Yeah that's what someone said when he ran 16:25 on the statemeet course. I don't know their coach personally, but their team finished 3 points behind Chapel Hill (#3 in the SE). I'm betting that he knows enough not to over do the 13 year old. The father, on the other hand, is a little hardcore. I've heard some stories about his sister.
Is it the same person coaching him now who will coach him in high school? Obviously his high school coaching will be what has the biggest affect, junior high is just a warmup and hopefully they are treating him like a junior high age kid. If the boy's father is high pressure or whatever (I have no idea), hopefully he will will do what is healthy. If the kid likes running and gets satisfaction from it then that's what will drive him to become good.
In South Carolina, there is no junior high cross country like many other states. Starting in 7th grade, you join the high school team who you stay with until your graduation. I heard he had no plans at all of coming out for cross country in the fall. He finished summer track in early august (that's right, he didn't even join the team until after the summer) and planned to join the middle school football team. His dad, instead, forced him to run atleast 7th and 8th grade, and then in 9th grade, could/will be able to make the decision to move to another sport or stick with cross country. Hopefully he will make the right decision.
could be any age.
quick story.
ran at usc/graduated '82.
we had a great sprinter on our team and i asked him how good his h.s. program was. . .
he said " pretty good, i was fast, but my older brother is faster".
"oh" i said what college does he go to?"
"college? he said, no, he's a junior in h.s."
true story.
Mark turned 13 last week. His sister, Angela, runs for NC State. Other siblings in the family also run well. The problem for him will be his father, not the coach. He moves the family often because he is always looking for something better. He pushes the kids relentlessly. He is the role model for overbearing and overinvolved parents everywhere.
People in SC are definitely wishing Mark the best and hope he represents our State well, just like his brothers and sisters have in the past.
I would love to see him win the state meet. That would be cool, a 7th grader wining the whole thing. Of course, I would rather see someone from my old high school win, but if that cant happen I want to see this kid do it.
I heard he was doping.
McAlpine is a little short...
still a great time
Jordan Hasay wishes he would stop stalking her, she love AJ.
mcalpine is not short!!!!! jesus christ ive measured the thing at least 20 times at exactly 5,000 meters.
ghjdfgh wrote:
mcalpine is not short!!!!! jesus christ ive measured the thing at least 20 times at exactly 5,000 meters.
Doesn't it matter how tight you take some of the turns? I thought it ran about 20-30m short if you run tight with all the curves.
Mcalpine see's its fair share of very VERY young phenoms who go on to do nothing. almost always nothing. sandy roberts is about the only one who made something of himself, and even that has been lacking. my guess, is that alot of these kids are homeschooled, trained from the age of 6, and overtrained by their parents.
The rates at which these kids improve is not sustainable
These kids may be slightly older than what it says or their parents say
These kids are 100% overtrained and will burn out and hate the sport
I see it alot. Its sad really. They will be no names like their parents. haha.
What a bunch of haterade, all you guys can talk about is how he's sure to burn out. You can't just recognize talent and give the compliment.
Its just that they dont want to believe that a 7th grader is faster than they ever were. I myself have come to terms with it.
marijuologist wrote:
What a bunch of haterade, all you guys can talk about is how he's sure to burn out. You can't just recognize talent and give the compliment.
He ran 15:47 as a supposedly 12 year old. I ran that fast my junior year in highschool after two years of hard training. he must have been running for quite some time to build a base up that big as he is appx, 4 years my junior running the same time. The pain I endured I can't imagine on a 12 year old. I hope his bones are able to develop so he can break my awesome PR in the 5, 14:38. Bring it on you lil punk, your legs will be stress fractured and your mind will hate running before you even get close. He'll probably level off around 15:15 at best for most of highschool, if he makes it that far. So yeah, haterade, you got it, because if he is the real deal he'll be running 13:30 as a senior. fantastic aint it? I'd like to see him do it, but everything tells me his parents, training, and youth are all converging at the WRONG time.
Reefer Madness wrote:
ghjdfgh wrote:mcalpine is not short!!!!! jesus christ ive measured the thing at least 20 times at exactly 5,000 meters.
Doesn't it matter how tight you take some of the turns? I thought it ran about 20-30m short if you run tight with all the curves.
Ok, so lets assume he ran 4,970 meters. Is this kids race still not a frickin awesome effort or what?
is 14:38 really an awesome 5k pr for someone who ran 1547 off two years of training? this kid came out of nowhere and ran aau track over the summer. hes just a super talent. his older sister became faster every year in high school, so why cant he? he has a great coach and im sure he'll do fine.
bisons don't blaze, they go extinct.
yeah, i'd like to be the first one to call bs on the last post. Geb/Bek couldn't have run 15:47 at 12 years on their mileage. And they are by far better than this SC hick. He's been runned to death by his father. Feel sorry for the kid, thats no way to grow up.
Ryan Deak was tearing things up at the same age and his father moved the family around too. Some middle school phenoms do pan out (Jorge Torres) but many don't. Deak isn't exactly setting the world on fire these days and it's doubtful he ever will. If I were this SC kid, I'd back off on the training and enjoy my childhood before the message board pressure buries him. Because before you know it, Steve Underwood will be the kid's newest best friend and John Dye will be stopping over for dinner.
The dad is a certified nut-case that's for sure.