Clara Adams, a sophomore high school sprinter in California, was penalized by officials who changed the rules after she won a preliminary heat in the girls’ 400 meters in a CIF State Track and Field Championship meet. There’s no doubt that she won, but her victory was stripped because a rule was made up to disqualify her after she won.
She won the state title and, as anyone would have done, celebrated her victory — something most winners do. Nobody had ever forbidden the way winners celebrated at her school.
She had run the fastest in the girls’ 400-meter finals. She crossed the finish line 0.28 seconds ahead of her closest rival. That was cause for celebration. She celebrated using a small fire extinguisher to spray her cleats as if she was putting out a fire. The crowd loved it, but her action was deemed “unsportsmanlike.” She was stripped of her title and not allowed to compete further because officials who were no longer in charge of the track meet decided to make an after-game ruling without an appeal of a nonexistent rule.
The race was over. Clara had walked in front of the stands, found her father, who handed her the small fire extinguisher, and walked back across the track into the grass, where she sprayed her cleats. Her move was one made as a tribute to former U.S. sprinter Maurice Greene, who similarly celebrated his win in the 100 at the 2004 Home Depot Invitational. He was celebrated. She was punished.
“If [the celebration was away] from everyone and not interfering with anyone, I would say reinstate her,” Greene said.
Instead of being the victorious one, Clara was stripped of a title she had won, and it was given to someone else. Clara said she was just having fun. The crowd loved her celebration. She had just won her first state title and yes, she was excited, but it was all taken away from her.
Insensitive adults made her sit and watch others who came in behind her as they accepted what she would have received as the victor.
Clara meant no harm because no such rule existed. Her win in the 400 marked her first state title and insensitive adults took it away from her. She didn’t do anything wrong.
Clara’s father said the officials “were really nasty” toward his daughter. They “tugged on her arm. They were screaming in her face. They had allowed no appeal before taking the title and giving it to the second-place winner.”
Mr. Adams said, “We were asking for the rule, the specific rule of what she did, and they didn’t really give anything.”
Wouldn’t it be a victory if Madison Mosby, who was given the award, presented what she had not really won to Clara, making both girls winners? It would show the adults who unfairly took Clara’s award the meaning of fairness.
Young people have often shown adults what fairness means. Mosby has a chance now to be a real hero by presenting the award to Clara, the real winner. Both girls would forever be known as winners. Mosby doesn’t have to do it, but it would certainly be a memorable example of justice.
Williams is president of The Dick Gregory Society (www.thedickgregorysociety.org).