'Proud to be a Falcon'
7/25/2008 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
July 25, 2008
I have had a number of people ask me about Dana and her quest to make the U.S. Olympic Team. Many thought that the quest was over with the Olympic Trials. We even thought that it was, but Dana continued to throw. While she did not make the `Olympic A' standard and will not be joining Team USA at the Olympics, I want everyone to know that Dana attempted to make the standard in four competitions following the Olympic Trials. She is to be commended for never giving up...never surrendering.
Please consider the following...
After she competed on Monday at the Trials, she was asked to wear an official Olympic team top, even though she had not made the team. She did not want to do so, but was a good sport/professional and put it on. I had gotten wind from Coach Lindeman through a USATF official that she may be able to appeal the decision and throw in more meets, attempting to make the standard. On the podium Dana was interviewed by Dan O'Brien and he asked her what she was going to do now. Dana responding by saying, "Work on an appeal, if possible, and if that does not happen, continue to serve my God and my country." The 21,000 people in the stands erupted in applause and I spoke with an NBC reporter afterwards who was overflowing with compliment after compliment about how well Dana handled a difficult situation in the interview tent.
John Ruger of the USOC responded to us that since Dana would not be replacing anyone on the team, she should continue to throw. Based on this information, Dana threw in another meet before the end of the Trials, which was at an All-Comers meet in Virginia.
Ultimately, she threw 190'3" in Virginia, 190'6" in Maryland the following Tuesday, 199'2" foul in Seattle the next Wednesday and over 180'0" in Seattle. Dana never gave up and she took it to the eleventh hour to try and qualify for the Olympic team, despite a very roller-coaster, emotion-filled three-plus weeks. Of the 18 or 19 throws in the U.S. over 190'0" for women, Dana has had 13 of them and a few of them came in less than ideal circumstances. For her to excel like that, under those circumstances, it is an indication that much bigger throws are on the horizon for her.
A couple notes of vindication. First, the last email on Tuesday from John Ruger indicated that the legal counsel for USA Track and Field felt Dana's chances for making the team were good if she met the `A' standard. It was the first time in three weeks that I felt we had been given something of a green light. This was an incredible turnabout, because he had informed me Monday that another athlete had made the 'A' standard and was shot down in arbitration. However, that athlete was trying to replace someone on the team and Dana was not.
A week earlier, Breaux Greer had been added to the men's javelin team and this announcement shocked the track and field world. My sense was that if they let an injured Breaux, the 2007 Men's USATF National Javelin Champion, onto the Olympic Team, then that actually favored a decision for Dana, the 2007 Women's National Javelin Champion.
Finally, in addition to finding meets for Dana and trying to get support for her to continue to try for the `A' standard, I felt it was also important to address a flaw in our rules. So, I submitted a rule change that will hopefully allow competitors in future USATF meets the right to take additional throws in the qualifying round at the Olympic Trials/National Championships. You might call it the "Dana Pounds Rule." Dana was the only female javelin thrower to make the automatic standard for the finals at the Olympic Trials and she did it on her first throw. As a result, she was the only thrower who got one throw instead of three in the qualifying round. Her throwing was very much 'on', technically, during Saturday's meet. Unfortunately, it was not so `on' Monday during the finals. But despite her technical difficulties, she still managed 189'9" and second place. The rule change does not help Dana this year, but it may be of some good for a thrower in the future.
Something tells me that Dana will be motivated like no other, so she is not caught in this situation again. I share this because I feel everyone should know that Dana did not give up, that she fought the good fight to the bitter end, which is what I have grown to expect from an Air Force Academy graduate and an officer in the United States Air Force. Dana will pick herself up and continue to represent her her country with the utmost dignity, professionalism and class. It is my distinct honor and privilege to be called her coach and she makes me so very proud to be a Falcon!
Very respectfully,
Scott
