AJ Acosta - at least he is still running

For you own good run at least 3:53. We don't want you to get a DNF due to beard tripping.

How many are still competing from AJ class.

A 3:57 is a mile time that Webb would have run in the early spring during his prime. AJ looks to be coming back.

I like how this is one of those rarities on the letsrun message board--a thread showing genuine encouragement for an aspiring elite.

I'll echo some of the opinions here and say I think this race represented a solid opening effort for AJ; of course his kick could have been stronger, but a 3.57 opener on a windy day in Kansas is a promising sign.

Definitely rooting for him to keep at it and to get that contract.

I cannot remember exactly how much the offer was but AJ did get offered a contract. He turned it down.

I don't know AJ but I can imagine a personality like his, seeing Rupp and Wheating get the offers they did, and him not being ok with $50k (this is in the ballpark if what he got offered). From the Flotrack interview he gives off the impression no company has offered him anything, what he should be saying it no company has offered him what he thinks he is worth thus far.

Christine Babcock should not be on that list. Wasn't she the first finisher for a national championship crosss country team and earned all-american another year?

And she was Pac-10 All-Academic First Team for three years.

This past cross country season she was named Pac-12 Scholar Athlete of the Year and was on a team that finished 2nd at at nationals.

I'm not surprised by 2 things

1. A company offering more than 50k a year to aj

2. AJ turning it down

The dude always thinks he's such hot sh*t. He's so arrogant and cocky, running a 3:53 once in a blue moon doesn't make you marketable, not when you're a pr*ck like AJ is. Perhaps he will be humbled and will show some class every now and then.

Ok , great list of names looking for a party with no place to go.

What is clearly pointed out is that our post collegiate development system sucks.

Getting a contact is not so easy and should not be the absolute reason athletes continue on.

If we had a better developed club system allowing athletes a reason to continue to train and compete we may see athletes reach potential that never happened in college. The Hanson/Brooks project is a great prototype as was the McMillan program as what Gags has done wherever he lands in his travels. Look at the strong club systems in Boston , what if a elite system was put in place funded of course but with the strong structure of the club as a grounding system.

This is USATF's greatest challenge is to develop a system that supports emerging athletes and a supporting youth program. Yes it will take corporate dollars to fund , lets see how the new CEO @ USATF takes this on.

What if we had a well developed club system with coaches , facilities , events to compete in , a place for the list of athletes you mention to be part of.

OH , BTW , I like the AJ nation thing , good for the sport , makes it fun and gives an athlete personality.

Just saying too wrote:

AJ Nation, Nicole Blood, Lauryne Chetelet, Christine Babcock, Christy Adamack, Annie St.Geme, Marie Lawrence, Ben Sitler, Michael Coe, Alex Dunne, Chad Hall, and a few other Californians I can name here, never lived up to thier superstar high school potential. Some never ran a college race! (Ok Marie is from Nevada!)

Staying at the top is no easy task. A lot of the people you mentioned did improve their PRs and theres certainly a few All American Certificates floating among your list but to live up to being the best in High School you have to be the best in college. There are always going to be the undertrained/underdeveloped kids that seem to come out of no where so you have to fend them off while you fend off the others that were studs in high school.

AJ was ncaa runner-up, losing to an olympian in wheating and beating centro, who in 2 years would medal at the WC

blood had an awesome college career. maybe not as good as one would have guessed when she was in 8th-10th grades, but probably better than anyone expected after her junior and senior years of college

chatelet (sp?) had a great freshman year at stanford before transferring out

asdfe wrote:

I wish him a level of success equal to his modesty.

I'm in 14:19 shape. lol

This is categorically false. AJ hasn't been offered a contract. People keep spreading this rumor without considering whether or not it has any merit.

He is a faster miler than Webb is right now. Why not give him a contract. I think 50 grand a year would be a good start. His 3:57 mile is basically a 3:38 1500.

Just saying too wrote:

AJ Nation, Nicole Blood, Lauryne Chetelet, Christine Babcock, Christy Adamack, Annie St.Geme, Marie Lawrence, Ben Sitler, Michael Coe, Alex Dunne, Chad Hall, and a few other Californians I can name here, never lived up to thier superstar high school potential. Some never ran a college race! (Ok Marie is from Nevada!)

and German Fernandez

add Troy Swier, Phillip Reid, Brandon Babiracki, Michael Poe, Mark Matusak, Humberto Rojas, Michael Cybulski, and the Mercado brothers please.

sonny douglas wrote:

He is a faster miler than Webb is right now. Why not give him a contract. I think 50 grand a year would be a good start. His 3:57 mile is basically a 3:38 1500.

Why give 50k much less 50 dollars to one of the biggest dbags in track and field? He's not marketable at all, nobody likes that tool.

AJ has a ton of support. He still has the nation!

He is a world class talent. At 3:53 he is as fast or faster than Centro. He beat Centro and barely lost to a 3:30 guy, Andrew Wheating at NC's. I'd hardly call that disappointing.

He's had a remarkable college career earning numerous All-American honors.

How many American born milers have run faster than 3:53? Any of you smart alec AJ haters know the answer to that one? Can't be more than 20. In all of track history.

3:53 is within a sec of Liqouri's PR and 2 sec of Ryun's PR. It's as good as Wottle and Wohlhuter and better than almost every other American miler that has ever run!

Run on AJ! Two months til the Trials!

By the way of his time he has already qualified for the trials. However, I believe Centos, Lamong, and Manazano will be the odds on favorites to make the team.

I was confused cause the results said he ran for Nike. Did they screw up too?

Maybe he should take a page out of Jager's playbook and move up to the steeple. Remember that sick triple be pulled in 2010 at Pac 10's? 13:46 5k, 8:52 steeple, 3:41 1500.

Reid is doing well now 3:40 or so and 13:40s. Babiracki went on a Mormon mission. St. Geme has serious injury problems. Poe dropped out of Arkansas and ended up in jail so his fall is the worst.