Is there any explanation why NJ teams and runners always are ranked so highly at the start of the year but fail to perform at nationals? Every year CBA is glazed incessantly, runs some insane team average at holmdel park and comes into NXN ranked top 3, and yet they never win. The only explanation I can think of is that they have to travel further so they might be experiencing jet lag. Its not like there is a lack of hilly and muddy courses in NJ
It would be cool to see the HS boys national races run on modified collegiate courses. Madison one year, Oklahoma the next, Virginia another year. Moving it around would be cool. But cross country as a whole should be less manicured trail and grass and make people fight through and this course today did a great job of that.
Bullsh!t. There are tough courses. There are tough conditions. And then there's this.
Why should the outcome of a team race be determined by a fall? Is that how you want a national championship decided? Is that how you determine who the best is?
I'm from the northeast. We run tough courses, cupcake.
Jane Hedengren would've placed 87th in the boy's race.
Yes, by timing, but the course was absolutely destroyed when the boys ran. ...Hedengren had first tracks basically the whole way today. Still, her performance was so dominant it can't be dismissed in any way.
100% agree. Yeah, her turn puts her finishing with boys who ran low 15's at Woodward Park. I don't need we'd see that from Hedengren lol.
But easily the most dominant performance by a girl on this course and it was a blast being able to watch it live.
Is there any explanation why NJ teams and runners always are ranked so highly at the start of the year but fail to perform at nationals? Every year CBA is glazed incessantly, runs some insane team average at holmdel park and comes into NXN ranked top 3, and yet they never win. The only explanation I can think of is that they have to travel further so they might be experiencing jet lag. Its not like there is a lack of hilly and muddy courses in NJ
if its jet lag its poor planning on their part. NY girls teams haven't had an issue with jet lag historically.
This post was edited 1 minute after it was posted.
Is there any explanation why NJ teams and runners always are ranked so highly at the start of the year but fail to perform at nationals? Every year CBA is glazed incessantly, runs some insane team average at holmdel park and comes into NXN ranked top 3, and yet they never win. The only explanation I can think of is that they have to travel further so they might be experiencing jet lag. Its not like there is a lack of hilly and muddy courses in NJ
One thing about NJ XC this year: NY and NJ had drought conditions for most of the fall. In other words, every Saturday was basically perfect XC conditions. Of course, they've been disappointing in other years, too.
Worth mentioning Downers Grove in 6th and State College in 8th. Weren't up there in the predictions, but both teams have a history of running well in wet, difficult conditions, and it showed today. The importance of running well in the rain significantly outweighed the talent today and I think the results may been drastically different all across the board with different conditions. Vause is proof that to win races, you don't need to be the best runner, but you need to be the best runner on that day.
"We had an ok day but our 6 and 7 guy scored so I knew we weren't gonna do great" "Yeah our coach has been 3rd-2nd-3rd so he's a really good podium coach" these kids are killing me rn
Vause is proof that to win races, you don't need to be the best runner, but you need to be the best runner on that day.
this was said last year when Jojo Jourdon won. Turns out he was the best runner, and now the fastest true freshman in College over everyone including griffith
The course is too much of a factor. Makes for badass video clips and IG stories but sucks for kids who bust their asses for the dream of performing well.
Get this meet the hell out of Oregon.
as long as Nike is the title sponsor, there is just no way they could create an experience like they do anywhere else in the country without increasing the cost by an order of magnitude
been there with individuals/teams on 4 sep occasions and while all the teams want to perform well, the race itself isn't even the most exciting part of going
i'm from socal. i fully understand that things like altitude, humidity, weather etc. can and do make an impact on athletes. i still like going up to Portland even though we got the cards kinda stacked against us. it's honestly a lot of fun. more of a season-ending victory parade of sorts really.
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