Prefontaine Cost an OR HS Team a State Championship

To the OP

Instead of saying pre cost a team the championship, you could say pre HELPED A TEAM (the other team) WIN!!!!

This stuff about 80 miles per week is nonsense. I coached a kid to an international vest for England at x-country on about 40 miles per week. He won an international meet (England v Belgium, Scotland and Wales) and ran second in the English under 18 Championships (about 8:20 3k).

If you are doing 80 miles per week in high-school where to you go when you are 25?

Vorlte wrote:

This stuff about 80 miles per week is nonsense. I coached a kid to an international vest for England at x-country on about 40 miles per week. He won an international meet (England v Belgium, Scotland and Wales) and ran second in the English under 18 Championships (about 8:20 3k).

If you are doing 80 miles per week in high-school where to you go when you are 25?

Then I would say that kid was extraordinarily talented if he was able to compete internationally on 40mpw. The majority of HS kids are not possessed with that kind of talent.

I think the real issue here is we've got a troll who thinks he's come up with a clever screen name and was looking for an excuse to use it!

What if he took it "Easy" and the team lost by 1 point? Would he have cost the team a chance at the win by not being more aggressive?

The other old Nike quote "You won't know if you don't go!" If they don't try they will never understand their limits and thus what they need to change to stretch their limits. Meeting your limits is the best motivator and teacher you can meet! I always want my athletes in the early season on the track (individuals) to push that envelops so they learn and we make appropriate training and racing strategy changes. On the other hand if this TEAM actually had a chance to win I would hope the strategy and tactics of winning were taught to the team before this race.

Post-Fontaine wrote:

But it is a team race.

This kid was dotting the "i" in TEAM and cost his school the win. As I was suggesting in my original post, coaches, fans and athletes fetishize this spirit of Pre to the point that we inspire the ridiculous. I'd put this particular race in the category of stunt racing that we see out of Famiglietti . Yeah, it's fun to watch a guy gamble like that but in this case he wasn't just playing with his own money.

And to illustrate just how extreme this move was I'll point out again that he spent several days in the hospital following the meet. This wasn't just taking a stab at the win this was the Return of Falmouth.

You keep using the word "stunt" and "ridiculous" to describe the move the athlete made. I'm curious as to what you're basing this opinion on? The fact he bonked and had issues really isn't proof of anything. It could be he learned a lesson about nutrition or hydration. It could be he was getting sick. You have no way of knowing what caused him to hit the wall.

You're making this move out to be some insane move that was way over the head of the athlete. The athlete that won did so by 17 seconds. The athlete that bonked had beaten the second place finisher twice this year by 7 and 15 seconds. He was a legitimate contender for the state title. He had won most of his races this year. He was a national xc champion in JO's last year. He is an experienced racer.

I'm not necessarily saying it was the right tactical move in hindsight, but to get on here and make statements that a freshman in high school was making "stunt" moves,"dotting th I in team" etc. is irrespsonsible when the reality is you had a kid running all out doing the best he could to help his team win. You're an idiot if you think the athlete that bonked didn't have a team title as a goal.

Our bodies react in funny ways sometimes that aren't the same as how they've reacted in the past. It is a fine line between giving all you have by the time you hit the finish line and ending up hitting the wall with 200m to go. As athletes we all learn lessons as we mature. I'm sure this 15 year old will take some lessons from Saturday, but the move he made was far from a "stunt" move that showed a lack of respect for his team.

You are a f***in'Jackwagon!!!!! Playing the blame game like that is iresponsible and retarded. Prefontaine was and still is an inspiration to anyone who has ever committed themselves to being the best they can be. Sometimes the failure that occurs is a hard lesson but usually a good leson. So, blame away and good luckwith your f***ed up judgemental attitude.

I doubt that he literally bonked in a 5k race. I am sure the wall he hit was the lactic acid one (yeah I know modern science doesn't agree) that ever 800m guy meets at least once in his life.Maybe he was too excited (ran a 60s surge instead of a 65s one) but shit like that happens all the time. What a championship 800m race and there are always about half the guys dying up the home stretch.

I'm using bonked as a general term. He hit the wall, fell over, got up and stumbled in the last 200m. Whatever the term is, I still find it irresponsible for Post-Fontaine to get on here and use the terms (stunt, ridiculous, dotting the "i" in team) he used to describe the efforts of the athlete. If the ahtlete in question had finished 3rd or lower his team would not have won. He had no way of knowing what was going on behind him. After the winner the next group (which he would have been with had he not made his move) went 16:21, 16:22, 16:22, 16:22, with three of those four being team scorers. There is no way to know how it would have worked out had he stayed with that pack. It is unfortunate how the race ended for the athlete, but it wasn't a stunt move that threw team goals to the sidelines.

Sorry i meant that our coach said "you cant* will yourself to do somthing. typo

Don't worry GV, most reasonable people here have no problem identifying the OP and the other haters as just tools.

The collective "we" are fans and proud of your team's accomplishments this year and certainly you guys appear to be well on your way to making a statement next year at State. Go Viks indeed.

When you’re giving your best “I am not an animal!” moments are part and parcel of the sport - hey if it was easy everyone would do it.

Here's to a quick recovery for your teammate and make sure he has his blood sugar levels evaluated; sounds like he could be hypoglycemic. Easy enough to manage if that’s the case.

Now go get ‘em Tigers…oops, I mean Viks!

Worked for this guy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNSWTwB-_bk

To all you tool bags and hatred I bring word from Mitchell butler himself. He told me that the reason he hit "the wall" is because a lack of oxygen to the legs and brain. The result, all of his blood returned to the arteries cause his collapse. There was also I think a lack of hydration prior that day. I know Mitchell and he is one of my friends and I know that he had hydrated that whole week. I also know that your retarded little "wipe my ass theory" is incorrect by all means, and that Mitchell was not being selfish and trying to get first for himself. He also practiced to his fullest everyday so u don't know shit; I don't know why u guys make stupid crap up like that but it really bothers me when it's about my teamate and I know that he did it for the team and the team only. Also when he went to the hospital it was because he couldn't keep any food down that he ate. They hooked him up to Iv's and did lots of tests on his kidneys and heart. They also did a series of blood tests for drugs like steroids, herroin, cockaine, ext. I think he also said that they checked his muscle density and his body fat. His muscle desity was twice of a regular persons, and he had 0% body fat. These both are from his "extensive" training, sleep and eating habits. Know Mitchell is back home with his family and friends but still doesn't know what's wrong with him. He still hasn't made a full recovery yet(after state mitchell didn't remember anything about getting second place and had awoken and not remembering how he got there.

Thanks to all who listened. And !!!!GO VIKS!!!!

Wow 0% body fat! I'm surprised he even made it to the starting line...

ACG wrote:

They also did a series of blood tests for drugs like steroids, herroin, cockaine, ext.

Coke and herroin? WTF?

Isn't your coach an English teacher?

Yes, my question does have purposeful irony. Silly I know.

Yes he is