I been watching videos from this pass weekend. The girls D3 start was brutal. They did a recall when a bunch of runners on the right side of screen went down. They were still on the grass at the start of the race.
In another video when they transitioned from the grass to the pavement a runner wearing blue top and red bottoms went down hard on the pavement and was run over by other runners, luckily no one else that I saw went down. No recall on that second fall.
And last thing that I found hilarious was the pre race instructions on stopping your watch after they cross the line. Watching runners reach for that watch is great entertainment at the end of races.
Where did you see a video of the whole race? I only saw the highlights from HD runners that cut out the first start
You tube, hdRunners, PoMan Productions and Chris Althouse. The Althouse video shows restart and hdRunners has the fall on the pavement . All productions have all the races and some interviews.
Where did you see a video of the whole race? I only saw the highlights from HD runners that cut out the first start
You tube, hdRunners, PoMan Productions and Chris Althouse. The Althouse video shows restart and hdRunners has the fall on the pavement . All productions have all the races and some interviews.
Rodriquez Washington State Champ and Combe #7 at CA State Meet.
Combe was, however, first non qualifier at NXR California and would also have been a good choice for an at large.
How about Lincoln, also 1 individual spot away and #7 at her regional?
Lincoln at 2024 nxn #133 Combe #41.
Lincoln highest 2025 speed rating 146.33 Combe 147.93
Lincoln at 2025 Nike Outdoor Nationals Mile #11 Combe #8
Lincoln 4:37.75 (both converted and en route) 1600 Combe 4:35.64
Both are Nike Elite runners too. Just seems a bit unfair that Lincoln has two golden tickets with a nearly identical, though technically slower by speed rating, performance to Combe at regionals.
Lincoln received it, and this wasn’t a wrong pick. Combe should have been chosen over Rodriguez
Trabuco Hills (second CA at large) 11th place and beat all CA teams
Trabuco Hills represented California well today. They out performed all expectations, finished as top dogs in the state, and proved all the haters wrong who questioned their at-large bid. Congrats to them.
Trabuco Hills (second CA at large) 11th place and beat all CA teams
Trabuco Hills represented California well today. They out performed all expectations, finished as top dogs in the state, and proved all the haters wrong who questioned their at-large bid. Congrats to them.
JSerra didn’t do a good job justifying their at large pick at NXN though, finishing 21st. They qualified for NXN 4 times but never seem to put together a solid race there
Trabuco Hills represented California well today. They out performed all expectations, finished as top dogs in the state, and proved all the haters wrong who questioned their at-large bid. Congrats to them.
JSerra didn’t do a good job justifying their at large pick at NXN though, finishing 21st. They qualified for NXN 4 times but never seem to put together a solid race there
Yes congrats to Trabuco Hills!! They improved week after week as the season progressed. Same goes for Mira Costa.
JSerra can’t seem to figure it out. It’s not like this was their first time there. They have made NXN 4 years in a row and performed way below their ranking every race. That is simply poor coaching and preparation year after year. Buchanan was way off the mark also. Their performance was more surprising to me, since they usually peak at state and NXN.
Thanks Danny. It is possible for teams to coach more than one pace. Most schools have both boys and girls and they don’t run together as one big pack.
Private coaches are ruining the sport and dismantling some teams of actually being a real team.
They're not just ruining the sport, they're ruining the individual by thinking they can always have their way. Not a chance a college coach will tolerate this crap. How many true friends will these athletes really have after they leave high school?
The criticism of private coaches misses a fundamental reality: one-size-fits-all training doesn’t develop elite talent. When a coach has a nationally competitive 1600m runner doing the same daily mileage and pace work as someone running 19:00 for 5k, that’s not “team building” - that’s holding back a talented athlete who needs event-specific training.
High school is supposed to be about developing young people. Nobody complains when a gifted math student gets private tutoring to accelerate their learning, or when a talented musician takes private lessons outside of school orchestra. We celebrate that additional development. Why should athletics be any different? If a student has the talent, work ethic, and family support to pursue specialized coaching, that’s an investment in their development - exactly what high school should encourage.
Private coaches exist because many high school programs simply can’t provide the training that serious athletes require. A coach managing a large team cannot give specialized attention to a runner building toward college racing. That’s not a failing of those coaches - it’s just reality given their constraints.
Frankly, it’s selfish for coaches to hold back an individual athlete’s development. When a coach insists that a talented kid run identical workouts with slower teammates “for the team,” they’re asking that athlete to sacrifice their potential. That’s not good coaching - that’s ego. A coach who truly cares about their athletes’ long-term success should welcome outside expertise that helps them reach their goals, even if it means occasionally training separately. And honestly, if I were coaching a program that wasn’t developing kids, I’d try to learn from the private coach. What are they doing differently? What training principles are they applying? Rather than being defensive or territorial, a secure coach would see this as an opportunity to improve their own knowledge and better serve all their athletes. The presence of a private coach should be a learning opportunity, not a threat. The claim that private coaches produce athletes who “can’t work with college coaches” is backwards. College coaches actively recruit athletes who’ve learned to train seriously and can handle sophisticated training. They want athletes who’ve already developed good habits and training literacy - which is often what private.
I been watching videos from this pass weekend. The girls D3 start was brutal. They did a recall when a bunch of runners on the right side of screen went down. They were still on the grass at the start of the race.
In another video when they transitioned from the grass to the pavement a runner wearing blue top and red bottoms went down hard on the pavement and was run over by other runners, luckily no one else that I saw went down. No recall on that second fall.
And last thing that I found hilarious was the pre race instructions on stopping your watch after they cross the line. Watching runners reach for that watch is great entertainment at the end of races.
D4 girls race, one girl went down hard in the opening sprint, but I guess the officials didn’t catch it because the race wasn’t called back. Feel bad for her.
They're not just ruining the sport, they're ruining the individual by thinking they can always have their way. Not a chance a college coach will tolerate this crap. How many true friends will these athletes really have after they leave high school?
The criticism of private coaches misses a fundamental reality: one-size-fits-all training doesn’t develop elite talent. When a coach has a nationally competitive 1600m runner doing the same daily mileage and pace work as someone running 19:00 for 5k, that’s not “team building” - that’s holding back a talented athlete who needs event-specific training.
High school is supposed to be about developing young people. Nobody complains when a gifted math student gets private tutoring to accelerate their learning, or when a talented musician takes private lessons outside of school orchestra. We celebrate that additional development. Why should athletics be any different? If a student has the talent, work ethic, and family support to pursue specialized coaching, that’s an investment in their development - exactly what high school should encourage.
Private coaches exist because many high school programs simply can’t provide the training that serious athletes require. A coach managing a large team cannot give specialized attention to a runner building toward college racing. That’s not a failing of those coaches - it’s just reality given their constraints.
Frankly, it’s selfish for coaches to hold back an individual athlete’s development. When a coach insists that a talented kid run identical workouts with slower teammates “for the team,” they’re asking that athlete to sacrifice their potential. That’s not good coaching - that’s ego. A coach who truly cares about their athletes’ long-term success should welcome outside expertise that helps them reach their goals, even if it means occasionally training separately. And honestly, if I were coaching a program that wasn’t developing kids, I’d try to learn from the private coach. What are they doing differently? What training principles are they applying? Rather than being defensive or territorial, a secure coach would see this as an opportunity to improve their own knowledge and better serve all their athletes. The presence of a private coach should be a learning opportunity, not a threat. The claim that private coaches produce athletes who “can’t work with college coaches” is backwards. College coaches actively recruit athletes who’ve learned to train seriously and can handle sophisticated training. They want athletes who’ve already developed good habits and training literacy - which is often what private.
They're not just ruining the sport, they're ruining the individual by thinking they can always have their way. Not a chance a college coach will tolerate this crap. How many true friends will these athletes really have after they leave high school?
The criticism of private coaches misses a fundamental reality: one-size-fits-all training doesn’t develop elite talent. When a coach has a nationally competitive 1600m runner doing the same daily mileage and pace work as someone running 19:00 for 5k, that’s not “team building” - that’s holding back a talented athlete who needs event-specific training.
High school is supposed to be about developing young people. Nobody complains when a gifted math student gets private tutoring to accelerate their learning, or when a talented musician takes private lessons outside of school orchestra. We celebrate that additional development. Why should athletics be any different? If a student has the talent, work ethic, and family support to pursue specialized coaching, that’s an investment in their development - exactly what high school should encourage.
Private coaches exist because many high school programs simply can’t provide the training that serious athletes require. A coach managing a large team cannot give specialized attention to a runner building toward college racing. That’s not a failing of those coaches - it’s just reality given their constraints.
Frankly, it’s selfish for coaches to hold back an individual athlete’s development. When a coach insists that a talented kid run identical workouts with slower teammates “for the team,” they’re asking that athlete to sacrifice their potential. That’s not good coaching - that’s ego. A coach who truly cares about their athletes’ long-term success should welcome outside expertise that helps them reach their goals, even if it means occasionally training separately. And honestly, if I were coaching a program that wasn’t developing kids, I’d try to learn from the private coach. What are they doing differently? What training principles are they applying? Rather than being defensive or territorial, a secure coach would see this as an opportunity to improve their own knowledge and better serve all their athletes. The presence of a private coach should be a learning opportunity, not a threat. The claim that private coaches produce athletes who “can’t work with college coaches” is backwards. College coaches actively recruit athletes who’ve learned to train seriously and can handle sophisticated training. They want athletes who’ve already developed good habits and training literacy - which is often what private.
The criticism of private coaches misses a fundamental reality: one-size-fits-all training doesn’t develop elite talent. When a coach has a nationally competitive 1600m runner doing the same daily mileage and pace work as someone running 19:00 for 5k, that’s not “team building” - that’s holding back a talented athlete who needs event-specific training.
High school is supposed to be about developing young people. Nobody complains when a gifted math student gets private tutoring to accelerate their learning, or when a talented musician takes private lessons outside of school orchestra. We celebrate that additional development. Why should athletics be any different? If a student has the talent, work ethic, and family support to pursue specialized coaching, that’s an investment in their development - exactly what high school should encourage.
Private coaches exist because many high school programs simply can’t provide the training that serious athletes require. A coach managing a large team cannot give specialized attention to a runner building toward college racing. That’s not a failing of those coaches - it’s just reality given their constraints.
Frankly, it’s selfish for coaches to hold back an individual athlete’s development. When a coach insists that a talented kid run identical workouts with slower teammates “for the team,” they’re asking that athlete to sacrifice their potential. That’s not good coaching - that’s ego. A coach who truly cares about their athletes’ long-term success should welcome outside expertise that helps them reach their goals, even if it means occasionally training separately. And honestly, if I were coaching a program that wasn’t developing kids, I’d try to learn from the private coach. What are they doing differently? What training principles are they applying? Rather than being defensive or territorial, a secure coach would see this as an opportunity to improve their own knowledge and better serve all their athletes. The presence of a private coach should be a learning opportunity, not a threat. The claim that private coaches produce athletes who “can’t work with college coaches” is backwards. College coaches actively recruit athletes who’ve learned to train seriously and can handle sophisticated training. They want athletes who’ve already developed good habits and training literacy - which is often what private.
Keep trying to make that buck Danny.
So is the math tutor. So is the piano teacher. So is the SAT prep instructor. And yes, so is the school coach. Getting paid for expertise doesn't invalidate the value provided.
If private coaches were just cash grabs delivering poor results, parents would stop paying and the coaches would be out of business. The fact that families continue to invest - often significant money - suggests they're seeing real development and results. Parents aren't idiots throwing money away; they're making informed decisions about their kids' futures.
Let's talk about actual value: if a runner wants to attend an Ivy League school, you'd need to donate north of $10 million to get the same admissions edge that being on the coach's recruiting list provides. Private coaching that helps an athlete develop to recruitment-worthy times - we're talking maybe $5,000-$20,000 per year over a few years - is extraordinary bang for the buck compared to that alternative. It's arguably one of the most cost-effective investments a family can make in their child's future, both athletically and academically.
And let's be honest about the hypocrisy, here in the East Coast, parents routinely spend thousands on private lacrosse coaching, club teams, and showcases without anyone batting an eye. Same with soccer, basketball, volleyball, and just about every other sport. Private coaching and club teams are completely normalized and accepted as necessary for serious athletic development. But somehow when it comes to track and cross country, it's suddenly "ruining the sport"? That's absurd. Running parents are doing exactly what parents in every other sport have been doing for decades.
Moreover, many private coaches have devoted their entire careers to understanding training methodology, biomechanics, and athlete development. They've often trained at high levels themselves, studied under accomplished coaches, and spent years refining their craft. That expertise is worth compensation, just like any other professional skill. The school coach getting defensive about private coaching while collecting their own coaching salary is a bit rich. If they truly believed specialized expertise shouldn't be compensated, they'd coach for free. But we all understand that professionals deserve to be paid for their work and knowledge.
The real question isn't whether the private coach gets paid - it's whether they're delivering value and helping athletes develop. If the results speak for themselves, the financial arrangement is irrelevant.
This post was edited 13 minutes after it was posted.
The fact that you have the justify the private coaching tells you something right there.
The difference between private coaching ball sports and Track distance and/or Cross Country is that in the ball sports they are doing that private individual coaching in addition to being with their team. They aren't pulling them from practice with their team to train with a different coach and thus causing countless problems with the teams. The drama that private coaches cause on high school teams are countless. Private coaches know this and don't care because they are dragging parents and athletes away to make their money. No private coach would ever admit that because it would put them out of business. Of course parents are willing to pay because parents assume that throwing money at something will make it better when in fact they are ruining the experience for everyone involved.
You said your a HS coach and there is more to fast times. About being on team etc. ok I can agree, but the kid who gets the private coach and runs faster than just being on a team can get the scholarship offers. That can make a difference for a kid to attend community college or get a D1 / D2 scholarship
The fact that you have the justify the private coaching tells you something right there.
The difference between private coaching ball sports and Track distance and/or Cross Country is that in the ball sports they are doing that private individual coaching in addition to being with their team. They aren't pulling them from practice with their team to train with a different coach and thus causing countless problems with the teams. The drama that private coaches cause on high school teams are countless. Private coaches know this and don't care because they are dragging parents and athletes away to make their money. No private coach would ever admit that because it would put them out of business. Of course parents are willing to pay because parents assume that throwing money at something will make it better when in fact they are ruining the experience for everyone involved.
Or what about you go to a school that can’t even field a full cross country team and you literally have no one to train with and you are going to be a college runner? Parents just throwing money at it? Not everyone comes from a huge public not a private running destination school. Broad brushes big guy.
No team is getting dismantled because 1 runner get private coaching that will help them as an individual. I venture a guess 90% of PV use private coaching/ or club here in California. My daughter teammate had private coaching for her PV and was one of the best in state hot D1 scholarship. Wasn’t trained by HS coach. What is difference with XC or track. Kid wants to get faster times so they can get scholarship Then the person has that option to get a private coach.
also many coaches are part time, meaning it’s not their main job. You need an accountant for your business, are you gonna hire a landscaper who works nights for HR block during tax season or would you hire a registered CPA who has an actual business do taxes.
You said your a HS coach and there is more to fast times. About being on team etc. ok I can agree, but the kid who gets the private coach and runs faster than just being on a team can get the scholarship offers. That can make a difference for a kid to attend community college or get a D1 / D2 scholarship
Private coaches aren't taking anyone from JC to D1 scholarship offers level so calm down on that one. You are overinflating yourself again Danny and it shows.
If the kid is good then they will be good. Taking a kid off a top team and private coaching them isn't the answer. Having them work within a system, make friends, be part of the team, while also continuing to improve should be the goal.
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