Keston mile record petition withdrawn
Dave Clingan has posted this on the Keston petition page and circulated the same note to all involved: “I would like to thank everyone who has come forward to support the Keston mile record petition. The response has given me cause to believe that athletes really care about these issues and their opinions can make a difference.”
Dave continued:
“But now I feel I owe everyone an additional explanation and an apology. Back in December, the Keston application was rejected on the grounds that his performance was “handicapped”. That is what started this process in motion. I felt that was an unfair ruling, and I still do.
“However, a new problem has come to light. Much to my chagrin, it has recently been pointed out to me that this record can not be accepted on the grounds that the track used cones in place of a rail on the inside lane. The rules, in fact, are quite clear on that point. While I wish it were not so, I must agree that the record can not be accepted under the existing rules.
“I will attempt to submit a rule change at the convention this year which would allow cones to subsititue for rails under certain circumstances. But I am not very optimistic that such an ammendment will be adopted.
“So as of today, I am discontinuing the Keston petition effort. If, in the future, the rail/cone rule is changed, John’s record can come up for re-evaluation. But if the current rules stand, there’s no point in pursuing this further.
“None of this diminishes the historic performance of John Keston, which will always be remembered by those of us who saw it.”
Me again:
Unsaid in this note is the fact that USATF Masters T&F Record Chair Sandy Pashkin never raised the rail/cone issue when rejecting the record application. In a half-dozen emails to Dave and me, she cited only the “handicap” nature of the race. We believed strongly that the Keston mile was a “scratch” mile and therefore eligible — under USATF rules — for record consideration.
Several people have noted that complete details of the Keston race were not shared with the USATF Records Committee. Sandy also apparently didn’t cite the rail requirement in her original dealings with various committees. Had she mentioned this, Dave Clingan would never have challenged the ruling.
Dave has apologized — and rightly so.
Would be nice if Sandy admitted her own oversight.
But beyond personalities, I think we should remind ourselves what records are all about. They’re not about cold, sterile processes. They’re about recognizing flesh-and-blood accomplishments. I agree that “rules are rules,” but I also believe that bad or unclear rules hurt, too. Let’s recognize the flaws in the system and fix ’em — for the sake of the athletes and our credibility.
One Response
Does the rail?cone issue have any bearing on the reords set at Boise last yr ?? the track there was bordered by cones.
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