FormerSoccerPlayer: He's not comparing boys to girls times. He said the women were a step slower and thus a couple seconds in a 400. That being said, the OP obviously doesn't know women's 800 times because a 2:10-2:16 is insanely fast and there is little chance any of these women would be within 10 seconds of that range.
glorydays wrote:
FormerSoccerPlayer: He's not comparing boys to girls times. He said the women were a step slower and thus a couple seconds in a 400. That being said, the OP obviously doesn't know women's 800 times because a 2:10-2:16 is insanely fast and there is little chance any of these women would be within 10 seconds of that range.
Ok, my bad. Yet he has no clue if he thinks that national class female soccer players could run 2:10 800. lol.
Check out Tiffany Roberts from Carondelet High School in NorCal. She was on our national soccer team throughout the 90's and early 2000's and she ran a 2:11.81 800 and placed 2nd in the California State Meet in in 1994 as a junior, but didn't run as a senior because she was a starter on our national soccer team. Believe that she also qualified for state in the long jump one year (18'+?). I would be surprised if many of the women on our national soccer team couldn't break 6:00 for the mile.
Only sub 20? What?! They would be much much faster than that! I can't tell if most of you are trolling or not, but these are world class elite athletes. These threads always amaze me. Many of these women could be national class runners if they so chose to focus on it when they were younger.
Speed over 5k, 1500m etc is irrelevant. Aside from the obvious need for endurance, football (the proper name) is all about speed over very short distances - reacting quickly and being first to the ball.
I think that what they would run right now is very different from what these women would have run in high school, or post-collegiately if they were training as runners. The addition of the bulk / muscle that women need to compete as professional soccer players is going to detract from their long (or even middle) distance running ability. Many of them probably would have been stand-out middle and long distance runners had they gone that route, but the distance / mid-d times that they would run right now, in their current conditioning, probably aren't that impressive.
lk;jadf wrote:
I think that what they would run right now is very different from what these women would have run in high school, or post-collegiately if they were training as runners. The addition of the bulk / muscle that women need to compete as professional soccer players is going to detract from their long (or even middle) distance running ability. Many of them probably would have been stand-out middle and long distance runners had they gone that route, but the distance / mid-d times that they would run right now, in their current conditioning, probably aren't that impressive.
If we were looking for world class times, no, not impressive. But we're stating 5 min, on the fast side, hardly world class run times for world class athletes.
I went to high school with and ran track with Heather O'Reilly's brothers. I have no idea what kind of time she could run, but she has the genetics. Her father was something like a 4:10 miler back in college. Her oldest brother did something like a 4:34 and her youngest brother did something in the low 4:20's I think. The middle brother wasn't much of a distance runner (he could still do low 5's), but ran the 400IH in low-to-mid 50's...
With the distance running genes in the family, combined with training and competing at the national level, I am certain she could easily break 6 minutes on her soccer training alone...
A friend of mine, currently a collegiate soccer coach, tried out for the national team when she was younger. She can still (in her mid-40s) break 20 for 5k and 6 for the mile.
Alex Morgan looks like she was born to be a mid-distance runner... bet she could run a fast 800.
I've heard commentators say that Rampone, the oldest on the team at 36 (and a mother), is still one of the fastest, in terms of sprint speed, on the team. Amazing.
I basically hate soccer...not the game, just how ridiculously controlling the youth game is.
But I digress. I actually have experience coaching high school kids, and we've had a lot of good ones at that. Many, many of our kids have a soccer background, and many others who dabbled in running or track and field went on to stick with soccer, so either way I feel like I can be somewhat qualified to comment on this subject.
So I'll tell you, EVERY one of the women's national team members can break 6:00 minutes. I see mediocre girls break 6:00 all the time. It's not that fast. The U.S. team members are not trained to go on sustained runs, but on natural talent and ability to push themselves, MANY would run below 5:15. Given the talent level and natural speed, many would walk out and LJ 17'6" also, with only decent technique.
I think guys underestimate the athletic ability of world class women. We are talking about solid, not spectacular, marks for high school girls. Look at what a world class woman track athlete can do (pick your event). It's ridiculous to think these world class women wouldn't be able to hit decent high school marks. At my school, we've had several kids who were only marginally committed to track due to soccer, who went on to be merely D-1 players, and with only a little technique (hurdle and jumps) and training (distances and sprints) they've hit equivalent marks to what we're talking about here. So DEFINITELY, people are underestimating what the U.S. women's team could do.
You have got to be kidding me. There is no way they can't all break 6 min mile. maybe the goalie would have a tough time with it but the rest wouldn't sweat it. These are athletes, not distance runners. They are in shape for multiple disiplines and shouldn't be embaressed in any (non skill oriented) sport they choose.
On average 800- 2:20
1600- 5:30
You guys are rediculous.
USAUSAUSA wrote:
I've heard commentators say that Rampone, the oldest on the team at 36 (and a mother), is still one of the fastest, in terms of sprint speed, on the team. Amazing.
I played on teams with Rampone. She ran a 40 yard dash FAT timed in 4.7 which I saw with my own eyes. She has some serious speed.
Tiffany Roberts ran 2:11 in the CA state meet coming straight from a US Women's National Team training camp where she was training 2-3x per day. I know this because I was in that camp, too and remember her being extremely disappointed with her performance in the CA state meet.
Kelley O'Hara is the current player who wins the beep test. She could run a fast 800/1500 for sure. I would say 5:00 would not be out of the question for her right now with no running specific training.
Heather O'Reilly's father was ICAA Champion in the 880 in the 70's. He also ran on a mile relay team that ran 3:07. The track world lost out when she picked soccer.
There was a gal on the U20 US team, Michelle Enyeart whose father ran 1:44 and was an Olympian in the 70's.
There are some massively talented speedsters on the USWNT. If you saw these ladies in person, it would blow your mind. We're talking about running for 90 minutes at an international level, not some high school, D1 College or even professional soccer game. Believe me, I've played at all of these levels and the pace and fitness required at the international level eliminates a lot of people who just aren't fast or athletic enough to compete.
I love these discussions trying to project an athlete in one sport into another sport. Jillian Rosen was a kid here who played on the top club team in the nation (Dallas Texans)and was recruited by every quality D1 college soccer program in the country. She was pretty much dabbling in track and running upper 4:50 1600s her freshmen and sophomore years in high school. She went to Arkansas for track and had a lot of success there.
I'm not saying that's common but it is some indicator of how the talents of some of these top soccer players can transfer to track.
This stuff always makes me laugh, all the soccer players run for 90 min. non-stop, total crap, watch a game, they walk for more than half the game unless they are a midfielder or a ref.. The ref may be in the best shape on the field.
Now, from what i've seen in HS and college sports, the best runners make the best athletes, not the best soccer players make the best runners. If you are a great runner, you will be very successful in soccer, even with average skills, you will also be very good at Lax, especially girls, and many other games.
I don't believe that many of these women could break 5:30 for a full mile, some would have a hard time with 6:00, they are big in the thighs and butt, no longer built like they were when they were 16 yr. old HS kids.
victor.. wrote:
Now, from what i've seen in HS and college sports, the best runners make the best athletes,
Define runner. A Long Distance runner is usually not a good soccer player. 400/800 yep.
USWNT-er wrote:
Heather O'Reilly's father was ICAA Champion in the 880 in the 70's. He also ran on a mile relay team that ran 3:07. The track world lost out when she picked soccer.
Does Heather O'Reilly have any relation to the late Jack O'Reilly, the former "voice of the Penn Relays"?
What school did you go to, I've never heard of a 20 min 5k requirement, that seems insanely fast for a soccer team (think about it, 20 min 5k is a pretty good mark for a woman).. maybe the course was short.
Our high school soccer team was one of the best in the country.. I think the fastest soccer player could have done around 5:40, and there were 2-3 more who could go under 6 but everyone else was slower than that (though I doubt anyone was over 7).
Actually I think some of these world class women do a decent amount of running. I think Laurynne Chetelat would still be doing at least 30 miles a week (in addition to soccer practice) BEFORE she switched to track/cross country.
So I wouldn't be surprised if the USA national team was doing 30-50 miles a week in ADDITION to all of their soccer work which is pretty impressive.
I remember hearing somewhere that Mia Hamm ran 5:05ish for the mile. Not sure how accurate this is, but I'm sure that each and every one of these players could crack 6:00 for the mile and the fastest ones would be running under 5:30.