Every four years they emerge from the obscurity of a small sport
to the international spotlight. The Olympics provide track and
field athletes a chance to become household names and overshadow
their baseball or basketball counterparts. And, for many of these
athletes, it’s an opportunity that is part of summer
vacation.
More than 20 athletes on this year’s U.S. Olympic track
and field roster are either still in college or just graduated in
2004. At the 2000 Olympic games, this number was eight. The
relative youth at this year’s games is a byproduct of
multiple factors, according to collegiate coaches.
“I think a big part of it is (that) collegiate coaching
across the country is improving,” LSU coach Dennis Shaver
said. “I think they’re handling collegians during an
Olympic year better, and there’s more experienced coaching
that puts an athlete in a position to still run a personal best
after a long season.”
UCLA women’s track and field coach Jeannette Bolden feels
timing has been a key reason.
“There was a wave of older athletes before that are
retiring now,” Bolden said. “The younger athletes were
waiting their turn and right now, the collegiate athletes are just
running well.”
Aging and coaching aside, there appears to be another
overarching reason why emerging collegiate stars are so abundant at
this year’s Olympics in particular. With the recent doping
scandal rocking track and field at the professional level, a door
has opened for the collegiate athletes to step through and compete
against their older counterparts. Four professional athletes,
including 100-meter world record holder Tim Montgomery, face
lifetime bans from the sport. Meanwhile, reports surfaced at the
U.S. Olympic Trials in July to show three of the competing athletes
tested positive for drugs.
“At the pro level there’s so much money involved.
It’s part of the human evil instinct to jump at the thing
that might give you an edge,” Shaver said.
As the United States Anti-Doping Agency and the International
Association of Athletics Federations continually look to crack down
on the use of performance-enhancing drugs, professional athletes
themselves cannot help but realize the severity of the
consequences. The risks of drug use seemingly have started to drive
many of them away from illicit substances and leveled the playing
field for collegiate athletes.
“When (collegiate athletes) saw what was happening, it
gave them more and more confidence that they might have a
spot,” Shaver said. “When they feel they can do well,
they perform at a higher level. It’s opened the door to
elevate their performance level.”
Because the NCAA and many schools conduct their own random tests
in addition to those administered by the USADA and IAAF, the top
collegiate athletes may be subject to testing by four different
agencies. The higher amount of testing at the collegiate ranks has
lent itself to a cleaner environment.
“Some of our athletes are tested as many as 30 times a
year,” Shaver said. “To be tested that often without
notice at different times during the day reduces the chances of
substances’ passing through.
“The pros are not tested by the NCAA or a school, so
there’s only half the testing.”
Many of these collegiate athletes who were competing for an NCAA
Championship a little over a month ago are now professionals
competing for a gold medal. By forgoing the remaining years of
their NCAA eligibility, they are hoping to cash in on the Olympic
opportunities.
“Track and field athletes make their mark in an Olympic
year,” UCLA cross country coach Eric Peterson said. “In
the public eye, it’s almost exclusively in an Olympic year
because there’s better exposure.”
Sponsors, understanding the increased public interest in the
sport during this period, are more eager to sign athletes. Shoe
companies, such as Nike and adidas, seek athletes that can bring
them notoriety without the risk of an accompanying scandal.
“The climate is one where companies want a safe investment
where there’s no chance of a cloud hanging over (the
athletes) with performance-enhancing drugs,” Shaver said.
“Companies want to make sure they’re doing it
naturally.”
Many of the collegians have been quick to accept the
companies’ offers. For example, although Mississippi
State’s Tiffany McWilliams decided to remain with the
Bulldogs after setting an NCAA record in the 1500 meters in 2003,
the senior opted to turn pro after her 2004 campaign. Even though
her NCAA championship winning time was 5 seconds slower this past
season, she can now take advantage of the benefits of starting her
professional career just before the Olympics.
Sponsors are minimizing some of the costs athletes must endure
by turning pro early. Nike and adidas both have subsidized
athletes’ college education, enabling them to still pursue a
degree even if they are not competing for their schools.
“When Nike signed Alan Webb, (it is) not going to leave
him hanging, in terms of educational costs,” Peterson
said.
Unlike professional team sports, track and field athletes do not
have designated doctors, coaches or practice facilities. Although
sponsors can catapult athletes into the spotlight and provide them
with some funding, these attractions often are not enough to lure
the athletes away from collegiate competition.
“The money is not like it is in basketball,” Bolden
said. “It behooves athletes to really look at what’s
going on before making their decision.”
The difficulty in sustaining a profitable career at the
professional level explains why many athletes choose to complete
their collegiate eligibility. Bolden did not lose any of her
underclass athletes after capturing the NCAA team title, and each
of LSU’s three Olympians with remaining collegiate
eligibility opted to return for at least another year.
“The collegiate system is a built-in, free way of
(athletes’) promoting themselves,” Shaver said.
“There are better coaches now ““ and more of them to
enhance athletes’ performances.”
For LSU and UCLA, this fact has been enough to keep athletes in
the fold. But for athletes such as Texas’ Sanya Richards or
Miami’s Lauryn Williams, the Olympics offer the best time to
make the leap to the pros. In track and field, the prospects for
stardom ofttimes are few and far between. And many collegians
don’t want to miss their chance to cash in.