Is Cabral Blue Collar Now?

BBC Bollocks wrote:

Shoot, I think he has the same amount of NCAA titles as all of them combined.

The same *number* of NCAA titles...

BBC Bollocks wrote:

Chocolate Starfish wrote:

Cabral never broke the course record at VCP. And yes, one could certainly argue he's been the most successful from his class. Chris Derrick is the only other runner who can measure up with Cabral at this point.

Cabral ran 5k Course record at VCP. The official one anyway. I guess there are rumors of Mcdougal or someone running 15 flat in an open race.

Cabral's 15:09.6 is 2nd best all-time behind McDougal's 15:08.0. However, I personally would rate Cabral's run as intrinsically superior to McDougal's due to the fact that the course was almost certainly a little longer due to different start/finish line set-ups between FLNE and the NYRRC race that McDougal ran in.

fdsafdf wrote:

If Derrick decided to do the steeple, he'd be right behind Jager.

HA HA HA HA... good one.

Steeple is a very different event from a flat 3,000. Takes a different kind of strength. Anyone who's ever run one will tell you there is nothing like tying up in a steeple. God, it hurts just to think about it.

eh, yes and no wrote:

This is kind of revisionist history. It was Derrick and Fernandez all the way as the favorites. Cabral was definitely known as a stud to us in the Northeast, but I didn't read people suggesting he would win.

If I remember he went for it and was in the top few spots until he fell apart a bit at the end and finished...what, like 7th or 8th? I remember his future teammate Brian Leung beating him.

Whoever posted that Cabral was a favorite is obviously an old Dyestat guy. In spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Dyestat picked him as the favorite.

During the race Cabral was maybe 20 meters behind Fout after he moved and he launched into a full sprint with 1000 meters to go that he dearly paid for when he hit the hill. He pretty much walked the last 200 meters. Another sign of blue collar if you ask me.

Funny how a lot of people here don't correlate blue collar with hard work but rather failure. A smart kid who works his ass off academically and athletically and worked full time every summer to pay for college is not considered blue coller because he didn't fail in life. No one said white trash red neck, they said blue collar.

fdsafdf wrote:

Derrick is a considerably better runner than Cabral. The steeplechase is a weak event in comparison to Derrick's main events. If Derrick decided to do the steeple, he'd be right behind Jager.

If the steeple is such easy pickings, why didn't Derrick do the steeple to ensure himself an Olympic spot?

You're saying he chose to go against Rupp, Lagat, and Lomong rather than do an easier event? That defies all logic.

nope. he chose to run against Rupp, Teg, and Ritz. your claim that he ran against Rupp-Lagat-Lomong defies reality.

glaaaag wrote:

fdsafdf wrote:

Derrick is a considerably better runner than Cabral. The steeplechase is a weak event in comparison to Derrick's main events. If Derrick decided to do the steeple, he'd be right behind Jager.

If the steeple is such easy pickings, why didn't Derrick do the steeple to ensure himself an Olympic spot?

You're saying he chose to go against Rupp, Lagat, and Lomong rather than do an easier event? That defies all logic.

ummm wrote:

nope. he chose to run against Rupp, Teg, and Ritz. your claim that he ran against Rupp-Lagat-Lomong defies reality.

glaaaag wrote:

If the steeple is such easy pickings, why didn't Derrick do the steeple to ensure himself an Olympic spot?

You're saying he chose to go against Rupp, Lagat, and Lomong rather than do an easier event? That defies all logic.

No need to be a giant douche. you get his point.

I generally appreciate the thoughts of those who participate in these threads, and I learn much from reading some of them. However, I am never persuaded by an assertion of what any athlete would do if he competed in a certain event or at a certain distance. There's no place in our sport for that. Derrick is a fine young athlete. He might one day turn his efforts to the steeple, but it's an insult to other athletes to say what Derrick would do in an event he has not competed in. Thanks.

My bad, I was thinking 5k not 10k.

So...did you want to respond to my point? If the steeple is so easy why choose the harder event? These guys all want to be Olympians.

There is not one person who has ever run a steeplechase well saying it is an easy event. Only people who have 1) Never tried hurdles or 2) Tried and sucked say the steeple is a cherry picking event. As has been pointed out in other threads, it's like saying any 10 flat sprinter could move up to the mile and run 3:40 since it's so slow for them.

[/quote] No need to be a giant douche. you get his point.[/quote]

Agreed he is a douche, but not even close to the ay-whole who characterizes Donn Cabral as "blue color" as if that has anything to do whatsoever with his considerable achievements. Who is to say whether Cabral comes from a blue collar background and who gives a rat's ass if he does? Cabral has achieved more in his fledgling life than almost every poster on this Board, and he has soared academically as well, earning a degree from Princeton. Suffice it to say, he is positioned to continue to soar athletically and academically, irrespective of whether he comes from a blue collar background or not. Doors will swing wide open for Cabral whatever direction he chooses.

Our sport is essentially defined by the Olympic games. Therefore, Cabral is better than Derrick because he is the Olympian. The best distance runners in the US, right now, are the athletes who are representing us in London. The very best at London right now are Jager and Cabral because they have qualified for their finals. If any of our distance athletes medal, they will be the best we have.

It's really not very difficult to understand, try to keep up.

I think "Blue Collar", in this situation, is defined by attitude rather than economic standing. Donn Cabral is at his first Olympic games, barely out of college, and he leads his heat at 1k and 2k? If that's not "Blue Collar", it sure is big balls. Donn, you're doing Connecticut proud!

All of you are dumb.

anyone know when the final is?

Sunday a little after 4:25 eastern.

Grew up in next door town Manchester which is much more Blue Collar than Glastonbury. But who cares very proud of a local guy in the finals of the Olympics. Hoping for a miracle and that he can make it to the podium.

That's not true. And the word true factors in. Ben True, total blue collar runner, went to Dartmouth (not that much different from Princeton). Also, Cabral is blue collar in part because he went to Princeton. Maybe academically that's not a place that's a compromise in any way but it's not the best running school out there. If he went to Princeton he probably could have gotten into and run for Stanford. He decided to put in the work by himself, that the hours put in were more important than a big name coach or program. He's totally blue collar.

And really what does it matter what we on the message boards say. He just made an olympic final, Other than being on PEDs, is there a wrong way to make an olympic finals?

The steeple is weak...sorry to break it to all the 8:40-8:50 guys...Why would Jager leave the 5k and take on the steeple?? -->Because its easier to do well, the US is saturated with distance talent, at least enough to make it tough to qualify for a world/Olympic team...the depth of talent is much thinner than the 1500, 5k, or 10k. Rupp, or any high level 5k guy with any kind of coordination would own the steeple.....without practicing.