HS runners DQ'd for LiveStrong' wrist bands
"LiveStrong" doesn't add up to "run fast," at least for one high school official in Virginia.
More than two dozen high school track athletes were disqualified from an Oct. 6 event in Virginia Beach, Va., after an administrator ruled Lance Armstrong's popular "LiveStrong" wristbands amounted to jewelry, banned under district rules.
Some 26 athletes were wearing the yellow plastic bans and were subsequently disqualified from the track event, according to a report in the The Virginia Pilot newspaper.
"It's the stupidest rule I've ever heard," said Lanny Doan, one of the high school coaches. "We're talking about a rubber band. It's not going to harm anyone."
Some 12 million of the wrist bands have been sold nationwide to raise money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The wrist bands have become a cultural phenomenon, with big-time sports stars and even presidential candidates sporting the plastic bands.
The wrist bands, however, fell afoul with school officials in Virginia who have banned all except religious or medical jewelry from high school track events. The Virginia Pilot reported high officials notified coaches by e-mailed prior to Wednesday's with reminders that the rule would be enforced.
Several athletes won their heats but were later disqualified after wearing the wrist bands. One of the school's girl's squad lost out on the team competition because of the ruling.
"Basically, we lost because of a cancer-support bracelet," Ocean Lakes coach Mike Nestor told the newspaper. "This is a friendly sport. I'd rather be told kids had to take them off before they run than told gotcha' afterward."
"LiveStrong" doesn't add up to "run fast," at least for one high school official in Virginia.
More than two dozen high school track athletes were disqualified from an Oct. 6 event in Virginia Beach, Va., after an administrator ruled Lance Armstrong's popular "LiveStrong" wristbands amounted to jewelry, banned under district rules.
Some 26 athletes were wearing the yellow plastic bans and were subsequently disqualified from the track event, according to a report in the The Virginia Pilot newspaper.
"It's the stupidest rule I've ever heard," said Lanny Doan, one of the high school coaches. "We're talking about a rubber band. It's not going to harm anyone."
Some 12 million of the wrist bands have been sold nationwide to raise money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The wrist bands have become a cultural phenomenon, with big-time sports stars and even presidential candidates sporting the plastic bands.
The wrist bands, however, fell afoul with school officials in Virginia who have banned all except religious or medical jewelry from high school track events. The Virginia Pilot reported high officials notified coaches by e-mailed prior to Wednesday's with reminders that the rule would be enforced.
Several athletes won their heats but were later disqualified after wearing the wrist bands. One of the school's girl's squad lost out on the team competition because of the ruling.
"Basically, we lost because of a cancer-support bracelet," Ocean Lakes coach Mike Nestor told the newspaper. "This is a friendly sport. I'd rather be told kids had to take them off before they run than told gotcha' afterward."
