Process of Selecting of 4x100m Team Members
Selection of team members will be done with an overall goal of coming up with the fastest runners possible. However, 4x100m relay is a team of four runners. It is therefore impossible to select the fastest 4x100m team from a pool of many 4x100m teams. Since each runner will be expected to run approximately 100m, the best idea is to select 4 of the fastest 100m athletes. A pool of ten best 100m runners will be identified. Then four of the best runners will be selected from the ten. The selection team will use a criteria which will ensure that the fastest runners are selected. One of the criteria is age. Of the ten athletes, those within the age bracket of the previous fastest 100m runners will be selected. The next criteria is consistency of performance in competitive athletics. Athletes who have been running for longer time and whose performance has been impressive in local, regional, and global competitive 100m will be considered. Impressive performance shall imply a performance within the top ranked performers when the results are announced. Another criteria will be discipline.
A team is not effective if the members in such a team are not disciplined. According to Northouse, a team is not only composed of members who are interdependent but also members who share common goals and collaborate to accomplish their goal(s). As such, the selection team will look at the past records of the top ten performers. Those who have been found to be indiscipline shall not be considered. Indiscipline include exhibiting behaviors which tends to destroy team cohesion rather than build it. Such behaviors include insulting team members, fighting in the field, going against coach’s instructions, and intentionally not putting best effort during the race. Further, the selection team will consider illegal activities. Athletes who have been found to be engaged in unethical activities such as drug abuse, use of banned performance enhancing drugs, and other illegal substances will not be considered even if such a runner happen to have been among the global best performers. There will be other considerations such as citizenship of the runners and health. All runners will be subjected to a mandatory health test to ensure that they are fit to compete in such a competitive event. The selection team might consider even assessing the health records of the athletes for the past six months.
A checklist will be used to assess the athletes based on this criteria. The team members will record information on a score sheet. Selection team will then compare the performance of each athlete based on the criteria used. All the ten athletes are ranked. The selection team will deliberate on further aspects that can result in the best team possible. If it is found that a certain athlete has a potential to perform better than the top five selected, that athlete will be subject to further assessment. Finally, all the athletes are ranked. The top five fastest runners will be selected to participate in Rio 4x100m. The fifth ranked athlete will be included in case one of the top four fails to participate due to health, injury, or any other reason which might affect his performance.
Selection of the best runners is not that simple. An individual cannot do it perfectly. That is why the job is best reserved for a selection team. In the team, all members will collaborate to arrive at the best team possible. It is for this reason that all opinions count towards getting the best team. All team members will be equal. None will have superior opinions over others. Team members will be also fair and honest in their selection. They will share ideas and discuss issues and agree on the best approach to obtaining the best team.
Predicted outcome (a win or a loss)
Before heading to Rio, it count a lot to find out the probability of winning. Nothing provides better information than records of past performance in similar events. For example, previous performance suggest the fastest 100m sprinter holds an all-time record of 9.58 seconds. In a rank of the top ten fastest sprinters of all the time, the top ranked holds a record of 9.58 seconds while the 10th holds a record of 9.86 seconds (Top Ten Rankings). Previous records show that in 2015 Jamaican team was ranked top at 37.36 seconds followed by USA at 37.38 seconds. From 2012-2014 Jamaica has been ranked the top at 36.84s, 37.36s, and 37.58s (IAAF). To win the Rio 4x100m relay, a team must be currently running at a time of at least 37.36s. Alternatively, if at least two of the runners are among the top ten all time fastest 100m runners, there is a greater probability that the team will win the race. Jamaican team has recorded an impressive performance consistently since 1993. It is therefore the only team to watch in Rio. If the 2015 team is maintained or if some team members are replaced with faster athletes, there is a great probability that the team will win the Rio Olympic Games. Records from IAAF also suggest there is no current threat to Jamaican team except the USA. It is therefore likely that Jamaica will win the Rio Olympic 4x100m relay.
Works cited
International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). 4x100 Metres Relay Men. 29 Aug 2015. Web. 29 Feb 2016. < http://www.iaaf.org/records/toplists/relays/4x100-metres-relay/outdoor/men/senior/2015 >
Northouse, Peter. Leadership: Theory and Practice. Washington DC: SAGE Publications, 2013. Print.
Top Ten Rankings. Top Ten Fastest 100 Meter Sprinters in History. 2016. Web. 29 Feb 2016. < http://www.rankings.com/sports-track-sprinters/ >
