NXN course is a joke. FL still crowns the true champion. Half the NXN Championship fields are made up of good but not great runners.
NXN course is a joke. FL still crowns the true champion. Half the NXN Championship fields are made up of good but not great runners.
People go to NXN for the $400 worth of free limited edition nike stuff, and the Nike experience. not sure what the FL people get, but its not as good as the NXN stuff. the people who decide to go to FL over NXN are probably going for the reputation of FL being the classic "XC National championship" who dont care (as much) about all the free cool stuff
having run both the balboa park course (.15mi short but basically the same course) and the NXN course... they both suck. balboa park is a tough course, especially on a hot day. 3 word: hot dry hills. NXN is just sucky because of the mud and the fact that because its such an elite race, it goes out crazy fast for the "normal" people racing in the team competition who simply arent on that level. the obstacles dont really do anything. if the course was firmer (the year i went it was just... ugh) I would call it a good course. Talking to some Nike guys up there, they say they were trying to emulate british XC or something... grass loops on grass loops. also it makes it easier to televise. After all, it's just another ad for nike.
But at the same time they really do try really hard to make the whole "NXN experience" well... an experience! it's not just about the race, its about being treated like an elite level athlete, which is like 99% of these kid's dreams. It's a lot of fun and theres so much more than the race. I dont know exactly what they do at footlocker, but I highly doubt they have as much resources and put as much effort into making it as fun and cool as nike does.
(seriously, anyone going to NXN reading this... dont even worry about the race unless you have a legit shot at winning it... just have fun)
You have not run footlocker. The nationals experience is so much more.
I have coached athletes who have run both races, both are fantastic experiences that hold up on their own. If you go to NXN for $400 of gear you are not going for the right reasons.
The Nike course needs to change. You have blue lake park, and Mt. hood just 20 miles away. Make a national course that is incredible. I am also not a fan of the Balboa course either.
NXN has its pluses but nothing beats a weekend at Del Coronado with a small contingent of your peers - most of whom you are meeting for the first time. From an athlete's perspective, Footlocker is a dream come true. Hanging out on the beach all Saturday night is about as good as you can get.
That being said, as far as fields are concerned, the girls' race is by far stronger at NXN and the boys' field gives the nod to Footlocker. I don't think anyone who has been to both would choose NXN over Footlocker if they had to go back and have only one.
L.A. SUCKS
Skeptic of it All wrote:
You have not run footlocker. The nationals experience is so much more.
I have coached athletes who have run both races, both are fantastic experiences that hold up on their own. If you go to NXN for $400 of gear you are not going for the right reasons.
The Nike course needs to change. You have blue lake park, and Mt. hood just 20 miles away. Make a national course that is incredible. I am also not a fan of the Balboa course either.
Just for the record, Footlocker is about being with your peers in an almost paradise setting. The course sucks. As far as cross country goes NXN more resembles a European classic XC course. Morley is typical So Cal "run around a tiny park in the city icluding turns around tennis courts and a swimming pool with several cement crossings." That's okay though, Kinney - and now Footlocker - was/is experience first, race second. You are more likely to hear stories about the post race festivities than the race itself from 70 of the 80 kids there.
Why not have final Senior year blast in San Diego since cross (and indoor TF) aren't major sports anyways. I mean you can't win a serious medal in cross (and indoor TF).
Choices of HS Seniors wrote:
Why not have final Senior year blast in San Diego since cross (and indoor TF) aren't major sports anyways. I mean you can't win a serious medal in cross (and indoor TF).
........ "because its not a major sport anyways" has got to be the worst reason I've seen on these boards to choose one meet over the other.
Cross country is not a major sport.
NO Olympic medals wrote:
Cross country is not a major sport.
It is in high school pal- more participants than most sports. The meets are huge with spectators and money.
The State XC meet in NY is one of the only state championships that makes money. Football states loses money big time and no one watches the games.
NO Olympic medals wrote:
Cross country is not a major sport.
It would seem you missed my point. Go ahead, feel free to try again.
been there done that wrote:
People go to NXN for the $400 worth of free limited edition nike stuff, and the Nike experience. not sure what the FL people get, but its not as good as the NXN stuff. the people who decide to go to FL over NXN are probably going for the reputation of FL being the classic "XC National championship" who dont care (as much) about all the free cool stuff
having run both the balboa park course (.15mi short but basically the same course) and the NXN course... they both suck. balboa park is a tough course, especially on a hot day. 3 word: hot dry hills. NXN is just sucky because of the mud and the fact that because its such an elite race, it goes out crazy fast for the "normal" people racing in the team competition who simply arent on that level. the obstacles dont really do anything. if the course was firmer (the year i went it was just... ugh) I would call it a good course. Talking to some Nike guys up there, they say they were trying to emulate british XC or something... grass loops on grass loops. also it makes it easier to televise. After all, it's just another ad for nike.
But at the same time they really do try really hard to make the whole "NXN experience" well... an experience! it's not just about the race, its about being treated like an elite level athlete, which is like 99% of these kid's dreams. It's a lot of fun and theres so much more than the race. I dont know exactly what they do at footlocker, but I highly doubt they have as much resources and put as much effort into making it as fun and cool as nike does.
(seriously, anyone going to NXN reading this... dont even worry about the race unless you have a legit shot at winning it... just have fun)
Maybe people don't pick their championship based on free stuff or being treated like an elite. Maybe there are still some people out there who want to race the best, and that's why they pick Foot Locker.
riley stops wrote:
From top to bottom, NXN is a much better overall event than Foot Locker.
The person who gets last at Footlocker will likely contribute at the collegiate level. The person who gets last at NXN will likely end up spending all their time at Hometown Buffet getting fatter than John Madden. I think the bottom of Footlocker trumps NXN.
been there done that wrote:
People go to NXN for the $400 worth of free limited edition nike stuff, and the Nike experience. not sure what the FL people get, but its not as good as the NXN stuff. the people who decide to go to FL over NXN are probably going for the reputation of FL being the classic "XC National championship" who dont care (as much) about all the free cool stuff
Only hobby joggers care about what swag you get at races.
Far from accurate. Have you ever talked to HS kids? Maybe you think you've convinced your team to run for the love of the sport, but inside, they pretty much all just want free swag.
Dennis Reynolds wrote:
riley stops wrote:From top to bottom, NXN is a much better overall event than Foot Locker.
The person who gets last at Footlocker will likely contribute at the collegiate level. The person who gets last at NXN will likely end up spending all their time at Hometown Buffet getting fatter than John Madden. I think the bottom of Footlocker trumps NXN.
Is this Debbie Reynolds or Dennis Reynolds? Of course the bottom of FL trumps NXN. It goes entirely without mentioning and is an artifact of how competitors qualify (as teams) for NXN. Nobody at FL is other than a one or possibly a two on their respective teams whereas every team at NXN will bring their sixth and seventh runners. What is amazing is that, despite this fact, the overall strength of the field at NXN is still stronger than FL for this year and recent past. The best race, regardless of venue or sponsor, is the one which attracts the best athletes. Increasingly, NXN wins this battle. It will render FL irrelevant within five years.
someone not you wrote:
Far from accurate. Have you ever talked to HS kids? Maybe you think you've convinced your team to run for the love of the sport, but inside, they pretty much all just want free swag.
That's why they go to the nike meet, instead of the National Championships.
How can you argue that the overall quality of the field is stronger at NXN than at Footlocker? That is a ridiculous statement. Someone posted the freshman performances of those who ran Footlocker vs NXN last year and Footlocker rolled them. Not even close. Then you add the fact that tubby chunkers bring up the back of the race and it just loses it luster. Plus you aren't even really running for your high school so to call it a national championship is ridiculous.
Rustamon wrote:
Dennis Reynolds wrote:The person who gets last at Footlocker will likely contribute at the collegiate level. The person who gets last at NXN will likely end up spending all their time at Hometown Buffet getting fatter than John Madden. I think the bottom of Footlocker trumps NXN.
Is this Debbie Reynolds or Dennis Reynolds? Of course the bottom of FL trumps NXN. It goes entirely without mentioning and is an artifact of how competitors qualify (as teams) for NXN. Nobody at FL is other than a one or possibly a two on their respective teams whereas every team at NXN will bring their sixth and seventh runners. What is amazing is that, despite this fact, the overall strength of the field at NXN is still stronger than FL for this year and recent past. The best race, regardless of venue or sponsor, is the one which attracts the best athletes. Increasingly, NXN wins this battle. It will render FL irrelevant within five years.
What? The overall strength of the field is far better at FL than NXN.
Good luck with those predictions of FL's demise. The Nike employees and shills have been declaring FL dead for 5 years now, so it makes sense that you'd want to tack on another 5 years to try to make that absurd prediction eventually come true. That's OK, we'll let you come back here in 2017 to say FL will be dead within 5 more years. Still won't happen, but as long as it makes you feel better.
someone not you wrote:
Far from accurate. Have you ever talked to HS kids? Maybe you think you've convinced your team to run for the love of the sport, but inside, they pretty much all just want free swag.
competition vs swag wrote:
That's why they go to the nike meet, instead of the National Championships.
+1