_eazy
Hey Coach,
Will there be a revised final schedule put out today?

@coach_eazy
Are you that concern that you cannot find any information on unattached athletes. I think if that person follow the rules as stated for unattached athletes,then it should not be any concern about not having to find any information about an unattached athletes.

@EACNUT Coach George, thank you for speaking up. However, I would like to speak for myself on this one.

As Jeff explained, I am the announcer for the meet and it helps if I know what school the athletes represent as they run around and down the track. I understand the politics in running for a school as I was the coach for one of the more successful programs during the time I coached. Sometimes, the coach and parents have different desires of where an athlete competes. For example, one of the better field event athletes in the state did not compete this evening because her team went to Va. Tech while she will be taking the SAT Saturday morning. It was important that she did not compete this evening because if she had, not one of the marks for her or her teammates would have counted for state meet qualification.

During the course of the evening, I discovered that many of the unattached athletes represented a local (to me) high school. It was perculiar because the high school had athletes registered for the meet under the school name. Other unattached athletes were from out of state.

But my biggest concern is for athletes that are enrolled at private schools that re-classify athletes. That would allow a 19-year-old, 5th-year high schooler to compete against 14-year-old freshmen. When that becomes fair, please let me know. Don't get me wrong, I love to see great performances -- but performances by athletes against athletes of like age. Anyone 19- to 20-years-old need to be competing against college athletes or athletes who are no longer in high school. Point blank, it is cheating.

So, yes, I am that concerned and if you didn't think everyone was looking for a reason to have athletes not compete, you probably would be also. I look for a level playing field for everyone. I'm was not looking for a reason to raise questions about anyone. All these athletes could have run under their school names, if only they had worked it out with their coaches and athletic directors. I am not naive enough to not know there are some coaches who are a bit overzealous in the control they want to exert over the athletes they coach (I was one of them!). But that is why an athletic director can write the same letter that will allow that athlete to compete for the school.

@coach_eazy

First and foremost they have rules that unattached athletes have to follow and it laid out
very specific about unaattached athletes to enter the meet,they have to have a signed letter
from their athletic director/coach stating they have permission to enter the meet and plus they have to be accompained by parents/guardian.
So if rules are being followed then their should not be any reason to be concern
right or wrong.
That the only point that I was making so the other cases that you stated to me about
athletes cheating then if they are following the rules these would never occured.

@EACNUT Well, not that I don't agree with most of what you are saying on this particular issue but you are WAY off on your attempt to slam Coach George. You actually did get the last part of your most recent post correct though - he is the most knowledgeable person around here on North Carolina XC and Track and Field issues. He also in the administrator for this site, so, it is kind of his "job" (unpaid and obviously unappreciated by some) to do EXACTLY what he did in answering your comments and questions. You would be smart to listen to him.

@HWPixHend

I think you are taken this the wrong way and I was not attempting to "slam" Coach George in
an anyway or fashion. I was just simply stating that from now on I will direct my
questions to him since he very knowledgeable on subject of North Carolina Track and Field
personally I consider it a compliment.
Also I consider it a close matter we have long track season ahead of us and this is
one of many subjects that will probably be address during this season.

Last but not least I learn track and field from one of the best high school coaches
in North Carolina and he taught me to respect the sport and respects the people
that involved in it as well.

@EACNUT: Why would an athlete who has chosen NOT to run with his/her high school team for whatever reason need a signed letter from their high school athletic director/coach stating they have permission to enter a meet? If they are not running with the high school team, does the high school coach/athletic director still want to control the kid? Please help me understand if I am not seeing this correctly.

@HWPixHend I would like to thank you for sharing the link to the rules given by Coach George earlier. It helped me flesh out the underlying details of my original post. To answer the question of belzon1, it is not necessary to have the signature of a coach or athletic director if you are not a member of the school team. You only need permission of the meet director to compete in the meet.

My original post, as stated, was to give me more information. The meet director had already allowed them to enter the meet, so I was not looking to have anyone disqualified. As I learned throughout the meet, several of the unattached athletes had classmates competing next to them. Personally, that makes no logical sense to me; however, it is not my situation to deal with so I digress. In the future, maybe they can enter under their club team name, making it easier for the announcer and the fans following the big screens.

@EACNUT You are correct, this is a closed subject. Your tone (until you were called out) was confrontational and condescending. Add to that the poor grammar and I was lost and upset at your previous statements. I don't expect anything from you -- except to check yourself and your tone (perceived or otherwise) when posting to this forum.

Thanks coach_eazy & HWPixHend for providing a good explanation of the rules as they pertain to unattached athletes. Thanks to coach George for providing the references to the rules. I think rules are great. In this case, if unattached athletes participate in meets according to the rules and regulations, then there should be no opposition to those athletes competing at a meet. If we have an opportunity to allow children to run, throw, or jump, and to do so without breaking any rules, then I am all for it. Personally, I have no desire to judge or control the circumstances that lead athletes to participate as "unattached". That's between the athlete, their parents, and the meet director.

@gbocmusic
Hey coach, I agree with you about coach Jones. An excellent coach. I sat and spoke with him for a long time at a meet this past summer. I know Ariel's father and mother as well. She is actually a 9th grader at Northern Guilford high school though. I am sure that it is not their intent to offend or disrespect any coach. Just exercising their rights as parents. It's weird though. There is a freshman at Adrey Kell who runs cross country and actually qualified for Foot Locker this past fall. Nobody says a word about her not running for her high school team. People seem to respect the fact that her parents have decided what is best for their child. Just thought I'd mention that. Very proud of Gabby as well. She represents us well.

@belzoni1 I was dead wrong.