The organizers seem more concerned with putting a swoosh on everything than actually crowning champions. It was also a huge mistake having pros trying awkwardly to get kids to talk about how much fun they had like it was a summer camp. Just didn't seem very professional, just a marketing opportunity.
What's that got to do with jumping the shark?
If you were a college coach, would you go after the top guys from NXN today really hard?
classhines wrote:
If you were a college coach, would you go after the top guys from NXN today really hard?
What is nxn?
Nike only cares about making $$$.
classhines wrote:
If you were a college coach, would you go after the top guys from NXN today really hard?
Absolutely.
They are national caliber runners that just did very well against very good competition in less than ideal conditions. Why wouldn't a college coach go after those guys hard?
How can NXN jump the shark? It's the only game in town. They could replace the mud with dogshit and kids would still line up to try to qualify.
go away watchout
nike shill full of crap wrote:
go away watchout
Why do these jerks come out and give Nike a load of crap for supporting the sport of xc? Who else will do it? I don't get it, they give all these kids an experience of a lifetime, how is that bad?
NXN has motivated thousands of kids to train harder to get out to Portland and race head to head with the best kids and teams in the country. The bar has been raised at the HS level because of this event, they should be commended not ripped, grow up jerks.
Jumped the shark? They didn't even jump a haybale.
it's official wrote:
The organizers seem more concerned with putting a swoosh on everything than actually crowning champions. It was also a huge mistake having pros trying awkwardly to get kids to talk about how much fun they had like it was a summer camp. Just didn't seem very professional, just a marketing opportunity.
What a stupid post.
The Swoosh was barely seen anywhere. I watched the whole streamcast and there were no large swooshes anywhere.
Swoosh very subdued; and even saw kinds wearing saucony shoes.
So thumbs down on your asinine take.
And the kids not only said they were having fun, gee, from the sliding in the mud etc., they looked like they were having the time of their lives.
A better course location in the future would be good. Races that muddy don't make for the best times...that I'll agree with.
If that were an adidas event...something they'd never pay for...supporting teen distance running that big...you would have had the adidas logo everywhere. As it was nike just had the spiked symbol around and very tiny swooshes.
Really, how can you knock a company that supports teen running when few do?
Nike epitomizes everything that is wrong with all the sports it dumps a lot of money into. Nike cares about opportunity, not people or product.. As for promoting the sport of xc, they have done a huge disservice by having individual competition at a national level. FL was already in place to do this. Now instead of having Burcham and Montoya race Chesarek, we see times that will vary so vastly we really don't know who the best xc runner in the country is. Its like another company coming along after the Superbowl and having a single elimination tournament all teams are invited to, and getting a winner, who may or may not be the same winner as the Superbowl, and calling that winner the world champion. This js absolutely not good for the sport and if Nike cared about HS XC, they would have never begun individual competition.
Nike should have stayed with the team thing few years ago, and not add individuals. This is technically the "best team in the country race," because FL doesn't offer team races. Like All-Star and NBA Finals.
watchout wrote:
classhines wrote:If you were a college coach, would you go after the top guys from NXN today really hard?
Absolutely.
They are national caliber runners that just did very well against very good competition in less than ideal conditions. Why wouldn't a college coach go after those guys hard?
I think a better question is would a coach take Sam Wharton ahead of Bernie Montoya, Nick Ryan or Jacob Burcham. I say no. That's not taking anything away from him, but on a standard course one of the others wins 95% of the time.
They gave Baxter a white rabbit. She looked at it like wtf?
I would take this athlete for my team - good thing the conditions didn't scare her or Pat Porter back in their days. Much better xc athletes than on the track and two of the most respected. We have had plenty of USA XC championships in muddy conditions... miserable conditions. Also I have seen plenty of pics of Paul Tergat caked in mud.
http://www.runnersworld.com/elite-runners/1992-oly-medalist-lynn-jennings-wins-rowing-race
The smartest team and individuals won today at NXN. The leaders went out too fast for the conditions in the boys race. Arcadia wasn\'t even in the first few team updates - not until the end of the meet because they paced themselves very well and too advantage of the typical high school race plan - hard from the gun. The girls race actually went out slower.
XC is about terrain, mud, snow, rain etc. You have to be prepared to race according to the conditions. Congrats to Arcadia. A California school took advantage of the other schools by racing according to the conditions. Other teams defeated themselves by going out too hard. Very simple.
The hay bales symbolized a row of cars and the mudrunners symbolized a flying motorcycle and Nike used to be the COOLEST thing on the planet.
Just sayin
I don't particularly care about the team concept. Yes it's important at the state championship level but on a national scale? Really doesn't mean that much. We all know FM has a lot of depth and they will probably never lose until a Pri school recruits and beats them in that unethical fashion.
We all would like to see a national champ. IMO Nike prob' thought they could force FL out of this game and be the lone race. It may eventually happen but as of now I don't think it's a positive for the sport.
Leon Cornell Jr. wrote:
We all would like to see a national champ. IMO Nike prob' thought they could force FL out of this game and be the lone race. It may eventually happen but as of now I don't think it's a positive for the sport.
Remind you of boxing 30 years ago?
Maybe Wharton can unify the title next week.
of course he is OHIO wrote:
Remind you of boxing 30 years ago?
Maybe Wharton can unify the title next week.
I don't think so.