Running Lane - Saratoga Springs?

Real Dealer wrote:

Every top ranked boys' team is competing. I don't understand how it is any different than NXR/NXN. Our team won state one year and decided not to compete at NXR because a few seniors didn't want to. We likely would have finished top 2.

Because people feel the need to complain about something on every thread.

Selection show is doing nice job.

Real Dealer wrote:

Selection show is doing nice job.

Are they? Can you provide a recap?

Yes, the school district is not allowing overnight stays for athletic teams. Pretty hard to day trip Alabama from NY.

This is not a school event. It is a club event. The kids are other own.

nyer in ny wrote:

Yes, the school district is not allowing overnight stays for athletic teams. Pretty hard to day trip Alabama from NY.

If it is post season, why does the school district have any say in the matter? If it is like NXR, teams are not allowed to register as school teams and athletes have to go independently and then sign up with the same made up club name,

Regardless, school boards can be the worst.

brrrrrrr wrote:

nyer in ny wrote:

Yes, the school district is not allowing overnight stays for athletic teams. Pretty hard to day trip Alabama from NY.

If it is post season, why does the school district have any say in the matter? If it is like NXR, teams are not allowed to register as school teams and athletes have to go independently and then sign up with the same made up club name,

Regardless, school boards can be the worst.

NY has generally been pretty good with national meets - its possible that they just didn't want to ruffle any feathers by trying to skirt the ban, also if its the district (vs state) that may have made it harder as they would have a much closer eye on things . Wonder if the fact Runninglane is not a Nike event - both FM and Saratoga have strong Nike ties played any part?

You are absolutely correct with this! Its not a matter of affordability, but the principle of paying just to have someone from "running lane" to say they host the national championship? Anyone can print a tee-shirt that says "national champs"

NXN was a national championship because you had to qualify....and earn it...not just pay an entry fee and show.

We fully respect the high caliber invitational and will enjoy watching their peers and cheer them all on. Same with Eastbay. For Saratoga, cross country is a team sport...the reason the girls chose NXR over Eastbay. They wanted no one left behind. All for one, one for all... Very admirable.

Our girls are not upset, and moving on to indoor (where they will be competing with masks on!). Not sure how that will factor into speed ratings lol. I'm sure someone will suggest the equivalent of high altitude?

Ok so not going to the default National championship just because, got it. It’s like any other championship you can go or not go, doesn’t mean it’s not the championship.

I completely agree with this. Calling yourself a "National Championship" doesn't mean you actually are. I've seen this in other sports, where there's 10 different associations that call themselves "National Championships".

There's no good reason for Saratoga Springs to spend all kinds of money to go to the great tourist destination of Huntsville, Alabama and run on what seems to be somewhat of a glorified track course in an invitational in early December.

You'll pay a lot of money, and winning it won't mean any more than winning another big invitational like Manhattan. Good for them to not get caught up in the hype.

I completely agree with this. Calling yourself a "National Championship" doesn't mean you actually are. I've seen this in other sports, where there's 10 different associations that call themselves "National Championships".

There's no good reason for Saratoga Springs to spend all kinds of money to go to the great tourist destination of Huntsville, Alabama and run on what seems to be somewhat of a glorified track course in an invitational in early December.

You'll pay a lot of money, and winning it won't mean any more than winning another big invitational like Manhattan. Good for them to not get caught up in the hype.

Northeast Coach wrote:

I completely agree with this. Calling yourself a "National Championship" doesn't mean you actually are. I've seen this in other sports, where there's 10 different associations that call themselves "National Championships".

There's no good reason for Saratoga Springs to spend all kinds of money to go to the great tourist destination of Huntsville, Alabama and run on what seems to be somewhat of a glorified track course in an invitational in early December.

You'll pay a lot of money, and winning it won't mean any more than winning another big invitational like Manhattan. Good for them to not get caught up in the hype.

It was their one chance to race against the best teams from around the country, regardless of whether it is a “championship” or Alabama is where they want to go. But regardless, I’m glad they are happy with their decision and season.

Except this meet is more loaded than NXR or Footlocker ever were. I guess those weren't championships. There are 250 guys entered who have run 15:30 and 100 who have run 15:08. There are 140 girls sub 18. Imagine running 15:58 and winning your state meet and you only make the 3rd heat even though the fastest 2 races each have 300 runners in them. But you compare it to Manhatten?

And the course is incredible. I was there last year. It had a 70 foot climb which I don't think tracks do. They held an NCAA regional on the course this year and they plan to hold the NCAA National meet in the future.

I've been in several National Championships or coached at many others where we have had to pay our own way and haven't had to qualify. Not sure why are making up these rules now? I guess it's just because you want to troll RunningLane.

So it wasn’t about money.

RunningLane saying you’re the National champ is different than Nike saying you’re the National champ? Nike hosts their NXR races around the country where, in normal years, the vast majority of runners don’t have a chance of qualifying for anything. But Nike gets their payday, for sure. In normal years a couple thousand kids show up and pay their entry fees and drop countless dollars on Nike merch. Then Nike, flush with all that NXR money, pays to send 48 teams and 80 individuals to NXN.

So Nike’s money legitimizes their meet into a National Championship, but RunningLane’s money spent on t-shirts delegitimizes their meet from being a National Championship? That makes no sense.

Or it was about not having to qualify, right? But the teams did have to qualify for the Gold championship race through a selection process. That’s how the Gold races had such deep team competitions. Saratoga Springs qualified for the Gold race based on their season of work, but a decision was made not to go. They earned it, just like the Gold race teams who showed up and raced.

You demean RunningLane by saying you “fully respect…the high caliber invitational.” A majority of the top teams in the competed at RunningLane and champions were crowned. But we’re supposed to be impressed with a no-pressure NXR win in a race with 59 runners and 5 complete teams?!

I’m not critical of the Saratoga Springs girls. They’re clearly a stellar group of athletes. Their performances at NXN in 2019 and some of the races at Nike Outdoor Nationals were phenomenal.

It’s good they’re not upset. Wrapping up an in-state-only XC season with a tiny NXR race and then moving on to indoors just seems incomplete.

Safety has been mentioned as another reason/excuse for not competing at RunningLane. The safety of Huntsville vs. upstate NY has already been compared. Airplane travel has consistently been shown to be safe. XC is an outdoor sport where COVID isn’t typically transmitted. Yet Saratoga Springs girls were competing this weekend at New York City’s Armory (not with masks on!). That doesn’t add up.

As an outsider, when I consider all these factors (money, qualifying, an anemic NXR field, safety, and the quick transition to indoors), it looks like Saratoga Springs simply passed on the XC post-season for 2021. And that’s OK! Just don’t trumpet Saratoga Springs as the best team in the country when there was an opportunity for them to earn it at RunningLane. And don’t diminish the accomplishments of the teams who competed at RunningLane.

Saratoga springs is the best team in the country.

It's not debatable.

57 messages and counting beg to differ.

What did they do this season to earn it? I know, they beat F-M, and they beat 4 teams at NXR, and their 1-5 spread was amazing in an inconsequential race, etc. No one is arguing that they're not a great team. But whatever their reasons not to compete at RunningLane, the bottom line is that they didn't compete in the biggest meet of the year. All we know about Saratoga Springs girls teams is what they did in state, not what they could have done against the rest of the country. We don't know how they would handle the pressure of running against other top teams. We don't know how they would deal with a 300+ runner start (300+ great runners, which is more than a 59-runner start). I know, these same girls ran so well at NXN in 2019. 2019 was a long time ago.

Do you rank Jenna Hutchins as the top HS XC runner this season, too?

they don't need a fake title called national champions, but they are the best team. PERIOD

this is why we typically call guys footlocker champ, eastbay champ, runninglane champ. there is no "the national champion"

only champion of your particular race.