Mark Maloney on Kentucky sports

Lexington's Tyson Gay

Lexington native Tyson Gay has been named USA Track & Field’s Athlete of the Week for a second time this season.

Gay’s 9.69 ties Bolt’s winning time from the 2008 Beijing Olympics, matching the second-fastest “legal” time ever. Gay’s race Sunday had the maximum allowable wind, 2 meters per second (about 4 1/2 mph).

Former University of Kentucky standout and reigning world champion Dwight Phillips had the best long jump by an American during the week, 27 feet, 5 1/4 inches.

Dwight Phillips

LaShawn Merritt

Allyson Felix

Wurth-Thomas

 

 

 

 

 

Best American marks for the week ending Sept. 20. X — Sunday at Shanghai, China; Y — Tuesday at Szczecin, Poland; Z — Sunday at Talence, France.

MEN

100 — 9.69, Tyson Gay (adidas) X                        American record
200 — 20.21, Tyson Gay (adidas) Y
400 — 45.28, LaShawn Merritt (Nike) X
800 — 1:46.33, Nick Symmonds (Oregon TC Elite) Y
110 hurdles — 13.15, Terrence Trammell (TSA) X
High jump — 7-5 1/4, Andra Manson (Nike) X
Long jump — 27-5 1/4, Dwight Phillips (Nike) X
Shot put — 70-6 1/4, Christian Cantwell (Nike) Y
Decathlon — 8,189, Tom Pappas (Nike) Z

WOMEN

Photos courtesy of USA Track & Field

Former University of Kentucky standout Dwight Phillips was named Tuesday as USA Track & Field’s Athlete of the Week.

Dwight Phillips

Phillips notched the eighth-best outdoor mark ever in the men’s long jump at Sunday’s Nike Prefontaine Classic, 28 feet, 8 1/4 inches, at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.

Phillips, 31, arrived at UK in 1997. His 400-meter time of 46.80 that season still stands as the Wildcats’ freshman record. He also competed in 1998 before transferring to Arizona State, following Darryl Anderson when the UK sprints coach was hired there.

Since then, Phillips has become a two-time World Outdoor champion in the long jump, as well as the 2004 Olympic gold-medalist. Sunday’s mark ties Phillips with Larry Myricks and Erick Walder for eighth on the all-time list of jumps, and fifth on the all-time list of performers. It was the longest jump in the world since Mike Powell’s world-record 29-4 1/2 in 1991.

Reese Hoffa

Jenny Barringer

Also at Eugene, Louisville native Reese Hoffa won the shot put with the world’s best performance of the season, 71 feet, 10 inches.

Colorado’s Jenny Barringer, the national record-holder in the steeplechase, became the third American ever to break four minutes in the women’s 1,500 meters. Her time at Eugene, 3:59.90, is a collegiate record.
 
BEST AMERICAN MARKS WEEK ENDING JUNE 7
 
MEN
 
100 - 9.94 Mike Rodgers (Nike) - Eugene, Ore., 6/7     U.S. leader
200 - 20.41 Thomas Hunter (unat) - Walnut, Calif., 6/6
400 - 45.48 Tavaris Tate (Mississippi HS) - Albuquerque, N.M., 6/6
800 - 1:45.86 Nick Symmonds (Oregon TC) - Eugene, 6/7
1500 - 3:37.19 Lopez Lomong (Nike) - Eugene, 6/7     U.S. leader
Mile - 3:53.47 Lopez Lomong (Nike) - Eugene, 6/7
3000 - 7:35.92 Bernard Lagat (Nike) - Eugene, 6/7     U.S. leader
3000SC - 8:26.55 Josh McAdams (New Balance) - Eugene, 6/7
10,000 - 28:16.81 Jorge Torres (Reebok) - Eugene, 6/6
110H - 13.29 Dexter Faulk (Nike) - Turin, Italy, 6/4
400H - 48.38 Bershawn Jackson (Nike) - Eugene, 6/7
HJ - 2.26/7-5 Jesse Williams (Nike) - Eugene, 6/7
PV - 5.52/18-1.25 Mark Hollis (unat) - St. Polten, Austria, 6/6
LJ - 8.74/28-8.25 Dwight Phillips (NIke) - Eugene, 6/7     World leader
TJ - 16.06/52-8.25 James Jenkins (unat) - Walnut, 6/6
SP - 21.89/71-10 Reese Hoffa (NYAC) - Eugene, 6/7     World leader
DT - 64.69/212-3 Adam Kuehl (unat) - Chula Vista, Calif., 6/6
HT - 75.28/247-0 Jake Freeman (Iron Ball AC) - West Point, N.Y., 6/5
JT - 75.96/249-2 Adam Montague (unat) - Walnut, 6/6
Dec - 7466 Curtis Beach (New Mexico HS) - Albuquerque, N.M., 6/5     HIGH SCHOOL RECORD
 
WOMEN
 
100 - 11.13 Stephanie Durst (unat) - Hengelo, Holland, 6/1
200 - 22.41 Shalonda Solomon (Reebok) - Walnut, 6/6
400 - 49.86 Sanya Richards (Nike) - Eugene, 6/7     World leader
800 - 2:00.18 Maggie Vessey (unat) - Eugene, 6/7
1500 - 3:59.90 Jenny Barringer (Colorado) - Eugene, 6/7     U.S. leader/COLLEGIATE RECORD
3000SC - 9:40.02 Lisa Galaviz (Nike) - Walnut, 6/6
100H - 12.74 Michelle Perry (Nike) - Eugene, 6/7
400H - 58.25 Jennifer Grossarth (unat) - Walnut, 6/6
PV - 4.45/14-7.25 Chelsea Johnson (Nike) - Walnut, 6/6
LJ - 6.74/22-1.5 Funmi Jimoh (Nike) - Hengelo, 6/1
TJ - 13.80/45-3.5 Crystal Manning (unat) - Walnut, 6/6
SP - 18.35/60-2.5 Michelle Carter (unat) - Walnut, 6/6
DT - 63.98/209-11 Stephanie Brown Trafton (Nike) - Eugene, 6/7
HT - 70.68/231-11 Jessica Cosby (Nike) - Eugene, 6/7
JT - 60.30/197-10 Kim Kreiner (Nike) - Walnut, 6/6     U.S. leader
Hept - 5619 Kasey Hill (unat) - Dallas, 6/7

Seven women and six men from Kentucky colleges were awarded at-large bids Tuesday to the NCAA Track & Field Championships, June 10-13, at Arkansas.

Joseph Maina (EKU photo)

From Eastern Kentucky, Joseph Maina was added to the men’s 5,000-meter field.

From Kentucky, Rondel Sorrillo made it in the men’s 100, Emily Strot in the women’s discus.

From Louisville, Steve Hnat was added in the men’s shot put; Josh Greenwald and Andrew Hackney in discus; Matt Hughes in the steeplechase. U of L additions to the women’s field are Chinwe Okoro and Khadija Abdullah in the shot put, Rachel Gehret in the high jump and Seidre Forde in the triple jump.

From Western Kentucky’s women’s team, Miaie Williams was added in the 100, Janet Jesang in the 5,000.

The at-large recipients will join automatic qualifiers at Arkansas. Automatic berths went to the top five in individual events and top three in relays at the Mideast Regional, held Saturday at U of L.

Here’s what the combined at-large and automatic lists from Kentucky schools look like, with NCAA seeding; a = at-large berth; q = automatic qualifier.

MEN

Rondel Sorrillo

Gavin Smellie

100 meters — 24 a, Rondel Sorrillo (UK).

200 — 3 q, Gavin Smellie (WKU); 5 q, Rondel Sorrillo (UK).

5,000 — 26 a, Joseph Maina (EKU).

3,000 steeplechase — 2 q, Cory Thorne (U of L); 14 a, Matt Hughes (U of L).

4-by-100 relay — 6 q, Kentucky.

4-by-400 relay — 11 q, Western Kentucky; 12 q, Kentucky.

Shot put — 8 q, Rashaud Scott (UK); 17 a, Steve Hnat (U of L).

Rashaud Scott

Chase Madison

Discus — 1 q, Rashaud Scott (UK); 7 q, Chase Madison (UK); 16 a, Josh Greenwald (U of L); 17 a, Andrew Hackney (U of L).

Long jump — 7 a, Mandhla Mgijima (WKU).

High jump — 9 q, Tone Belt (U of L).

Long jump — 16 q, Tone Belt (U of L).

WOMEN

Tarah McKay

Janet Jesang

100 — 19 a, Miaie Williams (WKU).

1,500 — 24 q, Tarah McKay (U of L).

5,000 — 6 a, Janet Jesang (WKU).

4-by-100 relay — 12 q, Western Kentucky.

Shot put — 10 q, Jere’ Summers (U of L); 20 a, Chinwe Okoro (U of L); 23 a, Khadija Abdullah (U of L).

Kristin Smith

Ashley Trimble

Discus — 4 q, Ashley Muffet (UK); 6 q, Jere’ Summers (U of L); 17 a, Emilee Strot (UK).

High jump — 19 a, Rachel Gehret (U of L).

Triple jump — 24 a, Seidre Forde (U of L).

Heptathlon (entries based on pre-regional results) — 11. Ashley Trimble (UK).

USA Track & Field Athlete of the Week: Tyson Gay

The third-fastest 200-meter dash of all time makes Tyson Gay the USA Track & Field choice for athlete of the week.

From Tyson Gay's facebook photo gallery

Gay, a Lafayette High School graduate who later starred for Arkansas, uncorked a 19.58-second 200 Saturday at the Reebok Grand Prix, in New York’s Icahn Stadium. Only a pair of Olympic champions have ever run faster: Michael Johnson (19.32) and Usain Bolt (19.30).

Gay swept the 2007 World Championships in the 100 and 200 meters, and also ran on the gold-medal 4-by-100 relay.

After winning the 100 in American-record time at last year’s U.S. Olympic Trials, Gay suffered a severe hamstring injury during preliminaries of the 200. He went on to run the 200 at the Beijing Olympics, but the missed practice time left him far off his usual form. A dropped baton in the 4-by-100 put a disappointing end to his Olympic experience.

Saturday’s result, his first 200 since the Olympics, means Gay now has the third- and fourth-fastest 200s ever. No. 4 is 19.62, his winning effort at the 2007 USA Outdoor Championships.

Saturday’s runner-up, Gay’s former training partner and Arkansas teammate Wallace Spearmon, finished in 19.98. Former LSU standout Xavier Carter was third in 20.27.

“It made me very, very happy; 19.5 had been one of the goals I had, but to do that in the first race is very pleasing,” Gay told reporters. “I wanted to work on my reaction and my start. Then I just ran. I ran for my life. When I came toward the finish line, I got kind of tight and I just wanted to bring it on in. I tried to push all the way through, just to see where my body is at.”

Several of the week’s leading national marks were turned in on Louisville’s Cardinal Park facility, site of the NCAA Mideast Regional.

Cory Thorne

Louisville’s Cory Thorne had the fastest 3,000-meter steeplechase of the week (8:36.98).

Three winners in men’s field events ranked No. 1 for the week: Kentucky’s Rashaud Scott in the discus (216-2); LSU’s Walter Henning in the hammer throw (231-6), and Arkansas’ Mychael Stewart in the long jump (25-10 3/4).

And two of the women’s field event champions at Louisville led the nation: Purdue’s Kara Patterson in the javelin (192-1), and Indiana State’s Lauren Martin in the triple jump (44-4 3/4).

BEST MARKS BY AMERICANS FOR WEEK ENDING MAY 31
 
MEN
 
100 - 10.04 Jacoby Ford (Clemson) - Greensboro, N.C. 5/30
200 - 19.58 Tyson Gay (adidas) - New York, 5/30     World leader
400 - 44.75 LaShawn Merritt (Nike) - New York, 5/30
800 - 1:46.00 Khadevis Robinson (Nike) - New York, 5/30
1500 - 3:34.14 Leo Manzano (Nike) - New York, 5/30     U.S. leader
3000SC - 8:36.98 Cory Thorne (Louisville) - Louisville, 5/30
5000 - 13:03.06 Bernard Lagat (Nike) - New York, 5/30    U.S. leader
110H - 13.12 Terrence Trammell (TSA) - New York, 5/30
400H - 48.52 Bershawn Jackson (Nike) - New York, 5/30
HJ - 2.25/7-4.5 Scott Sellers (Kansas State) - Norman, Okla., 5/29
PV - 5.56/18-3 Jason Colwick (Rice) & Maston Wallace (Texas) - Norman, Okla., 5/30
LJ - 7.89/25-10.75 Mychael Stewart (Arkansas) - Louisville, 5/29
TJ - 16.81/55-2 Will Claye (Oklahoma) - Norman, Okla., 5/30
SP - 20.99/68-10.5 Ryan Whiting (Arizona State) - Eugene, Ore., 5/29
DT - 65.90/216-2 Rashaud Scott (Kentucky) - Louisville, 5/30
HT - 70.56/231-6 Walter Henning (LSU) - Louisville, 5/30
JT - 80.34/263-7 Chris Hill (Georgia) - Greensboro, N.C., 5/29
Dec - 8516 Trey Hardee (Nike) - Gotzis, Austria, 5/31     U.S. leader
  
WOMEN
 
100 - 11.04 Shalonda Solomon (Reebok) - New York, 5/30
200 - 22.34 Lauryn Williams (Nike) - New York, 5/30     World leader
400 - 50.50 Allyson Felix (adidas) - New York, 5/30     World leader
800 - 1:59.29 Anna Willard (Nike) - New York, 5/30     World leader
1500 - 4:03.96 Christin Wurth-Thomas (Nike) - New York, 5/30     U.S. leader
3000SC - 9:26.20 Jenny Barringer (Colorado) - Norman, Okla., 5/30     World leader
5000 - 15:32.39 Jen Rhines (adidas) - New York, 5/30
100H - 12.88 Seun Adigun (Houston) - Norman, Okla., 5/30
400H - 55.44 Tiffany Williams (Reebok) - New York, 5/30
HJ - 1.93/6-4 Sharon Day (Asics) - Havana, Cuba, 5/29
PV - 4.81/15-9.25 Jenn Stuczynski (adidas) - New York, 5/30     World leader
LJ - 6.72/22-0.75 Funmi Jimoh (Nike) - Belgrade, Serbia, 5/29 & Brianna Glenn (adidas) - New York, 5/30
TJ - 13.53/44-4.75 Lauren Martin (Indiana State) - Louisville, 5/30
SP - 18.43/60-5.75 Michelle Carter (unat) - New York, 5/30
DT - 63.97/209-10 Stephanie Brown Trafton (Nike) - New York, 5/30
HT - 69.76/228-10 Amber Campbell (Mjolnir) - Havana, Cuba, 5/30
JT - 58.56/192-1 Kara Patterson (Purdue) - Louisville, 5/30
Hept - 6,063 Sharon Day (Asics) - Havana, Cuba 5/30     U.S. leader

Former Villanova standout Bobby Curtis, who dominated Kentucky high school track during his days at St. Xavier, is keeping busy at a variety of distances this season.

Bobby Curtis

Thursday, at Minneapolis, Curtis placed third in the inaugural USA 1-Mile Road Championships.

Curtis, now based out of Ardmore, Pa., and Darren Brown hung with Jon Rankin as they broke from the pack at 1,200 meters, according to reports from USA Track & Field.

Also lurking, though, was David Torrence, who overtook Rankin to run the first sub-four road mile ever in Minnesota and earn a bonus of $10,000. First-place prize money, before the bonus, was $4,000.

Torrence, from Oakland, Calif., was timed in 3:59.3. Rankin took second in 4:01.7, followed by Curtis in 4:02.0. Brown was fourth in 4:08.0. John Richardson, the former Southeastern Conference champion for Kentucky, placed seventh in 4:10.1. 

Shannon Rowbury, the Olympic Trials 1,500-meter champion, took the women’s mile in 4:33.4. Sara Hall was runner-up in 4:39.1, followed by Sara Vaughn in 4:41.3.

Just about two weeks before heading to Minnesota, on April 24, Curtis turned in a sensational 5,000-meter victory in the Brutus Hamilton Invitational at Berkeley, Calif.

Curtis, sponsored by Reebok, clocked 13:29.12. Ben St. Lawrence (New Balance) edged Jorge Torres (Reebok) for second, 13:30.18 to 13:30.65, followed closesly by Scott Baughs (adidas) in 13:30.85. Further back in the international field was former Lexington Catholic and University of Kentucky standout Thomas Morgan (ZAP Fitness), 18th in 14:31.16.

Morgan’s ZAP teammate, former UK runner Allison Grace, took seventh in the women’s 5K (16:12.50).

Spanning the globe

Reese Hoffa

Danielle Carruthers

Louisville native Reese Hoffa was among several American winners Friday in the Qatar Athletic Super Grand Prix at Doha, Qatar.

Hoffa, the 2007 World Outdoor champion and a two-time Olympian, took the men’s shot put with the longest toss in the world this season, 71 feet. Poland’s Tomasz Majewski, gold-medalist at the Beijing Olympics, took second (69-7 1/2). Two-time Olympic silver-medalist Adam Nelson of the U.S. placed sixth (64-10).

Dannielle Carruthers, a former Indiana University standout and Kentucky high school champion out of Paducah Tilghman, placed third in the women’s 100-meter hurdles (12.73).

As for the other American winners:

* Brittney Reese, the NCAA and Olympic Trials champion out of Ole Miss, also won with a world-leading season-best — 22 feet, 11 1/4 inches in the women’s long jump. That also tops her all-time personal best of 22-9 3/4.

Allyson Felix

* Allyson Felix, a two-time World Outdoor champion and two-time Olympic silver-medal winner at 200 meters, doubled the distance to win the 400 at Qatar. Her time of 50.75 is fastest in the world this season.

* Travis Padgett, the NCAA 100-meter runner-up last year, took the Qatar century in 10-flat. That ties Olympic teammate Walter Dix for the fastest time in the world this season. Dix clocked 10.00 on April 11.

* Olympic bronze-medalist David Oliver repeated as the Doha champion in the 110-meter hurdles, although not as quick as last year (12.95). Still, his time of 13.09 is best in the world this year, topping his previous mark of 13.19.

For more details and results, see www.iaaf.org.

In the “timing is everything” department Wednesday comes an e-mail notice from the Cincinnati Reds which reads in part:

“The Reds are welcoming fans to choose their seats in person at the annual Select-Your-Seat event Saturday, Jan. 31 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“Stop by Great American Ball Park and get an exclusive tour of the press box, where you can take in a view of the ballpark and select your seats for 2009. You’ll even have a chance to head out into the stadium and check out your seats up close.

Great American Ball Park

Saturday is also the last day to guarantee your seats for Opening Day at the best prices of the year with a Reds ticket plan. Save up to 22 percent on 2009 pricing if you buy before Feb. 1.”

As snow-laden trees, with a thick undercoat of ice, continue to fall around much of Central Kentucky, you’ve got to admire the Reds’ optimism for a Saturday promotion.

Admission is free. For more information and parking details, call the Reds at 513 765-7500. Or check on the web: http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/cin/ticketing/selectaseat.jsp.

Notes on the run

Former Murray State and University of Louisville standout Wesley Korir earned $2,500 last weekend by winning a half-marathon at Carlsbad, Calif.

Korir, a Kenyan now living in Oakland, Calif., netted $1,500 for first place and a $1,000 bonus for his sub-1:04 time of 1 hour, 2 minutes, 45 seconds, the fastest time at Carlsbad since Jenko Bensa ran 1:02:38 in 2000. Runner-up to Korir, Sergio Reyes of California, clocked in at 1:04:17.

Korir missed out on a $15,000 payday in October, when he finished fourth in the Chicago Marathon. Because he was not seeded with elite runners at the front, he was ineligible for prize money in that race.

* USA Track & Field’s Athlete of the Week is German Fernandez of Oklahoma State, who ran the fastest indoor mile ever by a junior athlete. Competing in the Razorback Invitational at Arkansas, Fernandez was timed in 3:56.50. That broke the world junior best of 3:58.34, set last year by Boaz Lalang of Kenya.

Other noteworthy performances included:

* Derek Miles, Olympic pole-vaulter, clearing a world-leading 19 feet, 1 inch at Vermillion, S.D.;

* Christian Cantwell, Olympic silver-medalist, with a world-leading shot put of 70-5.25 at Nordhausen, Germany;

* And Porscha Lucas, Texas A&M, sweeping the 60 (7.30) and 200 (world-leading 23.39) in the Texas-Texas A&M Dual.

The Ice Man cometh

Mark Johnson has been named head coach of the 2010 U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team that will compete at Vancouver. He is in his seventh season as coach at Wisconsin, where his winning percentage of .802 coming into the season leads active coaches in NCAA Division I.

Mark Johnson

Johnson also will coach Team USA at this year’s World Championships, April 4-12, at Hameenlinna, Finland, and also during other pre-Olympic competitions.

Many remember Johnson as the leading scorer (11 points) on the 1980 “Miracle On Ice” men’s gold-medal team at the Lake Placid Olympics. He scored two goals in the “Miracle” win over the Soviet Union. The son of Hall of Fame coach Bob Johnson, he went on to score 508 points over 669 games in the National Hockey League.

Since women’s hockey was added to the Olympic program, Team USA has won gold (1998, Nagano), silver (2002, Salt Lake City) and bronze (2006, Torino). All three teams were coached by Ben Smith.

Stephanie Hightower provided many a memorable moment on the track.

Now, she is stepping up in the USA Track & Field hierarchy, elected to a four-year term as president during USATF’s annual December meeting.

Hightower first caught my eye when she ran for old Stuart High School in Louisville, then during her days at Ohio State University — where she was coached by Mamie Rollins.

Today, Hightower makes her home in Columbus, Ohio, where she is Columbus College of Art & Design’s vice president for instutional advancement.

From 1977 through 1980, Hightower was undefeated over the 60- and 100-meter hurdles.

In 1980, she won the 100-meter hurdles at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Her time of 12.90 seconds was the second-fastest ever by an American. Thanks to an ill-advised boycott of the Moscow Games  — ah, yes, what better way to make a political stand than to sacrifice your best athletes? — denied her the chance to compete in the Olympics.

Looking for a top-three finish — and an automatic berth on the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics team — Hightower was involved in the closest race I have ever seen.

Running on the same L.A. Coliseum track that would be used in the Games, the first four finishers crossed the line within one hundredth of a second. There was an agonizing wait for the finish photos to be read and re-read.

Finally, the results: Kim Turner won in 13.12. Benita Fitzgerald, Pam Page and Hightower all clocked 13.13, placing in that order. Page’s margin over Hightower was a thousandth of a second.

Fitzgerald went on to win the Olympic gold medal. Turner tied for third, with Page in eighth.

Suggesting that the 1984 result was tougher to take than the 1980 boycott, “it was more devastating, you’re absolutely right,” Hightower told me at this year’s Trials. “But you know what, things happen for a reason. I’ve been blessed to be able to, over the last 25-plus years, continue to work in track and field as a volunteer.”

Now 50, Hightower just completed her eighth year as national chair of “women’s track and field for high performance.” She began her USATF Board service as a member of the Athletes Advisory Committee, also serving as that committee’s secretary and representative to the U.S. Olympic Committee. She serves on USATF’s International Relations Committee and chaired the 2007 CEO evaluation committee.

She also has served as a team manager, leader or chief of delegation at the Olympics, World Championships and/or World Youth Championships.

In her new office of president, she succeeds Bill Roe, who had served for eight years.

In the first round of voting, Hightower was named on 304 ballots, followed by USATF vice president Dee Jensen with 263. Bob Bowman, a former USATF vice president, had 58 votes and was eliminated.

In the head-to-head final vote, Hightower topped Jensen 328-300.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to serve this organization,” Hightower said in a USATF press release. “We have a multitude of opportunities that lie before us, and I’m just happy that I’ll have the opportunity to work with the USATF family and move the sport into the 21st century.”

Best wishes, madam president.

Cheers for some officials

* Congratulations, also, to Kenny Morton of Louisville. Morton, whose many contributions to track and field include directing the annual Mason-Dixon Games, won one of five officials awards presented at the USATF meeting. Appropriately, he took the Charlie Ruter Award.

Ruter, from Fern Creek, is known to every serious track and field enthusiast in Kentucky, and by many around the world. He trained nearly every veteran official in Kentucky, including yours truly.

Lori and Ron Boemker won the John Davis (officiating) Award. This award name also has a special spot in my heart, as the late Mr. Davis was my high school track coach at Glenbrook South (Ill.). We crossed paths many times in later years as he continued to “give” to the sport he loved by serving as a top-rate official.

Boos for some well-meaning but nit-picky officials

As long as I have mentioned track and field officials, I’ll let you in on the pet peeve coming out of my experiences as a reporter and USATF official.

In basketball, players are disqualified for such situations as too many fouls, a flagrant foul and multiple technical fouls.

In football, penalties are assessed according to the severity of infraction. Offsides is a 10-yard penalty, holding is 10 yards and a personal foul is 15 yards. In rare instances, usually dealing with a fight, players are ejected.

In baseball, arguing beyond bounds of civility likely will get a player or coach ejected.

But in track and field, ah!, high school officials are taught to disqualify athletes for improper underwear.

Right here in Kentucky, a state champion in the 100 meters was disqualified a few years ago because his boxer shorts were peeking out from underneath his uniform shorts.

At the Mason-Dixon Games, a team title was lost because a 4-by-400 relay team was disqualified for improper uniforms. The relay squad in question had all four members in white shorts, with white tops and blue lettering. The improper “uniform” came from two runners having white compression shorts showing on their thighs, while the other two had blue compression shorts.

To disqualify a team for something like this is disgraceful. The call is not even in the spirit of the uniform rule, which no doubt was instituted to prevent something like a relay member in a red shirt handing off to one in a blue shirt — thus making for confusion in the exchange zone.

The responses I get most often from officials when I challenge such decisions are “a rule is a rule” coaches are at faullt, and/or “we have to teach these kids to be responsible.”

To which I say, who is preventing you from using common sense?

For those who adhere to the ”a rule is a rule” philosophy, I would point out that virtually all of us have driven 26 mph in a 25 mph zone. Likely that most of us have gone through a stop sign without coming to a FULL stop. We’ve even done these things in the presence of police officers, who are sworn to uphold the laws. Fortunately, most police officers know how to use common sense.

If coaches are at fault, OK, let’s penalize the coaches, not the athletes. Let’s say “X amount” of infractions will result in a one-meet suspension of the coach in question, with higher penalties possible if infractions continue.

Teaching kids to be responsible? That is a task for parents and, to a lesser degree, mentors. Officials have the role of ensuring a safe and fair competition. However, a few officials rate the “success” of their efforts on how many athletes they disqualify — the more the merrier.

And what about holding officials accountable? If an athlete passes inspection in the marshalling area, that should be good enough to compete without fear of a uniform DQ. Most track and field officials volunteer their services. But a warning to a marshal and/or a demotion in responsibility is in order if kids continue to get disqualified.

At a time when young athletes can develop a life-long love of the sport, some lack-of-common-sense disqualifications have the same effect as clubbing the kid over the head and saying “we don’t want you in this sport.”

A rule is a rule, but there’s no rule against using common sense!