His high school has been the best team in the state for 15 years and ranked nationally pretty much every year. The kid has the best coach in the state and comes from a program where not many kids improve in college. That all makes the point that the kid is well trained.
Why is it that the coach always gets credit when ever a HS kid runs well? Maybe we should eliminate the middle man and have the coaches race each other.
False premise. When a high school kid runs well, I often don't even know who the coach is. Coaches usually deserve a bit more credit than they get. Even with supreme talent, kids don't usually know how to get themselves to where they need to be. So I would say, kids deserve credit for working hard and trying hard. Coaches deserve credit for teaching them what they need to know, motivating them, and preparing them -- which is a lot. No one deserves credit (or criticism) for natural talent.
Just relying on data. 200 guys ran faster in the 3000 last year than Heidesch just ran. 200th in the mile was 4:04. He may do it but the facts say that he is likely to run low 4:0x.
I'd be curious to know how many people ran faster in January, what those people ran in the spring, and what the equivalent miler ran.
Why is it that the coach always gets credit when ever a HS kid runs well? Maybe we should eliminate the middle man and have the coaches race each other.
False premise. When a high school kid runs well, I often don't even know who the coach is. Coaches usually deserve a bit more credit than they get. Even with supreme talent, kids don't usually know how to get themselves to where they need to be. So I would say, kids deserve credit for working hard and trying hard. Coaches deserve credit for teaching them what they need to know, motivating them, and preparing them -- which is a lot. No one deserves credit (or criticism) for natural talent.
I've seen some absolutely horrible programs out there, this kid would not be running 8:42 on those kind of teams
Webb ran 4:06 as a junior, 8:45 indoors as a senior, 3:59 indoors as a senior, and 3:53 outdoors as a senior. Webb and Heidesch were both fairly similar during their their senior cross country season, both finishing top 5 at nationals and running 14:55 at the national meet (albeit on different courses).
Iowa born and raised as well and this was well said. The main issues I and I know others have with Dowling and other private schools is their ability to recruit but they are not technically breaking any rules and in the big scheme of things that is minor. Great to see Iowa kids running fast!
Maybe I had to hurry that post. A 23 second drop at 2M (11.5 seconds per mile) for a 4:06 miler indicates he's likely to break 4.
I like your posts, almost all of the time. However I think running a fast two mile is more a function of circumstance and opportunity, than an indication of sub 4:00 shape. That said, I have never seen him run, so do not even know what he looks like, *;42 for yards indoors is some running/ I was at the 8:45 Webb two mile win over Nate Brannen, who was really good and Webb drilled him over last 880 by 14 seconds on a flat, very very average track. I rarely give away seconds on 2 miles run on 200M Indoor tracks, because most of the race for leaders is in Lane one or outside edge of it, so banked factor, not as big. But put that same effort on the Armory Track.(just much springier, have been at both).back then and it's easily an 8:42.x and Webb barely cracked 4 , I was there for that also, at the Armory.