From the disqualification in the U16 to  the Pit Lane in U18 - Considerations of a coach who has experienced both

When I was asked to tell my personal experience as a coach to be caught up in the new rule of the Pit Lane in young, I did not hesitate one second in accepting it.

The Pit Lane Rule was born, at least to my knowledge, with the primary purpose of reducing the disqualification at youth level, in order to avoid traumatic abandonment of the specialty, but especially in order to make it clear to young athlete and his coach, that a correct rave walk to the long pay more than the stabbing search for a benefit or a placement at all costs.

The Pit Lane Rule, first introduced in the categories U16,  this year is used also in the category U18, strongly supported by the IAAF and readily shared by FIDAL.

Before the introduction of the Pit Lane Rule, the athlete, following the their red card, was promptly disqualified thus ending his race. With the introduction of the Pit Lane Rule, at the third red card, the athlete is stopped in a free zone, called "pit lane area," where he remained for 60" or 120" depending on the distance race (60" up to 5000 meters, and 120" for longer distances). After this stop the athlete continues his race, and only after and eventual forth red card will be disqualified. The concept of “you have ha second opportunity” !

In my case, as father and coach of two young female athletes of a good national level, I have the record, unenviable, to have lived, on their skin, both the disqualified after the race as a consequence third red card, both the pit lane, during the recent Italian U18 Championships in Milan. In the this last occasion my athlete, fighting for second place, was stopped in the Pit Lane area 100m to go. In 2013, however, the other twin after finishing first in the Italian U18 Championships in Jesolo and only after a few minutes she was notified of the disqualification. In an uninterrupted crying the young walker was felt all the anger and disbelief to what had been seen as an injustice. A disqualification that left its mark in the following races, worriing the young athlete with feelings of being afraid and insecurity.

The recent experience with the athlete "confined" in the Pit Lane area during Italian U18 Championships, despite its dramatic developments had completely different. After cool down and metabolized the very first anger, the young athlete, despite the forced stop of 60" seconds, she finished the race in third place, in a very short time recovering her serenity. The experience of the Pit Lane made her understand, on her skin, that if forcing less than the pace in the final race, she probably would have ended without any penalty.

In both the cases, the days following the race have been used to analyze the mistakes made and work best to perfect the technique of walking. The comparison between the two experiences, both in terms of coaching and that of father, has given birth without doubt to a favorable opinion regarding the experience of the Pit Lane.

Thus it was created an alternative to disqualification that gives the young athlete the opportunity to grow, learn and improve, without having to live the ordeal. With this rule probably will avoid drastic and hasty decisions by young athletes taken in the wake of disappointments caused by disqualification, which would enable to them to lay firm foundations for a future as athletes.

No doubt as a coach i’m favorable; now I can only continue to work to improve not only the result but also the technique.

Fabrizio Mirabello