After watching UF dominate over the last 12 months in basketball and football it makes me wonder why we are consistently mediocre in cross country. Does anyone have any reasons beyond just that Jeff Pigg sucks, they were lousy before him with Brown and coaches before. What gives???
Former UF Student wrote:
After watching UF dominate over the last 12 months in basketball and football it makes me wonder why we are consistently mediocre in cross country. Does anyone have any reasons beyond just that Jeff Pigg sucks, they were lousy before him with Brown and coaches before. What gives???
It's too dang hot in Gainesville to field a good cross team. How many great teams are from the south? Braman has done a good job in Tallahassee, but that seems to be the exception.
Ever heard of Frank Shorter?
RunDaddy wrote:
It's too dang hot in Gainesville to field a good cross team. How many great teams are from the south? Braman has done a good job in Tallahassee, but that seems to be the exception.
This would be fine logic if one Keith Brantly hadn't made his home in Gainesville as an elite runner.
Sagarin wrote:
RunDaddy wrote:It's too dang hot in Gainesville to field a good cross team. How many great teams are from the south? Braman has done a good job in Tallahassee, but that seems to be the exception.
This would be fine logic if one Keith Brantly hadn't made his home in Gainesville as an elite runner.
I know. It's a pretty stupid theory on my part. But it does seem like the better teams year in and year out are from cooler climates.
BTW, I met Brantly at a race in Jacksonville last year.
Ever heard of Ryan Deak?!?! (joke)
Braman has done a decent job, but not so much better than Pigg as far as cross country goes. I think the summer heat is quite a factor. Sure, many elite runners make Gainesville their home for training to this day (i.e. the irishmen- Mark Carroll and Gareth Turnbull) but only during the winter months, when the weather is ideal. It's still not beyond saying that Coach Pigg isn't the greatest coach, he's top runners always seem to be constantly struggling to produce. Saying that the team is an embarrassment is taking it quite far. I think that it's actually pretty remarkable that they have fielded teams the last few years that were at least able to make it to Nats, something of a rarity before Pigg came into the picture.
Being one of the top 25 teams in the country is such a bad thing.
We decided to let Arkansas and Tennessee be good at something.
Former UF Student wrote:
After watching UF dominate over the last 12 months in basketball and football it makes me wonder why we are consistently mediocre in cross country. Does anyone have any reasons beyond just that Jeff Pigg sucks, they were lousy before him with Brown and coaches before. What gives???
With all of the money going to player salaries to the football and basketball teams, that leaves very little for runners.
Sagarin wrote:
RunDaddy wrote:It's too dang hot in Gainesville to field a good cross team. How many great teams are from the south? Braman has done a good job in Tallahassee, but that seems to be the exception.
This would be fine logic if one Keith Brantly hadn't made his home in Gainesville as an elite runner.
Just because a few elites lived there doesn't make it a good place to live and train. No correlation.
First of all the use of ____NATION needs to stop immediately!
I first noticed this horrendous trend with the overly-dramatic-to-the-point-of-puking Red Sox in 04. Since then, everyone who wins a title tags the word "nation" to the end of their mascot and uses this to label their fan base. Taking the liberty of assuming your fans are bigger and better than others says less about you and instead implies arrogance. Its your selfish way of saying I'm better than you, when in fact you hand zero contribution to the outcome of the competition.
Let's hope this cliche dies out fast.
G wrote:
First of all the use of ____NATION needs to stop immediately!
I first noticed this horrendous trend with the overly-dramatic-to-the-point-of-puking Red Sox in 04. Since then, everyone who wins a title tags the word "nation" to the end of their mascot and uses this to label their fan base. Taking the liberty of assuming your fans are bigger and better than others says less about you and instead implies arrogance. Its your selfish way of saying I'm better than you, when in fact you hand zero contribution to the outcome of the competition.
Let's hope this cliche dies out fast.
Does that mean I should stop using my AJ NATION t-shirt as a jizz rag now?
G wrote:
First of all the use of ____NATION needs to stop immediately!
I first noticed this horrendous trend with the overly-dramatic-to-the-point-of-puking Red Sox in 04. Since then, everyone who wins a title tags the word "nation" to the end of their mascot and uses this to label their fan base. Taking the liberty of assuming your fans are bigger and better than others says less about you and instead implies arrogance. Its your selfish way of saying I'm better than you, when in fact you hand zero contribution to the outcome of the competition.
Let's hope this cliche dies out fast.
Red Sox Nation was around long before the 2004 season. It owes to the tremendous following the Sox have around the country. They pretty much own the patent on Nation. Deal with it.
I will stop using it as soon as UF does not win a national championship in bball for football. Until then I can use it as much as I want.
-GATOR NATION
The real irony is the folks down in Gainesville are just imitating Florida State and their mascot's nation status. There's been a Seminole Nation far longer than this Gator Nation hogwash.
Anywho, lay off the UF XC guys. Surely, they're working harder than you guys bashing them. Never seen them hate on you guys.
I'm sure they're hard workers, but everyone has their physical limitations. Overall as a program UF Cross Country is weak, nothing personal against the individual runners. I'm sure they work their butts off.
Last time I checked Steve Zimienski (sorry I screwed up the last name)... Won the region a few years back, and it looked like Lenobe (the African-Canadian?, probably screwed up that name too) was one pace to be top 5 at Nat. Lvl and then he went to hell or Africa or something... its not a lack of coaching, nor talent at Florida... give it some time they have a lot of fast guys working hard together... oh and by the way dont blame the Coach (since I didnt say that already) Steve Zimienski ran a 15:59 3-mile in high school (that his PR), in Florida... as in courses are flat as a track, and by late Nov. weather is around 70-60ish...
RunDaddy wrote:
It's too dang hot in Gainesville to field a good cross team. How many great teams are from the south? Braman has done a good job in Tallahassee, but that seems to be the exception.
I would rate the job Pigg has done at Florida as being better than Braman. Pigg's current crop of national xc qualifiers is better than Braman's and he is using mostly Florida runners, whereas Braman's using a bunch of Brits. Regardless of all the foreigner lovers on letsrun, it is harder to build your team from a local base.
Bob has the connections and personality so he seemingly would be a great recruiter, it may be that it is more fun to recruit in London than Kissimmee...
The Seminole distance runners are a far cry from the Coach Brogle days even though the results are about the same.
I also believe that runners in the midwest are a little less distracted than runners from the south. This is primarily due to the weather's effect on Sorority Girls not ability to train though...
I think what you meant to say is that the raiders are the only people who can use the word nation. As in RAIDER NATION!!!!!