I don't buy the idea that some siblings just have way less talent than the other. I know there are plenty of examples of one sibling being way better than another (even twins), but I think that has to do WAY more with environmental factors than genetic ones.
Wejo/Rojo identical twins, same home, same high school, same coach, similar colleges >>> different personalities, different results.
Brosnan and Newbury Park have undoubtedly revolutionized High School running. Brosnan's ability to develop athletes from the ground up is awe-inspiring, evident in the national records set by the Newbury Park boys and girls under his guidance. Those who doubt his rapid success clearly haven't had a conversation with Brosnan. His dedication to research and meticulous attention to detail in training are unparalleled. While some may label him as eccentric, it's worth noting that most exceptional individuals possess a touch of madness. He possesses a deep understanding of coaching and continually explores innovative methods to enhance his athletes' performance. I've often expressed my desire for him to conduct a coaching clinic; his wealth of knowledge is truly remarkable. The unwarranted criticism against him is unfounded, as he stands as one of the most knowledgeable and outstanding coaches in the US. Rumor has it that he may be stepping into a professional role, and I eagerly anticipate witnessing his success in that capacity. I just hope he does some kind of clinic one day. When I asked Brosnan about doing a clinic my good friend was apart of and he politely said “ I don’t do clinics, but feel free to reach out to me to chat”
Brosnan and Newbury Park have undoubtedly revolutionized High School running. Brosnan's ability to develop athletes from the ground up is awe-inspiring, evident in the national records set by the Newbury Park boys and girls under his guidance. Those who doubt his rapid success clearly haven't had a conversation with Brosnan. His dedication to research and meticulous attention to detail in training are unparalleled. While some may label him as eccentric, it's worth noting that most exceptional individuals possess a touch of madness. He possesses a deep understanding of coaching and continually explores innovative methods to enhance his athletes' performance. I've often expressed my desire for him to conduct a coaching clinic; his wealth of knowledge is truly remarkable. The unwarranted criticism against him is unfounded, as he stands as one of the most knowledgeable and outstanding coaches in the US. Rumor has it that he may be stepping into a professional role, and I eagerly anticipate witnessing his success in that capacity. I just hope he does some kind of clinic one day. When I asked Brosnan about doing a clinic my good friend was apart of and he politely said “ I don’t do clinics, but feel free to reach out to me to chat”
Yup, it's luck. These coincidences don't happen year after year. The exception being York high school.
But York only had maybe 10 guys who went 9 or under in 50 years and they had large squads, trained year round, a winning culture and ran workouts that were criticized at that time but now appear to be gaining popularity. However it's a town of about 40,000 so it's not a huge pool of talent.
It's not totally luck, but I would agree it's mostly luck. Nico Young just ran 12:45. The odds are he would have been a great runner no matter which high school he attended, and his younger brothers were obviously inspired by his success.
That said, of course coaches are important for guiding development, building team culture, and much more. I'm reminded of Gault's profile of Gary Martin's high school coach, Paul Streleckis, who had never coached a sub-5:00 miler before Martin came along. Having Martin on his team was sheer luck. But to his credit, Streleckis went out of his way to seek expert help when he realized Martin was a special talent. That extra care and support from Streleckis helped Martin to break 4:00 in high school.
good coaches now champions are made not born. Success is not just about luck and talent, but about consistent effort and proper development. Surround yourself with people who support your growth and push you to be your best. Like Grant Fisher and Nico, having amazing high school coaches can make all the difference in the world
It's not totally luck, but I would agree it's mostly luck. Nico Young just ran 12:45. The odds are he would have been a great runner no matter which high school he attended, and his younger brothers were obviously inspired by his success.
That said, of course coaches are important for guiding development, building team culture, and much more. I'm reminded of Gault's profile of Gary Martin's high school coach, Paul Streleckis, who had never coached a sub-5:00 miler before Martin came along. Having Martin on his team was sheer luck. But to his credit, Streleckis went out of his way to seek expert help when he realized Martin was a special talent. That extra care and support from Streleckis helped Martin to break 4:00 in high school.
good coaches now champions are made not born. Success is not just about luck and talent, but about consistent effort and proper development. Surround yourself with people who support your growth and push you to be your best. Like Grant Fisher and Nico, having amazing high school coaches can make all the difference in the world
Did Graham Blanks have an amazing HS coach? How about Cole Hocker?
If someone is born with 9:20 talent, he’s not going to run 9:00, no matter who coaches him. Runners at the level of the Youngs and Sahlmans are indeed born and not made. Brosnan’s responsibility, and he achieved it, was to not screw it up.
Newbury Park was a lucky convergence of a short term good coach and 2 talented families with 5 stars.
Crater is more about building a long term tradition.
Sorry but Brosnan is goat and that’s proven. He was amazing for the men and the women. And like others say he’s a master at developing athletes to the top.
Luck is obviously an undeniable factor. Another is that the running community tends to overestimate the influence of genetics (fixed from birth) and underestimate the influence of early and persistent development at a high level (malleable while young but not something you can retroactively change/adjust as an adult). If you get a good program going with a smart coaching team and a consistently positive culture that active kids genuinely want to be part of, you're going to push more athletes closer to their genetic limits. Most athletes don't have that and won't reach their underlying genetic potential because they don't start developing their talent early enough. (Which is fine btw, let kids be kids and choose what they want to do)
Crater has a great culture! Yeah they are top heavy this year but they also have been good for a long long time. Haven’t they won like 10 state XC titles?
Talent still matters but we have to give the coaches of these programs some credit
Brosnan and Newbury Park have undoubtedly revolutionized High School running. Brosnan's ability to develop athletes from the ground up is awe-inspiring, evident in the national records set by the Newbury Park boys and girls under his guidance. Those who doubt his rapid success clearly haven't had a conversation with Brosnan. His dedication to research and meticulous attention to detail in training are unparalleled. While some may label him as eccentric, it's worth noting that most exceptional individuals possess a touch of madness. He possesses a deep understanding of coaching and continually explores innovative methods to enhance his athletes' performance. I've often expressed my desire for him to conduct a coaching clinic; his wealth of knowledge is truly remarkable. The unwarranted criticism against him is unfounded, as he stands as one of the most knowledgeable and outstanding coaches in the US. Rumor has it that he may be stepping into a professional role, and I eagerly anticipate witnessing his success in that capacity. I just hope he does some kind of clinic one day. When I asked Brosnan about doing a clinic my good friend was apart of and he politely said “ I don’t do clinics, but feel free to reach out to me to chat”
F*ck you mean ground up? He had like 4 guys breaking 4:20 as freshmen in 2 years.
Newbury Park was a lucky convergence of a short term good coach and 2 talented families with 5 stars.
Crater is more about building a long term tradition.
Sorry but Brosnan is goat and that’s proven. He was amazing for the men and the women. And like others say he’s a master at developing athletes to the top.
Developed from top 10 in the country to top 10 in the country. Other than Nico(who just hadn't hit puberty) the Youngs and Sahlmans were very good from the moment they stepped onto campus.
Crater has a great culture! Yeah they are top heavy this year but they also have been good for a long long time. Haven’t they won like 10 state XC titles?
Talent still matters but we have to give the coaches of these programs some credit
I’m not a hater. I give credit to the kids that put in the work, and believe they would be equally successful at many other schools.
Newbury Park was a lucky convergence of a short term good coach and 2 talented families with 5 stars.
Crater is more about building a long term tradition.
Sorry but Brosnan is goat and that’s proven. He was amazing for the men and the women. And like others say he’s a master at developing athletes to the top.
If your opinions of Brosnan were widely shared, he would be coaching at a D-1 powerhouse by now.
Recently, I read the thread about the Young/Sprout showdown at Arcadia. There were many posters that didn’t like Brosnan and thought he was too full of himself. Somehow, after the Sahlmans and the twins arrived on the scene, he went from that to GOAT.
It's not totally luck, but I would agree it's mostly luck. Nico Young just ran 12:45. The odds are he would have been a great runner no matter which high school he attended, and his younger brothers were obviously inspired by his success.
That said, of course coaches are important for guiding development, building team culture, and much more. I'm reminded of Gault's profile of Gary Martin's high school coach, Paul Streleckis, who had never coached a sub-5:00 miler before Martin came along. Having Martin on his team was sheer luck. But to his credit, Streleckis went out of his way to seek expert help when he realized Martin was a special talent. That extra care and support from Streleckis helped Martin to break 4:00 in high school.
good coaches now champions are made not born. Success is not just about luck and talent, but about consistent effort and proper development. Surround yourself with people who support your growth and push you to be your best. Like Grant Fisher and Nico, having amazing high school coaches can make all the difference in the world
Yes, of course, success requires hard work over a sustained period of time, and it's nurtured in a supportive environment, which includes the family and coach. That supportive environment can and is found in many places throughout the country. Do you think Nico wouldn't have been successful if he had gone to high school in North Carolina instead of Southern California? Would Fisher not have been a star if he had gone to high school in Wisconsin instead of Michigan?
Don't get me wrong, I'm not diminishing the role of coaches in athletes' success. They play a huge role. I just think there are lots of coaches out there who can have great results if they are lucky enough to get a great talent. Paul Streleckis guiding Gary Martin to sub-4:00 is a prime example.
I agree that champions are made, not born. But the best coach in the world can't make a national champion out of someone who doesn't have innate elite talent.
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Great coaches produce champions. There is talent everywhere. Arthur Lydiard produced gold medalists from his neighborhood. Lydiard thought a huge percentage of young, moderately talented runners could break 4 and he was probably right. People on this board 20 years ago thought the Ethiopians and Kenyans were superior genetically and could never be beaten. Turns out they were working harder than everyone else.
High school greats are easier to find. Lot of guys who can run 8:40 with tons of mileage. Now becoming an Olympic champion probably takes more talent that is harder to find . . .
And, sad to say, but the best athletes don't turn to running. So when you have a great team it pulls the talented kids from soccer and other sports.
Yup, it's luck. These coincidences don't happen year after year. The exception being York high school.
But York only had maybe 10 guys who went 9 or under in 50 years and they had large squads, trained year round, a winning culture and ran workouts that were criticized at that time but now appear to be gaining popularity. However it's a town of about 40,000 so it's not a huge pool of talent.
York had nowhere near 10 sub 9 minute 2 milers. Sage and Craker come to mind.