Mary Cain is a smart 17-year-old with smart parents. As you undoubtedly know, the multiple American junior record-setter is coached by Alberto Salazar of the Nike Oregon Project.
With her parents’ support, Cain has turned pro. Here’s a cut from the announcement:
Mary’s parents, Charles and Mary, have been extremely supportive since the beginning of their daughter’s career and were by her side every step of the way as she made this decision. “How to proceed was always going to be a difficult choice. Mary is a straight A student and will be pursuing a college education while competing. This remains a priority and we think this approach is the best way to balance her educational and athletic goals”, said her father Charles.
Mary has hired Ricky Simms of PACE Sports Management as her agent and will continue to work with Alberto Salazar as her coach. Other PACE Sports Management clients include the six times Olympic Champion and world’s fastest man, Usain Bolt, Olympic and World Champions, Mo Farah and Christine Ohuruogu, as well as a host of the world’s top athletes. Alberto Salazar, a legend of US distance running and head coach of the Nike Oregon Project, guides the careers of Mo Farah, Olympic and World Championship medallists Galen Rupp, Matthew Centrowitz and most recently Shannon Rowbury.
In other words, Mary won’t run for the University of Oregon, or Stanford, or Georgetown or Arizona. Which may be a disappointment for the schools, but is a wonderful thing for Mary, I believe. Arthur Lydiard claimed, and it’s borne out abundantly, that the U.S. college system with its three unrelenting competitive seasons either destroys young athletes or significantly retards their careers, as college coaches focus the athlete’s training on short-term success instead of long-term development. Kudos to the Cains and Alberto Salazar.
In other news…
An amusing cartoon from this morning’s online New Yorker:
In other words, practice expansive sports, but hedge your bets. Rotsa ruck.
Speaking of expansive sports, here’s how I envision the glorious future of pro football. This is from a Fark.com Photoshop contest: “Sports of the 22nd Century.” I hope so. Sis-boom-bah, let’s end head trauma (and a lot more). Rah-rah-rah.
