Anal -
retentive rules freaks… Sports Illustrated’s
columnist Rick Reilly always seems to come across the week’s best story. In his
November 5, 2004 column he relayed to his readers the non-pragmatic rules that
creep into our sport. Apparently at a high school cross country meet in
Virginia Beach about a dozen runners in the boys and girls races were
disqualified by an official for wearing the yellow, rubber bracelets supporting
the Lance Armstrong Foundation’s fight against cancer. Under national rules the
only “jewelry” allowed are medals worn as “displays of religious faith” and
medical bracelets. Reilly also found out watches are allowed, but a kid wearing
the yellow, rubber band would be DQ’d. Public
outcry overcame irrational rules and the district officials reversed the
decision against the 10 runners wearing the bracelets because they had not
received “adequate prior notice” that the bands were considered jewelry. Reilly
confessed he would like to give the officials yellow bracelets. Around their
necks
Spikeless in Eugene … In the 1972 Oregon Twilight
mile Kenny Moore ran 4:03 with NIKE waffle soled shoes-the fastest mile known
for a runner wearing flats. It wasn’t
-TheUnauthorized Story of Nike and the
Men Who Played There by J.B. Strasser and Laurie Becklund, 1991