I feel like my coach is singling me out and preventing me from going to other races

We have a rule that only the top 5 kids are guaranteed spots, with the understanding being that a young kid will get the nod over an older kid if they are very close.

If you are only :03 faster than a soph, your coach is probably thinking about the future.

Show them what they are missing in Outdoor, is all I can say.

The coach doesn’t like you because of tattoos and clothes and out of season actions. He won’t run you very much so you need to transfer. Just so you know, Employers are even more judgmental so you may want to clean up.

You should just start your trail running career now? How fast can you run 50 miles and are you good at youtubing?

Future star...... wrote:

You should just start your trail running career now? How fast can you run 50 miles and are you good at youtubing?

poster of the second. except its no longer the same second

Leave the team

I would ask, ASAP, if there is a set criteria your coach works off of to determine who runs at the championship meets. Make him give you the criteria he uses to set his lineup. If it's vague and he says he goes off who he feels is running the best right now or who is ready for a breakout, then you know he's full of BS and is just trying to squeeze you out.

Ask him, point blank, if he doesn't like you or think you're a good representative of his program due to your looks, because if you're consistently 3 seconds faster than your teammates in the mile (3 seconds is quite a bit of time in the mile), then it's got to be something not related to performance statistics.

The athletes should have a clear understanding of how he sets his lineup, so they know what they need to do to get in those late-season races. It's only fair.

Basically you've had four years to prove yourself and you've failed. The younger guys have a lot more upside, especially if they are piercing and tattoo free.

This all seems like it would be solved if you ran faster.

I agree coach wrote:

The coach doesn’t like you because of tattoos and clothes and out of season actions. He won’t run you very much so you need to transfer. Just so you know, Employers are even more judgmental so you may want to clean up.

This.

Once you get in the real world, employers are going to be even more judgmental on how you look. You won't even get past the interview for them to learn about your extracurricular activities.

Life as an adult is not fair. It just is.

This is great life lesson if you learn from it.

You basically admitted to smoking pot and proud to have skirted being busted for the NCAA substance abuse policy. You stated this on a public running forum providing enough information about yourself and team that you someone can identify who you are.

You sir are an idiot and the coach is making the correct decision.

Maybe your coach is sending you a message. He might be trying to light a fire under you and this is a effective way in doing it. Who knows

If the original poster is not a troll, I absolutely concur with depot home.

By the way, while I have somewhat progressive views on the legalization of pot, the issue of whether smoking pot is a desirable thing to do is another question.

Medically, it is beyond question that pot is not beneficial for teenagers. Of course, it may have a number of valid medicinal purposes, but those purposes don't apply to the vast number of teenagers engaged in smoking pot.

From an athletic perspective, smoking anything makes no sense. And I would question a college runner's dedication to the sport who smokes pot, no matter how many other college athletes do it.

So the bottom line is that the coach, be he Christian, Buddist, Muslim or atheist, doesn't see it as sensible to make much of an investment in this D III athlete. Sounds about right to me. I mean, we are likely talking about a 4:23ish miler and a 26 minute 8k guy in cross country (times I ran in 9th grade).