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10 months ago 10/30/2024 1:19pm EDT

re: crisscrosscountry

crisscrosscountry wrote:
You can criticize the timing of the invite and make an argument for coaches skipping it but I will not accept Mt. SAC course slander! The course is great. Yes, there is asphalt but I'm not sure why that is a knock on this when pretty much every other CA course has some paved section (Woodward sure does). But you're only on the airstrip for like the first quarter mile and then you're into the valley loops and up the switchbacks and don't hit asphalt until you cross back over at about the halfway point. Then on the old course you'd have your gut check moment at Poopout and try to regain your legs through the two mile mark before mentally preparing yourself for Reservoir. Reservoir was sneaky because there's a little false peak before you actually crest the hill, so you have to keep pushing. But once you do, then you've got a solid half mile of nothing but downhill and pavement before you're home. So get those legs spinning and ready that kick! It was awesome! It's about as legit a course as you can get in Southern California.
I've seen a lot of the invitationals I used to run in the area go away or change their names/courses but it would be pretty sad to me if Mt SAC goes away. One of my teammates described it to me as "the Coachella of running" because of how many people were there and just the overall vibe of the invite. We'd go Friday and it would be packed, with races going off like clockwork, and a sweet Robeks stand for postrace refreshments. Only once I was truly drinking the running nerd Kool Aid did I get an extra appreciation for the history of the course. I don't really know what more kids want from a cross country race now. If you want to run a fast 3 mile/5k there's Woodbridge or you could just hop on the track. When kids look back on high school cross country I don't think they'll really care how fast they ran but I remember how many awesome times I had with friends wandering through the mass of tents setup near the gauntlet, cheering people to the finish, and hearing cowbells rattling. That is high school cross country to me. If kids are finding that fun experience elsewhere then that's great but Mt. SAC, to me, still has a lot to offer.

Great post.

10 months ago 10/30/2024 1:51pm EDT

re: Rea Sea

The kids like running it. They have fun. They paint their faces, they compete as a team, they jam to the music, they earn medals and plaques. It is the final 'fun' meet before the championship season. It is a good barometer of fitness. You get to run in your own grade level or sweepstakes level. Parents enjoy the stadium, watching their kids on the jumbotron. It is not the best course. It does hurt if running consecutive weeks.

10 months ago 10/30/2024 1:57pm EDT

re: Brain Dead Cali coaches

Brain Dead Cali coaches wrote:
I was out in California years back and went to Footlocker west. That set up is one of the worst courses I’ve ever seen. And the Foorlocker course actually has a wide start line. Unlike the invite course. The entire set up is embarrassing and trust me coaches and athletes that see it know this place is a joke.
A few years back Sound Running tried to host a cross country meet at Mt SAC and half the pros ran the course the day before and opted not to race the next day. It just shows you WTF are the California high school coaches thinking racing there.

This is exactly true about a course great for JV kids to race another race

9 months ago 11/18/2024 3:39am EST

re: beredis

beredis wrote:
The revised course sounds like a positive change! Eliminating Poop Out Hill and extending the race to 3 miles should make for a more exciting experience, especially since finishing in the stadium will enhance the atmosphere for both runners and spectators. It's great that the new layout allows for better visibility of the race from the stadium seats, which should create a more engaging environment for everyone involved.

It doesn’t. Makes for a far worse viewing experience. Nobody can get to the track to see the finish from the course. You have to either choose to watch the whole course from the stadium, which is impossible, or go out on the course and miss the finish. an abomination and utterly absurd. And now everyone has to convert their times from before. One of the worst decisions ever made in the history of high school cross country.

9 months ago 11/19/2024 12:47am EST

re: VanGraaf

VanGraaf wrote:
beredis wrote:
The revised course sounds like a positive change! Eliminating Poop Out Hill and extending the race to 3 miles should make for a more exciting experience, especially since finishing in the stadium will enhance the atmosphere for both runners and spectators. It's great that the new layout allows for better visibility of the race from the stadium seats, which should create a more engaging environment for everyone involved.
It doesn’t. Makes for a far worse viewing experience. Nobody can get to the track to see the finish from the course. You have to either choose to watch the whole course from the stadium, which is impossible, or go out on the course and miss the finish. an abomination and utterly absurd. And now everyone has to convert their times from before. One of the worst decisions ever made in the history of high school cross country.

You are incorrect on the watching the race. it is quite easy to watch the start, then get the runners again on the first valley loop, catch them again coming through the mile and up switch back, then move and watch them come down switch back on the cross over. The you can easily walk to the track and catch the end of the race. Sure you will miss from about 1.6 miles to about 2.5 miles, but you can see them run up reservoir so not compleely lost. And for most of the races, they show much of the course on the track scoreboard. So viewing is not horrible and in some way much better then many CA cross country courses to include Woodward Park.

9 months ago 11/19/2024 12:15pm EST

re: NoNotAll

NoNotAll wrote:
VanGraaf wrote:
It doesn’t. Makes for a far worse viewing experience. Nobody can get to the track to see the finish from the course. You have to either choose to watch the whole course from the stadium, which is impossible, or go out on the course and miss the finish. an abomination and utterly absurd. And now everyone has to convert their times from before. One of the worst decisions ever made in the history of high school cross country.
You are incorrect on the watching the race. it is quite easy to watch the start, then get the runners again on the first valley loop, catch them again coming through the mile and up switch back, then move and watch them come down switch back on the cross over. The you can easily walk to the track and catch the end of the race. Sure you will miss from about 1.6 miles to about 2.5 miles, but you can see them run up reservoir so not compleely lost. And for most of the races, they show much of the course on the track scoreboard. So viewing is not horrible and in some way much better then many CA cross country courses to include Woodward Park.

This is true, I was able to see my runner four times before going to watch the finish at the track. Three times down by the start and when they come through the first loop, once from up top near the warm up track when they were running on the pavement, and then I quickly walked to the stadium for the finish. It would only be a concern for someone with mobility issues.

9 months ago 11/19/2024 12:19pm EST

re: last one fast one

last one fast one wrote:
Good idea wrote:
Good idea. Because state is the most important meet for Ventura, where all of their top 5 will matter
Let's hope it works out better for them this year with the girls team than it did last year with their boys team.

Good thing in 2014 the boys made NXN and took 7th there.

9 months ago 11/19/2024 3:28pm EST

re: Good thing it happened

Good thing it happened wrote:
last one fast one wrote:
Let's hope it works out better for them this year with the girls team than it did last year with their boys team.
Good thing in 2014 the boys made NXN and took 7th there.

No joke! Ventura just shows how infrequently really talented classes come along and why it's so important to take advantage of those times. They had that one class that came through with the 2014 team that was really good and haven't had any decent teams until last year's class went through, which they bombed. Here are the few years before and after that 2014 team. It's not exactly a regular state challenging program. Gotta make hay when you can unless you have really great coaches who can replicate the success year after year.
2010 6th in D2
2011 didn’t qualify for State
2012 didn’t qualify for State
2013 didn’t qualify for State
2014 Won State and 7th at NXN
2015 5th in D1
2016 8th in D2
2017 Didn’t qualify for State
2018 didn't qualify for State
2019 didn’t qualify for State

9 months ago 11/20/2024 12:37am EST

re: Strike while the Iron is hot

Strike while the Iron is hot wrote:
Good thing it happened wrote:
Good thing in 2014 the boys made NXN and took 7th there.
No joke! Ventura just shows how infrequently really talented classes come along and why it's so important to take advantage of those times. They had that one class that came through with the 2014 team that was really good and haven't had any decent teams until last year's class went through, which they bombed. Here are the few years before and after that 2014 team. It's not exactly a regular state challenging program. Gotta make hay when you can unless you have really great coaches who can replicate the success year after year.
2010 6th in D2
2011 didn’t qualify for State
2012 didn’t qualify for State
2013 didn’t qualify for State
2014 Won State and 7th at NXN
2015 5th in D1
2016 8th in D2
2017 Didn’t qualify for State
2018 didn't qualify for State
2019 didn’t qualify for State

Yeah last year they were the #2 California at Woodbridge. Then at the state meet FastHorse got injured and many others got sick.

Crater was in a similar situation last weekend. Tostenson had the flu and got last on the team which fell to 4th at NXR. No guarantees for an at large here.

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