Now imagine the reverse happening: Imagine hearing that as an actor you were hired, didn't know it, and did not show up for the part of a lifetime?
That's what happened to to swimmer Anna Crandall
That's what happened to to swimmer Anna Crandall
From Swimming World:
The blurb underneath one result reading something like "leaving first alternate Anna Crandall at home when she should have been invited" caught my eye. I looked at the title and it said something like "NCAA 2010 Predictions Recap", so I immediately thought "WHAT?!!" and clicked on the article to find out what it was talking about. "
That's right. Crandall spent two years thinking she'd been the first alternate -- the first one not to make it. No one told her she should have been at the meet, even though she continued to train and toil in hopes for a scratch.
[Link]
14 comments:
How devastating!
SHAME ON USC!
Seems to be too many "ERRORS" floating around in the swimming community.
Seems like it is always the girls that are the victims of these errors too.
At a high school league championship meet, my daughter had the fastest seed time but was not entered by the assistant coach.
The excuse, "the computer dropped the girls names that started with her initial" - she was the only one, but several boys, including my son, with the same initial, were entered.
This was a continual pattern of bullying by this female coach and the girls Captain. Because of the error, the girls captain swam in the fastest seed spot, while my daughter had to swim in the slower heat.
My daughter wound up with the fastest time and was the league champion. At the banquet, the assistant coach gave the Championship medal to the girls Captain and the second place medal to my daughter.
The head coach had to intervene and gave the medal to my daughter at the end of the banquet. She never got any recognition for being the Champion.
The Head coach was great - never any problems on the boys side. He told me that he didn't like to deal with the girls because they would get upset and quit if he used the same policies as he did with the boys (swim-offs for relays, fastest times, etc.), therefore, he let this assistant coach HANDLE the girls.
The following year at league finals, the fastest female sprinter (who was also being bullied)was so distraught over an incident that occured - she begged her mother to take her home before the meet ended.
Because she would not write an apology letter for leaving, she was not allowed to go to CIF (individual and relay event).
I've been trying to figure it out too - why the girls?
I find it interesting how a rival PAC 10 school's "error" can keep another schools athlete home.
Are the "ERRORS" a strategic move?
Do all institutions make these errors?
"The philosophical device known as "Occcam razor" suggests that the simplest answer is generally the correct one. If this has happened only once, then it's most likely a mistake. If it has happened twice, it's suspicious. If it has happened three times then you have a crime.
Anonymous - High School league:
I call it "poolitics" and swimming is rife with it. It's just so ugly and I am just so disgusted how the adults in charge of swimming related groups and simply not qualified leaders.
quis custodiet ipsos custodes? --
Nobody!
The victims are never believed and the abusers play dumb. The folks in charge don't want to deal with it, therefore, it's easier to pass the offenses off as "ERRORS".
Stuff like this shrinks the sport. When the Olympics become irrelevant; and they are being being replaced by the World Cup and to a lesser extent, the X-Games, what will the governing body do?
I don't know if the Olympic Games will ever become irrelevant. There will always be a new generation of wide-eyed kids.
As a kid, I remember watching the 1972 Gold Medal Mens basketball game with my family. It was so exciting, intense and then devastating. The outcome of that game left more of an impression on me than Mark Spitz victories.
Then there was the Nancy Kerrigan incident, the gymnastics corruption, the doping and the Olympics became frustrating to watch. (Win by cheating).
If I watch swimming this year, I won't be impressed by the medal winners - I really don't care - may the best person win - regardless of country, but I will be wondering if deserving swimmers were left home.
Ironically, the 1972 Olympics were the highest rated Olympics too.
My bad, 1976 were, here is a reference:
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/summer2008.jpg
This is all bullshit! USC Trojans should be well aware of NCAA rules. There is NO excuse.
Maybe its time that the NCAA looked into USC's swimming program and started handing out sanctions.
I suppose only the victim can make that complaint. The cynical me inside thinks that swimmers don't ever complain and do what they are told. I also think that front of the USA Swimming headquarters has a bunch of heads on various pikes, I am told that you can see Gary Hall's head on one, Mark Schubert on another, and even Mike Saltzstein's
Wonder if Kowalczyk was left home by USC because she was really sick or did they prefer having Schmitt take the spot.
Kowalczyk's bio on the USC website does not show any NCAA appearances - was this her only shot? did she know that she was invited?
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