CBA that good or NJ bad?

A guy from New Jersey wrote:

13 guys broke 16 and the top 5 teams all had averages under 16:40, which is pretty impressive on a course like Holmdel (the Van Cortlandt Park of NJ). And most of the really good teams/individuals were probably not going all out in anticipation of NXN and Foot Locker qualification tomorrow.

The "Van Cortlandt Park of NJ" is a ludicrous statement.

It's their state course and one with many decades of tradition, but VCP it isn't.

Holmdel is a harder course than VCP

Shortness wrote:

They don't recruit. Just ask all the studs from the Shore right now like Tom O'Neill, Rob Napolitano, Dylan Tarpey or the guys from the last few years like Craig Forys, Robbie Andrews etc. CBA is expensive with NO athletic scholarships. It is also very tough academically and has an entrance exam that turns away over half the applicants. I've been living near CBA for years. Top notch program that develops above average frosh into excellent HS runners. just look at this years team and the results they put up as frosh xc runners. Amazing development. The recruiting line is old and tired. Besides, have you met the coaches? Stand up guys.

Dude, this is in no way a knock on the program or the coaches. I'm sure they are great guys that really know what they are doing.

But if you think that LOTS of talented NJ 8th graders don't try to get into CBA because of the running tradition there and that as a result CBA does not get extraordinary talent to work with then I have a bridge you might be interested in buying.

Still waiting to hear about any specific runner you know that had been recruited by CBA coaches, NJ Dude. If CBA was recruiting, don't you think they would have gone after the NJ MOC champ pretty hard, considering he lives in Middletown, and CBA is in the Lincroft-area of Middletown Township? I feel like Rob Napolitano would get some attention. Hell, maybe even Kevin Byrne, whose father was a legendary Mid-D runner in NJ and knows full well about CBA. People knew about his talent well before he went to RBC, so you figure he MUST have heard from CBA's coaches in middle school, right?

So whenever you get a chance. Let me get those names. Whenever you get a spare moment. Thanks.

Thanks again.

This debate is getting lost in a technicality. CBA coaches don't need to (and don't, as far as I'm aware) contact young runners directly. They have a successful program with good coaching and kids get to choose if they want to apply. Public schools, unless they have specific programs unavailable to nearby schools, don't get to have kids say "I want to go THERE!". As such, the incoming Freshman class at CBA has a better chance of having talent than a normal school. It's not against the rules, its just the way the system works.

I ran against CBA in high school, and when I saw up and coming runners from my town decide to go there, instead of coming to my school like they would have (or even going to RBC), I was always a little bummed. I wanted my program to get some fresh talent, but the kids chose otherwise. It happens.

funny wrote:

Still waiting to hear about any specific runner you know that had been recruited by CBA coaches, NJ Dude. If CBA was recruiting, don't you think they would have gone after the NJ MOC champ pretty hard, considering he lives in Middletown, and CBA is in the Lincroft-area of Middletown Township? I feel like Rob Napolitano would get some attention. Hell, maybe even Kevin Byrne, whose father was a legendary Mid-D runner in NJ and knows full well about CBA. People knew about his talent well before he went to RBC, so you figure he MUST have heard from CBA's coaches in middle school, right?

So whenever you get a chance. Let me get those names. Whenever you get a spare moment. Thanks.

Thanks again.

Are you for real? Have you absolutely no intelligence whatsoever?

But if you think that LOTS of talented NJ 8th graders don't try to get into CBA because of the running tradition there and that as a result CBA does not get extraordinary talent to work with then I have a bridge you might be interested in buying.

This isn't recruiting (nor unique, I suppose), but I heard they send all the freshmen on a 2M race in Sep and basically tell the fastest ones, "Welcome to CBA, you're on the XC team." Can an alum confirm or deny this rumor?

I am perfectly for real. I can tell you that I am 100% for sure that every kid that I ran at CBA with, ran their very first organized XC race as a freshman at that school. Since then, some middle school XC programs have sprung up in the area, but I had NO idea what XC was until I got to CBA.

and yes, CBA has the Freshman Run. Every freshman gets out of school at noon one day in september and you race as homeroom teams on the on-campus 1.5m XC course. And the top 40 are invited to try out for XC. That also means the entire freshman soccer team "gets invited", but politely declines, and many other guys that want to play other sports. Normally there is 20 or so kids left to try out.

Can we be real for a minute, how many 7th and 8th grade boys are thinking about trying out for XC in high school? Also, this isn't girls' XC, where 7th and 8th graders are integral scorers on HS teams (Saratoga, Shenandoah, etc). Girls and boys have different trajectories once puberty hits. You get lots of little freshman girls that rip up courses, but by the time puberty is done and they are 17-18 year-old seniors & lots of them couldn't dream of matching their career bests set 3 years earlier. Boys on the other hand get better as the physical maturation goes on. You don't see too many freshman going to Foot Locker (Torres aside), and rarely do you see any 8th graders making a HS varsity team. So what you REALLY need is good coaching through those early years on the boys' side, and they will grow into good runners. No recruiting or attracting necessary. Like I have said, I had NO clue about CBA XC when I was in middle school. I was extremely athletic and played lots of club sports. The only reason I knew about CBA was from buddies of mine who had older brothers there.

But anytime you want to let me know who was recruited to run at CBA, I'm all ears.

Thanks for your response.

Thanks again.

coach wrote:

Holmdel is a harder course than VCP

Not the point he was making coach...he was trying to convey equivalence in status.

What year did you graduate?

2001 my d00d.

never heard of a CBA runner doing anything out side of high school

Then you haven't paid attention.

Matt Mitchell

Eric Savoth

Chris Bennett

to name a few.

SCIENCE! wrote:

As such, the incoming Freshman class at CBA has a better chance of having talent than a normal school.

This is simply not true. Look at all the traditional powerhouse cross country programs that are in public schools. Fayetteville–Manlius can't possibly recruit and yet they are just as dominant as CBA.

The things that the freshman class at CBA have a excellent chance of getting are quality training and a high school where running matters. Most high school programs simply suck. CBA's simply doesn't.

I think we know now...

Exactly. Ugh, NJ is terrible.

seasoned ranker wrote:

I think we know now...

CBA choked

CBA coaches=geniuses. Plain and simple and you're not paying attention if you disagree.

Never underestimate the incredible power of tradition. They have it in loads.

With all that said, they make no apologies about beating the living crap out of their kids. Their senior year is the Olympics. Thus the lower curve of improvement later. In my opinion that's probably worth getting in to a great school with a possible partial scholarship. I'd take that deal.

Recruiting is not the right word. Common knowledge that their stud miler that graduated last year was going to play basketball somewhere else as a freshman. Some "friends of the program" went to the kids house and told him otherwise. Things like that along with what has been called a heavy presence at middle school meets keep the coffers full. All's fair...