Mary Cain and college?

The sad part is the parents don't know what to do....

I would explain to them that in America we go the school route..you run for a high school, then college, then go pro through a club.

In Europe, differant system. You stay local but run with a club. The school/sports thing really doesn't exist...you go to school and it is completely separate from your sporting desires... not saying this is the better system -- just the tradition or common practice.

Now, because she is differant, many urge her to abandon the American system...Not wrong --- but lonely. Any local club will consist of adults, not peers.

shewontgotocollege wrote:

Mary didn't get faster? Pretty sure 9:38 and 4:32 indoors speak more volumes than a 2:05...

Ajee ran 2:00, after growing into a woman. What will Mary run after growing into a woman?

In some sports, like track, there is a significant improvement with maturation of the athletes from 16 to 26...

Always exceptions to the rule.

girl vs woman wrote:

quick draw mcgraw wrote:

comparing MC's situation to AW's situation is pretty silly....

No it's not. Ajee grew into a woman, got faster, and signed pro. Mary Cain hasn't grown into a woman yet, so all this talk about going pro vs. not going pro is a big question mark, regardless of either's interest in going to college.

i was talking about the academics. it's preposterous to compare AW's interest in academics, which currently includes community college classes, to that of MC. there's zero chance that MC every would be wasting her time with community college classes.

From a business/money perpective - there is too much risk involved with NCAA running. What if she gets hurt and then NIKE decides not to give her a phat contract later?

Why not get the big contract NOW and, as a bonus, have NIKE pay for her college? What does she have to gain from running against sub-elite competition @ NCAAs?

It would server her better to compete in Europe against the best of the best. NOW. Not 4 years down the road.

What are you talking about "hasn't grown into a woman?" She is not an anorexic 12 yr old. Some of our previous "stars" looked like they were running a 100 mpw and eating nothing. You can tell when a body is stressed into be something it's not. MC does not appear that way. She actually is NOT that skinny and has no definition. She appears rather tall, larger than baby face who is 27. MC is going to get so much stronger and more defined and most likely not grow that much taller. I would guess that at almost 17 she cycles normally and eats a balanced diet.

[quote]Fan of the sport wrote:

From a business/money perpective - there is too much risk involved with NCAA running. What if she gets hurt and then NIKE decides not to give her a phat contract later?

Why not get the big contract NOW and, as a bonus, have NIKE pay for her college? What does she have to gain from running against sub-elite competition @ NCAAs? quote]

Reality check.

There are no guarantees in this sport and remember that big phat shoe company contracts come with Big phat reduction clauses.

It is extremely difficult for any elite athlete to push their bodies to the human threshold without ultimately getting injured. This is especially true for women who become so fit and lean that they often times become amenorrheic which causes low bone density and leads to a plethora of potential injuries.

Injuries affect training which affect performance which leads to contract reductions.

There is so much to be excited about with this young runner, however, at the pro level, she is at best a second or third tier US national class runner. I don't know why you think she would be eligible for a $600k annual contract when she isn't even close to hitting the standards needed to make world and Olympic teams.

I doubt very few professional, world class runners make that much dough

third tier? do you even following professional running in the US? what tier are the pros she beat in boston last weekend?

quick draw mcgraw wrote:

third tier? do you even following professional running in the US? what tier are the pros she beat in boston last weekend?

Yes, I follow professional running in the US and Globally very closely and I am quite sure I have first hand and extensive knowledge in professional running.

To bring everyone back to reality, please take a look at the tier levels as established by the USATF:

Tier 3:

Be an Immediate Post Collegian (IPC) in the first or second year out of college (2011 or 2012) and have achieved the 2012 Olympic Games "A" standard in 2012 or the 2011 World Championships “A” standard in 2011 - for their respective event.

Here is the complete reference:

Obviously, I was being very generous in my original assessment because she does has beaten some of the top US runners, albeit I would guess that she is further on in her training cycle than those that she narrowly beat.

But, in the grand scheme of things, as defined by the USATF, she is not even a 3rd tier athlete....yet.

Actually and sadly, she isn't even considered a 4th tier athlete according to their standards.

third tier? do you even following professional running in the US? what tier are the pros she beat in boston last weekend?[/quote]

Considering they were more than half a lap behind they winner I would say they are 2nd tier at best.

Did Cain get a college degree? does it matter either way?

With the NCAA rules now, would she have been paid and ran for a college?

She did get a degree I think from Fordham - was definitely a a NYC area school and I think it was the Rams