Andrew Cantor said: “His pr is 9:03 but good for him for getting his season best. I really don't think he intended for the comment to be as arrogant as he came off. ”
I guess the point here is this. Graham is an amazing athlete. Im pretty sure even if he wore boots that he could still do amazing, so i think tiny little spikes is pitiful thing to debate about
UHS said: “Oh one last thing, get off of Graham for the Maryland line! He just got done running 3200m. He just PRed. He had questions thrown at him without prior knowledge. He is still a teen. And he is excited about going to Stanford. In fact, whenever I get interviewed, I sound no where as intelligent as he does. Why do we all like to throw stones in glass houses?
ENP!
”
His pr is 9:03 but good for him for getting his season best. I really don't think he intended for the comment to be as arrogant as he came off.
Oh one last thing, get off of Graham for the Maryland line! He just got done running 3200m. He just PRed. He had questions thrown at him without prior knowledge. He is still a teen. And he is excited about going to Stanford. In fact, whenever I get interviewed, I sound no where as intelligent as he does. Why do we all like to throw stones in glass houses?
Coming from a coach, I will say this about those of you that wore the wrong spikes: Who really cares if they checked spikes or not! Who cares if some spikes give an advantage or not! Character is what you do when no one is looking. Morgan State has allowed us to use their track. A very expensive and impressive track might I say. People with much more knowledge than me or you have made decisions about the sustainability of their track. Their property; not yours! If the people who paid for their own facility feel that certain spikes should not be used, no matter how stupid you feel their decision is, you should respect their wishes or just not run on their track. You would expect no less from someone borrowing your ipod. The bottom line is; if you expect other people to respect you and your stuff, why would you expect any less of yourself?
I want to congratulate Nick and Graham for a great High School career and wish them all the best at Navy and Stanford. 4:18 miles very impressive! Nick, I want to thank you for allowing me to be your coach. It was an great honor coaching you. I and the team will miss your leadership and work ethic!
ENP!
ok well the whole deal with not being able to wear certain spikes is true for sure and i had my spikes checked not once not twice not three times but 4 and before the 4 by4 western tech was told they had to take out all of their spikes because they were too long and one of them was wearinf christmas tree spikes. well in the end they didnt take them out and i heard them say let them dq us i dont give a . so after the race two different teams protested for around 45 minutes to no avail even though multiple people in the bulpen told them they would be dqd if they wore them.....made the difference between me getting a silver and a bronze....therefore im positive that this kid could of gotten away with it they werent forced to take them out just told so if he wanted to he coulda ran with them wether or not he did only he knows
graham is better than all of you, you're just mad because he kicked everyone's ass and your trying to find a reason to make you feel better about feeling like a fatty when you watch him win.
Anonymous Coward said: “Interesting question he is asking. I think a better 1 is if they do not help make u faster then y did people risk wearing them in the 1st place? Kind of stupid 2 wear illegal spikes if they do not help!”
because that's the spikes that come with the shoe.
Interesting question he is asking. I think a better 1 is if they do not help make u faster then y did people risk wearing them in the 1st place? Kind of stupid 2 wear illegal spikes if they do not help!
i wore compression spikes, and **** the MPSSAA. the officials they hire are a bunch of power tripping trolls. And you can't wear compression pins because the ignorant **** that maintain mondo surfaces believe they "tear" the track. ****.
i wore compression spikes, and the MPSSAA. the officials they hire are a bunch of power tripping trolls. And you can't wear compression pins because the ignorant that maintain mondo surfaces believe they "tear" the track. .
My spikes were never checked...no one asked me or anything.
Regarding Grahams remark about lack of competition...I don't think he meant it the way he came off. I think he meant he will have more opportunities to race guys outside the state. However, I still think that comment was a little much. Zach Sullivan still has the fastest time in the state for the 3200 and Haile is obviously up there, even though he goes to a private school. It's really a bummer he got hurt. Its obvious multiple people can push Graham really hard in the 1600.
Lance Dockery said: “I don't think that is completely true, see this video where you can tell the first River Hill runner is wearing Jasaris; which have permanent Christmas tree spikes.
There are good runners like Haile, but has ever raced Solomon in Maryland? No. I'm assuming he was referring to a college environment where he could train and race against a bunch of other elite runners who would be much faster.
people sneak illegal spikes into races all the time. it is because certain spikes ruin certain types of tracks if worn too regularly on them, not because there is an advantage. stfu people. the kid won fair and square.
now what i am confused about is his statement about having to get out of maryland...arent there other good runners in maryland?
AKA
Soloman Haile?
MDrunner,
If he wore prohibited gear on purpose what would you call it?
And I said, "If he wore them,"
Thanks again flotrack
Im outta here "getting a life" (LOL) becuase I really don't care about this; most invovled are Seniors. I just wanted to give my five cents which does have data to prove it. Just look it up.
im not sure why where even debating this? graham's a monster he was down by several meters in the last hundred i dint think spikes could really make a big deal in this matter he won by heart and finishing hard for the win, and for that i resect him. everyone else on here that doubts his abilitys can race him and see what you think spikes or not.
Coach and Runner,
You do not get any advantage from wearing a certain type of spike, there is no scientific proof of this, so you have no reason to call Graham a cheater. A certain type of spike will not make that much of a difference, you are probably just an Urbana parent or coach that is sad because your runner made a tactical error, went too soon, and paid the price. Graham won, fair and square. Get a life.
Jimmy, I agree with you that Graham wins his races due to hard work and hours or training. He is a top notch athlete just like all the athletes that ran that race. Mocorunner, from what I see the question is not if the prohibited spikes got him the win in the 3200m. That is a sure "no" because he blew away the field. Reading all of this though, I think the question that is being posed here is, “Did Graham get at least a .5 second advantage in the mile from the compression spikes that were prohibited at the state meet?” He is an experienced athlete. He knows what is legal and what is not. I am versed in running and coach sprints at a D1 college. And I can tell you compression spikes do provide an advantage by decreasing drag and increasing spring. Whenever we can, we wear them for that reason. My experience says "yes" they provide an advantage especially on a mondo surface like Morgan State. If he wore the illegal compression spikes, he did get more than a .5 second advantage from them especially during his sprint because that is what their purpose is for. They increase spring and therefore allow a runner to decrease the time the foot spends on the ground. Other spikes stick to the track longer during a sprint. It is common sprinting knowledge if you want to decrease sprint times, one of the tings you do is decrease the time the foot spends on the ground. Compression spikes do that. Compression spikes also slightly decrease the lactic acid onset because of the spring they provide. If he wore them, good guy or not, that is a definite issue that needs to be taken care of by the officials especially for the future. If he wore them it is something that Graham needs to carry because track runners are a big family and nothing worse than cheating your own family. If he knowingly wore them; he cheated. If I was his coach; we would be having a talk.
On a second note, thank you flotrack for the Video’s. It is a good tool for me to look at upcoming juniors for recruitment.
Craig Morgan said: “The officials did check spikes before the athletes went into the bullpen, and after that some athletes were checked twice or even a third time in my case. There's no way Graham got away with using X-mas trees (which, by the way, don't tear up tracks)”
I don't think that is completely true, see this video where you can tell the first River Hill runner is wearing Jasaris; which have permanent Christmas tree spikes.
graham wins his races through hours of hard work, dedication, and desire. not by wearing a special pair of spikes. anyone who says otherwise (especially anonymously) should take a lesson or two in class.
Mike said: “I didn't because my coach said they were not allowed. I think that if he did wear them, he should mail his metal back becuase he broke the rules. Also he says in his video that that he needs to leave MD so he could get some people to challenge him. If that is the case why wear spikes that are not allowed in the state that give him an advantage. I think the reason is that there were several people that could do something in the mile against him.”
This interview was actually after the 3200 not the 1600; I think that's where the limited competition he was referring to came from considering he won by 30+ seconds.
Second of all you guys know nothing about Graham or the situation, so I say stop the speculation. Agree with below, if the officials okayed him to run, then he did nothing wrong.
I don't know who is making up rumors, but like Craig Morgan said they checked spikes multiple times and there's no way he was wearing them; if he was, then that's the fault of the officials for allowing him to.
Graham is definitely a class act, and anonymous people should stop dragging his name through the dirt.
Craig Morgan said: “The officials did check spikes before the athletes went into the bullpen, and after that some athletes were checked twice or even a third time in my case. There's no way Graham got away with using X-mas trees (which, by the way, don't tear up tracks)”
I said that Christmas Tree Spikes don't tear up track, not that they do.
nest thing you know people are gunna be saying they really should have one becuase the kid that out leaned them had flywire on there shoes which acording to nike will give you that extra meter in a 1k. come on ppl.
So your saying if they tell athletes that Christmas Tree Spikes are prohibited (which they did) but they don't check close enough for them there is nothing wrong with an athlete squeaking by and using them? So therefore it is not cheating because he wanted to win. Like everyone at the meet; including those that did not wear them and followed the rules. Athletes were told at the meet that they were illegal. Some were caught and some were not. But that aside what ever happened to personal integraty.
It obviously isn't cheating if there wasn't a mandatory check. Christmas trees may not have been prohibited at the meet officials didn't check. As a track runner you want every advantage possible. This kid wanted to win and regardless of the spikes he wore he is a class act and a heck of a runner based on the video.
The officials did check spikes before the athletes went into the bullpen, and after that some athletes were checked twice or even a third time in my case. There's no way Graham got away with using X-mas trees (which, by the way, don't tear up tracks)
What is happening w/u Leo its not about checkin its about an Elite runner doin what is right. What if it happened 2 u. If he wore da Xmas trees he cheated! I used 2 repect him.
Jeff & Mike are right; Christmas Tree spikes with their flatter end have a more maximum amount of spring force because they aren't tearing the surface of the track as much, which means less bonds are broken, resulting in the extra spring.
However, was there a mandatory spike check? If the Christmas Tree Spikes were prohibited, Bazell broke the rules and cheating, which means that .5 seconds he had on Nicholas Huang could make a difference, and he should not have won because he had an unfair advantage.
I didn't because my coach said they were not allowed. I think that if he did wear them, he should mail his metal back becuase he broke the rules. Also he says in his video that that he needs to leave MD so he could get some people to challenge him. If that is the case why wear spikes that are not allowed in the state that give him an advantage. I think the reason is that there were several people that could do something in the mile against him.
I beg to differ. Christmas Tree spikes are compression spikes. They aid in speed and do not stick in the track like other spikes therefore giving a runner a spring. If he used them it could give him a .5 second advantage in the 1600m and not to mention they are against the rules.
I heard Graham tell another athlete that he wore Christmas Tree Spikes for the 1600m Did he wear them for the 3200 as well. I guess we will never know if a MD athlete can beat him fairly. Becuase as far as I can see that is cheating.
Graham Bazell Atholton 3200 (3A)
“His pr is 9:03 but good for him for getting his season best. I really don't think he intended for the comment to be as arrogant as he came off. ”
“Oh one last thing, get off of Graham for the Maryland line! He just got done running 3200m. He just PRed. He had questions thrown at him without prior knowledge. He is still a teen. And he is excited about going to Stanford. In fact, whenever I get interviewed, I sound no where as intelligent as he does. Why do we all like to throw stones in glass houses?
ENP!
”
ENP!
I want to congratulate Nick and Graham for a great High School career and wish them all the best at Navy and Stanford. 4:18 miles very impressive! Nick, I want to thank you for allowing me to be your coach. It was an great honor coaching you. I and the team will miss your leadership and work ethic!
ENP!
Stop Hatin. Jealousy is ugly and God don't like ugly.
Graham's the man
“Interesting question he is asking. I think a better 1 is if they do not help make u faster then y did people risk wearing them in the 1st place? Kind of stupid 2 wear illegal spikes if they do not help!”
Regarding Grahams remark about lack of competition...I don't think he meant it the way he came off. I think he meant he will have more opportunities to race guys outside the state. However, I still think that comment was a little much. Zach Sullivan still has the fastest time in the state for the 3200 and Haile is obviously up there, even though he goes to a private school. It's really a bummer he got hurt. Its obvious multiple people can push Graham really hard in the 1600.
“I don't think that is completely true, see this video where you can tell the first River Hill runner is wearing Jasaris; which have permanent Christmas tree spikes.
http://www.flotrack.org/videos/coverage/view_video/234516/180841
If you are Craig Morgan maybe you can tell us how he managed to get in...”
now what i am confused about is his statement about having to get out of maryland...arent there other good runners in maryland?
AKA
Soloman Haile?
If he wore prohibited gear on purpose what would you call it?
And I said, "If he wore them,"
Thanks again flotrack
Im outta here "getting a life" (LOL) becuase I really don't care about this; most invovled are Seniors. I just wanted to give my five cents which does have data to prove it. Just look it up.
You do not get any advantage from wearing a certain type of spike, there is no scientific proof of this, so you have no reason to call Graham a cheater. A certain type of spike will not make that much of a difference, you are probably just an Urbana parent or coach that is sad because your runner made a tactical error, went too soon, and paid the price. Graham won, fair and square. Get a life.
On a second note, thank you flotrack for the Video’s. It is a good tool for me to look at upcoming juniors for recruitment.
“The officials did check spikes before the athletes went into the bullpen, and after that some athletes were checked twice or even a third time in my case. There's no way Graham got away with using X-mas trees (which, by the way, don't tear up tracks)”
http://www.flotrack.org/videos/coverage/view_video/234516/180841
If you are Craig Morgan maybe you can tell us how he managed to get in...
“I didn't because my coach said they were not allowed. I think that if he did wear them, he should mail his metal back becuase he broke the rules. Also he says in his video that that he needs to leave MD so he could get some people to challenge him. If that is the case why wear spikes that are not allowed in the state that give him an advantage. I think the reason is that there were several people that could do something in the mile against him.”
Second of all you guys know nothing about Graham or the situation, so I say stop the speculation. Agree with below, if the officials okayed him to run, then he did nothing wrong.
Graham is definitely a class act, and anonymous people should stop dragging his name through the dirt.
“The officials did check spikes before the athletes went into the bullpen, and after that some athletes were checked twice or even a third time in my case. There's no way Graham got away with using X-mas trees (which, by the way, don't tear up tracks)”
However, was there a mandatory spike check? If the Christmas Tree Spikes were prohibited, Bazell broke the rules and cheating, which means that .5 seconds he had on Nicholas Huang could make a difference, and he should not have won because he had an unfair advantage.