That is all pure fantasy. Weather in Florida is great from November through March but miserable the rest of the year. Most people are fat and borderline criminal. Drivers are utterly insane. There are strip malls and gated communities, limited culture, traffic all the time, and incredibly corrupt politics. The insurance system is broken and flooding is coming to the entire coast.
I don't think UO has lost it's mojo. Its just the last Nike CEO decided to move Nike Marketing, Branding, Arts, Robotic Manufacturing, etc. to Hollywood. The current CEO is spending Billions in Hollywood now for LA28 and for US automated manufacturing as close as possible to LA Airport for shipment. At the prep level people still want to be at UO.
That is all pure fantasy. Weather in Florida is great from November through March but miserable the rest of the year. Most people are fat and borderline criminal. Drivers are utterly insane. There are strip malls and gated communities, limited culture, traffic all the time, and incredibly corrupt politics. The insurance system is broken and flooding is coming to the entire coast.
Oregon has basically told U.S. high-school distance kids, “Don’t bother.” The program that once sold development, patience, and belief now just shops the international aisle for ready-made points. Under Jerry Schumacher and Shalane Flanagan, Oregon Ducks feels less like a college program and more like a bargain-bin pro team chasing instant gratification. If you’re a 17-year-old American kid dreaming of being built into something special, Oregon isn’t dreaming back, it’s asking what you’ve already done overseas. The mystique is gone, the pipeline is cold, and the idea that U.S. kids grow up idolizing Oregon anymore is laughable. They didn’t lose the appeal by accident, they walked away from it.
And no top pro in their right mind wants to live in Eugene to train.
RIP University of Oregon / Eugene
After Pre left, this place has been a short bus orgy type of institution honestly.
One of the smartest things UO has done is own outright student footage, snaps, selfies of meets and sell it to magazines and shoe companies as product placement advertisements for $100,000 to $500,000 in order to fund UO home meets, travel, Pre Classic, etc.
One of the smartest things UO has done is own outright student footage, snaps, selfies of meets and sell it to magazines and shoe companies as product placement advertisements for $100,000 to $500,000 in order to fund UO home meets, travel, Pre Classic, etc.
Barnett grew up in California. Thompson was born and raised in Oregon.
Ok but they represent other countries - easier to make teams!?? So born and raised here but run for another country can't make US team. SO can't cut the US qualifying times
Who they choose to represent for international competition doesn't change the fact that they are Americans who grew up in the US.
The OP's first two sentences in this thread were: "Oregon has basically told U.S. high-school distance kids, “Don’t bother.” The program that once sold development, patience, and belief now just shops the international aisle for ready-made points."
The OP's statement is demonstrably false. The majority of Oregon's runners at NCAAs were U.S. high school distance kids.
Let's look at this from the coach's point of view. The AD tells you he excpects reults. You see many of the rival schools using eastern African runners, varying in ages from 19-28. What do you do?
Yes, you could stick to "developing Americans". Will the AD say that's ok, when your team finishes out of the top 10 at the NCAA XC? Maybe. Maybe not.
Time for Uncle Phil to reopen Historic Hayward field for public use, like it always used to be. Now only privileged insiders can get in to train. Citizens of Track Town are banished to train on crappy high school or junior college facilities.
Lived in Eugene from 1999 until 2018. For the first few years I was there, Hayward Field was open to the public 24/7 (except for meets/practice, of course). It was great. Show up at 10 p.m and run a few miles in the dark. Quite magical. Then slowly, the restraints began. Began with barriers blocking the first few lanes, then time closures, then locked gates. (Remember Martin Smith kicking me off the track one day.) It was really great when the July all-comer meets were there. Then that stopped--moved to South Eugene HS. Really a shame.
I once spent the night sleeping in the high jump pit with a few friends after watching a lunar eclipse.
Boileau is Canadian and lived in Oregon on a green card. He ran on several Canadian teams at World XC.
Arthur did not need a green card. His family moved to Portland when he was 10 years old, and went to school at Lincoln High in downtown Portland, and then College at Oregon.
What personal traits that made Art's success was that he never raced the workouts, which was a real problem at Oregon. He just got in the back of the pack and maintained. He did that consistently, week after week. It's the guy who tries not to be noticed is the one that Dellinger would notice.
I guess that is true. in training, Art was the only guy's butt I remembered seeing in the A group. Art represented entry to the A group... which was martin, erwin, salzar, clary, mcchesney, which is the greatest all time american team.
Never knew Art ran 211 in Boston, which is something like 209 on a good course and a 207 with the shoes. arguably.
Art Boileau — Career Summary Full Name: Arthur “Art” Boileau Born: October 9, 1957 (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) Nationality: Canadian Sport: Long-distance running (10,000 m to marathon) College Team: University of Oregon Ducks (track & cross-country) Art Boileau is one of Canada’s most accomplished long-distance runners from the 1980s, best known for his marathon success, Olympic appearances, and his time competing collegiately at the University of Oregon. 🥇 Olympic Representation Boileau represented Team Canada in two Summer Olympics in the men’s marathon: 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles — Finished 44th. 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul — Finished 28th. While he did not medal, competing in two consecutive Olympics is a major achievement in international distance running. 🏃♂️ Marathon Highlights Boileau competed in many major marathons worldwide with several standout performances: Los Angeles Marathon Winner – 1987 — 2:13:08. Winner – 1989 — 2:13:01. Winning the Los Angeles Marathon twice is among his signature career accomplishments and a highlight of his competitive résumé. Boston Marathon 2nd Place – 1986 — 2:11:15 (his best marathon time). Other Major Marathon Results World Championships, Helsinki – 1983 — 11th in 2:11:30. Commonwealth Games – 1986 — 5th in 2:12:58. Boileau was consistently competitive at the world level, often finishing near the front against strong international fields. 📊 Official Personal Best Times Below are Boileau’s best recorded performances across a range of distances (road and track): Marathon 2:11:15 – Boston Marathon, USA (1986) — personal best. Half Marathon 1:03:43 – Orlando, FL, USA (1986). 20 km 1:01:46 – St Gabriel de Brandon, PQ, CAN (1989). 25 km 1:16:10 – Eugene, OR, USA (1985). 10 km 29:10 – Vancouver, BC, CAN (1991). 5 km (road) 17:27 – Vancouver, BC, CAN (2005). Note: Some track bests (e.g., 5 km faster times from track competitions) also appear in historical performance records but these represent his most prominent road and recorded race bests on official marathon and longer distances. 🏫 University of Oregon Connection Boileau competed collegiately for the University of Oregon, one of the premier distance-running programs in the U.S. Known for its strong tradition in track and cross-country, Oregon provided a formative competitive environment that helped launch Boileau’s international running career. His time in Eugene connected him to one of the sport’s most storied training communities. 📌 Summary of Achievements Canadian Olympian — Marathon (1984, 1988). Los Angeles Marathon Champion — 1987 & 1989. Boston Marathon Runner-Up — 1986 (2:11:15 PB). World Championship Top-15 — 1983 (11th). Commonwealth Games Top-5 — 1986 (5th). Competed for University of Oregon — key part of collegiate development.
The old Hayward Field becoming the new Hayward Field is as much of a shock as Dylan going electric in 1965. Watching at the old stadium was magical, Webb breaking Ryun's record, the UCLA 4x4 at NCAA in 1988. The new stadium feels cavernous and sterile. As far as Dylan goes, I loved the change to electric, particularly because his backup band was mostly Canadian.
The old Hayward Field becoming the new Hayward Field is as much of a shock as Dylan going electric in 1965. Watching at the old stadium was magical, Webb breaking Ryun's record, the UCLA 4x4 at NCAA in 1988. The new stadium feels cavernous and sterile. As far as Dylan goes, I loved the change to electric, particularly because his backup band was mostly Canadian.
Sterile, corporate, premeditated, heartless
How to go from organic and traditional, to sterile. like real to sex with a condom.
Saw many meets in the old Hayward and yes it was fun. But the new Hayward is fantastic. I don’t miss the old one a bit. As for attendance Pre Classic sold out last year.
The old Hayward Field becoming the new Hayward Field is as much of a shock as Dylan going electric in 1965. Watching at the old stadium was magical, Webb breaking Ryun's record, the UCLA 4x4 at NCAA in 1988. The new stadium feels cavernous and sterile. As far as Dylan goes, I loved the change to electric, particularly because his backup band was mostly Canadian.
Sterile, corporate, premeditated, heartless
How to go from organic and traditional, to sterile. like real to sex with a condom.
At least they have women's discus covered.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion…but in going back to the context of this post - Hayward Field is where all the high school kids want to run. It’s home to the Oregon high school State Meet, and it’s home to the Oregon Relays….certainly two of the biggest meets in the PNW. Trust me, it’s a huge draw for the high schoolers. The facility is first in class, and they put on a great meet. That’s one reason so many high schoolers want to run there collegiately. And then there are the minority that think it’s ’cavernous And sterile’. Well to you I say, keep using those condoms you speak of….
BTW..have you seen the new class of kids coming into Oregon? Yup, got some more good ones!
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