That's my question.
That's my question.
Mcfarland. Because movie.
Tahoma HS, Washington.
Consistent potential flowing through, at least on the distance side. They dominate the local XC area.
None of their top 7 this year are seniors. They have a 9th grader 4:29. 2 Juniors under 4:20, etc...
Here are their stats.
http://www.athletic.net/TrackAndField/School.aspx?SchoolID=525
That being said, they are a just of tall white boys.
Also, I know that there are much better schools, every where, even in Washington. This is my personal pick.
At a private high school in the Seattle or Portland metro areas.
You'll have all the advantages of a private high school in another area of the country plus you have perfect weather, tradition, all those pro athletes, and big time events to inspire your athletes.
I grew up running in Wisconsin and never met a pro athlete or attended a meet bigger than a high school invitational. There was no access to the higher levels of the sport.
Millard HS, Fillmore Utah.
Access to 900+miles of high altitude dirt atv trails, plenty of room, kinda nice!
Any orphanage --- no over-involved parents to deal with.
Probably someplace in the Wasatch Front, seems like a prime place for talented kids. I would love to coach at Manlius, but only if I was co-coach with Bill Aris.
Hawaii, the specific school doesn't matter, just anywhere in Hawaii.
Gig Harbor, WA...so I can stay home.
Ok, so I guess then my followup question is, is the culture really deeper at the hs level in the Portland/Seattle/Eugene area? I'm on the east coast and we have heard everything about the Pac NW forever. Prefontaine, U of O, NOP (for all that is worth at this point), Gig, Spokane, etc. We have good teams out here as well but is the support, community, etc really substantially difference between the Pac NW and any other part of the country? And how does one measure this?
tks in advance
Culture - the sport is accepted as legitimate and not laughed at for being uncool. Kids can aspire to be someone in distance running.
Climate - mild enough not to inhibit training. Harsh enough to imbue at least some toughness.
Genetics - The raw material is there in higher percentages than in many other regions
Coaching - Increasingly people are doing the right things responsibly.
Tradition - It's not just standing on the shoulders of giants. You've seen others before you accomplish these things, and the message is that you can too.
Competitiveness - iron sharpens iron. Anyone can be beat and everyone knows it. Don't rest on your laurels.
Many thanks. I find the genetics part particularly fascinating.