They are probably man-children who have been shaving for 3 years. Same thing happens in little league all the time. There are always a few kids who can hit the ball 300 feet when they are 11-12 because they are more developed however it all levels off in high school when their peers catch up to them and they become average players.
where in AL? What city? I'd like to see the afformentioned kid from chattanooga and this kid move on up the ranks. its been fun watching bumbalough (sp?) like to see more kids from the south excel at distance running.
That is true most of the time, but I'm tell you, I was at the meet yesterday and saw this kid run. If anything he is less developed then most of the other 8th graders. Pretty sure he's not shaving yet either.
I think it's not so important how fast they're running as it is what kind of potential their coach can see in them. You can tell when you watch a runner: what kind of stride he has, how smooth it looks, etc. Time mean nothing at that age. But a good coach can watch a runner run a few laps and tell how good he is.
Many kids who run under 5 in jr high have hard times getting below 4:15-4:20, ever.
We should look for legit prodigies when they are more like sophomores than 8th graders. Looking back at a lot of the great mid distance/distance runners, many couldn't break 5min in jr high but at around the age of 16 or sophomore, they could easily brake 4:20.
so if you had to look at current middle schoolers, and assess who would have the greatest career (later years of Hs and beyond) what would you look for? Surely this is no easy task, but what would you want to see.
There is a huge flaw in this line of thinking.
I ran under 5 minutes as an eighth grader and I wouldn't call myself a "prodigy".
Most kids aren't even running timed miles until they are freshmen, and don't get serious until their sophomore or junior year. Nobody stresses middle school- most middle schools don't even have track programs.
My school did. I ran seventh and eighth grade, so I had a "base", but I still wouldn't say that I was a prodigy.
My guess is that unless these kids are doing speed workouts all the time, they are just talented kids that developed earlier than their peers. If that's the case, the sky's the limit for them.
running a 4:45 mile is hardly being a "prodigy" its just being a really good runner. Perkins white havel taye all went around or under 4:30 last year as 8th graders they are what u should consider "prodgies"
Actually I don't think there is a huge flaw in this line of thinking. I've never heard of a middle schooler running this fast. 4:31 is a good time for any high schooler...to be running this in 8th grade is phenomenal. If there is anyone that would fit the definition of 'prodigy' it would have to be someone who is unusually talented and young. A kid who runs 4:31 in middle school seems to fit the bill if anyone.
I don't think breaking 5 in 8th grade qualifies...no offense but breaking 5 and running 4:31 are light years apart. There is a sea of people that have run under 5 in middle school...although that is a great time for a middle schooler. I guarantee we can count on one hand the number of people this year under 4:40 in middle school though.
And for the people who say 'time means nothing' in middle school...that is such bs. It clearly means something. It clearly shows that this kid is very talented. It certainly is not the determining factor in a runner's career but it is a sign that this kid is a really good runner and could do great things in the future.
By the way...I have heard from reliable sources that this kid runs no mileage...he doesn't train in the off season. He just races a lot.
Either way...I thought it was worth the post.
4:10 miler, soph in college. Also ran 1:53 as junior in HS.
I wasn't shaving in eighth grade, but I did have a pretty good thatch of pubic hair going, and I could not help but notice that my penis was a good larger than most of my mates.' I was a 5:13 miler at the time. Within a year, I had grown four inches in height, was hairy as hell, and was sporting an oboxiously large and heavy phallus that later made me a hit with the ladies, but at the time rendered me a freak and a frequent target of locker-room pranksters who used to sneak up behind me, reach between my legs, and give my low-hanging manflesh a couple of vicious tugs, which hurt something terrible. I recorded a 4:41 mile and a 2:05 800 meters the spring of my freshman year. I never ran faster, because I quit running.
Can we meet up?
Riley Young of McCallie in Chattanooga may develop quite well. I coach at his rival school and I'm pretty close with his family: sensible folks, don't over-push him, etc.
Our school, Baylor, has cranked out some decent milers, including Gifford (4:09 converted ),Wharton (3:45 at Wake), Strang (4:11) and Townsend (4:10.7 converted from Penn Relays inv. full mile). So, having said that, Riley has run faster than all of the above ever did in 8th grade.
Of course,as we all know, it takes years of patient aerobic development, remaining injury-free, and simply having fun mixed in with the fire.
Californian wrote:
Didn't he run 14:2x last year at Mt. Sac or some other meet? I don't think 14:51 would be his pr.
yes, he ran 14:20's at mt. sac last year (14:24-5, i think)...
I say Donny can go suck dick and get a life
Donny is the best runner I have ever seen! Who cares about stupid Jake Boyert...Donny is so much better! I don't care what anyone else thinks, he is still number one in my book! <3
This thread kind of reminds me of my middle school days. I ran 6:00 in sixth grade, then 5:26 in seventh, followed by 4:58 in eighth. No middle school track program. Grew a lot over the course of those three years. We only had middle school cross country in the fall, and I did a little "training" on my own the rest of the year. Ran 40-50 mpw in high school (good team and training program). I improved 5k XC 30 seconds from freshman to senior year. Never ran faster in the 1600 though. I was fully dedicated; no major injuries except for a bout of anemia sophomore year.
My one teammate and I always finished races close together in middle school. I was always a little faster though. Same training and everything yet he ended up running 4:16 senior year. Kinda makes you wonder why some people just stop improving.
I didn't break a 5:00 mile until my senior year in high school, unless you count a 4:57 1600m relay leg. I didn't break 18:00 in 5K XC until my senior year. But the training paid dividends my senior year, and I ran for a good D1 school.
Yea, and I'm a guy too.
So all of your high school training finally started paying off in college? I run on a college team (small D1 school) and want to improve. Obviously have been putting the training in. I was just kind of disappointed with my high school years because I showed little to no improvement compared to middle school with less training.