I am looking forward to a positive resolution to the Long Jump Controversy. I can’t say it will happen soon. I would like it to be , but the wheels of justice seem to be moving very slowly.
Today I have found out new informatiion that needs to be brought to light regarding Lauren Loader’s coach and mother. First of all it has always been my first interest and concern for the truth of the long jump final to be revealed. I believe with the discovery of the pictures on Action Sports Images and corroborating eyewitness accounts this can be a significant aid to a fair resolve for all the girls involved in the long Jump final sooner than later.
With that said I had the opportunity to speak to Coach Steve McCannon of the Highlander Track Club today. Boy did I hear some interesting information. Coach McCannon was not present at the Junior Olympics in North Carolina. He was home in Texas. When Lauren Loaders mother initially saw the jump she adamantly disagreed with the officials ruling that this was a jump in excess of 16′, she called her coach in Texas to find out exactly what to do next. He said to her that it is highly unlikely that Lauren jumped that distance and they have made a mistake. He instructed Mrs.Loader to tell the officials a mistake had been made.
He never agreed with the officials ruling in this matter. It has been reported that the officials had made the comment that he’s not here how does he know. He said to me that he believed consistently an error had been made.
In addition the Region 12 Coordinator Toni Nichols also was working hard to resolve this obvious mistake but the officials were insistant that she should leave it alone and the record would stand as such, even though many many officials from other areas of concern(sprints etc,) disagreed with the call. Mrs.Loader as it was told to me was very very hesitant even stating that her Lauren hadn’t jumped that far. She wanted to make sure this was a fair jump and wanted to “Win With Integrity”
After much deliberation from the officials almost 3 hours in all, they assured Mrs.Loader that they were the officials and they had seen Lauren Loader jump all day and she jumped that jump 16″10″. What’s a mom to do when the officials are supporting something you were confused and concerned about all along?
The folowing part of the story you know about.Lauren Loader recieved the gold medal ,Lauren Williams the silver and thus the crowd unfortunatley reacted in emotional outrage because they knew the truth as we all know now.
When I originally wrote the “Bantam Girls Long Jump post A confusing End“ I asked the following questions:
1. How could the coach allow the jump to stand as a National Record ? He knows his athletes ability
Answer: He didn’t support the jump and all along said it wasn’t a legal jump. He wasn’t there and could add the needed authority as a coach to help the Offiicals come to the correct judgement.
2. Does he really believe she jumped almost 17 feet?
Answer: NO he doesn’t
3. If he does believe this, what evidence does he have to prove that she did actually jump this far when she has never jump further than 12′5″ ever.
Answered above
4. Do her parents understand the process of the long jump and the basic rules that lead to the controversy? Do they believe she jumped that far? (I have heard that an official persuded the mother she did jump that far after she felt she expressed she didn’t think she had.
Answer: As best as I can tell they (she) did understand ,but the officials lead the charge and momnetum of the events that happened after the jump, protests and medal award.
5. What does this situation say about the sportsman like integrity that should be displayed at a sporting event such as this from the athlete,coach and parent?
Answer: In retrospect this wasn’t a fair question. The athlete came like all the atheles, to do her best. She depended on the adult officials to do their job correctly. The sportsman like integrity was shown.I simply wasn’t privedge to the information at the time I wrote the post. The coach and mother were trying to do the right thing.
So as you can see this journey is one of continual discovery and revelation. On behalf of the parents at the podium that day who acted unsportsman like I apologize to Mrs.Loader for the very painful experience she must have had and subsequent ridicule and harsh words she has experienced since her return to her community in Texas as reported to me.
Mrs.Loader , I hope that if in any way I contributed to this behavior via the telling of the story here at TrackMom.com,I hope you will except my heart felt apology for this. I was not a part of the booing or harsh words directed at you in North Carolina .I am a mom that is bent on making a wrong for my child and all the others right. Well as right as it can be under the circumstances.
My conversation with coach McCannon was very pleasant and encouraging.He is a hard working coach trying to develop the talent his athletes have.Making them the best they can be , helping them learn and love track and field in a small town . I have talked to someone in the region that only had glowing remarks to say about him ,stating in part Coach McCannon is one of the good guys this is not his fault” .
I want Coach McCannon to know Henry and I appreciate what he tried to do on behalf of all the kids that day and I know that he was competiting with integrity. To bad some of the officials weren’t . This is why almost two weeks later we are still talking about this and learning details daily. I believe Coach McCannon would have told us himself days ago his side of this convoluted story but he had not heard of TrackMom.com and no knowledge of the on going conversation.
I hope that the Loader Family and Coach McCannon can get back to normal soon and find the words to share with Lauren to help her understand how the adults in charge messed up.
Finally, I have to add, although our family hurt might not be as apparent with so much national support it has really taken it’s toll on us and I hope no other family has to experience the confusing ,frustrating ordeal we have had to endure.
Let’s continue to rally for right and against the bad guys in this story…..The Officials
Until Next Time
Dr.Lorraine Williams
Lauren’s TrackMom
Another 2009 Bantam nationals runner relates:
“I’m sorry you both have to go through this, I can feel your pain. I wish the officials would have actually seen something and been smarter. I hope what happens is not too harsh. I hope this won’t stop you from running in the future because of the officials mess-up.”
Thus Relayed.
Coyote1
With an sdroadrunner to catch……..
This won’t discourage Lauren only make her more determined to do it again,maybe even next year as a lower midget.. Thanks for keeping up with us so later at night.
It is encouraging that the pieces are all coming together to give a clearer picture on what the actual results of this event should have been. It is great to see all the support on this forum that you have created for youth track.
I will give Coach McCannon huge Kudos for having the integrity to share this information. And for the willingness to have this dialog with you says volumes of the character of this man. His track team is in good hands and I wish him and his athletes the best of luck.
Hopefully everything is coming together, now if the USATF will eat a little of the proverbial cake and do the right thing and admit thier error and correct this issue. So we can all move forward and remove this cloud over our sports pinnacle event JO Nationals.
Start Early in Youth Sports -
I strongy encourage parents / guardians to volunteer and get involved early in the sports you would like to have your child partipate. It may seem awkward at first, but it will give you time to learn the ropes and make connections. My husband and I have been involved in youth football for 8 years even though my son is only 9. My husband & I learned some important lessons about trust, sportsmanship, volunteerism, and patience.
It is a lot easier to be objective if your child’s needs and wants are not in the mix.
You have time to get used to the routine of practices on weeknights, getting up weekend mornings for competiion, and it will allows you to assess and budget for the expenses .
We attended the National Junior Olympic meet as a family to soak up the experience. It was awesome. My boy was an alternate on Bantam 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 relays, going in was scared to compete if he was needed. He was put on call for the 4 x 400 and was ready to run by the time we left.
Thanks!
I am glad Lorraine that you were able to talk with her coach and get a little more of the story. That was nice of him to share with you. That is really too bad that USATF would not listen to anyone regarding this issue. They ignored the many people who watch the event and what they saw and had to say, they ignored her mother and her coach who both said she has never jumped that far or even close to that far and it seems VERY unlikely that she did at the JOs, they ignored the protest, and also even the picture evidence. You would think that they would not want to make such a huge error that causes so many problems for so many people. I would love to hear what USATF has to say about this, where is their voice?
I think at this point the best way to get USATF’s attention would be to propose some changes in how Long Jump competitions are run using Lauren’s case as an example as how NOT to run a competition. From the first mistake to the last, what were things that could have been done differently? By proposing changes–and forcing the USATF to respond to the proposals–you might see movement. In other words, force USATF to admit that the event was not a perfect event. I’d like to see a write up not just of what went wrong, but what SHOULD have been done at each stage of the ordeal. Maybe the things that should have been done aren’t part of the official procedure [yet]. Since the case has been laid out pretty clearly, and nothing has happened, this may be another approach worth trying.
Hi Lorraine,
It’s Eric Bates, Alexa’s dad from the Cougars. I still would like to provide you with a declaration from me stating that I saw her jump from the wrong board, that her mom tried to tell an official at the time of the jump (but was ignored), that they were measuring from the wrong board, and that Alexa told me that they separated she and Lauren Loader from the other jumpers because they were both jumping from the closest board. I think it’s terrible that this still hasn’t been resolved. Please let me know if you would like me to write a declaration for you. Good luck.
Hi Eric,
Thanks for all your help and support. As it turns out your account was proven and USATF is slowwly but surely working on giving Lauren her medal. I will keep you posted