XCNation protest

[quote]osu fan wrote:

3) They are NOT AMERICAN high school records. They are HIGH SCHOOL records! Edward C. is in high school, so he can break high school records! We don't keep records for American high school and foreign high school.

Isaiah Koech can't break the high school record if he runs the 2-mile at the Pre Classic BECAUSE HE'S NOT IN HIGH SCHOOL. Alan Webb broke the high school record because he went to high school while he broke the record! Idiot.

quote]

Sorry, they are AMERICAN HIGH SCHOOL records, not just HIGH SCHOOL records. While Aron does come off a tad racist I have to agree that if Edward does not have AMERICAN CITIZENSHIP he should not be entitled to have AMERICAN RECORDS. The fact that Lukas had the 5k his Freshman year still disgusts me. And technically speaking, Alan Webb graduated High School before he set the mile record at PRE, so he wasn't in High School anymore.

Why are they American High School records? Where does it say that?

And no, Alan Webb had not graduated high school before May 27, 2001. The state meet in VA hadn't even been held yet. Hell, regionals were probably that weekend.

It was July or August when Rupp ran his 13:37 too...

q&a wrote:

Sorry, they are AMERICAN HIGH SCHOOL records, not just HIGH SCHOOL records

Funny, last time I checked Edward attends and competes for an AMERICAN HIGH SCHOOL.

Aron would like to see the records watered down to "fastest high school runner...who has US citizenship...by birth...to two American-born parents" then it is his bizarre prerogative to hold that opinion. But it's simply nonsense, which is why his little protest will go nowhere.

"Protecting the American HS Records"? Really?? Since when are records supposed to be protected? Congrats to the US high school system for improving on this time in only 37 yeasrs!

Sorry, Aron et al, if it hurts you to see a "benchmark to the American Prep Distance Runner" (your capitals, not mine) go down to a guy who doesn't fit your vision of the "American Prep Distance Runner." But that record is gone, baby. Gone.

LOL. They are AMERICAN high school records because the high schools are located in AMERICA-- not because their athletes are american citizens. . .

A high school in Canada can't have an athlete break one of our records, because the high school is in friggin' Canada. Make sense? Last time I checked, St. Ben's is in Jersey; and sadly that crappy state IS STILL PART OF AMERICA. . . Guess what that means? One of St. Ben's eligible athletes CAN INDEED BREAK AN AMERICA HIGH SCHOOL RECORD. . . Regardless of what race, religion or nationality (or other morally arbitrary values)they might be comprised of.

Get over yourselves. You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake. You are entitled to NOTHING but the same rules that the rest of us have to follow. Grow up!

This is such a white, spoiled, privileged and worthless argument.

Hard to see the truth when your head is so far up your ass, I guess. . .

Aron Taylor, first off, is obviously a xenophobe.

"If Cheserek's record is allowed to stand while he is running in this nation without national citizenship does that also mean that if Isaiah Koech runs in and breaks the prep two-mile record at the Prefontaine Classic, on American soil, he also get credit for a record...after-all Alan Webb was credited with a prep record at the very same meet? After all Koech is 17-years old."

This is worst point he tries to argue and in doing so made himself an official lifelong troll and fool. Never go into law, Aron Taylor and please never write another article again.

Who is XC nation

I feel much stupider for having read his rant.

High School "class" records are of pretty dubious authority to me anyway. Who recognizes them? I think it is Track and Field News, but I don't know for sure. I am pretty sure USATF does not recognize them in any way, shape, or form. Anyway, I am curious who Aron Taylor is going to petition? He seems awfully angry about something.

Anyway, records make sense in certain situations. American High School is a recognized class of competition. Makes sense to recognize records set within that class. Just as it makes sense to recognize NCAA records, as that is a class of competition. Both these classes have their own eligibility requirements. As long as the athlete qualifies to compete they qualify to set records.

If somebody, anybody, wants to recognize class records or American Citizen High School Records, well, that is their perogative but this is a subcategory of High School Records. I know somebody keeps records of American NCAA athletes but really, this is just silly.

It is schoolboy athletics. So long as the athlete is eligible academically and not overage, I think Taylor's complaints are all about nothing.

This of course doesn't let Solomon Haile off the hook. My local high school team had to forfeit every one of its games this year because of a single ineligible player (he was very good, so it is hard to argue harmless error). Letting Haile compete was a problem, and so was the political correctness surrounding the issue.

Aaron taylor is a jerk!

Aron Taylor is an idiot who has polluted our sport for several years. Try to ignore him.

I agree and I will say it straight-- Aron Taylor is a racist moron. Here is the link if none of you have read this trash: http://www.xcnation.com/americanrecordprotection.html. I love how he wants to protest recognizing Cheserek's record cause he's Kenyan. Where was his protest two years ago when a Lithuanian freshman Lukas V (before he was a US citizen) got the 5k record? Oh, let the white boy slide right? The rules have always stated all you have to do is go to an American HS and be the right age. It never said anything about being a citizen. I hope the records do get crazy fast. Maybe our kids will have their standards raised with the rest of the world. Obviously, Lukas doesn't have a problem with Cheserek as he's given him a lot of props and LV knows what its like to be hated on cause you came from a different country. Taylor is a disgrace to the sport and he continually produces bad ideas for XC. Isn't he the guy that tried and failed to make his own national champs a few years back, only to get trampled by NXN? He needs to quit with the BS. Put Cheserek and Lukas where they belong, in the American HS record books.

I have a better idea.

I say boycott Taylors website, don't recognize it as an acceptable and relevant site because it is run by a jerk and an idiot.

I don't read Taylor's site. I actually found out about it because someone posted the article in another thread. His site sucks too. He has a third grader running his HTML or whatever ancient layout stuff he's using.

And I meant, I don't read XC nation regularly just to clarify. I agree it should be boycotted or at the very least not taken seriously ever by any true fan of the sport.

Edward Cheserek is facebook friends with XC Nation. I wonder how he feels about all this?

1. There are National High School Records kept by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). Their rules for record-keeping are somewhat stringent, but it boils down to this:

If you compete for an NFHS member school in a sanctioned event, you are eligible to set an NFHS record..

Cheserek meets that requirement. This year, Verzbikas does not.

2. The NFHS's record-keeping is so arcane that no one really pays much attention to their records. Most people recognize Track and Field News records as "the" national high school records. They take marks made by any athletes who are students at US high schools (through August of the year they graduate). Nationality isn't an issue for them.

Anyone who wants to go make his own list of national HS records, have at it. Make sure you double-check the nationalist of everyone. Ask for the long-form birth certificate.

Right, but while Edward's school is an "associate" member of the NJSIAA (state association)the meet at which he ran the times is NOT an NFHS event. It was sanctioned by USATF and the performances will therefore not be recognized by NFHS.

I only use Track and Field News as a reference for record. I don't even think the NFHS allows times in summer meets of your senior year to be allowed in their records and I think they only take HS only race times. T and F News is all that matters.