All fair points but don’t you think your perception is skewed by being so closely connected to Ron? I’m sure he talks a good game but your being an associate of his will make it more difficult for you to be objective.
You keep using Kessler’s injury as an excuse for why he didn’t improve in the 1500 last year. My counter is his injury helps prove my point. By turning pro and trying to run at a pro level immediately after high school, he set himself up for injury. Running in the NCAA would have helped him focus on gradual long term development rather than quick results to appease his sponsor.
Even with NCAA training under their belts, Hocker and Teare got injured while adapting to pro level training. Why would we expect a high schooler to do better while making an even bigger leap?
All fair points but don’t you think your perception is skewed by being so closely connected to Ron? I’m sure he talks a good game but your being an associate of his will make it more difficult for you to be objective.
You keep using Kessler’s injury as an excuse for why he didn’t improve in the 1500 last year. My counter is his injury helps prove my point. By turning pro and trying to run at a pro level immediately after high school, he set himself up for injury. Running in the NCAA would have helped him focus on gradual long term development rather than quick results to appease his sponsor.
Even with NCAA training under their belts, Hocker and Teare got injured while adapting to pro level training. Why would we expect a high schooler to do better while making an even bigger leap?
"Quick results to appease his sponsor" makes zero sense, there is absolutely zero evidence that is why he got injured. You think the NCAA helps him focus on gradual long-term development? Ridiculous assertion when these guys are trying to peak 3 times a year and running conference/regionals/nationals + USAs.
You didn't explain why the NCAA would be better for him though 🤷
My apologies. I’ll share my explanation now for any high school studs who are weighing their options:
1. The NCAA is a proven American talent development system. Look at Meb, Rupp, Centro, Fisher, Brazier, Hocker, Teare, Hoppel, Murphy, Mantz, Kastor, Flanagan, Simpson, Coburn, Sisson, Cranny, Schweizer, Mu, and many, many others.
2. The high school to pro route is risky and not nearly as proven. Wilson and Jager did well but look at Hunter, Cain, and Efraimson. Ouch
3. Running for top level programs like NAU, Stanford, and NC State (for women) enables you to train with excellent athletes in your own age group, develop friendships with your peers, and enjoy a healthy transition into adulthood.
4. By running in college, you can learn racing tactics against people at your level and, more importantly, learn how to win. If you run in the pros straight out of high school, you’re just going to learn how to lose by getting your doors blown off by pros who are at a higher level than you. Look at Kessler. Last year he could have been running in the NCAA 1500 final and vying for a high place. Instead he got bounced in the heats of the US championships.
5. In college, you can develop gradually without the pressure of a pro sponsor evaluating your results or docking your pay.
6. In college, you can experience the thrill of winning a team championship and running for something greater than yourself. Look at how happy the runners for NAU and NC State looked after winning the team titles at last fall’s NCAA cross country championships.
7. In the NCAA, you can be a star, maybe even as a freshman. If you go pro early, you’ll just be an also-ran.
8. In the NCAA, you have a set planned racing schedule that lets you know what to expect. As a pro, you’ll be at the mercy of how good your agent is at getting you into meets, which is unpredictable and volatile.
9. By running in the NCAA, you’ll develop an affinity with your college that’s much stronger and long lasting than what’s possible in any pro group that could dissolve in a year or two. Look at the Nike Oregon Project.
10. By running in the NCAA, you’re making a natural progression from one level to the next. If you jump straight to the pros, you’ll be skipping an important step in your development. People who skip steps tend to trip and get hurt.
Once you’ve proven you can dominate NCAA competition, then it makes sense to go pro. Not before.
There is nothing special about the NCAA system that makes it better at producing world athletes. You cite a bunch of athletes that did well after running in the NCAA, but fail to cite the MUCH larger percentage of athletes that don't make it to the next level. The financial stability (i.e. scholarships that pay for food and housing for 4-6 years) and education is what brings kids in. Kessler is already good enough to earn a pro sponsorship, so the main attraction of the NCAA is basically nullified. I don't think getting injured and regressing by two seconds in the 15 for one year has made him regret his decision.
on a Flagstaff training run ..talk anout your irony?? Lol
could have happened on an NAU training run if he was there lol
missed 6 weeks of land running, easy treadmill after 5 I believe
That sounds painful. Wouldn’t have happened in Palo Alto. That settles it. He should have gone to Stanford, the producer of more American distance running Olympians than anywhere else in the country, and the school that had 3 guys running faster than him yesterday.
on a Flagstaff training run ..talk anout your irony?? Lol
could have happened on an NAU training run if he was there lol
missed 6 weeks of land running, easy treadmill after 5 I believe
That sounds painful. Wouldn’t have happened in Palo Alto. That settles it. He should have gone to Stanford, the producer of more American distance running Olympians than anywhere else in the country, and the school that had 3 guys running faster than him yesterday.
Back in the day, Julia Stamps had a famous compound fracture in her foot in Palo Alto while skateboarding. She went from looking like possibly the future of US running in high school to not-a-pro.
on the front page of this site there is a link to an interesting interview with former stanford runner julia stamps. I have read several posts regarding stanford and high injury rates,,ie destroying athletes etc. Stamps was...