Should Baxter run FL and go for the record?

She has yet to win a national championship in cross-country. She has something to prove.

Baxter won Nike Cross Nationals as a sophomore and junior, and both fields were ten times better than the Footlocker fields those two years.

Baxter has no chance to get the record at Footlocker Nationals.

the record is 16:22 right?

Amber Trotter's 16:24 was in Orlando. Melody Fairchild has the Balboa Park record, 16:39.

She should definetly go for it, she has nothing else left to prove besides FL at the high school level.

If her team doesn't make NXN and if the next best runners are tending to choose FLN over NXN, then either NXN or FLN would be a good option.

But if her team does make NXN, or if the top competition will again be at NXN, I'd say she should go to NXN: be a part of her team, and race against the best.

The current high school aged kids don't think of FL the way the previous generation has. Since the time these kids were in elementary school there has bee NXN. They dont see it as the up-and-comer that you do. They don't buy their running shoes at FL, have never heard of Kinney and Sarah Baxter has no idea who Melody Fairchild is.

Go away Watchout. You're a troll worse than Ventolin.

FL has become the running equivalent of a second tier football bowl game. The people who aren't good enough for NXN go there. Sad but true. The Nike marketing machine has killed it. And for that reason, I would not expect Baxter to go to FL even if her team can't qualify for NXN.

coach d wrote:

FL has become the running equivalent of a second tier football bowl game. The people who aren't good enough for NXN go there. Sad but true. The Nike marketing machine has killed it. And for that reason, I would not expect Baxter to go to FL even if her team can't qualify for NXN.

Somebody should have informed the coaches of just about every top DI XC program, who were at Footlocker recruiting those "second tier" runners, that they are wasting their time apparently.

This isn't the real coach D is it? I usually think his posts are respectable.

As we all know if a team is invited to nxn most kids go there for the team experience. Most individuals give their shot to FL (except CA where they qualify guaranteed out of state, which if FL did I'd imagine most would go too instead if non).

Bottom line I'm sure Baxter knows who the great runners were ahead of her time... Especially for a runner of her caliber chasing history.

The Animal Within wrote:except CA where they qualify guaranteed out of state, which if FL did I'd imagine most would go too instead if non

Exactly, I wonder what would happen if Footlocker made California it's own region and used the state meet as their qualifier. And let the rest of the West run as their own region (maybe adding in Colorado from the Midwest)... both regions would be strong, and they'd lose less kids to NXN. Seems like a good idea, even if it's a change - sometimes change isn't so bad, especially if it saves your meet.

coach d wrote:

FL has become the running equivalent of a second tier football bowl game. The people who aren't good enough for NXN go there. Sad but true. The Nike marketing machine has killed it. And for that reason, I would not expect Baxter to go to FL even if her team can't qualify for NXN.

Cheserek and McGorty would like to know how much Nike pays you to post this crap.

Watchout = nike b

Deep Pockets wrote:

Cheserek and McGorty would like to know how much Nike pays you to post this crap.

McGorty cost his team a trip to NXN.

Baxter has nothing to prove to any of you old farts. Sorry the meet of your generation is dead. The exclusivity of the FL meet is also dead. In order to qualify for NXN as an individual you must be top 5. In the FL regional meets, the 10th girls are often 5 flat milers!!. Look it up!! The 10th girl as the west regional has a 1600 best of 4:59 and 3200 best 11:07!!

facts are facts wrote:

Baxter has nothing to prove to any of you old farts. Sorry the meet of your generation is dead. The exclusivity of the FL meet is also dead. In order to qualify for NXN as an individual you must be top 5. In the FL regional meets, the 10th girls are often 5 flat milers!!. Look it up!! The 10th girl as the west regional has a 1600 best of 4:59 and 3200 best 11:07!!

10th in the NE Region has a 4:49 PR

riley stops wrote:

Deep Pockets wrote:

Cheserek and McGorty would like to know how much Nike pays you to post this crap.

McGorty cost his team a trip to NXN.

Yup, because he knew that the best runner in the country (Cheserek) would be at FLN; not at the swamp in Oregon.