WEBB heading west---- Wash Times broke it

just found this dyestat article... thought it was funny... looks like raczko can't peak his hs girls right either--

This time last year, the girls of Oakton VA were the darlings of the Southeast Region, a talented young team with a hot new coach and fresh off a breakthrough performance at Great American. The #1 ranking in the region would soon follow, as would program-first district and regional titles. In the region meet, Oakton put four runners in the top seven of a strong 15-team field that included perennial power Lake Braddock VA, then the 9 th-ranked team in the Southeast. A first-ever state championship – and a trip to the inaugural Nike Team Nationals in Portland, Oregon – seemed like a sure thing.

But something unexpected happened on the hills of Great Meadow, site of the Virginia state meet. Oakton fell apart, finishing 4 th in a 3A race won by Lake Braddock – 52 points behind a team the Cougars had beaten by 31 in regionals just nine days before.

“It was a disaster,” says Oakton Coach Scott Raczko.

...

“I just realized, hey, I’m a high school coach. I love coaching high school kids, and I want to keep doing it.”

...

Raczko’s elite runners and the Oakton team train together about once a week. And while volume and intensity are greatly reduced for the high school athletes, the coaching philosophy – a progressive strength-focused system Raczko says “evolves all the time” – is the same for both groups.

“Obviously the mentality is a lot different,” Raczko says, comparing his elite and prep runners, “but they’re all trying to be the best that they can be.”

http://www.dyestat.com/3us/5xc/NTN/road/oakton-team-coach700.jpg

webb was probably having pasta parties + sleepovers with these girls every week. glad he's getting out of there

You hit the nail on the head. Salazar wants his runners focusing on their best event. If he feels Webb has a better shot in the 5000 I believe he will push Webb in that direction.

I'm very excited about this news. Nothing against Razcko, I don't know the guy. But I do think it's about time Webb got a change of scenery, a new gameplan, and a better training group. The last two years of Webb's career have been a disaster, and everything must change. I think Webb needs to completely cut professional ties with Razcko. I don't care if Salazar is not as experienced working with top level 1500m runners. He will make Alan better.

Tangled Webb.... you make some great points, especially that no coach has developed more than one elite miler and I agree there are nuances to coaching that we can't fathom. I believe one point you're not taking into account is that amongst these milers that you list, only Webb has exhibited inconsistent performances, bombed at most championship races, AND suffered an extended slump. You can blame any one of these problems in isolationg on the runner, but when you have all three happening at the same time, you have to wonder if something systemic is going on.

Second, I think a lot of posters will take issue with this comment : "If you think you can do better than Raczko, list your coaching credentials and the number of world class athletes you have coached." I don't think it has any place on a forum like this because everything we say here is in speculation. If we couldn't speculate and criticize on this forum (despite our lack of coaching credentials), 90% of the posts would disappear. Furthermore, just because we lack coaching credentials doesn't mean we're not making valid points.

Webb seems to be someone who needs a coach to hold him back on workouts now and then. Salazar certainly had a tendency to overtain himself, so maybe he'll be the right person to see that flaw in another and rein him in (like Bowerman did with Pre).

It seems reasonable that the role of the previous coach is to fill in the new coach on the details of the previous training program. He also has a lengthy personal history with Mr. Webb that may inform Mr. Salazar on what motivates Mr. Webb.

experiment of one.... I had to figure out that one of my runners needed to run on his arms for 12 min every tuesday. This was the missing ingredient of his unique personal physiology.

"He also has a lengthy personal history with Mr. Webb that may inform Mr. Salazar on what motivates Mr. Webb".

Uh..talk about teeing it up. We could have a field day with that proposition. Suffice it to say, Alberto won't have Scottie's number on the top line of his contacts.

Basically, the obvious was stated early on in this thread. Phil and the boys made it eminently clear to Mr. Webb what needed to be done, and done very soon.

mighty porn stache wrote:

He has not been well-prepared for international championships. Yes, in 07 he made the WCs final, but it was his first international final (correct me if I'm wrong on that) and ran like he had no idea how to race. He willingly lead the from 400m to 1200m or so, pushing the pace to carry everyone else along.

You are wrong, he was in the final in 2005 when he made one of the most ridiculous moves I have ever seen in a championship (sprinting like a madman when they hit 800). Really his race in 2007 was perfect, he was in a great place with 100 to go and he just didn't have the kick he had earlier in the summer.

reading these above posts, with their talk of old high school coaches interfering with athletes' futures, I was reminded of the article below. Granted this is an extreme case, but the psychological aspects are intriguing. This girl had "Webb-like" potential in high school.

The psychological impact a coach can have on an athlete at a young age, as a teenagers brain develops, is not to be underestimated.

http://www.nytimes.com/1995/02/06/sports/track-and-field-when-family-and-coaching-collide.html?pagewanted=all

jj - interesting find. Liz Mueller is now a professional boxer!

http://www.wban.org/biog/emueller.htm

According to that bio she retired from boxing in 2002.

What a waste. Now that AlSal and Nike has rescued Webbies career, he won't find himself reitred from professional bodybuilding in 2013.

100TH POST! POSTING WAR!

Alberto wants Webb to become lean. I agree. If elite milers strive to get the lightest spikes possible for race day - why wouldn't they also want to have a good power-to-weight ratio?

Think of it like a car - if Webb can retain most of his power but reduce the weight he can become much more dynamic in his movements, accelerations, and waste less energy. A heavy body - regardless of the power potential - requires an exorbitant amount of energy. Distance running is all about saving energy. The 1500 is still at least 50% distance running.

haha, YO wrote:

You are wrong, he was in the final in 2005 when he made one of the most ridiculous moves I have ever seen in a championship (sprinting like a madman when they hit 800). Really his race in 2007 was perfect, he was in a great place with 100 to go and he just didn't have the kick he had earlier in the summer.

im very curious about this video now. Didn't have any luck on youtube. Any links?

steveu of dyestat wrote:

100TH POST! POSTING WAR!

100?? That's weak sauce. If you recall, I was going for like 10,000 or something.

I liked this, from the USA Today article on the front page:

Salazar wants Webb, who has a muscular upper body, to lose some of his bulk: "He won't touch a weight the first six months. He has to lean out."

Letsrun has been saying this for years.

Now that Alan has officially changed coaches, I believe that Michigan would have been a much better fit. Alan had a great CC season at UofM and with Nick W. the Silver medalist from the Olympics and Nate B. in Ann Arbor I think that it wouldn't take much for Webb to regain confidence and form as long as Raczko is not in the picture.

wayfool wrote:

im very curious about this video now. Didn't have any luck on youtube. Any links?