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Jun 30, 2008 10:21:12 GMT -5
Post by QCS Admin on Jun 30, 2008 10:21:12 GMT -5
Anyone having trouble viewing videos? How about the full screen mode ?
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Jun 30, 2008 11:20:40 GMT -5
Post by kevinspradlin on Jun 30, 2008 11:20:40 GMT -5
Loaded/viewed quickly and smoothly both small and full-screen - Hawkins, Davis, Gray, Abebe and Mandefro all did well. Simpson's was different - instead of playing in smugmug, it went straight to full-screen Windows Media Player and took much longer than the others to buffer (all the rest were nearly instant). It played well once finally downloaded, though.
I won't rate the quality of the interviews - I just know that this weekend proves I should stay behind the pen and off the camera. The one with Abebe and Mandefro was tough because of the language barrier, the one with Gray had the camera set too high and I "um'd" my way through all of them. Yuck. I didn't have the camera stationary for Dawson's interview - I was a little wobby. Sorry, folks, if you got seasick watching that one.
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Jun 30, 2008 12:00:34 GMT -5
Post by burgrunner on Jun 30, 2008 12:00:34 GMT -5
I really like the idea of the interviews. It definitely gives a different perspective from reading the all of the quotes.
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Jun 30, 2008 19:50:19 GMT -5
Post by jordan on Jun 30, 2008 19:50:19 GMT -5
dudes and dudettes, There is no way that Ethiopian is 21... impossible. he looks upper 20's maybe even 30. And come on, why is that simpson guy ragging on him for winning? give me a break.
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Jun 30, 2008 21:23:25 GMT -5
Post by tommy on Jun 30, 2008 21:23:25 GMT -5
I said the same thing, I thought he was 40.
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Jun 30, 2008 22:06:04 GMT -5
Post by gdbrown on Jun 30, 2008 22:06:04 GMT -5
Thanks for the videos. They truly add to the results. I've been able to watch most of them, but they keep breaking up about half way through...any suggestions? Regarding the third place finisher, Mr. Simpson, being upset about losing to an "Ethiopian" or "Kenyan" at a local race - this is 2008 and whether one likes it or not "today's world isn't your parents' world." Perhaps Mr. Simpson should read Thomas Friedman's The World is Flat. Once again, thanks for the videos and congratulations to all who participated in this long-standing local race.
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Jul 1, 2008 6:59:19 GMT -5
Post by frojoe23 on Jul 1, 2008 6:59:19 GMT -5
I agree with Jordan that Abiyot is not 21. In fact, when I did a little more digging (State jog - lots of free time), I see where is year of birth is listed as 1987, but back in 2005, he was born in 1986, so he would be 19 and still a Junior. Maybe it is just an honest error - either way, 21 or not, he still spanked me pretty bad. Who knows, he may even be 55 years old!
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Jul 1, 2008 7:03:12 GMT -5
Post by frojoe23 on Jul 1, 2008 7:03:12 GMT -5
I though the interviews were great. Nice to see myself so cheerful after a race. It was also interesting to note that Simpson was clearly not pleased with his race and Kevin probably caught him when he was a little riled up and he just said some things without thinking too clearly about them.
They might be his true feelings, but I just think he was a little upset and just spouting off a little.
On another note: When I have a race that I'm not pleased with, please don't interview me or it will be a derogative, expletive laced affair.
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Jul 1, 2008 7:57:50 GMT -5
Post by kevinspradlin on Jul 1, 2008 7:57:50 GMT -5
Unfortunately, Jaron, I'm probably going to try to make that happen one day. If you finish 3,800th at Boston instead of 38th on what everyone might say is a bad day for you, it's my job as a journalist to talk to people on what might not be their best days. The reading public still will want to know how you did and what you think about your performance.
I think once you hit a certain level in the sporting world and the media folks start paying attention on your best days ... it's an obligation of sorts on the part of the athlete to be available on not-so-good days, too. (this isn't the Charles Barkley "I'm not a role model" speech).
Of course, it also depends on the level of the athlete. Personally, I'll give student-athletes much more leeway than "pro" , which I consider Jaron to be because he races for money (same with a handful of other guys around here). I remember covering a regional high school wrestling meet a few years ago in Carroll County. This kid, in my local coverage area, was unbeaten through his senior year - until he inexplicably lost in the semifinals of the tournament.
He was pissed - he shook off everybody's attempt to talk with him (parents, coaches, and me, the only reporter on the scene) and stormed out of the gymnasium into the parking lot and into his car. He didn't come back, at least not that I noticed.
This was the same kid who was completely available while things were going good. So what was in the next day's paper? The kid was upset and stormed out of the gym. But I didn't dwell on it like I might have with an athlete at a higher level of competition.
A great local, relevant example of this is when David Mertz ran Bostin two months ago. He didn't have the best of days. I had arranged to speak to everyone individually by cellphone for the next day's paper. I began to get concerned when the first 3 runners I talked with said they hadn't heard from Dave. I called - and became more concerned when I had to leave a message. But I'll be darned, the guy showed some class and called me back pretty quickly.
We ended up having a pretty good conversation. Based on the information at hand, I didn't think it was "newsworthy" enough to put much of what he said into print, but he didn't know that at the time.
This could make an interesteing thread topic. What do you guys think about all this?
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Jul 1, 2008 8:08:22 GMT -5
Post by frojoe23 on Jul 1, 2008 8:08:22 GMT -5
I agree that pro athletes should have the microphone in their face on good days and bad days. After all, they are getting paid millions of dollars to catch a football or hit a baseball and when they have a tough time of it, they should be held responsible for what happened.
In my opinion, if a doctor who is working 60 hours a week botches a job on a patient and gets sued for it, then a guy who catches a football for a living and works like 10 hours a week for millions of dollars should also get nailed to the wall when he stinks at his job.
Now, I'm far from a professional athlete. I'm not opposed to being interviewed on a bad day. I've had plenty of them and seem to be able to put them in their context. I just think that if you want a bad day, you need to interview me on a Saturday morning after eating Mexican food on Friday night and decide to do mile repeats. That is a bad day - for everyone!
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Jul 1, 2008 9:17:36 GMT -5
Post by kevinspradlin on Jul 1, 2008 9:17:36 GMT -5
That's funny - and I'd agree to a phone interview on days like that. (Thanks for the warning). I'm not so sure you and I are thinking about the same level of response or "agressiveness" to getting a comment from an athlete - I don't have the "NY Times approach" to getting the story at all costs, maybe, but in most cases I feel it's common courtesy for someone to answer a question or two. They don't have to give a life story, but a quick "had a bad day, humidity was bad and I ate mexican food last night" would suffice. Nothing fancy - and it gives the reporter something to go with.
I have bad days, too, where I don't even enjoy asking the questions - or I see a great performance - take that wrestling match as an example - and I have to interview the unexpected winner and the shocked, pi##ed off loser. Not fun - sometimes I'd rather be a fan and soak it in for what it was.
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Jul 1, 2008 9:20:22 GMT -5
Post by kevinspradlin on Jul 1, 2008 9:20:22 GMT -5
And for the record, Jaron, you weren't particularly satisfied with your performance at Boston this year, despite the 38th place finish. You didn't have negative splits - something every distance runner strives for - but you, like Mertz and Rice and Jim, took the time to explain your perspective of the race and why you thought it went the way it went. I appreciate that - and it was done in, what, 10-15 minutes at most?
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Jul 1, 2008 9:22:25 GMT -5
Post by robinette7 on Jul 1, 2008 9:22:25 GMT -5
Jaron, You might not be a professional runner in the publics eye but, you sure are around here and my kids eyes. Your better than a professional athlete. You work a steady job and then train on your own time. What do people like you get from it? I'd say from my home a "ROLE MODEL." There is no amount of money that can buy that label. People like you and the other QCS members earn that title. Thanks much and great job last Sat.
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Jul 1, 2008 9:37:12 GMT -5
Post by kevinspradlin on Jul 1, 2008 9:37:12 GMT -5
Jaron, to back up the last poster's thoughts: This is from an email I received after the Spring is Here! 10K in April - " .........in what other sport can an 8 year old girl participate in her FIRST official event next to an elite athlete like Hawkins? On days like that Sunday, the sport of running proves itself as the greatest sport. Everyone was so nice and supportive to <edit>, and it will truly leave a lasting impression on her no matter what her running future holds. <edit> is not a gifted athlete - she's just a girl that loves to run. ... She had so much more confidence after running your race and the warm reception she received."
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Jul 1, 2008 10:23:42 GMT -5
Post by frojoe23 on Jul 1, 2008 10:23:42 GMT -5
Well, those are some kind and unexpected words. I do agree with what you are getting at here. About two years ago, I kept a training log on this website as I headed into Chicago. It was a chance for everybody to get to see what my training was like and how I viewed race performances and generally what my life was like.
I've thought about posting another log again, but the first one received a lot of criticism. Mostly about my training, but there were comments about some of the personal things going on in my life that I put in there. It ended up just being another added stress and kind of ticked me off that I was so open with everybody - of course they were very open back - and I should've expected that, but there were one or two people who were just very negative about everything that I did.
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