US Prep TF/HS has always been centered around Mt Sac XC, Arcadia, Cerritos, and hundreds of LA meets. If you don't like Arcadia/Rich there's alternatives in L.A. for you.
First, thank you very much for posting on this forum.
You & other coach's such as Mike Scannell offer wonderful opportunities to us distance running fans to interact with you and gain insights into how you train your athletes and what we can look forward to from them.
Echo your sentiments regarding altitude conversions. Always seem controversial, especially with the 3200.
You mentioned Woodbridge above.
Happy you referred back to the xc season as I would like to bring up the Clovis Invite @ Woodward Park a few weeks later.
Since German Fernandez's 14:24.0/CR from 2007 had withstood the onslaught from the Newbury Park boys as well as everyone else dating back to when Woodward's various xc courses were laid out back in 1975, frankly was beginning to believe German's time was going to last thru the middle of the century.
Then your boy Jackson Spencer took it down to 14:16.9.
Just a couple seconds off the all-time course record of 14:14.5 set by 32-year-old professional Diego Estrada in 2022.
Those of us who follow CA xc running know how unbelievable that mark is, given the hilly and terrain-changing nature of the Woodward Park course. Significantly better performance than Colin Sahlman's 14:03.29 all-time fastest hs 5k xc time set back in 2001 when he won the RunningLane national title on that pancake-flat course. And, most likely, several seconds under 14-flat if run on a course like Woodbridge or RunningLane.
Of all the races Jackson ran last fall and this winter, that stands out, by far, as the most impressive. Mindboggling, actually.
So, questions: (1) was his intent to break German's record that day? (2) did you have any notion he could break 14:20, much less take it all the way down into the 14:16s? (3) was that his best race ever, even surpassing his national title wins?
Thank you, Coach Soles, for responding if you see this and get the chance.
I have watched back all of Jackson's races from XC a few times, and yes I thought his Clovis race was his best performance. I've spent a lot of time on that course, and most really good boys struggle to even run 4:50-5:00 the last mile. Jackson ran 4:24.xx on it the last mile, which I have never seen anyone else do before. Most people are holding on, he was pushing to get the record. Even as his coach, it was extremely impressive.
The goals going into the meet were to get Jackson another elite level meet and to go after the record. We were fairly certain he would be close to it based off the Friday race performances. 14:17 was much faster than I was hoping for. 14:22-23 was a reasonable guess for a perfect race. He broke it by that much because he hammered the last 800, something that rarely happens on that course at the front end of races. Mile 2 takes a lot out of you.
Ultimately, when you are an elite level runner you still have to prove yourself. Jackson has to step up at Arcadia and show he is still the top dog, or someone like Mantecon will come in and prove otherwise. Jackson looks ready to challenge 8:30 at sea level, so it should be a fun race! Last year, he went on a cruise right before Arcadia and wasn't ready for the race. This spring break he focused on training and is looking ready. He split a 47 in the 4x400 the other day, so he is looking ready to finish fast.
Coach Soles
The Woodward Park record holder running 47 is disgusting. Is there a video of that somewhere?
The reality is, whether you like it or not, the world works off connections and favors. From getting a corporate job to directing a track meet, it’s all about who you know and “what’s in it for me”. It’s just how the world works. Even at Bryan Clay, the biggest college meet of the year. You want to get into a certain heat? Okay you better be ready to supply a pacer for another heat later on. How do you think Cal Poly Slo had 5 guys in the top heat of the 1500 at Stanford last weekend? Not only are they fast but their coach is Vanhoy, who knows and had good relationships with a lot of other coaches. My high school coach was and still is great friends with Rich Gonzales and he used to and still does pull favors for my high school team every year. It’s just how the world works. And if you are coming on here or on instagram or twitter or to other coaches talking bad about Rich, what makes you think he is gonna put your athlete in the top heat??? Come on now!
In the five years I have been covering SoCal XC and TF what impresses me most is his encyclopedic knowledge of the runners year to year and even going back a decade. Also his track announcement and commentary is on the level of the best national level announcer ... on the level of Tim and Mark. He is great for the sport especially in SoCal which is a whole other level.
BTW I lived up in NorCal for 13 years before moving here and have never seen someone on the same level as Rich up there and may be that is why NorCal isn't as well known.
In an overt display of too much power, Rich is presenting the livestream of the meet free of charge.
Yes he is and has for years. But let's be real. As in every year ...someone does not get what they want so they complain. This debate about Rich has come up for almost 25 years. But once he is done, there will be no one to fill his shoes. His connections and others trust in him runs deep.
Rich Gonzales has denied fairness to girls by allowing biological male, AB Hernandez to compete against girls at Arcadia. I remember Rich also celebrating when a biological male transferred to ML King high school to run as a girl.
As a girl mom, and a former athlete (and even as a moderate liberal), I am disgusted by Rich and eventually CIF again allowing this to happen to our daughters.
This biological male will dominate the girls long jump, high jump and triple jump, as usual. He also has the ability to dominate the 200m, if he chose to compete in that. Even if they give the top girl a 1st place medal in each event he dominates, this is a travesty.
Be better, Rich Gonzales. You have a choice, and it's not political. Milesplit no longer ranks him among the girls. You can do the same and just say no. He should not be on that podium with girls.
Rich Gonzales has denied fairness to girls by allowing biological male, AB Hernandez to compete against girls at Arcadia. I remember Rich also celebrating when a biological male transferred to ML King high school to run as a girl.
As a girl mom, and a former athlete (and even as a moderate liberal), I am disgusted by Rich and eventually CIF again allowing this to happen to our daughters.
This biological male will dominate the girls long jump, high jump and triple jump, as usual. He also has the ability to dominate the 200m, if he chose to compete in that. Even if they give the top girl a 1st place medal in each event he dominates, this is a travesty.
Be better, Rich Gonzales. You have a choice, and it's not political. Milesplit no longer ranks him among the girls. You can do the same and just say no. He should not be on that podium with girls.
Protect our daughters. Protect Girls Sports!
Agreed , allowing a boy to compete as a girl because of his mental illness is disgraceful and disgusting
Rich Gonzales has denied fairness to girls by allowing biological male, AB Hernandez to compete against girls at Arcadia. I remember Rich also celebrating when a biological male transferred to ML King high school to run as a girl.
As a girl mom, and a former athlete (and even as a moderate liberal), I am disgusted by Rich and eventually CIF again allowing this to happen to our daughters.
This biological male will dominate the girls long jump, high jump and triple jump, as usual. He also has the ability to dominate the 200m, if he chose to compete in that. Even if they give the top girl a 1st place medal in each event he dominates, this is a travesty.
Be better, Rich Gonzales. You have a choice, and it's not political. Milesplit no longer ranks him among the girls. You can do the same and just say no. He should not be on that podium with girls.
Protect our daughters. Protect Girls Sports!
I agree that AB has an unfair advantage and they need to work on a solution. Here is where you lost me, when you start with “he” and you ARE making it political. You can do both where you acknowledge that there is a problem and it need to be fixed while also allowing someone to identify as they choose.
I agree that AB has an unfair advantage and they need to work on a solution. Here is where you lost me, when you start with “he” and you ARE making it political. You can do both where you acknowledge that there is a problem and it need to be fixed while also allowing someone to identify as they choose.
Honestly, I don't care where I lost you. I'm not here to pander or play identity games with you or anyone else who supports this. You can call it political. I don't care. I generally vote Dem, but support of pandering to identity of choice pushes me right when it affects our daughters so negatively.
The need to protect our daughters will be universal in any conversation I'll bother engaging in, and I'll continue to use the pronouns my 2nd grade teacher taught me.
Our priorities are different. I'm here to protect girls. You're here to protect identity-confused kids. That's fine, but just keep biological boys out of girls sports and save your identity distractions for someone who cares more about protecting transgender boys over protecting girls.
In the five years I have been covering SoCal XC and TF what impresses me most is his encyclopedic knowledge of the runners year to year and even going back a decade. Also his track announcement and commentary is on the level of the best national level announcer ... on the level of Tim and Mark. He is great for the sport especially in SoCal which is a whole other level.
BTW I lived up in NorCal for 13 years before moving here and have never seen someone on the same level as Rich up there and may be that is why NorCal isn't as well known.
Yet he still doesn’t know the difference between make and female.
Dissatisfieds can always run at dozens of other gigantic LA meets in the spring. The college coaches may not be present but there is always an alum hanging out who is scouting for their team and will see your kid.
As always, nobody will be harmed one bit by this, but there's always someone who comes out of the woodwork to play the victim card. Go fight for a cause that actually matters, like child trafficking and pedophiles starting wars to protect themselves and their rich friends. Your daughter needs to be protected from them, not AB Hernandez.
last year I coached a kid who probably should have been in seeded 3200 but was put in the invite. I pleaded his case in the “notes” section of entry and literally said “Give him a shot, Rich!” And it worked. Sometimes you just gotta ask for what you want 🤷♂️
I agree that AB has an unfair advantage and they need to work on a solution. Here is where you lost me, when you start with “he” and you ARE making it political. You can do both where you acknowledge that there is a problem and it need to be fixed while also allowing someone to identify as they choose.
Honestly, I don't care where I lost you. I'm not here to pander or play identity games with you or anyone else who supports this. You can call it political. I don't care. I generally vote Dem, but support of pandering to identity of choice pushes me right when it affects our daughters so negatively.
The need to protect our daughters will be universal in any conversation I'll bother engaging in, and I'll continue to use the pronouns my 2nd grade teacher taught me.
Our priorities are different. I'm here to protect girls. You're here to protect identity-confused kids. That's fine, but just keep biological boys out of girls sports and save your identity distractions for someone who cares more about protecting transgender boys over protecting girls.
It’s not as black and white as you make it. I can care about girls sports as well as all kids. That’s the difference.
last year I coached a kid who probably should have been in seeded 3200 but was put in the invite. I pleaded his case in the “notes” section of entry and literally said “Give him a shot, Rich!” And it worked. Sometimes you just gotta ask for what you want 🤷♂️
Did he "outrun his odds"? To maintain anonymity maybe indicate a 10-15 second range that he finished in and his prior personal best.
As always, nobody will be harmed one bit by this, but there's always someone who comes out of the woodwork to play the victim card. Go fight for a cause that actually matters, like child trafficking and pedophiles starting wars to protect themselves and their rich friends. Your daughter needs to be protected from them, not AB Hernandez.
Alright, I'm just trying to help you out here so let's keep it real. Don't tell anyone what matters and what does not. You take the idea of guys competing against girls, ignoring Title IX, and making it into something else. But I bet you are capable of producing evidence that guys against girls is fair so let's see it. And take your other arguments to CNN.com
Rich Gonzales has denied fairness to girls by allowing biological male, AB Hernandez to compete against girls at Arcadia. I remember Rich also celebrating when a biological male transferred to ML King high school to run as a girl.
As a girl mom, and a former athlete (and even as a moderate liberal), I am disgusted by Rich and eventually CIF again allowing this to happen to our daughters.
This biological male will dominate the girls long jump, high jump and triple jump, as usual. He also has the ability to dominate the 200m, if he chose to compete in that. Even if they give the top girl a 1st place medal in each event he dominates, this is a travesty.
Be better, Rich Gonzales. You have a choice, and it's not political. Milesplit no longer ranks him among the girls. You can do the same and just say no. He should not be on that podium with girls.
Protect our daughters. Protect Girls Sports!
Agreed , allowing a boy to compete as a girl because of his mental illness is disgraceful and disgusting