One of the most exciting events in track and field is the relay races. It takes a combination of speed, timing, precision, and teamwork in order for a relay team to be victorious. Now the suspense is much greater than an individual race because in an individual race the fastest person always wins. In a relay race the fastest team can lose if one thing happens - they fail to pass the baton.

Any track coach will tell you that relay races are won or lost not in the sheer speed of the team, but in the transfer of the baton. There is that critical moment when everything can be lost by the slightest miscalculation.

In the 1988 Olympics, the world just assumed that the United States would be victorious in the 400 meter relay because we simply had by far from top to bottom the best team. From th…