Dan Coval

hammer was probably never in the small school triple "aa" race in PA. you may be thinking of a runner named Kelly, first name escapes me (maybe Kevin). anyway, hammer was very good. he didn't even start running cross until his JR year in HS. he was a soccer convert, maybe a reason he didn't suffer some of the burnout that many rock runners do in college.

I'm loving this thread. Definately bringing back memories. Speaking of soccer converts, another guy from the same era was Jason Stewart from Conrad Weiser HS. I think he was originally a soccer player. Dude lapped me multiple times indoors.

Hamer is the head coach for the men's and women's team xc teams at rider. I think he ran a mid 24 for 8k a few years back.

You're right, my memory is failing (half-zimers)! Hammer was first in the AAA race, now I can't remember the guy who won the AA race -- but he was tough. I think he went to ND (the guy who ran the AA race that year), was an All-American, and a very good all-around runner. Last name started with an "M" I believe....

i think mike mcwilliams won the AA race, and finsihed top 5 at kinney that year.

also for the CR discussion, they recently split into c rock north and c rock south. before they split they were far and away the biggest HS in PA.

no they werent im not even sure they were the biggest school in their district

Indeed. Thanks for the info fine sir!

North Penn was and still is bigger than CR then and now, CRS and CRN combined.

Another reason CR was so dominate is that Tyler State Park is right next to the HS. Tyler is probably the best place to train in Southeastern PA. In my opinion anyway.

hamer took the asst. coach at rider. he left so he can write his own training and have more control of his athletes. he was an all-american at psu that missed breaking 4:00 conversion in the 1500 by under a second. rider stinks now but give hamer a couple years. he will have that program competitive.

I disagree. Why would anyone ever want to go to Rider, and run there as well? The school is mediocre and very expensive. What does that equal? A tiny student population with little to no serious runners.

Coach Bill Hodge has done an outstanding job rebuilding the track and field program by recruiting and coaching sprinters, hurdlers, jumpers and throwers. It is a good school academically in a nice area and they have scholarship money. a nice outdoor track facility and access to a nice indoor track at Lawrenceville Prep. With Coach Hamer to lead the distance runners, Rider will have a full dimensional all around strong program in a couple years. Distance running is the only weakness in that program tight now. They have closed the gap on Manhattan College recently in the MAAC.

What kind of training in-season did the rock guys do? I remember Coval just rolling on a the field at an invitational I was at. Any info is good.

Coval was a good talent, but at least from apperances and what I hear around the track, he\'s an ass. He either looked conceited or high most of the time.

Read what you just said: "From what you've heard around the track"...Most people bag on the kid because they were jealous of him. If you've never met him or dont know his story then you dont really have a basis for your opinion. He's a generally humble, nice, cool kid. Let him run and do what he wants. He's not on here making comments about you.

Shmoe wrote:

Another reason CR was so dominate is that Tyler State Park is right next to the HS. Tyler is probably the best place to train in Southeastern PA. In my opinion anyway.

agree. love running at Tyler. some legendary hills.

The indoor track at Lawrenceville Prep is the most horrendous track I've ever seen. It is nothing but a gym floor with markings of an oval. They even use folding tables at the ends so that kids don't cut the corners.

3 years ago Lawrenceville Prep got a new indoor track, much better now.

Rob Hampson was also a transfer, and I think in his Junior year as well.

Some of the Rock kids still run 100 mpw during the summer. Though that is dying out. The role models aren't there anymore. In most of the nineties the Rock kids were tough mother-f***ers. I remember watching invites were there would be a wave of blue plowing in the front. No one in PA even came close to challenging them. Since the old coach left, Rock-supremecy has gone up and down--nothing great. However, I've met the "new" coach and he is a class-guy who obviously knows what he's doing.

I think a lot of Rock's decline has been due to the pussies who say 100 mile weeks are too much for hs kids and all the new age, goody-goody liberalism that goes with it.

Anyway, I think a good portion of the Rock kids use running as a vehicle to get into a good school. Once in college, they focus on studying, as most of the rock kids are really smart and end up in top-notch schools.