You think you don't want the top HS runner?!?!?! HS runners are training at 5k all season and focus on that race right up until NXN, which is the same day as the qualifier. They have a month to refine training for that extra distance
Went to Footlocker in SD the past 7 years. Every year the amount of spectators goes down.It was totally dead last December. Very sad. Footlocker does zero advertising in the San Diego media- nothing on SD news, SD news websites, nothing.
I'm not sure why Foot Locker never bothered to reach out to all the high school xc coaches in San Diego County and asked the coaches to bring their runners to watch. There are several hundred high school runners that have their League meets at Balboa Park and they run on part of the Foot Locker course but almost none of them ever came out to watch Foot Locker.
The only local high school whose runners show up for Foot Locker is La Jolla High School and that's only because Chiara Dailey is running. Once she graduates they probably won't show up either.
After you subtract friends and family of the runners, and subtract college coaches who are there to recruit, there are probably only about 100 fans that show up. That's ridiculously low for a national championship.
(Someone started one thread on this already, but for some reason they posted it in the pro category and it has no replies yet, so I'll start this in the HS category.)
In short, when FL was still on, the winner was going to earn a spot on the U20 World XC team, along with the NXN winner and the top 4 from the actual U20 Championships. But now that Brooks has taken the place of FL, USATF has decided not to do the same for the winner, so now it's just the top NXN finisher + the top 5 from U20s.
Is anyone surprised by this decision? I guess people who say USATF is in bed with Nike will see this as further evidence.
NXN and U20 is on Saturday, and the USATF Masters races are on Sunday. Why didn't USATF move the U20 races to Sunday along with the Masters races? I'm sure that some of the NXN runners would have given the U20 race a shot the next day. After all they are already in Portland.
NXN and U20 is on Saturday, and the USATF Masters races are on Sunday. Why didn't USATF move the U20 races to Sunday along with the Masters races? I'm sure that some of the NXN runners would have given the U20 race a shot the next day. After all they are already in Portland.
Reason: Travel plans for all the hs teams is to leave sat pm/sun am. Not being sure who would stick around for a Sunday race would cause confusion and added expense.
Nike does pay to fly in the teams.
Actually getting nxn, U20 and pros on same day was an achievement.
(Someone started one thread on this already, but for some reason they posted it in the pro category and it has no replies yet, so I'll start this in the HS category.)
In short, when FL was still on, the winner was going to earn a spot on the U20 World XC team, along with the NXN winner and the top 4 from the actual U20 Championships. But now that Brooks has taken the place of FL, USATF has decided not to do the same for the winner, so now it's just the top NXN finisher + the top 5 from U20s.
Is anyone surprised by this decision? I guess people who say USATF is in bed with Nike will see this as further evidence.
NXN and U20 is on Saturday, and the USATF Masters races are on Sunday. Why didn't USATF move the U20 races to Sunday along with the Masters races? I'm sure that some of the NXN runners would have given the U20 race a shot the next day. After all they are already in Portland.
Agree here, my kid wants to also race U20 after NXN.
There is a big difference between a 5K and an 8K, so it is not fair. That gap isn't going to close in a few weeks. Also, USATF collaborated with Nike to run XC Champs at the same course a day apart, which happens to be the opposite location from where Worlds will be. Why aren't USATF cross champs, including U-20, not happening in FL? That's where Worlds is going to be.
There is a big difference between a 5K and an 8K, so it is not fair. That gap isn't going to close in a few weeks. Also, USATF collaborated with Nike to run XC Champs at the same course a day apart, which happens to be the opposite location from where Worlds will be. Why aren't USATF cross champs, including U-20, not happening in FL? That's where Worlds is going to be.
It's exactly for the reason you point out. World race is earlier than usual this year. Doing it this way allowed for everybody to be in place for 1 meet, instead of trying to force a 2nd meet in before Christmas all the way across the country.
If you look at U20 teams historically, they are loaded with kids who are top 10 at Foot Locker and Nike. There is not an '8k specialist' who comes out of nowhere to win. The training that the top teams do can pretty quickly work at 8k. Lots of hs kids run 10k, 10mile, and 1/3 marathon road races for fun right after the season ends anyway.
It's not as if Craig Virgin, Dathan Ritzenhein, the Young twins and Melody Fairchild were going to lose to a South Florida 8k expert.
I fear we will end up with a goofy team now though anyway, as the 2,3,4 NXN runners and Brooks 1,2 will probably be better runners than the 5 U20 winners.
USATF collaborated with Nike to run XC Champs at the same course a day apart
Not a day apart. The SAME day. Which is a problem for the U20 races, because they will have very few good runners in them, because most of the top runners will be running NXN instead.