You've got a point, but what about Peyton Manning?
You've got a point, but what about Peyton Manning?
INdiana, 4 all-americans at footlocker competition, 3 guys/1 girl, very strong, depth wise competitive with alot of states in the nation. I would say only Cali, Illinois, and maybe Colorado/Flordia would be comparable. 4 guys under 15:00 I expect them to dominate in track this year as well
I also agree with Indiana. Not incredibly small population-wise, but smaller than all the other states being mentioned for the top spot.
I wouldn't doubt Indiana having more than a couple runners under 4:10 for the 1600 if the state meet is a fast one.
rhode island is pretty damn bad...
just in, no one asked/cares about the per capita crap...
Oregon has had some pretty good runners in the past. I'm not sure how it's been doing lately.
Minnesota's always been very strong especially for a smaller state with guys like Finnerty and Hassan Mead as well as good depth. The best states accounting for population are probably Minnesota, Illinois, California, and Colorado. Maybe New York as well.
Michigan. The Midwest is always strong, esp. Illinois, Ohio, Indiana and Michigan. Illinois and Ohio are well over 10 million in population; Michigan and Indiana are better per capita. Indiana seems to be a little more up-and-down, while Michigan is consistently strong every year. Interestingly we were much more talented in terms of boys 5-10 years ago (Ritz, Hartmann, Tim Moore, etc.) and in recent years the pendulum has swung to the girls, with Goethals being the best example.
Relatively small states that are good per capita: Alaska, Missouri, Colorado, Oregon, Wyoming, New Mexico, Utah.
Michigan had three girls(and one guy) go to footlocker this year. They place like 5-7-18 or something like that. Two of them ran 17:00 at the state meet in an awesome kick.
gv10k wrote:
Michigan. The Midwest is always strong, esp. Illinois, Ohio, Indiana and Michigan. Illinois and Ohio are well over 10 million in population; Michigan and Indiana are better per capita. Indiana seems to be a little more up-and-down, while Michigan is consistently strong every year. Interestingly we were much more talented in terms of boys 5-10 years ago (Ritz, Hartmann, Tim Moore, etc.) and in recent years the pendulum has swung to the girls, with Goethals being the best example.
Relatively small states that are good per capita: Alaska, Missouri, Colorado, Oregon, Wyoming, New Mexico, Utah.
Pennsylvania is pretty amazing, as most everyone there is a senior citizen. Of the few high school kids, on a per capita basis, they do extremely well.
Cross country meets in Pennsylvania do have an amazing number of officials, though, from several decades. There's hand timers, backup hand timers and electronic timers, and guys all along the course.
The chute area looks like the attendees at a windbreaker sales convention got lost.
I'd say Virginia would probably be in the top 10.
Consistently sends 3-5 athletes to FL each year in a region that includes Florida, Texas, and North Carolina.
On the VA state course this year (which runs about 10-15 slower than McAlpine, the FL south course), 27 guys broke 16:00 and 15 teams average 16:45 or better.
11 FL All-Americans in the last 10 years
The midwest destroyed at Footlocker.
For those saying Alaska is strong, who have they produced in recent years besides Trevor Dunbar? Honest question, I just don't know.
Phenom Man wrote:
California has the best individual depth, but I bet Illinois has more team depth than California. Illinois 4-8 teams are probably better than Cali's. I don't know much about New York, however.
Until Arcadia won, CA had never really done well teamwise at any of the postseason meets. This isn't to say that they don't stack up with IL and NY. Most Californians end up having to run a race on 4 consecutive weekends before doing any post season meets.
It's like comparing apples to oranges for the most part.
Oklahoma is very weak. Winner of the 5k state champs won in 16 flat on a relatively flat course.
For a few years, Florida was rather weak for its size but it has been improving the last 3 years.
Hahahahahaha...agreed on all counts.
I can't believe nobody has mentioned Washington. The 2 boys teams we send to NXN are almost always top 10. Most years we'd have 3 or more in the top-25 if we could send that many.
And Washington wins the per capita debate hands down. Only six million residents in this state.
I don't think anyone mentioned Massachusetts, which has put out some great male and female athletes over the years for a state of it's size. Several schools with great traditions and coaches. Can't compete with NY and CA, but maybe a top state on per capita basis.
Papa Newts wrote:
The midwest destroyed at Footlocker.
Guys from the West and Northeast have to choose between footlocker and NXN, so they didn't have their best runners.
1. Cali
2. New York
3. Illinois
4. Texas
Notable states. Indiana has a lot of good runners up front in Futsam, Walden, and Martin. Jersey always has a good cast of teams and individuals. Florida has improved. Washington, especially the Spokane area, is good at producing top of the line guys. Any other state worth mentioning? I'm not focusing on the population.