When there was one championship the odds of having a FL/NCAA champion were as good as they could have been. Now the odds have dropped considerably. Now all the girls want to run NXN and turn pro.
The curse may never be broken.
When there was one championship the odds of having a FL/NCAA champion were as good as they could have been. Now the odds have dropped considerably. Now all the girls want to run NXN and turn pro.
The curse may never be broken.
I think this year footlocker will be the more popular meet. Efraimson probably ran NXN over footlocker last year because her team had a chance to qualify and it's close to where she lives. Baxter's team made it and Cranny probably chose NXN because she knew that's where the competition would be. However, the top returning girls this season all have went to footlocker not NXN in previous seasons (ex. Debalsi, Jenks, Rohrer). I expect them to return.
505 wrote:
I think this year footlocker will be the more popular meet. Efraimson probably ran NXN over footlocker last year because her team had a chance to qualify and it's close to where she lives. Baxter's team made it and Cranny probably chose NXN because she knew that's where the competition would be. However, the top returning girls this season all have went to footlocker not NXN in previous seasons (ex. Debalsi, Jenks, Rohrer). I expect them to return.
I agree that FLN will probably be stronger at the top this year. Not sure I agree with your assumptions on the rationale of the athletes that chose NXN last year, though (Baxter Efraimson and Cranny all ran NXN rather than FLN each year, even when Efraimson's team wasn't nationally elite and when Baxter's team wasn't invited - and Cranny's never finished Top 10 in the SW). The reason NXN was stronger at the top was probably the mostly the same reason FLN might be stronger this year: more top athletes returning from last year. NXN still has the edge in convenience, and FLN has the edge in San Diego being more of a vacation destination, but where the talent is expected to go matters as well, and unlike last year FLN has the edge this year.
Luckily the guys never sold out in the first place, so FLN will once again produce the true national champion. I think guys appreciate being able to compare themselves to past greats - on the same course, with similar weather - a lot more than girls.
I never understood the whole "running in extreme mud is cool" Nike promotional strategy. It's not. It's stupid.
Depending on the area of the country, some runners can qualify for both. Then you can decide if you run both or focus on one. You would go to NXN over FL only if the qualifying meets conflicted AND you had a team that had a solid chance to qualify AND you are a team player. Then a lot of times the team does not qualify but the #1 runner does, and they missed their chance to qualify individually for FL because they supported their team and went to NXN regionals instead. Other regions you can do both which is unfair but who said it would be fair? They are privately run individual events.
I know the college recruiting rankings give points for qualifying for FL and not NXN, which makes sense if you qualified as part of a team. I think they should give points for NXN qualifiers based on individual placement, top XX qualifiers or top XX finishers should get a point. Of course some people will qualify for both, you get the point only from one or the other.
What are you even talking about
Thanks to schools going we good learn