Are you kidding me? They couldn't find a single rinky dink invitational on the west coast to run this weekend?
Are you kidding me? They couldn't find a single rinky dink invitational on the west coast to run this weekend?
They have the money to do it, why not?
I'm more surprised they are racing in September. Jokes aside, I agree though Hingle. Besides conference, regionals, and nats, teams (besides those in alaska and hawaii), even Oregon, should not be travelling like this. Even football teams shouldn't be playing across the country. If there really is no competition in the whole northwest, there are a lot of coaches doing something very wrong.
You have to run a certain amount of regular season meets to be eligible for the post-season.
Good practice to travel a long way and try to run fast. A certain big meet in Indiana in November requires the same. Also, somebody needs to spend Uncle Phil's money somehow.
Um, ever hear of N. Easton, MA or Franklin, MA?
They will do it every year so that Andy Powell can visit Massachusetts on the company dime. He is from Massachusetts and all of his family lives in the Boston area.
So if your plan is to practice traveling across the country to simulate running fast while traveling, why not see some family while you do it?
Exactly what I would do if I was him.
It's not just Andy.
they were too good for the stanford invitational
Recruiting visibility, certainly.
Gaining some points to qualify for Nationals, maybe. (No team can *assume* it's going to autoqualify--things happen.)
Good to get a lengthy "business" trip as prep for a similar situation at the end of the season--and to work out any problems, so the one at the end of the season *is* just business.
Did I mention recruiting? Collecting scalps from highly-ranked Northeast teams can establish Oregon as a superior college choice; making a trip East can show potential recruits from that time zone that it's possible for The Folks to see them compete, at least occasionally.
Getting a line (in person) on some of the Eastern teams that they otherwise might not meet until Nationals.
You tend to get upset easily. Why is that?
I'm outraged that runners are racing. I HATE when that happens.
Who? What? Cross country actually matters before November? Everything except nationals highlights that the D1 "season" is a joke.
http://www.letsrun.com/forum/post.php?board=1&reply=6031892Hingle McCringleberry wrote:
Are you kidding me? They couldn't find a single rinky dink invitational on the west coast to run this weekend?
There is an obvious answer wrote:
They will do it every year so that Andy Powell can visit Massachusetts on the company dime. He is from Massachusetts and all of his family lives in the Boston area.
So if your plan is to practice traveling across the country to simulate running fast while traveling, why not see some family while you do it?
Exactly what I would do if I was him.
Yep and it gets the Oregon brand out in the NE. Plus Jenkins gets to return to his old roots.
If I was Oregon, I would want zero part of racing a pac 12 school until you have to.
you mad or jealous, bro?
Oregon hasn't started classes yet so there is no impact on academics.
PST wrote:
Oregon hasn't started classes yet so there is no impact on academics.
This just begs for a smart-ass rejoinder--but, overcome by a rare fit of niceness, I shall hold my tongue.
This time.
An often overlooked factor when it comes to team performance in cross country is the morale and unity of the team. One thing that separates cross country from track is the importance of the team over individual performances. If teams have the budget to travel across the country in September, they might see it is an opportunity to facilitate a team bonding experience. An early season meet that is a fun and successful trip makes the team tighter as a unit, raises spirits and if the team doesn't run themselves into the ground for a small meet it could be a good thing. The travel isn't quite as significant but Arkansas raced in New York last week and Wisconsin have raced on the east coast in September the past two seasons. It isn't a rare occurrence.
Also, not all regions are created equal. You need to score points off teams that get into the national meet if you don't place top two. There are only so many times you can race Stanford in one season.