Posted: March 16, 2005

Athletics: Leah Pells Responds to Athletics Canada Statement Regarding Selection of 2005 World Cross Country Team

Background:

Last week three veteran track athletes suggested that Athletics Canada (AC) is sending the wrong message: that you can't be both a parent and a serious athlete. Leah Pells of Langley, B.C., and Calgary's Lisa Harvey and Jeremy Deere - all three parents - were left off the Canadian team for the world cross-country championships for refusing to attend a pre-meet training camp because of parental obligations. Pells won bronze and Harvey was fifth at the Canadian cross-country championships in Toronto, the trial event for the world championships. Deere was 10th on the men's side. "I don't care," Martin Goulet, head coach of the Canadian cross-country team, said of Canada not fielding its strongest team.

Two-thirds of the Canadian team are paying their own expenses to represent their country - only in Canada, eh?

This issue has been a hot topic in the media (until it was replaced by the "sport" of curling") and on several athletics bulletin boards.

Yesterday The Runner's Web published Athletics' Canada position. It is available from the Runner's Web

Today we connected with Leah Pells to get her comments.

Leah's Profile:

Name: Leah Pells
Current Home:  Coquitlam BC
Born in:  Vancouver.  Nov 9-1964 
Age: 40 

Personal Bests:
800M:2:02
1500M: 4:03
5K: 16:00
10K: 32:48
Half marathon: 1:15

Significant Performances:
1996 Olympics: 4th in 1500m final.  
1997 World Champs 5th in 1500m final. 
3 time Olympian, 
6 time world champ team member, 
6 or 7 time World cross team member. 

Runner's Web(RW): Thanks for doing this Leah. Could you take us through the sequence of events for the past several months that ended with the ultimatum that if you did not go to the "training camp" you would be removed from the team.

Leah Pells (LP): Basically right from the day of Cross Country Nationals I knew it would be a bit of a tough situation. As the criteria was worded very strongly for everyone to attend the pre-worlds camp. I decided to continue to pursue it, in hopes that AC would help with child care or suggest an alternative solution that would make it possible as well as make both parties happy. I entered in the Seattle Indoor meets to prove fitness.
In the meantime Mike Van Tighem put an appeal together for Lisa and Jeremy and included me....very kind of him. The appeal was denied. The athlete's rep's did not support us, and I knew without their support it would be near impossible to win the second appeal.
At that time I know we would not be going to France...the wording for the rejection was very absolute. A rule is a rule and ultimately we need to change the rule.

RW: What is your opinion on the relevance of the pre-meet "training camp" to performance in the meet and in terms of team dynamics?

LP: I feel it is very insignificant. I have been on many National teams. We are distance runners. We chose running because most of us prefer an individual sport. Any camp I have ever been to...you see athletes training alone...and mostly doing their own things. World cross is a team event only in the fact that at the end of the race they add up our scores. We do not run together, we have no team strategy, we do not think of each other in the race. We race alone. At the end they do tally our scores. But it does not make it a "team" as it is for basketball or soccer for example.
Most athletes get very bored at camps...or they over do it by sight seeing or over training. Camps are only valuable for a certain percentage of athletes....many athletes (myself included) perform worse after a camp situation. I do best when I train at home....and before I was a Mom I would always ask to go into the camps as late as possible.
Team dynamics...well we all know each other and we like to see each other...but we do not need to hang out all that time to gel as a team. Like I said..we race alone.
The aspect where AC says the juniors need to be with the seniors...well I feel its best to role model through actions. To show juniors that you can have a balanced life and be on a National team is excellent role modeling. I am always here for the juniors via e-mail or at any meet I am at. I am very approachable.
Mostly the Juniors do like to do their own things...and the Seniors tend to be more low key , hanging out in our rooms reading or playing cards.

RW: As a result of AC's edict, we are not sending our strongest team to the Worlds. How do you think this will be received by the international running community?

LP: I feel that it is always best to send the strongest team. It is a world championship, not a provincial meet. So only the very best that Canada has should go. I feel that there will be very high expectations on Canada after last year's strong performances...and feel that it may be hard on some of the athletes. Anything less than last years performance will be a disappointment. Sad, but true.

RW: Could you comment on AC's defense of their actions as defined in their release of yesterday, particularly the following items:

1. AC made the statement "In the area of world cross country running, Athletics Canada has made a conscious decision to focus on competing at the highest level possible in the team competition of the World Cross Country Championships." However the team is essentially self-funded. AC seems to feel that "spending time together" is more important than properly funding the athletes. What is your reaction to this?

LP: Well, to compete at the highest level in the team competition means....send your best team...to score high.
You can not score high by sending the "closest team in terms of hanging out and being friends"...that does not play a role in the actual race. To run well as a team, you send the best, fittest athletes...they all score well...and thus ...a strong team performance. Good athletes will run well whether they have "bonded" or not. I do not feel the bonding or spending time together as a team will have any bearing on race results at all....neither negative nor positive. All that matters at world championships....is how fit and ready you are to race extremely hard. I do not understand how team closeness has a role in this?
I have never been a fan of self funding. I feel that if you are good enough to be on a National team, you should not have to pay your own way. Plus , really the funded team should be the long course , not the short course, as they are dropping the 4km race in a couple of years...so we should be developing our long course teams.

2. "Daycare assistance was offered at last year's World Cross Country Championships and we are always looking into ways that will make it easier for parent-athletes to travel with the team."

LP: Daycare was NOT offered. There was never an option of daycare or any help that was put on paper or discussed. We left the children at home and came in later as that was our only option. What has been done in the past year to help parents....not a thing. Look at how we are being supported now??
I was also extremely sad to hear that coming in later last year upset some of the athletes. We were just trying to juggle our lives. I also felt empathy for the full time working athletes...and felt that they too should have appealed the extended training camp.
This is my point...it is not practical for most team members....if you are not in school or a junior...you are most likely working or have a family or both...so a long camp is very unpractical. The majority of athletes can not afford to be full time athletes.

RW: I understand that you went down to the US to compete in a race this past weekend. How did the race go and what was the reaction of the Americans to the situation in Canada?

LP: Yes...the St. Paddy's dash in Seattle. It was as always lots of fun. I won the women's race and felt very strong. The Americans were laughing and said it was reassuring to know that there was a federation dumber than theirs. They thought the extended camp and team concept was ridiculous....and asked why Canada was doing that?

RW: Do you have any suggestions as to how this sort of situation could be avoided in the future?

LP: Yes...drop the camp concept. Or make the camp a choice. If athletes want to go to the camp, go...but if athletes do not...then why force it?
Especially for the self funded athletes.

RW: Are you concerned that this incident will negatively affect your dealings with AC in the future?

LP: No I am not concerned, as we are all adults and I feel that even though I disagree with the criteria....it was put out there with good intentions. By voicing concerns and showing the short falls in the system we can hopefully improve on what is going on. I hope something good will come of all this.

RW: What are you competition plans for the remainder of 2005?

LP: At this point lots of road racing ...and the Canadian half marathon champs in Edmonton in May. Just to enjoy running and racing as much as ever.

RW: What do you think of Canada's support for athletes in general from your perspective as a long-time national team member? Could the country do better, should it do better? It seems that Canada's support (or lack thereof) becomes an issue 3 months prior to the Olympics and then goes underground for four years until the next Games.

LP: Well, I feel that there is always room for improvement in terms of support for athletes. I do feel that it would be nice to see the support go up more than 3 or 4 months out from an Olympic games.
But the real problem is, that people in Canada do not seem to value non-professional sports...so until that changes there will most likely not be more money for athletics. The funding issue is one I have thought about a lot...and really I do not know what the solution is.

RW: Any last comments?

LP: Well , no matter what...running is a great thing to do. I have always loved to run and will always love to run. I take pleasure in the day to day aspect of running and training....and being on a team or not will not affect that.
It is the beauty of a individual sport...you can do it on your own as you want.

For more on Leah Pells visit WomenRunners.com.