Michael Johnson. Carl Lewis. Tyson Gay. These are the names we usually associate with USA track and field. All sprinters. One could argue that this is a fair assessment, especially if the number of Olympic medals won by Americans in events under 800 meters as compared to those over 800 meters is considered. At the 2012 games hosted in London, 16 of the 29 medals brought home by the track team were earned in sprinting events, whereas only two medals were earned on the distance side, the remaining 11 being earned in various field events.
That being said, hopes were not incredibly high for the distance runners in 2016. However, this thought was quick to change from spectators once Clayton Murphy and Emma Coburn earned bronze medals in the 800-meter run and 3000-meter steeplechase respectively on August 15, two of the earliest run events. Results became even more exciting as the games proceeded, with Matthew Centrowitz taking first place in the 1500, the first American to do so since 1908, and on the women’s side Jennifer Simpson produced a third place result in the same event, the first American woman to ever medal in the 1500. Additionally, Evan Jager (3,000-meter steeplechase) and Paul Chelimo (5,000-meter run) each managed to gain silver medals for their efforts.
By August 21 when Galen Rupp took bronze in the men’s Marathon, the American distance squad had recorded an astounding seven medals to their credit, more than they earned at the previous five Olympic Games combined. In doing so, the track team garnered record-high 32 medals at the Rio de Janeiro Games.
This newfound success is nearly unprecedented, and it is evocative of what is usually considered “the Golden age” of American distance running: the late 60s to early 80s. This time period is further idealized by the classic running icon Steve Prefontaine, whose competitive drive inspired many others around him; unfortunately, Pre, as fans affectionately called him, was never able to earn an Olympic medal due to an untimely death at the hands of a car accident.
Indeed, when retired professional runner and current assistant cross country coach at Muhlenberg County High School Alan Culbertson was asked to what he most attributed the Olympians’ 2016 success, he had this to say: “[…]I think they just worked harder, and in many ways, smarter than in years past. I have had this written in my running logbook forever: ‘Hard work pays off. To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.’” He explained that Steve Prefontaine was responsible for that quotation, and Culbertson seems to be correct that this year’s round of athletes did indeed work smarter.
USA track and field put more effort into training research for the Rio Games. They incorporated high altitude training at a much more significant emphasis, as well as employing a more uniform, coordinated schedule that would help athletes in similar events peak at the appropriate instance. Also, dietary methods were held to a higher regard, and cooks were even employed in the effort.
All that being said, it can be seen that there is much more to distance running than running itself, if a team wishes to be successful. Will the 2016 Games prove to be the inception of a rebirth in American distance running, or just a fluke? In large part, we will simply have to wait until the 2020 Tokyo Games to see.
I just want grilled cheese
I believe a major role in the residence life of a university is to provide comfortable and healthy living arrangements for students. A part of this involves that the university provide substantial, easily accessible, nourishing meals for its residents. Unfortunately, that is not necessarily the case when it comes to meal plans at Transy.
This year, Sodexo—which contracts with Transy to provide dining services—has made a lot of changes as it pertains to their meal plans. Frankly, none of these changes benefit the students who pay for meal plans. They have eliminated a campus favorite for late night eating, and for people with special diets like myself, such as paleo diets, vegetarian, or vegan, there are little to no options for food. On top of this, they have changed the hours that food establishments are open. The majority of the time, it is hard to find food on campus that is healthy, and available. It should not be this hard, as a college student, to eat university-provided food.
Here’s an example. This year, I chose not to have a meal plan because of these reasons stated above. My healthy dining options were sparse, and I ended up cooking my own meals most of the time because places were never open, and the food wasn’t great. However, in the instances where I have had no choice but to eat on campus, I put money on my Crimson Card to use at my convenience. It was a simple concept that should have allowed me to obtain a sub par meal from campus dining. However, it was not so simple.
One evening while I was working late on campus, I decided that I needed a snack and went to “Late Night Caf” minutes before close (because they have shortened the hours of late night dining options). After ordering my grilled cheese, which I had heard to be the only edible option on the menu, I was told that my Crimson Card was not registered with an account. I explained to the cashier that I had loaded my card with money, and that I was using that, rather than an actual meal plan. A blank stare and complete confusion preceded me, and the cashier eventually shrugged and asked if I could pay cash.
Long story short, I was unable to eat that evening, when it really shouldn’t be that hard for a student to obtain a sandwich on campus. After emailing Sodexo inquiring if they had changed their policy on Crimson Card money, I was told that the cashier did not know what he was doing, and was not trained prior to the start of the school year on how to use these form of payment. I was angry and completely flabbergasted that it has become so incredibly difficult to obtain a quality meal on campus. It is safe to say that I am happy to have cancelled my meal plan, and will not be spending my money on sub par food any longer.
The moral of the story here is simple: if you are in the business of providing a service to students, put the students first. Yes, I understand that Sodexo is a business and needs to turn a profit, but when its role is a critical part of the student life at a university, it needs to be more organized and less concerned about making money for themselves. It needs to be more concerned about feeding the students, and providing the service they were hired for.
Update 10/14/16: Interim Transylvania Dining General Manager Jeff Griffis reviewed procedure with staff not to allow students to go without food due to a register issue.