German Fernandez intending to NOT RUN USA Senior Nationals

He's still young and can find out what it's like to make the USA team and run in front of 100,000 fans at 2011 Daegu, 2012 London, or 2016 Tokyo.

...unless he keeps getting injured and burned out.

music is happiness wrote:

...unless he keeps getting injured and burned out.

Exactly, I'd like to buy one of these health guarantees for the future. While I'm at it, give me a progress guarantee as well.

German wants scalps of Africans - let's not kid around. I actually wish he doesn't qualify for WCs so he can get that time to rest instead.

testing_one_two wrote:

German wants scalps of Africans - let's not kid around. I actually wish he doesn't qualify for WCs so he can get that time to rest instead.

If this is true, there is a guy named Lagat that he could go up against a USA's. He's not a bad benchmark for going up against the africans.

J.R. wrote:

Nonsense.

The only reason to not run would be injury, or lack of fitness.

...or maybe because he'd prefer to prepare for the following season because of a multitude of reasons instead of doing what a bunch of message board nitwits would like him to do.

Hez still young wrote:

He's still young and can find out what it's like to make the USA team and run in front of 100,000 fans at 2011 Daegu, 2012 London, or 2016 Tokyo.

That's assuming he's healthy and running well at each of those championships AND that no new runners come along better than him. Derrick just put in an amazing strength year and if he can keep it up he's going to be tough in the future. If Rupp can make a kick later so can Derrick. Rupp may opt to run a 5K next time around, Teg, Solinsky should be there. Centro may turn out to be a helluva 5K runner in 2011. Jager is only a year older than German and is running right along his lines this year if not better. The point is just because you run the mile/1500 marks he did this year, there is no guarantee of making teams in the future. As impressive as Germans marks were for a freshman they still stand as 3:55 and 3:39. They will need to be a lot faster to make a 1500 team.

This year in the 5K Lagat gets a pass so we get 3 more. Teg and Solinsky are running it and have to be favorites, Rupp will 99.9% not be running it, and Fam probably too. For a 3:39 (lets say 3:37 based on his indoor mile effort) and 13:31 debut guy, there is opportunity to make this team now while he's obviously not peaked:

Bernard Lagat unattached / Nike 13:03.06 qualified

Anthony Famiglietti unattached / Saucony 13:17.98 qualified

Galen Rupp University of Oregon 13:18.12 qualified

Chris Solinsky unattached / Nike 13:18.41 qualified

Matt Tegenkamp unattached / Nike 13:22.60 qualified

Sean Quigley unattached / Puma 13:27.17 qualified

Thomas Morgan ZAP Fitness 13:27.45 qualified

Brandon Bethke Arizona State University 13:27.79 qualified

Jonathon Riley unattached / Nike 13:29.72 qualified

Bolota Asmerom Oregon TC Elite / Nike 13:29.75 qualified

Evan Jager unattached 13:29.85 qualified

Jorge Torres unattached / Reebok 13:30.65 qualified

Andrew Bumbalough Georgetown University 13:30.77 qualified

Scott Bauhs unattached / adidas 13:30.85 qualified

Jordan Horn McMillan Elite 13:31.19 qualified

German Fernandez Oklahoma State University 13:31.78 qualified

Doesn't he still need the WC 'A' standard of 13:20?

Curious Chris wrote:

Doesn't he still need the WC 'A' standard of 13:20?

Not sure how that works, if the guys who beat him (assuming he's 3rd not including lagat) all have A standards, does he get in? Is the A standard now at 13:20? What is the B standard?

Fernadez is entered in:

JR 5000m

JR 1500m

SR 5000m

SR 1500m

Looks like they are just covering their bases in case he decides to run something....most likely he will not run anything based on what both he and smith have said.

USATF entries wrote:

Fernadez is entered in:

JR 5000m

JR 1500m

SR 5000m

SR 1500m

Looks like they are just covering their bases in case he decides to run something....most likely he will not run anything based on what both he and smith have said.

LOL. It would be pretty lame watching an NCAA champ in junior nationals!

This is the National Championships not just a World qualifier.

I think if he is fit and healthy and can be competetive he should race. It's only a two week extention.

Worlds is further away and he wouldn't be competetive so it would be OK to make the team and not declare. He would still have to make the standard anyway.

Choosing World Junior XC over indoor NCAA's is one thing...

Choosing rest for the sake of rest over USA Championships kind of goes against the whole idea of why you train.

If there is a risk of needing surgery that would be a different story.

Good gravy! When Fernandez skips an NCAA to compete at a World Champ event (jr cross) everybody flips their shit about how he's ducking NCAA competition and how it's a disgrace that he has a scholarship and blah blah blah. When he doubles at conferences indoors, Dave Smith is an idiot and the NCAA system is evil and he should never ever race that much or he'll explode.

When Fernandez apparently decides to skip the possibility of a world event (the outside shot at world champs or the more assured world jr champs spot) then he's an idiot and he's ducking the competition and he needs the experience of competing against runners 30 seconds better than him in a 5k and Dave Smith is a pussy for wanting to play it safe and cautious. The only consistency is that somehow the NCAA system gets blamed in both situations!

How about we come clean and admit it- no matter what Fernandez does, it's not good enough for greedy, stupid letsrun. If he's healthy and racing, Dave Smith is racing him too much and will surely injure him. If he's hurt or not racing from a long season, then he's a pussy and a coward and Dave Smith is an overly cautious idiot.

Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't. . . you know, I'm not sure if I'd trade a 13:31 5k for always being wrong no matter what I do.

Well, you know, young Senor Fernandez is not exactly an Asian. The kid is not a academic type. In fact he was a "C" student back in high school in the Modesto area. Anyone can tell you the low probability of making it big at the international level. If German has any brains at all he'll be studying during his time off to make the best of the full ride that Chokee State granted to him. A degree in a solid field is the only sure thing for German, and for you and me too.

Aren't you over acting a little bit? Completely different circumstances here. He just finished NCAA's and the discussion is why doesn't he do USA's after a short outdoor season? I think most people here would agree if he declined going onto worlds even if he made the team.

The strane thing about indoors was that he seemed to tired to do NCAA's and world jrs, but yet he doubled at conference. That's a little different because mose people who are good enough to run at NCAA's don't want to use a season of eligibility and then skip the meet. And he didn't have to since the cross country meet was a few weeks later. I think most of us view jr. national championships as a great experience but don't put a whole lot of stock in placings. NCAA's and USA's, places definitely count for something when you are a contender. Which is why with Derrick we note his NCAA performances much more than his 15th at JR. world cross.

Or to put it more in perspective, what if German would have skipped outdoor NCAA's to be ready for junior pan-am games?

I'm sure saying that no matter what Fernandez does, somehow, it comes back to bite him in the ass. The way I see it, I'm not watching him at practice everyday, and I don't know Dave Smith so well as to know his mind. If Fernandez says he wants a break, and Smith says "better to play it cautious," well, I'm not going to piss and moan.

No, his outdoor season wasn't very long- but then again, at the beginning of outdoors, he was injured. I'm not even a huge Fernandez fan- but I just think people should lay off a little. Every move he makes is heavily criticized here.

I'm rather curious as to where you received the information that he was a C student in high school. I can assure that that is complete bullshit on your part. It's one thing to come on this board and state that you believe someone faked an injury or will get mopped by someone else in a race. It's quit another to fabricate info and pass them as facts on a public message board. You are the worst type of unscrupulous internet coward and I hope you get hit by a bus.

Derrick's 15th at worlds, right behind Fernandez, is the performance that has impressed me the most about him this year.

Worlds > usa outdoors > ncaa outdoors > an indoor meet

malmo wrote:

Everything I've seen about Hernandez and his coach Dave Smith is that they "get it." They see the big picture. Hernandez has a long career ahead of him. Patience, Grasshopper.

Time to regroup with a Summer of German.

hmm... maybe German Fernandez should run under this Dave Smith as well, since he's doing such a good job with Hernandez.

OOHHH!!! YOU GOT OWNED, SON!!! WHAT?!??!!!