Ellie Shea college?

In what universe does she go pro out of high school? She needs college to continue her development without the insane expectations of being a sponsored athlete. Also, she's not running times that are anywhere near professional-worthy.

If Ellie hasn't made her college decision yet, I'm hoping that these (by her standards) underperformances can actually help her with it. With all her success last year, it's understandable that she'd want to just continue what had been working, which might've meant picking a college program that would give her the freest rein and in which she'd be set above all her teammates as the clear #1 (or even trying to go pro immediately). But if she's now running up against limitations of her previous approach, this might convince her she needs something different for her longer-term, bigger-picture development, such as a different coaching and team dynamic.

I wouldn't jump to conclusions yet based on her recent performance. First, see if she returns to form for the Usatf/world xc and the March indoor championships. It may be as simple as a late start to training for the xc season.

It happens to all of these phenoms. None ever make it to being elite. Tuihy came the closest. At least she had a nice college career but many seem to fizzle after high school.

Fair enough, though I'm a bit puzzled then why they seeded her at 8:59 for that 3000 at BU.

Yesterday at Foot Locker, someone who knows Ellie Shea said that what you suspected is in fact the case. Ellie Shea got a late start training for this fall's xc season so she has been using this fall as just training for next year's USATF U20 xc race, which is January 20, 2024 in Richmond, Virginia.

However, even if the race she is peaking for is still 6 weeks away, Ellie Shea looks like she is quickly running out of time to get into good enough shape to make the team. Especially since many of the high school girls who finished ahead of her at Foot Locker are planning to run that race. (Not to mention whatever college freshman show up.)

But she wanted to be in a heat of the 3000 where she would get lapped?

Ellie Shea's career is very interesting; having grown up myself in a powerhouse state for XC I would prefer developing through the high school system. But I understand she doesn't have a strong high school XC or Track program at her high school, so decided to go the way she did (or her parents made that decision).

But, man, I would hate to miss out on all those fun high school memories of the workouts with the team!

Ellie Shea is a loner. She doesn't want to run with a high school team.

I know, I'm definitely a lone wolf, too. I'm introverted (an outgoing introvert, if I were to describe myself accurately), but even introverts need friends & community.

TBH, I'm not sure where I'm going with this comment, I think I could be taking us off-topic, but I wonder if some of Ellie Shea's stress (free psych analysis?) is the stress of doing it all alone. It's lonely at the top! Granted, she got 14th yesterday at F.L. which is still amazing. Just thinking aloud, but I don't know how long running would stay fun if I didn't have teammates.

Ellie Shea is a non-outgoing introvert. There is a very small number of people that she is willing to have a conversation with.

Side note - I saw Ellie Shea's mom yesterday. She looks exactly like Ellie. She even wears the same sunglasses. Imagine seeing TWO Ellie Sheas with sunglasses walking towards you. I thought I was seeing double, ha ha.

Okay, that makes sense.

That bodes well for her college team and their team culture.

Well, that's probably why Ellie Shea hasn't chosen a college yet. How does she join a team when she doesn't want to be on a team?

It seems like Ellie Shea would be a good fit for an Addy Wiley type situation, where Ellie Shea is so much faster than all the other girls on the team that she can train by herself.

But Shea isn't that fast so it is much harder to find a school that fits that description.

She obviously is very much an introvert. That's totally OK -- it's part of who she is, and nobody should try to change that. But with any very definite personality type, there are 2 main options: (1) stay in one's comfort zone and dig in one's heels to an extreme, or (2) recognize the need to be complemented and balanced out by other approaches. IMO the former can produce greater immediate/short-term results, but the latter is healthier in the long run. Her college decision is important because it may represent a choice of one over the other.

4 pages on a HS kid who offends you all - especially the closet psychiatrists - because she runs for a club and not her school?! I dont understand the hate. Shea likely got hurt (not the first or last HSer) so is struggling for the moment.

Maybe she isnt in a hurry to decide on her school - I know a kid who didnt decide until July, a month before school started, and she still got a full ride to a power 5 school. Maybe she wont go to College at all, or maybe do the Addy Wiley route. It is her life after all, not yours, so who the hell are you people to judge?

god I'm glad somebody said it. This thread is super weird. Not that it even matters, but Ellie talks to her competitors and other kids just like any other kid. Maybe she was a bit cautious about talking to some weird adult man trying to engage with her and thus he posts these weird posts.