I agree about doping in the sport, but how many times do we see it in college? We call it the "pro progression" for a reason.
It is not about worship, but justice. It would be incredibly obscene if what by all indications is one of the great clean, naturally gifted athletes in our sport loses to a very likely college dope cheat. Isn't that what it is all about, about Valby and her dirty, still seemingly social climbing coach wanting to make a name for themselves by doping to beat a very popular, clean athlete? This is what the pro dope cheats like Houlihan or UF's own coach always do, using doping to rob more naturally talented athletes of opportunities and prestige. And Valby's coach is exactly the type of trash that would dope his athletes to make a name for himself. It is his entire history at NOP. Heck I thought this last year Valby's entire manner racing Tuohy was odd, and it came from her coach.
Parker Valby is an interesting name in that if you switched it to Valby Parker, that still sounds like a plausible runner girl name, and also a bit like a stylish eyeglasses maker.
Retarded take. Tuohy, according to Wikipedia, started training when she was 10. She was 7 years into her training when she ran 9:01. Has Valby even been training for 7 years up until now?
She only ran in some community fun runs at that age. Started track in 7th grade and broke 5 min in the mile off very limited training. Did not take it very seriously. Did not start XC until 8th grade (played soccer). Go listen to Emma Abrahamson’s interview with her and get your facts straight.
Community fun runs is where it starts. Do you think that for an untrained 5th grader she should have been doing 60 mile weeks? Did she play soccer before that? Do you think the running in soccer didn't count?
In my first season of running, 'training' consisted of running about 2 days a week (maybe 8 miles total), and a day where we did either 3 x 200 or 2 x 400. I improved from 2:36 in the 800 to 2:22 and 5:10 in my first attempt at the mile, maybe 10 weeks after running 2:36. A year later I was under 10:00 for 2 miles and sub 4:40 mile after starting the season with a 4:59 PR in the mile, still only running 6 months a year and maybe 30 miles a week. In the beginning you don't have to do much to make a lot of progress.
Now, I don't know what Valby did as a youth, perhaps she played soccer or maybe she did nothing. Do we know 'how seriously' she took her first two years in high school? Point is, you're trying to make a comparison that is impossible. Tuohy is someone who trained extremely well from the time she started competing until she started having injury issues in high school. Her progression is remarkable because it came at a younger than normal age. I bet if you looked at the progression of some people who peaked in college, it looks the same, just starts a few years later.
You're hung up on the fact that Tuohy was a prep phenom. This happens all the time in track, especially on the women's side. It's actually rare that a high school superstar continues to improve in college or makes it as a pro. Alexa Eprhaimson, Mary Cain, flamed out. Jordan Hasay, brief success with a team that you find suspect, then flamed out. Brie Felnagle, B level career. Julia Stamps, nada. Melody Fairchild, nope. It's quite common for these girls to get caught in college by others who are just ramping up. Not everyone has a good coach in high school or matured at the same time.
The real question isn't whether people like Valby will pop up to challenge Tuohy, it's whether Tuohy can continue to improve after so many years. Most of the previous phenoms hit the wall. Going back to 2000 in Eastbay/Footlocker, only Molly Seidel, Jordan Hasay, and Sara Hall have had any success, and only at the marathon.
It is always nice to see something you know is real. Is there any such thing as generational talent when you can purchase it in a bottle? When someone has a clear natural progression it is special because it is so rare. Most are the alternative. It comes COD.
From an outsider, I don’t think one can say tuohy’s progression is anymore ‘natural’ than another’s. A blown-out knee can be career ending. And yet, Joan Benoit went on to run a ‘great marathon’ after her knee surgery. [I don’t know, but I imagine someone gets therapeutic drugs (might be performance enhancing) related to knee surgery.]
You’re delusional if you somehow think tuohy is going to get a pass on PED accusation if she goes pro, while her competitors do not.
Yep. Hubris always gets in way. They cannot help it. They will always go bombs away. Every time. So a massive PR out of the gate was an easy call.
The one thing I picked up on at Nationals is that none of Valby's competitors congratulated her or acknowledged her on social media. Unless it changed later Roe seemingly made a point of it. Athletes can see and feel when something is off.
I was wondering if anyone else noticed that. It was very uncharacteristic after a race.
How funny is it that Parker Valby is suddenly being called a generational talent after running for Chris Solinsky which ran for the infamous Burrito Track Club years ago and has the same coach of a runner busted for doping.
We all know about that Huntington University doping controversy hence I do not believe there is no doping happening in Division I. What is sad is that they will get away with it. NCAA will not waste money on regulating non-revenue sports.
Solinsky is someone who has no business coaching a college team. It is incredibly easy to imagine that he would help his "star pupil" to dope just like he did. There is a reason I have such disdain for the UF program. No one who doped in their career is entitled to any benefit of the doubt as a coach. There is always a doping tree.
Correct. We have been telling you for years that Tuohy wouldn't improve ad much ad the competition. We were shot down. No you argue that Tuohy hadn't improved as much ad the competition and you shoot down anyone who claims otherwise.
Correct. We have been telling you for years that Tuohy wouldn't improve ad much ad the competition.
Not only did Valby beat Tuohy's progression but all American runners including the Pros. Valby should just compete with the Kenyans after this season. She's built like a pro runner who has been running for years despite being injured for the last 2 years.
What do mean she beat the pros? One guy's converter put her sub 15. She hasn't run that fast and you guys normally lose your minds when people made track predictions for Cook and Hutchins based on XC. Even if we assume sub 15, five Americans did that this year and one ran 14:30. But why should a 20 year old not be the fastest American if it happens next year?
Jakob was a talent since he was a boy, Valby only became talented after running for a coach who is a former BTC runner and was coached by doper Shelby Houlihan's coach.
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