Is Fernandez ducking Rupp?

No I'm sure he doesn't even know what's happening with the track team. I mean, who cares if they take up scholaraships that could be awarded to other sports. Who cares if German is the biggest prodigy in the histroy of their distance runners and is all over the internet and setting records but NOT winning national championships. I'm sure the AD doesn't even know, and if he does he doesn't mind one bit.

earwax wrote:

I'm sure the AD doesn't even know, and if he does he doesn't mind one bit.

mommy mommy... waaaa german is doing something that i can't do... because i'm sitting here sucking my thumb at oregon.....

earwax wrote:

Who cares if German is the biggest prodigy in the histroy of their distance runners and is all over the internet and setting records but NOT winning national championships.

Yes he did. He won the national champs in cross country. Twice, in fact.

I love when someone's post reveals what a complete retard he is and he doesn't even know it. Thanks for letting us all know you understand nothing of sports, be it distance running or college football. Let me guess: you failed your freshman logic course?

the eunuch wrote:

Would the Ok State football team brush off the national collegiate comp, to chase a world title?

Dazedan wrote:

earwax wrote:

Who cares if German is the biggest prodigy in the histroy of their distance runners and is all over the internet and setting records but NOT winning national championships.

Yes he did. He won the national champs in cross country. Twice, in fact.

US Jrs. races don't carry much weight. See the complaint about Rupp for years, despite the XC Jr. and 5000m Jr. titles. In Highschool it is Footlocker, in college it is the NCAA (18-23 or so), afterwards it is USA Cross. Even the USA Cross 12k race doesn't have the prestige of other USA titles, Indoors or Out, because fewer people want to race it at World's, so they don't bother with USAs and thus winning is too easy.

bxhsg wrote:

US Jrs. races don't carry much weight. See the complaint about Rupp for years, despite the XC Jr. and 5000m Jr. titles. In Highschool it is Footlocker, in college it is the NCAA (18-23 or so), afterwards it is USA Cross. Even the USA Cross 12k race doesn't have the prestige of other USA titles, Indoors or Out, because fewer people want to race it at World's, so they don't bother with USAs and thus winning is too easy.

So all the big races in an American runner's career are here in the United States. Is that because we are the best runners in the world?

None of us knows what is going on in the mind of an 18 year old running phenom, or his coach, and yet we debate the wisdom of his choice.

I'm all for opening up dialgue, and I like the question of whether German is ducking Rupp (they would have locked horns in the 3000, in which Rupp has the better seed time, not the mile which takes that race out of the equation). I anxiously await outdoors, when they will hopefully battle it out in either the 5000 or 10000...

Most of us on this message board will never have to decide between an NCAA championship and a "great" showing at World XC, so the discussion becomes: Which race would you chose to run if you had the choice? I suggest we leave it at that and recognize that badmouthing a young kid with a ton of pressure on his shoulders doesn't do much for our sport.

While I do not think German would duck too many folks, the same point has been brought up by many other DI coaches, they could not believe that the number 1 guy at mile or number 2 at 3K, who has been flown all over the place as a scholarship athlete will not run at NCAA DI Indoor Champs.

He does not run for Nike or Adidas last time anyone looked.

Guys are doubling at this meet that he would face from the U.S. at World Juniors in two weeks AFTER this. He ran all out 3 times, maybe.

His whole season of eligibility is shot, same with XC, albeit unfortunate.So, because he wants to run Juniors and a top 15 would be a GOOD result(Blog, not me), is okay for all the fanatics on here?

He is on serious money, any AD, according to any one of three respected coaches, I talked to would ask, "What the heck? We are not in the business of furthering a shoe contact for one guy".

Sorry if this seems inflammatory, I think the guy is just that good, he is amazing, but no one would have done this, not now, after 3:56.50, 3:55.0 7:47.x in indoors. They flew him around the country short hops at least for this stuff.And he ran great, how do you not run the NCAA Champs?

With two weeks in between, until World Xc which for the U.S. is a novelty event like it or not.

He is a scholarship guy who just lost 2 seasons of eligibility

His long term development,might be at risk, but come on get serious, his profile against the rest of the world, get even more serious. He is not Ritz in XC, look that up.

You would be surprised at how many find this pretty whacked.In fact maybe some of you would not.

so the prodigy can further your coaching career and shoe contract opportunities but you wouldn't want the same for your prodigy athlete??!!??

Warrior Nation wrote:

Which race would you chose to run if you had the choice?

World cross country, junior or senior, over ANY other race.

The best runners in the world run the WCCC every year.

Oh ... Wow ... I never saw that ... hynuk hynuk hynuk

U.S. has treated World Championships XC as a joke, and thus Americans have been viewed by the world as a joke. German and the rest of the team are absolutely taking the right step towards getting more serious about international competition. If the team medals, it will be a great first step towards being taken more seriously. Maybe in another year we'll stop dicking around with the senior team and put together a true contender. With the likes of Ritz, Hall, Keflezighi, Rupp, Vail, Fernandez, Kinsella, McDougal, Derrick, Puskedra and more to choose from, we might have something.

Er... wrote:

I love when someone's post reveals what a complete retard he is and he doesn't even know it. Thanks for letting us all know you understand nothing of sports, be it distance running or college football. Let me guess: you failed your freshman logic course?

the eunuch wrote:

Would the Ok State football team brush off the national collegiate comp, to chase a world title?

haha you my friend are a fool. I bet you always wait for the canned laughter before getting a joke.

Track Fan wrote:

Fernandez will be there for his country.... Rupp will not.

GF: "Private Fernandez reporting for duty SIR!!!!"

Sgt. Baker:

"Suddenly it appears to me,

you got a bit much dignity for your own good, boy!"

GF: "YES SIR, YES SIR!"

Sgt. Baker (while playing smooth-ass bass line):

"I SAID RIGHT!!!

LEFT!!!

RIGHT!!!

LEEEEEEEEEFT!!!!"

Duckduckgoose wrote:

citius5000 wrote:

Smith also talks about him missing school (a week for world xc). He is running for his country and against a tougher field. Rupp could of made the senior team if he wanted to but didn't. And Ryan Gregson will be competing last i heard so i don't think he is "Ducking" anybody.

This is true, he'll have a 13:56 guy to face rather than a 13:18 and 13:19 (indoors). He'll also have a bunch of ambiguous africans, of which he is not really expected to beat so there won't be any measurable failure there.

This makes absolutely no logical sense. There are a handful (5-10) of 13:10-13:20 Africans in World Cross Junior race, that's surely more than the two sub-13:20 guys at Nationals. But yet you say they'll surely beat him so it's no failure by a measurable feat, but yet suggest that he should try and beat Rupp who is in the same league as those Africans, in other words hinting that he could challenge Rupp but not the Africans who generally are on the same exact level? You are an idiot. He's facing MUCH more depth than he will at Nationals, he'll surely win the mile (2nd at worst) and could probably win the 3k (as we've seen Rupp's kick is useless at anything under a 5k). Gregson will be there and will more than likely run way better than his 13:56 as well as the Africans who are on Rupp's level, with some even better. German should be able to beat some, he is definately capable of running 13:20-13:30 worst case scenario right now. So he's only SLIGHTLY off their level. So to say he has no chance is just a farce and you should be castrated for your ignorance.

I think this entire thread is pretty retarded. I guess it was created by people at Oregon, who are generally not the brightest tools in the shed. Comparing indoor championships to anything else is generally a pretty weak argument. So here's mine.

Forget about what is best for German or his coach or Galen or Letsrun.com or whatever. Which is better marketing for OkState (this would justify a full-ride runner opting out of a championship):

- A top 10 in the WORLD, in front of dozens of talented foreigners, for the USA, representing OkState

- A better post-collegiate career (indoor, outdoor, xc, international or national) because of the emphasis of staying healthy

- A focus on the outdoors 5k (remember he is not sharpening up for any indoor events

or

- Potentially winning 2 events at an indoor meet that will be forgotten in no time

I mean say Dathan had won indoors the year that he placed 3rd in xc. I don't even remember if he ever ran indoors ever. Does anyone really? Maybe, but we all remember his 3rd place in worlds. Seeing a young American do well against Africans gets the running community way more pumped than INDOORS. Plus, think about the positive impact on recruiting foreigners.

One guy in this thread said something about German still having Footlocker to account for. A high school race? Pleeeeeeease. Remember his state meet double? Me too. Plus, in 3 years Footlocker might not even be the high school xc championship. Saying that GF's high school career was tarnished by his lack of a footlocker championship is ridiculous.

Indoors is a joke. Ducking Galen Rupp? Is that what he's doing? Pleeeease. I wish the US team luck in Amman.

I find this so funny, because we went from german vs chad hall in high school, to german vs puskedra and derrick in high school and frshmn ncaa xc, then it went to to german vs chris derrick in xc, then german vs webb, then german vs rupp and gregerson, can we admit that if this kid wasn't that good, the conversation would be over? I think all this further proves this kids greatness, and the scary part is that it's juts beginning. He ran 4:21 when he was barely 14, then had one of the top 3 times at the CA state meet when he just turned 15 (15:14 w/ footlockers AJ Acosta, Michael Coe, Mercados, Ben Sitler), but after his soph yr, everyone forgot about him because of injury. It's only been about a yr and some that this madness has happened. This kid will be the best...webb ritz and hall were great, and are great...but German just gets better every yr. and will get better every yr.

Weaksauce -

Methinks perhaps you:

a) Have a level of maturity well beyond the average 14 year old

b) Understand basic logic

and c) Understand the sport of distance running

Don't these collectively disqualify you from posting here?

This thread is so stupid. Look, the kid needs to do what is best for him. Fernandez is an awesome talent and this decision was probably tough for him. He will see Rupp soon enough. We will probably get to see a lot of battles between these two runners as German gets older and runs more 5K's.

And this whole argument of Rupp vs. Fernandez is stupid too. Everyone knows who would win in a mile, 5K, and 10K. Fernandez would take the mile, and Rupp would win the 5K and 10K. The ONLY distance that it would be close right now would be at 3K. That's it. Rupp would win easily in a 5K and he would DESTROY Fernandez in a 10K. Just like Fernandez would DESTROY Rupp in a mile.

Argument over. Why do ya'll hate on Rupp all the time? Sure he is kinda goofy, he has kinda underperformed until this year, he comes from money (not his fault, I wish I had come from money), and he gets taken care of by a great company (Nike). Those things aren't that bad. I wish I could run 13:18 indoors. Stop hatin'