The Litter Box Where They Held The CA CIF SS Prelims

There are plenty of places that would be worse. Plenty that would be better as well.

I don't think the residential streets being crowded or the fact buses had to park a mile away after dropping kids off mattered.

The dust and thorns were obviously major issues. Probably the only main issues I had in fact. Get rid of the dust and thorns and it was fine. Not pretty, obviously, but at least it's not beating our kids up like Mt SAC, which doesn't exactly get kids tuned up for Woodward Park.

i didnt mean "litter as in trash" i was talking about "kitty litter" you know dry and dusty (well when kitty litter is new)

yeah i know there are places that could be worse and better

but i am talking about that place

thorns and dust kind of really major issues for running, stretching and setting up camp

yeah easier on the body than MTSAC but limiting wear and tear is scheduling your season right....... but the top teams at woodward are still from the SS running at MTSAC or not

i was looking at the over all experience of meet

top to bottom

things that CIF needs to look at for next year

im sure that is partly why coaches are trying to create a SS coaches association

Athletes did not seem to mind with so many elite times at Riverside Country Cross Country Course:

2015-11-14 CIF-SS Prelims (CA) 695 elites

http://parser.dyestat.com/meetresults.jsp?meetID=88455

2014-11-15 CIF-SS Prelims (CA) 326 elites

http://parser.dyestat.com/meets.jsp?state=CA&page=23

2013-11-16 CIF Southern Section Prelims (CA) 445 elites

http://parser.dyestat.com/meets.jsp?state=CA&page=42

http://parser.dyestat.com/meets.jsp

This may help other colleges compare the C/O 2016 and 2017 CIF SS graduates to their college athletes. Recruiting is made easier when they run the same course at the same time of year in peak form.

I agree. The whole thing was horrendous. So much dust. So many thorns (impaled my butt, legs, arms, there was literally no square foot that didn't have those spikes). If I wasn't throwing out my shoes because my season is over, I'd still be picking that stuff out of my shoes.

The "half mile mark" was so wrong, and I'm sure it screwed some people over. They had my "half mile split" at 8:30 when I finished the race in 15:43. What the heck? Luckily, based on other races I watched, I figured the time was going to be incorrect; otherwise, it probably would have destroyed my mindset thinking I was going that slow...

Additionally, every single volunteer I had a run-in with was completely uncivil. One guy got mad because I was trying to cross during the race (warming up) and he said "Watch your legs god damn it. I have to sit here and breathe in this dust all day. Go somewhere else."

Overall, I didn't like riverside. However, I run faster at riverside than at mt. sac, so I'm fine with riverside again. They need to fix the dust and thorns, though.

I was so young when I was born

My eyes could not yet see

And by the time of my first dawn

Somebody holding me . . . they said

I welcome you to Crackerbox Palace

We've been expecting you

You bring such joy in Crackerbox Palace

No matter where you roam know our love is true

While growing up or trying to

Not knowing where to start

I looked around for someone who

May help reveal my heart - someone said

While you're a part of Cracerbox Palace

Do what the rest all do

Or face the fact that Crackerbox Palace

May have no other choice than to deport you

I welcome you to Crackerbox Palace

We've been expecting you

You bring us joy in Crackerbox Palace

No matter where you roam know our love is true

Sometimes are good . . . sometimes are bad

That's all a part of life

And standing in between them all

I met a Mr. Grief - and he said

I welcome you to Crackerbox Palace

Was not expecting you

Let's rap and tap at Crackerbox Palace

Know that the Lord is well and inside of you

Was it the same course as the irv Ray invite? That course was dusty and flat.

How long have they been away from Mt. Sac for prelims? I didn't realize they had moved.

I only ran one xc race in Riverside and dust was the operative word. Somewhere I have a picture from 100 yards away from the starting line and you can't see the runners on the line behind the dust.

[quote]Riverside Muthaf***a!! wrote:

Oh no its Wayne Brady!!!

haha

I dont know if it was the same course as the Irv Ray invite...... it was 2 small loops and one big one.

Phillip Rocha ran 14:44, is that the high school course record?

Is that a soft record?

This is the first year they have been away from MTSAC for prelims.

MTSAC was to start construction on their stadium already but have not started.

Running finals at MTSAC this weekend

I dont know what year you ran there, but nothing has changed.

Dusty, plowed up brush everywhere and thorns for days.

I raced there and it honestly wasn't bad at all. The last half of the race is arguably faster than the first half, as its flatter and had some pretty long straightaways you could find a rhythm on easy. It's not perfect, but suck it up, cross country isn't supposed to be luxurious, you're supposed to be running as hard as you can on trails and hills or whatever is thrown at you. I managed with the thorns, there were so sandy spots to stretch, and I think that whoever that guy was that raced there, you're gonna hate that place because it's obvious your season's over and you didn't so as you wanted. I like this course because it's easy to find a rhythm on and pass people, and it saves the legs for the next coming weeks.

I'm all of the southern half of the state, with all that power and money you can't find a reasonable cross country course to use?

It's prelims, find a park or golf course. Do you not have trails south of SLO? Nothing in Ventura or Santa Barbra or Santa Monica?

Instead you run loops around a parking lot. Every school spends millions for a football field and XC has no where to go?

I will agree long straightaways good for passing and rhythm, i will also agree XC is not luxurious and a very tough sport and its race anywhere anytime. With that being said if we are going to have people take XC and running in general more seriously we cant just hold races in vacant lots being called a cross country course. There has to be standards, other sports have them.

Why wasn't the field groomed?

Baseball does this for the infield between innings.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lq-HpV0PY2g

Grand Terrace High School, UCR and RCC have baseball teams that could lend the equipment or at least rent it to CIFSS.

"No more yanky my wanky, The Donger need food!" haha

I agree, this is the SS Finals qualifying meet and we are in a vacant lot with thorns and plowed bushes everywhere. Everyone has been to better locations for meets that high schools put on for fundraising. If this was a high school football game and the home teams field looked equivalently bad, the visiting team would refuse to play there. Lets get it together, we are not helping the sport.

The trail on which the athletes ran on was groomed and they would even put water down to keep the dust down, but the rest of the facility was a mess. Adjacent to the location where the race was being held were some nicely groomed rec. softball and baseball fields. Think about that, the 5 yr old baseball or softball player has a better place to compete.

The Donger wrote:

I'm all of the southern half of the state, with all that power and money you can't find a reasonable cross country course to use?

It's prelims, find a park or golf course. Do you not have trails south of SLO? Nothing in Ventura or Santa Barbra or Santa Monica?

Instead you run loops around a parking lot. Every school spends millions for a football field and XC has no where to go?

Maybe you'd like to do a sport the local community supports, like football or baseball. You'll get a beautiful, purpose built stadium to feel special in.

"Oh Mommy it was dusty!! I got dirty running XC! " What a bunch of cry babies.

Apparently none of you heard there was a drought and Riverside is a desert...

Dont get it wrong, no one is saying they need some stadium to run in and to feel special....... Its XC we are not special. We do it where ever, whenever.

But when breathing is kind of important when you race, its good to keep the dust down (and they tried with the water truck) I guess they thought keeping the dust down was important too.

I prefer dirty during cross county most runners do, we had a race in the rain and there were a lot of puddles and mud, it was great!

I dont think needing a stadium was the point being made..... But as it is, XC and running is looked down on and is an after thought to football, baseball and basketball.....

It would be nice to be taken more seriously as a sport and to have a CIF SS Finals qualifying meet at a facility that reflected that.

Yes we all know there is a drought in CA and Riverside is a desert and with that you are making our point...... CIF should have realized that as well before scheduling an important meet at a facility that is unfit in an unfit location, in your words "a desert"

Been there Done That B4 wrote:

Yes we all know there is a drought in CA and Riverside is a desert and with that you are making our point...... CIF should have realized that as well before scheduling an important meet at a facility that is unfit in an unfit location, in your words "a desert"

Instead of being grateful that cif did something for a minor sport, you are going to shit all over the work that was done for you and your minor sport only parents could love. How about some gratitude someone spent some time and effort on the event???

The dust affected everyone and it wasn't great. Okay that does suck. It makes a good story.

Gratitude. Look it up. Do it.

And look up Big Brody vs. Tyrone too