The Future of Footlocker XC

BIOYA Mr. B S. You were told it is not a HS event. Read the entry info. Run as a club all from same school. No all star clubs. The meet draws its own rules for participation. How is that not clear? It does not run by any HS rules. Athletes may wear blank singlets on race day or club singlets how is that difficult to understand It is a USATF sanctioned event. Can you spell USATF? FL is also not a HS event and does not run by HS rules and they challenge the states by allowing the runners to wear school singlets. They are skating on thin ice and have already drawn the warning from several states re post season/out-of-season competitions. All states have different bylaws governing these issues. Educate yourself some and you might learn something.

NXN Shill wrote:

Every California Top 5 boy (after Power merge and team adjustments) will be attending NXN Finals. Now 18 of the Top 25 boys will be competing at NXN National Championships and either 11/12 at FL with several being NXN doublers. Top California Simi Valley girl shutting down for the season.

How do you explain the disparity of the top boy runners Mr. Poster? Depth is overwhelmingly better at NXN for boys with the girls next to migrate. Handwriting is on the wall. Done deal, lets write the obit.

The top 4 CA girls are not running NXN for what it is worth. Taking out team qualifiers, the 7th, 9th, 10th, 11th and 14th girls will run with 8th and 12th opting out as well.

It makea sense why a CA kid would rather run NXN than FL especially if you are from Southern Section. First you do not have to run an extra race and getting a free trip to Portland (and Nike) sounds a lot better than San Diego which is only an hour or two away by car.

As for the NXN format, they really have to do away with basing CA qualifying on the merged state meet results. I know it is a long season but move the NXN final back a couple of weeks so teams and individuals can qualify by racing head to head instead of on paper.

Actually do not be surprised if FL closes shop after their event this year. Mass migrations of top boys with girls to follow likely plus disastrous declines in entries pushing almost fifty percent overall and in some regions more also no major sponsorship in addition to growing expenses underwritten by FL corp and the tremendous success of NXN event with National Championships for both individuals and teams a no loose for all competitors.

Not sure of this declining entries myth. Does anyone have solid numbers? Foot Locker South had their most entries ever this year. Not sure about how things are MW, NE and West, but down South Foot Locker is still king.

That's all we need is the adults staging petty arguments over Nike and Footlocker to make up for their failed childhood ambition when alls the kids want is to get the eff out of high school and go onto college.

During 2004, FL regions totaled approx 10000 + or -. 2009 entries no more than 5000 at best. You cannot count non high school races such as grade school and masters in the totals as you must compare apples to apples v NXN. FL NE under 700 this year adjusted for grade school and masters and NXN NY and NE with over 1200 entries all high school and with less states competing. Looks like 2010 NXN numbers at approx 6300 and FL under 5000 adjusted for non high school races to allow for proper comparisons which is only fair. NXN model is for focus on HS races with some minimal regional flexibility for a citizens race. NXN numbers have been adjusted accordingly to remove any such races from their counts.

Seems like not a myth but a reality. Non high school races have been added by FL meet directors over the years at the regional level to offset the revenue decline which affects their pockets directly.

Went to watch at Sunken Meadow for FL NE. Most of high school races under 100 participants. Have attended their previous regionals at Van Cortland and last year at SM. Each year my observation has been that the number of high school runners has been declining dramatically especially this year and over the last three years since NXN introduced individuals.

We were sailing along down FL lane

Cant you hear the voices saying oh what a shame

You have fallen so far and you are to blame

As we sang a song sweet song on FL grave

On FL grave

FL is better than NXN because FL has races for each grade. Nike does not care about 9th graders. Terrible.

Does NXN pay for individual athletes transportation, lodging and meals to go to the national meet like Foot Locker does? When I ran FL 25 years ago, that was what made the meet unique. Otherwise you just went to the Junior Olympics [AAU] meet and paid your own way. Which was not an option for most runner.

NXN covers the costs on 308 club team runners, 88 chaperons plus 90 individuals equaling 486 participants.

Comparison is that Nike brings in 398 runners and FL 80. Hard to disagree that Nike is more invested in the sport and also brings in 10 more individuals that FL as well.

Oh yeah badman a good point. Good analogy. 9th graders can run in the Championship race at NXN as an individual or as part of a team or in the open race as well. Think that covers it as many options are available.

First of all, Lukas Verzbikas is the best and he is running Footlocker because it is the best. If I were a really good high school runner without a good team I would much rather go for the race against the other best individuals than have to run against kids who would have the encouragement and mental support of their teammates. Also, the team race takes away from the glory of the elite individuals.

I do not see how Footlocker could go away when it is the only race that brings together only the best high school runners in a very small field that holds a wonderful mystique and feels like a real championship event. As a fan all I care about is watching the best individuals duke it out head to head, and I much prefer not having their mediocre teammates in a mob in the background. Cross country may be a team sport, but running is an individual sport.

swooshhhh wrote:

She let down six of her teammates, and then failed, bad Karma.

You're a sick stupid jackass.

If her teammates were so good why don't they run the team race without her, yeah that's what I thought.

Choc Man wrote:

Deem da facts. The way she had run throughout the season should have been an indicator of a tough qualifying chance at FL. Her team could have been competitive in the NXN NE race and she choose to go for individual glory as a 4 time FL qualifier. Well know what not even close at FL. There is an individual component at NXN so she could have run with her teammates and for individual qualifying there. Two chances to qualify are better than one. Another way where FL hurts the individual on a good team. Wonder who told her to sacrifice her teammates? The Shadow knows.

I hope someone sues the crap out of Nike for putting pressure on HIGH SCHOOL KIDS!!

You people are Nike are sick!

I hope you get put out of business.

Well this thread seems funny now that Wejo has outed Choc man as posting under multiple aliases dry humping NXN. As for all these numbers you are claiming, where are you getting them?

NXN ruined this time of the year for cross country as far as I am concerned..

All year long you watch cross as a team sport at least during the year you can actually identify the teams by location..

Here it's mystery team.

FOOTLOCKER was a once a year regional...great meet which although emphasizing the top individuals, had a regional team competition as well...

I am sure sorry the NXN interlopers ever came around..

Just ruins this part of the season.

bhr wrote:

NXN ruined this time of the year for cross country as far as I am concerned..

All year long you watch cross as a team sport at least during the year you can actually identify the teams by location..

Here it's mystery team.

FOOTLOCKER was a once a year regional...great meet which although emphasizing the top individuals, had a regional team competition as well...

I am sure sorry the NXN interlopers ever came around..

Just ruins this part of the season.

I don't get it, how can some people think Nike has ruined HS xc? They came to our school during the season with the Nike Spike bus, they put on a meet at the end of the season (NXN REgional) that my kids wanted to runa nd loved, they all want to go back. They got to run as a team, which is the way they trained all season.

How is this bad?

I have been told by some FL regional competitors that were offered expenses to be paid if they switched to NXN regional qualifier. Just throwing it out there.