You do realize that 3 of the championships won by California were all from the same team, Newbury Park. Also Great Oak has won a championship too, but has gone downhill after Soles left. California used to be good because of teams like this in the past, but now with powerhouse teams like these getting worse, California is overrated, and definitely didn't deserve 2 at large bids to NXN last year, one of those should've gone to Rocky Mountain.
Not sure if we can say that the Great Oak boys team is done. They did lose 5 varsity seniors from last year but they had a bunch of guys step up during track. They still got depth too They return: 9:10 / 4:10 - 11 9:17 / 4:12 - 12 9:18 / 4:16 - 12 9:36 / 4:23 - 12 9:44 / 4:28 - 12 9:52 / 4:27 - 11 4:32 - 11 9:55 / 4:35 - 11 That 9:10 guy ran a 10:11 last year
In retrospect yes Rocky Mountain should have gotten a bid over Granada. However, that decision came from the NXN committee and had nothing to do with “Ratings” but face to face competition. If Rocky Mountain competed in a big invitational that year I am sure they would have gotten their bid over Granada
It’s because Rocky stays in state and never travels. They sell it as they build culture rather than chase fast times, but then complain when they have only one quality meet on the schedule and it bites them. They put all their chips on getting top 2 at the regional meet and they didn’t get it. They beat a Great Oak team that was sick on the course in their backyard that they train on and then didn’t really show a ton of improvement as the season went on.
The Rocky coaches made a choice and they should live by that. They are doing the same thing this year and wasting the senior year of Landon Heemeyer, although they will be nowhere near where they were last fall, especially at the Idaho State meet. But they can post about the glory to God and all that crap after they predictably don’t qualify and lessons after defeat while not acknowledging at all that they failed the kids by not realizing that it takes actually facing competition to have a resume worth considering for an at large. I would be pissed at them if I was on that team last year. That was all their choices that kept Rocky from going. Literally one travel trip and one good showing would have sent them to NXN. Qualifying for NXN is also great for culture.
One last thing- Rocky parents and runners will respond to this (because they are all over this board) and try to hand wave off the importance of qualifying for NXN. The coach uses god to brainwash your kids into not questioning why something happened. “Don’t question God’s plan” is really “don’t question my actions that got us here.”
I hope they don’t make this same mistake next year. You can’t just assume you will get a bid with how stacked SW region will be next year (will probably get 2). California, Midwest will also be very good
The coaching staffs personal beliefs are their foundation as people, no need to use those in a negative way against them. They have never used the phrase “Don’t question Gods plan.” They are cult leaders. Their beliefs drive them to pursue kids hearts relentlessly, running fast is just a byproduct, but ultimately doesn’t have any eternal significance. The kids are having a great time judging by them consistently getting 100+ kids out.
In retrospect yes Rocky Mountain should have gotten a bid over Granada. However, that decision came from the NXN committee and had nothing to do with “Ratings” but face to face competition. If Rocky Mountain competed in a big invitational that year I am sure they would have gotten their bid over Granada
It’s because Rocky stays in state and never travels. They sell it as they build culture rather than chase fast times, but then complain when they have only one quality meet on the schedule and it bites them. They put all their chips on getting top 2 at the regional meet and they didn’t get it. They beat a Great Oak team that was sick on the course in their backyard that they train on and then didn’t really show a ton of improvement as the season went on.
The Rocky coaches made a choice and they should live by that. They are doing the same thing this year and wasting the senior year of Landon Heemeyer, although they will be nowhere near where they were last fall, especially at the Idaho State meet. But they can post about the glory to God and all that crap after they predictably don’t qualify and lessons after defeat while not acknowledging at all that they failed the kids by not realizing that it takes actually facing competition to have a resume worth considering for an at large. I would be pissed at them if I was on that team last year. That was all their choices that kept Rocky from going. Literally one travel trip and one good showing would have sent them to NXN. Qualifying for NXN is also great for culture.
One last thing- Rocky parents and runners will respond to this (because they are all over this board) and try to hand wave off the importance of qualifying for NXN. The coach uses god to brainwash your kids into not questioning why something happened. “Don’t question God’s plan” is really “don’t question my actions that got us here.”
Not only a rocky runner here, but one who could have been on the NXN start line last year.
Man you sound like a bitter and cynical person. I’m really glad you aren’t apart of our team/community because this kind of complaining and whining and criticizing everything just drags everyone down.
I acknowledge that it would have been nice to go to NXN. It Would have been a really fun and excellent experience. But people, there are more things to life than high school running. It sucks that we missed out, but that’s on us. We were a better team than what we put forth at NXR, and that’s on us. We can’t be perfect. Instead, we just give our best effort on any given day and let the chips fall.
You can call this mindset “brainwashing the kids with God rather than taking responsibility” but you’re just so wrong about that. The reason our team chooses to often skip the “big cool meets” is because we believe that each athlete plays a critical role. By taking only 7 guys to a bunch of trips each season is the same as telling the kids who are slower that they don’t matter as much. Rocky isn’t about that. This is high school athletics, not some professional track club. Sure, that decision may have ended up costing us NXN, but I know that for myself personally, (and I’m sure each other one of the “fast” guys would agree) that this is a trade off that we are willing to make. We do our best to care for our teammates and make sure that everyone gets the best experience out of the sport rather than have a select group of “cool” people who get special attention while everyone else suffers in silence.
One last thing. And when I say this, I’m taking to EVERYONE on this board. As someone who’s apart of Rocky, can everyone, athletes from other schools, outside observers, Rocky’s athletes, and all parents please just be a little more careful to stay on topic. This thread is about NXN 2023. While I’d love to talk about rocky xc all day, we’re all doing a disservice by talking only about rocky on here. Let’s facilitate discussion about the future, rather than critiquing and criticizing the past exclusively.
Based on the data of returning runners it is very unlikely Rocky will beat the three best Oregon and Washington teams this year, let alone three of them and all the Idaho teams. There’s no reason for them to go to California or Utah to prove themselves against our of the region in a hypothetical scenario where they finish third or fourth at NXR.
But telling kids some are varsity (or top 14) and some aren’t when it comes to expensive travel trips isn’t a bad thing. The data can very clear for all but a couple kids on the margins.
coach uses god to brainwash your kids into not questioning why something happened. “Don’t question God’s plan” is really “don’t question my actions that got us here.”
Not only a rocky runner here, but one who could have been on the NXN start line last year.
Man you sound like a bitter and cynical person.
Yes this is letsrun alright. Can you give us a run down if Rocky Mountain will be as good this year as last year? Any hidden talents?
Surprized nobody has posted this yet for Harriman. Soles always does a time trial of some sort, but this compares to last years team. If this is any indications, they will be very good
It’s because Rocky stays in state and never travels. They sell it as they build culture rather than chase fast times, but then complain when they have only one quality meet on the schedule and it bites them. They put all their chips on getting top 2 at the regional meet and they didn’t get it. They beat a Great Oak team that was sick on the course in their backyard that they train on and then didn’t really show a ton of improvement as the season went on.
The Rocky coaches made a choice and they should live by that. They are doing the same thing this year and wasting the senior year of Landon Heemeyer, although they will be nowhere near where they were last fall, especially at the Idaho State meet. But they can post about the glory to God and all that crap after they predictably don’t qualify and lessons after defeat while not acknowledging at all that they failed the kids by not realizing that it takes actually facing competition to have a resume worth considering for an at large. I would be pissed at them if I was on that team last year. That was all their choices that kept Rocky from going. Literally one travel trip and one good showing would have sent them to NXN. Qualifying for NXN is also great for culture.
One last thing- Rocky parents and runners will respond to this (because they are all over this board) and try to hand wave off the importance of qualifying for NXN. The coach uses god to brainwash your kids into not questioning why something happened. “Don’t question God’s plan” is really “don’t question my actions that got us here.”
Not only a rocky runner here, but one who could have been on the NXN start line last year.
Man you sound like a bitter and cynical person. I’m really glad you aren’t apart of our team/community because this kind of complaining and whining and criticizing everything just drags everyone down.
I acknowledge that it would have been nice to go to NXN. It Would have been a really fun and excellent experience. But people, there are more things to life than high school running. It sucks that we missed out, but that’s on us. We were a better team than what we put forth at NXR, and that’s on us. We can’t be perfect. Instead, we just give our best effort on any given day and let the chips fall.
You can call this mindset “brainwashing the kids with God rather than taking responsibility” but you’re just so wrong about that. The reason our team chooses to often skip the “big cool meets” is because we believe that each athlete plays a critical role. By taking only 7 guys to a bunch of trips each season is the same as telling the kids who are slower that they don’t matter as much. Rocky isn’t about that. This is high school athletics, not some professional track club. Sure, that decision may have ended up costing us NXN, but I know that for myself personally, (and I’m sure each other one of the “fast” guys would agree) that this is a trade off that we are willing to make. We do our best to care for our teammates and make sure that everyone gets the best experience out of the sport rather than have a select group of “cool” people who get special attention while everyone else suffers in silence.
One last thing. And when I say this, I’m taking to EVERYONE on this board. As someone who’s apart of Rocky, can everyone, athletes from other schools, outside observers, Rocky’s athletes, and all parents please just be a little more careful to stay on topic. This thread is about NXN 2023. While I’d love to talk about rocky xc all day, we’re all doing a disservice by talking only about rocky on here. Let’s facilitate discussion about the future, rather than critiquing and criticizing the past exclusively.
Can you give us a run down if Rocky Mountain will be as good this year as last year? Any hidden talents?
I won't say too much, but I can say that this: the team is hungry this year and excited to try and be just as good, if not better than last year.
We aren't top heavy, but we have a lot of really dedicated guys who made big leaps in track who are ready to explore the low-mid 16's on the Eagle Island course. It's possible that the big swath of 10:00 and 4:4x guys we have won't translate to fast enough XC times to get top 2 or 3 at NXR, but the goal is to certainly try.
As far as hidden talents go, I don't really think we have anything to hide. A couple guys have had chronic injury in the past and are hoping to be ready for this season, but that's about it.
Surprized nobody has posted this yet for Harriman. Soles always does a time trial of some sort, but this compares to last years team. If this is any indications, they will be very good
Surprized nobody has posted this yet for Harriman. Soles always does a time trial of some sort, but this compares to last years team. If this is any indications, they will be very good
Assuming that the athletes are somewhat aerobically fit, anyone that can run sub 13:00 for this TT in June should be able to run sub 16 in a 5k by the time xc starts.
Herriman having 6 guys under this mark, with 2 more in the 16:15-16:20 range is great, but I'm not convinced that this puts them in the conversation to be top 5 or 6 at NXN.
Also important to note that Steadman's TT result predicts ~15:10-15:20 for 5k, but considering that he's already run 1:54, 4:09 (at BYU's track no less), and 9:12, he should be almost certainly capable of sub 15 at the NXR Southwest course which makes him a contender for top 5 as an individual.
Assuming that the athletes are somewhat aerobically fit, anyone that can run sub 13:00 for this TT in June should be able to run sub 16 in a 5k by the time xc starts.
Herriman having 6 guys under this mark, with 2 more in the 16:15-16:20 range is great, but I'm not convinced that this puts them in the conversation to be top 5 or 6 at NXN.
Run at 5k elevation… take 15-20 seconds off for each guy.
Surprized nobody has posted this yet for Harriman. Soles always does a time trial of some sort, but this compares to last years team. If this is any indications, they will be very good
Impressive but it is too early to hype them up. I thought Herriman was getting some really fast new runners this year?
What do you mean by “really fast new runners”? Transfers? Freshmen? I haven’t heard of anyone transferring in. Teams coached by Doug Soles are always so deep that there’s never a freshman boy that makes the top 7 because of their age. But they do make an impact sophomore year or later.
Also look how many Wardles there are on the team.
But a lot of people did step up from last year.
They were also missing junior Micah Tang (Jonah’s twin brother)
Impressive but it is too early to hype them up. I thought Herriman was getting some really fast new runners this year?
What do you mean by “really fast new runners”? Transfers? Freshmen? I haven’t heard of anyone transferring in. Teams coached by Doug Soles are always so deep that there’s never a freshman boy that makes the top 7 because of their age. But they do make an impact sophomore year or later.
Also look how many Wardles there are on the team.
But a lot of people did step up from last year.
They were also missing junior Micah Tang (Jonah’s twin brother)
I heard they were going to have some crazy fast freshman (that's just what I heard)
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