I say there is nothing wrong with the athlete asking the coach. Maybe the coach is doing it because it will help the team. Maybe the coach is doing it because the coach sees it as the event the runner can have the most success in. Maybe a combination of those and other things. Maybe the coach really hates the kid and wants him to suffer (I am being facetious here).
two words- Evan - Jager
Steeple is the most badass of all track events. My guys love it because it is the closest thing to XC on a hard course. Watch the Kenyans race as a team in in global meets. It's beautiful. Our guys race it together and we usually grab 15-25 points in our conference meet. Consider it an honor and it will help you a lot in XC and mid d races down the line.
The steeplechase has made geldings out of many a brave men.
Haha! This is one reason why the OP's daughter can approach it with more confidence than a son might...
nathancat wrote:
two words- Evan - Jager
Steeple is the most badass of all track events. My guys love it because it is the closest thing to XC on a hard course. Watch the Kenyans race as a team in in global meets. It's beautiful. Our guys race it together and we usually grab 15-25 points in our conference meet. Consider it an honor and it will help you a lot in XC and mid d races down the line.
I’m becoming a true believer. Go steeple! Honestly, I admit to being ignorant and think the steeple is where you sent washed up flat racers out to pasture, with a few notable exceptions. This thread has educated me and I’m going to be paying a lot more attention to this race at all levels. My apologies about not knowing better about the long and proud history of steeplechase.
kw1954 wrote:
I remember Malmo's first college steeple...
It was some dual meet in crappy weather, Syracuse I think (malmo can correct me if I'm wrong). He was a natural and took to it like a fish to water (no pun intended).
Fearlessness is the key, and he had it in spades.
Well KW, it was a dual meet at Kent State, a crappy track and hot. Harry told me whatever I did, do not take the lead. For a lap I obeyed his command. After the race you guys gave me the recap from the sidelines. Harry was howling after I took the race by the throat -- using every cuss word in the dictionary. But afterwards, oh, he was lovey-dovey. One of many funny HRG stories.
eurodonkey wrote:
It simply means that there are two faster guys than you this season in 1500/5000, and you can pick up some points for the team. There are three positives to take from it..
(a) you get to boast about how much tougher you and your event are
(b) training for it is actually quite interesting
(c) you will actually get to race more often that if you didn't have this skill.
Train smart and consistently, and later when you are one of the fastest on the team you will have the pick of the races.
Excellent points, notwithstanding that steeple is THE best event by far!
If you have lack speed on the flat (compared to others) but are tough and have the skill (and guts) to tackle the barriers, you could excel at steeple.
- many can't cope with the event because they lack the stamina and toughness to deal with all those little pace changes caused by barriers and many are intimidated by the barriers but won't admit it!
- apart from the hurdling, training for steeple is almost identical to that for 1500/5000m, so you will develop in this area
- steeple is excellent for XC (and visa versa).
Long time coach wrote:
Been coaching 20 years in D3. When I transition runners to the steeple, it’s mostly due to them being awkward or just weird. You know, the guys who everyone kind of talks bad about when they aren’t around. I can keep them all separate from the important event groups (1500/5000) without having to cut them outright. When other coaches and I watch the steeple at conference we always swap stories about these social misfits to share, so I know this is common outside of my team as well.
I'm assuming this is satire, otherwise hard to believe you lasted 20 years. You and your coaching buddies must be a barrel of laughs.
If you're singled out, it's a combination of three things, none of them bad, just real:
1) There are better guys on your team in the 1500, 5000, and 10000
2) You're not purely fast enough for the 1500 and not quite strong enough for the 5k
3) Coach has noticed that you're slightly more athletic than the rest of the guys on your squad. This is an odd one, and one that's certainly not quantifiable. But some guys just...move better than others. That's a kind way to say it. I know some former national champions that just aren't that athletic. For them, going over a hurdle or navigating a water jump just isn't going to happen. You're probably good at ultimate frisbee or pick up on other coordination-based sports fairly easily.
irunfastXC wrote:
If you're singled out, it's a combination of three things, none of them bad, just real:
1) There are better guys on your team in the 1500, 5000, and 10000
2) You're not purely fast enough for the 1500 and not quite strong enough for the 5k
3) Coach has noticed that you're slightly more athletic than the rest of the guys on your squad. This is an odd one, and one that's certainly not quantifiable. But some guys just...move better than others. That's a kind way to say it. I know some former national champions that just aren't that athletic. For them, going over a hurdle or navigating a water jump just isn't going to happen. You're probably good at ultimate frisbee or pick up on other coordination-based sports fairly easily.
Forgot to mention in my explanation of #3: you have guts when things go wrong, typically something a coach learns in XC. That's a great trait for a steeplechaser.