Both are advertisements for their products, not legitimate sporting events. As such, that's why they have separate events, they are show cases for their product lineup, and not athletic events.
Both are advertisements for their products, not legitimate sporting events. As such, that's why they have separate events, they are show cases for their product lineup, and not athletic events.
OK, so can you run in the NXN regional alone, or do you need to have your team there? I honestly don't know this answer, not being facetious.
I understand Nike wants to have the better championship. But why the hell do they have to try to take over everything. FL has been around for decades, and is a good meet. Nike just shows they're a bunch of a-holes by doing what they did.
Nike hired and flew out every website and TV crew imaginable to cover the NXN but it's not working for Nike. Nike changed the format this year and renaming the meet to try to ignite interest. The biggest factor as always is the weather. Americans are fickle and won't travel across country for an outdoor race in cold weather, humid weather, or very hot weather. Decades ago Footlocker's picked San Diego for that very obvious reason, and that's why Footlocker is still going strong and will continue to do so for the forseeable future.
some runner wrote:
OK, so can you run in the NXN regional alone, or do you need to have your team there? I honestly don't know this answer, not being facetious.
I understand Nike wants to have the better championship. But why the hell do they have to try to take over everything. FL has been around for decades, and is a good meet. Nike just shows they're a bunch of a-holes by doing what they did.
Yes, you can run individually at regionals.
As for FL... well, Kinney was around a long time, so this isn't unprecedented. I think a team + individual format is the best personally. Besides, wouldn't it be better for a company that cares about running to hold the meet?
In about 3-4 years FL will die out. NXN will far out spend them and put on a much better meet. Nike quickly put up photos, video, and results on its website. But I took about 8 hours for FL to post the results of the FL-West Regional. FL didn't make the results available to anyone else either.
As I said before, FL is run by retired old farts in thier 60s and 70s, while NXN if run by individuals in their late 20s and 30s. Nike knows how to put on a good meet. FL has no clue and doesn't care. They just copy what Kinny did 30+ years ago.
If FL was concerned that NXN might put them out of business, they would have taken care to improve things this year -- like placing results online shortly after thier races ended. But those that run FL don't have a clue.
The first year NXN invites individuals they get about a quarter of the top 20 runners (both boys and girls). Next year is should be near half, then 3/4th the following year, then so long FL.
Seriously now, nobody cares about NXN. It's simply too cold in Portland. Most families take one away vacation per year. There's no sun, no beach, no zoo, no Shamu, no fun in Portland in the winter.
that's L.A. man, after the xc meet, meet management has to go wax the surf board, then maybe post results after meeting with their people. after that they have to negotiate movie deals, record contracts, and male gay porno shoots on monday at their beachfront homes. after all it's not frigging wet and cold meth town like portland is with nothing else to do but watch on tv, movies and TV shows from, umm, L.A.
I'll be serious. i have been to footlocker three times in the past six years including the last two years. Team made it to NXN this year and it is far superior to taking one kid to Footlocker. Much better for the team, the program and a much more exciting event. Not to mention the fact that coaches/shaperones have access to their kids and can accompany them to all the functions. At Footlocker the coaches/shaperones are left out.
NXN wins.
Nice run 17:27 for Chelsey Sveinsson. Anyone knows who she has signed with ?
hs coach... wrote:
I'll be serious. i have been to footlocker three times in the past six years including the last two years. Team made it to NXN this year and it is far superior to taking one kid to Footlocker. Much better for the team, the program and a much more exciting event. Not to mention the fact that coaches/shaperones have access to their kids and can accompany them to all the functions. At Footlocker the coaches/shaperones are left out.
NXN wins.
I am no Nike apologist as anyone can read from my previous posts. However, like you, I have attended both meets. NXN is simply a better meet.
Also, the word "chaperone" is spelled with a "c" not an "s." For some reason, that seemed relevant given that you prefaced your remarks on being "serious."
I've been to all NTN/NXN and FL in SD for many decades. I took my kids to FL when they were growing up each year and spent two weekends plus the weekdays there each time. My kids are all grown now and all ran in college.
Portland is not a vacation spot in the December. But Oregon has nice folks and it's always a pleasure to visit Oregon.
Nike has really ruined their reputation with the kids and coaches by attempting to hijack the Olympic Trials and Footlocker Finals. Doug Logan has not signed the agreement that Masback ironed out with Nike for the USA Nationals nor 2012 OT and it doesn't look like he will.
The P.R. killer for Nike though was the zero medals won by state of Oregon athletes in track and field at the Beijing Olympics. That deflated the Nike blimp hovering over the 48 states of America. That was the main killer for NXN I feel. But I was there anyway. It was a good race for Reed and Chelsey. I hope they do well in college.
Ha, sorry about the spelling, just got back to the east coast from Portland and I guess I'm more tired than I thought. I even have the badge from the meet this weekend with the correct spelling on it and still messed it up (twice).
FL is better, what are you talking about. The kids don't care who sponsors the Olympic trials, Nike didn't ruin anything for them. None of the kids on my team said "hey, let's skip NXN because no Oregan athletes won any medals in Beijing", they loved it and will be back for more. NXN is alive and well, Footlocker is on the verge of instinction. I give it two years, tops.
And another thing, Chelsey is a soph. But, I do hope she does well in college someday.
We all love NXN and we all love FL. Whatever is good for the kids is all that matters to parents and coaches like myself. It's not an us against them *thing* like Nike has made the Olympic Trials, US Outdoor Nationals, NXN, FL, and the Stats of Oregon Beijing expectation hype all about. The old Nike was nice and about runners. The new Nike has adopted the Redmond, Washington attitude, is ugly, and it sucks. Everyone is aware of the aggressive, underhanded tactics of the new Nike, and nobody likes it. The embarrassment of zero state of Oregon track and field athletes on the medal stand at Beijing after the immense chauvinism expressed by Nike is laughed at in all circles, from youth to masters, it will take decades for Nike to live that flop down.
SHe probably is "signed" w/her high school- she's a soph. 4:43/2:08 as a frosh and now NXN. WOW.
17:27 wrote:
http://trackandfieldphoto.com/DisplayJpg.php?081206_1847_0225_RLM&next=1Nice run 17:27 for Chelsey Sveinsson. Anyone knows who she has signed with ?
maybe your right Coach about NXN and Footlocker....but as a fan this is my opinion.....NXN was so boring this year!..and I watched both videos live, and it did nothing for me!...funny thing is.... the focus was suppose to be about the teams....yet the coverage was mostly about the individual winners (same thing happen at Div I college xc).......the way I see it, having one primary focus (individuals)seems to be easier for the cameras, the announers, and the people trying to explain what in going on in race.......footlocker keeps it simple.......racing to see who is the best/fasteest hs runner in the nation!.....and each year since I been watching (the year moore won)footlocker has very exciting, maybe it will change in a couple of years......I hope not!
I do hope XC events will be able to master the ART of covering the teams scores, videos, and continious coverage someday........did you notice at the NXN they continued to show the winning girl and boy and then forgetting about the team coverage at the end of the race?.......as a fan I was trying to see each team in their uniforms cross the finish line for scores but instead I have to watch the winning kid go get water, sit down, warm down, and while race continues on without coverage.......NCAA is no better.
Footlocker could be like the movie...It's a wonderful life"
you know the part in the movie where he says "if for nothing else we need to keep this one event(footlocker) so we don't all go crawling to NIKE" something like that....
I don't follow the sport very closely anymore, so my opinion is probably typical of the more casual fan:
Nike is killing its meet by bringing in the Kenyan kids. They simply devalue what is allegedly a "national" meet.
Look, it's Nike's dough and they can do what they want. I can understand completely about (metaphorically) "signing" the Kenyans on as Nike athletes early, by giving them the trip and the gear and so forth. Who knows, maybe one of those kids will be an international athlete one day and be well-disposed toward Nike. The reasoning is easy to follow.
But the presentation sucks. Even after Nike (apparently) told the Kenyan kids to hold back and run as a group, folks are still comparing the Americans' times to the Kenyans', rather than looking for the American team and individual champs. It just doesn't come across as a "national" or "championship" meet very well.
Nike, either ditch the Kenyans or invite top "high school" teams from, say, ten great running countries (maybe Kenya, Ethiopia, Canada, Ireland, China, Russia, etc.) and have them compete at a different venue and/or on a different date. (Now *that* would be a championship meet!) And let the American kids have a truly "national"--truly *American*--meet.
I disagree. I think the Kenyan kids should run in the championship race. If Americans start hiding from the Kenyans in high school, how do we beat them in the Olympics? I do think it would be great to bring other nations in too. They are about to see it a year later in the NCAA, show it to them now.
George P. wrote:
I questioned, on dyestat, the - how should I put this? - nature or purpose of the Kenyans participation at NXN. I was basically told to shut up and eat my spinach. ;-)
I read that thread and you were a f'ing idiot. No one told you to shut up and eat your spinach or anything close to it. Do you have a problem with attention? You failed to understand anyones response and acted like a moron. You aren't good enough for dyestat or letsrun.
well, my vote is to keep them home.
There is a time and place for international competition, but this is not it. Let's be honest, we really don't know if they are kids?