All track meets at University of Washington are now college-only

In before the rants of "you are ruining the sport"

"it should be for free because I want it"

jamin wrote:

Used to have 1 indoor Open meet and 2 outdoor Open meets. Got rid of one of the outdoor ones a couple years ago. This year got rid of the remaining Open meets and the rest that allowed unattached/club are now college-only, plus got rid of the Open division of the Subdodger Invitational this year. Oh well. I probably shouldn't be wasting life running at age 30 anyways.

This actually sucks.

What are you going to do for races? Switch to road like the rest of us? ?

Here we go wrote:

In before the rants of "you are ruining the sport"

"it should be for free because I want it"

It was already $40 (non-refundable) to enter and wait lists were 1000+. If they weren't breaking even they should raise the price.

You're trying to tell me Matt Centrowitz and Galen Rupp won't be allowed to run those meets? Doubt it

better just stick to pimping out your grinder profile

I've heard the UW coach referring to that as the "Jamin Rule"

That blows. Hope you weren't banking on running the mile next year! Youre going to either have to drive farther or run road races.

I imagine there are other colleges in the region that have open meets (Pacific Lutheran, Puget Sound, etc.) that are probably more in line with your competition level anyhow. UW probably wants to speed up there meets or make room for more collegiate athletes that are chasing national qualifying times.

joedirt wrote:

I imagine there are other colleges in the region that have open meets (Pacific Lutheran, Puget Sound, etc.) that are probably more in line with your competition level anyhow. UW probably wants to speed up there meets or make room for more collegiate athletes that are chasing national qualifying times.

That’s understandable but they should allow faster unattached athletes to still compete.

That said the Dempsey is an f’ing zoo. 60 excruciating heats of sprint events

Are there still local outdoor race series in the summer?

I would check if any other colleges in the area have open meets. Indoor is only fun if the track is no more than 200m, anyways. Nothing like trading elbows on those tight turns!

No. Running at 30 is good!

I'm sure there is plenty of other championships you can go to. If not there's plenty in Australia for all ages

Cathy loves to run 13 wrote:

No. Running at 30 is good!

I'm sure there is plenty of other championships you can go to. If not there's plenty in Australia for all ages

That’s totally not true, once you become an adult in Aus the meets dry up. Lots of youth meets not for adults. I mean they exist but they struggle to get a few people and it’s really expensive. I am also in Australia and not a child and it’s about $200 for me to get insurance and then I can pay to race against about 50 other regulars maybe 10 my age and gender. Some “races” have 2-3 people and are held infrequently. It does depend on the city/state but I’m not in a small town. Yay? Road racing is huge however.

joedirt wrote:

I imagine there are other colleges in the region that have open meets (Pacific Lutheran, Puget Sound, etc.) that are probably more in line with your competition level anyhow. UW probably wants to speed up there meets or make room for more collegiate athletes that are chasing national qualifying times.

True, but I need UW track's barely legal surface to artificially inflate my times/confidence at the beginning of the year

The sport needs once and for all to wrap its senile mind around the fact that NOBODY CARES who the best college is and that all NCAA-dominated sports suck.

As long as only colleges are building facilities, only colleges have employment for coaches, and especially as long as colleges will not allow athletes to be PAID, the throat of world athletics will remain strangled under the elitist boot of the NCAA.

Track should be a PROFESSIONAL sport and the NCAA and olympics are the only thing holding it back.

So you're bitter because you got cut from your college team, and now you think that all NCAA sports are terrible. The reality is that Cross Country / Track and Field would be in terrible shape in this country if it wasn't for the television contracts that pay for all of the championships in ever sport in every division. Any CC/T&F athletes who ever went to a national championship over the 20 to 30 years had their trip primarily paid for by the NCAA / March Madness TV contract, not their individual school. People think that the NCAA is some separate organization that rules over the colleges. The NCAA is actually an organization of the colleges. The schools decide how the NCAA enforces their policies. Maybe some of the highest level college athletes are being exploited by their schools and could get paid, but the number of CC/T&F athletes who would fall into this category are minimal.

Regarding UW limiting their meets to collegiate athletes, why is this wrong? The meets are held primarily for competitive opportunities for their athletes. It's not the college's job to give post-collegiate athletes a meet schedule. Pro athletes will always find places to compete, and are not competing on a level playing field to the collegiate. Other open athletes have to find other places to run. I go to some Indoor meets that last for hours, and part of the time is watching older people run very slowly. In no other sport do post-collegiates compete with kids still in school. College golf tournaments don't allow just anyone to enter. College athletes compete against other college athletes. Those older can compete against their peers in club tournaments. Why should Cross Country and Track be different?

Old NE Coach wrote:

Regarding UW limiting their meets to collegiate athletes, why is this wrong?

When did I say the word "wrong"? All I did was state a fact.

I agree with you that it's bizarre how many college meets allow randos in.

Time for ultras, frisbee golf, or pickle ball.

S.O.W.P.

jamin wrote:

True, but I need UW track's barely legal surface to artificially inflate my times/confidence at the beginning of the year

Get some other barely legal things to artificially inflate...

People will do everything they can to keep you out of their events.