What's the most loaded NCAA men's xc team in history? Was 2008 Oregon with Rupp, Puskedra, Biwott, Centro and Wheating?

rojo wrote:

edumacation rulez wrote:

I know you guys are starved for content, but these throwback pieces are stupid.

Gault lacks the intelligence and the historical perspective to adequately comment on these races. Plus they are boring as heck.

get a new writer

Dude went to Dartmouth and has a masters in journalism from one of the best journalism schools out there (Syracuse). Can you please give us a list of what schools we should only hire from? Or would you prefer we hadn all job applicants an IQ test. What should we limit it to?

What's your IQ? and credentials? I'll pay you $100 to write one for next week so we can see if you can do better. Please email me robert@letsrun. om

Then why does he write so poorly. J-School doesn't teach you how to write an engaging story. It doesn't teach you much practical experience - especially a masters degree. The only teacher is working in journalism. I knew a bunch of great news writers who didn't go to your fancy colleges or have masters degrees. And what does IQ have to do with it? Really.

Example

The opening paragraph.

"I’m revisiting the 2008 NCAA Cross Country Championships. This was a big year for many reasons — Texas Tech’s Sally Kipyego established herself as the GOAT of NCAA women’s cross country, Galen Rupp won his long-awaited first NCAA title in a thrilling duel with Sam Chelanga, and a historically loaded Oregon squad won the men’s team title."

First no one cares that he's "revisiting." He tells the audience his premise - race was "thrilling", Oregon was "historically loaded." The first axiom in expository journalism is show don't tell. He telling us what to think of the race.

edumacation rulez wrote:

I'm looking for competent and engaging stories. Gault provides neither.

Have you ever read a story on on LRC that fulfills your expectations?

Assuming no, then why do you have those expectations here?

Do you go on Buzzfeed and complain about the same things?

Gabe Jennings's Teeth wrote:

Gabe Jennings's Teeth wrote:

Nope, not even close. The late '70s UTEP team that scored 17 at NCAAs FTW.

My bad, '81. Though their team another year ('79?) was certainly better than the Oregon team the OP is stretching to gloss.

The '78 team had Nyambui, Musyoki, James Rotich, James Munyala and Rudolfo Gomez. I think Rotich, Nyambui, and Musyoki were part of 4 winning UTEP teams. Rotich was a very good NCAA runner.

I’d say the first axiom of writing should be know your audience. He does and shapes his story accordingly.

That said, Rojo, can I get that $100 for a story for next week? My credentials: MFA in Creative Writing; 31:00 10k; 10 years as message board rat.

quote]edumacation rulez wrote:

Example

The opening paragraph.

"I’m revisiting the 2008 NCAA Cross Country Championships. This was a big year for many reasons — Texas Tech’s Sally Kipyego established herself as the GOAT of NCAA women’s cross country, Galen Rupp won his long-awaited first NCAA title in a thrilling duel with Sam Chelanga, and a historically loaded Oregon squad won the men’s team title."

First no one cares that he's "revisiting." He tells the audience his premise - race was "thrilling", Oregon was "historically loaded." The first axiom in expository journalism is show don't tell. He telling us what to think of the race.[/quote]

edumacation rulez wrote:

Example

The opening paragraph.

"I’m revisiting the 2008 NCAA Cross Country Championships. This was a big year for many reasons — Texas Tech’s Sally Kipyego established herself as the GOAT of NCAA women’s cross country, Galen Rupp won his long-awaited first NCAA title in a thrilling duel with Sam Chelanga, and a historically loaded Oregon squad won the men’s team title."

First no one cares that he's "revisiting." He tells the audience his premise - race was "thrilling", Oregon was "historically loaded." The first axiom in expository journalism is show don't tell. He telling us what to think of the race.

OK, don't tell us how that first axiom works, show us. You have our undivided attention.. The stage is set...[drumroll]... SHOWTIME!

1981 UTEP, when they only had 17 pts. One of their runners was an Olympic Silver medalist.

Er... wrote:

These throwback pieces are okay. I'm just surprised that he asked readers if they've ever seen the kind of undergarment that Rupp wears in the race and then mistakes bare-shouldered, necklace-wearing Wheating for Rupp in the Withrow handshake pic. Makes a better story imagining it's Rupp but it's obviously not.

C Parker wrote:

my last post was in response to this angsty guy.

FYI, Withrow did come over to congratulate Rupp. The screencap I chose wasn't good because he's obscured by Wheating, but if you watch the video, it's obvious he's there to talk to Rupp, not Wheating.

ck3237 wrote:

1981 UTEP, when they only had 17 pts. One of their runners was an Olympic Silver medalist.

Nyambui got the silver in the 5000 at Moscow 1980. He had the WR in the indoor 5000m 13:20, and had the second best 5000m of all-time with his 13:12 in 1979. His range was 3:52 to 2:09:52, winning Berlin twice.

Mike Musyoki got the bronze in the 10,000 at the 1984 Olympics.

Jethro wrote:

U of O in late 70s or early 80s:

Salazar

Chapa

Ken Martin

McChesney

Don Clary

...someone confirm if they were all on the team at the same time?

The team you are thinking of is the 1977 Championship team:

Alberto Salazar

Don Clary

Rudy Chapa

Bill McChesney

Matt Centrowitz

The UTEP team from 1981 was amazing as can be seen from Malmos results that were posted. I qualified for nationals that year for the first time and I remember the press talking about the race and of the 7 favorites that were mentioned for the individual title, 5 of the runners were from UTEP. Imagine being second in the Olympic 5k the year before and then at NCAA cross, you end up fourth on your college team.

edumacation rulez wrote:

You stupid! Everybody stupid!

C'mon man, it's showtime!. The stage is set, the klieg lights are warming up. You shot first, it's time to dance!

Fair point. I haven’t seen it since watching it live.

Jonathan Gault wrote:

FYI, Withrow did come over to congratulate Rupp. The screencap I chose wasn't good because he's obscured by Wheating, but if you watch the video, it's obvious he's there to talk to Rupp, not Wheating.

malmo wrote:

edumacation rulez wrote:

I know you guys are starved for content, but these throwback pieces are stupid.

Gault lacks the intelligence and the historical perspective to adequately comment on these races. Plus they are boring as heck.

Get a new writer

Get a new writer? You don't want me to do "I Was Bored, So I Watched the 1985 New York Marathon" do you? I can assure it, it won't be a boring story. ;-)

That would be awesome!

under the impression wrote:

malmo wrote:

Get a new writer? You don't want me to do "I Was Bored, So I Watched the 1985 New York Marathon" do you? I can assure it, it won't be a boring story. ;-)

That would be awesome!

I'm waiting for the edumacation guy to step up to the plate to show us how it's done. If he's shows me his, I'll show him mine! As we speak I have a crack team of 20 monkeys locked in a room and banging away on typewriters. As long as I give them banana cider and doritos they're bound to come up with something better than what the edumacation guy can produce!

malmo wrote:

You don't want me to do "I Was Bored, So I Watched the 1985 New York Marathon" do you? I can assure it, it won't be a boring story. ;-)

It won't be a boring story as long as you make sure to discuss the spectacle of Rod Dixon entering the race right behind the leader at various places along the course, wearing that dorky "Sports Micro-Cam" on his head so we can get that all-important sense of what it feels like to watch the backside of a fast marathoner.

That should have been one of the great lowlights of the sports, but the increasingly promiscuous use of teams of "pacers" to assist in the gentle parting of air molecules in front of race leaders has been far worse for the sport than Rod's one-off gimmick of following the leader for a good (or at least different) camera shot.

How about Adam State 1992 XC team.

Didn't they perfect score the NCAA meet that year?

The greatest XC team ever.

The same team Colorado University dodged them that year.

Wetmore can't hold a candle to that team.

malmo wrote:

I'm waiting for the edumacation guy to step up to the plate to show us how it's done. If he's shows me his, I'll show him mine! As we speak I have a crack team of 20 monkeys locked in a room and banging away on typewriters. As long as I give them banana cider and doritos they're bound to come up with something better than what the edumacation guy can produce!

1) edumacation guy is right, gault isnt a great writer. But he is passable, and he is writing about a niche topic without much competition, so passable is sufficient. If anybody thinks they can do better and wants go start a competing site, nobody is stopping them. I know I cant write better than gault, and I have no interest in trying to start a better website, that's a lot of freaking work and money to do that, and might still fail.

2) malmo, why do you insist on being obnoxious? You've replied 4 times in this thread without that guy coming back.

3) I'm not sure I understand the 1985 NY marathon reference. I guess ill just have to read your article. I've got nothing better to do!

What about the 2005 Wisconsin team, 6 guys in the top 18.