(Speaking in generalities) In my time coaching I have been in most parts of the country. So far I can say in my experiences and observations that kids from the west and the north are on the average harder working and more dedicated to the sport. The teams I have been around in the south and the east had athletes that were more casual and less interested. Good kids in all areas but what have you all experienced and observed out there?
Mid-west farming communities. I lived in the central US, as well as several other areas, including metro cities, and without a doubt, the most mature and disciplined young people came from smaller farming communities.
It makes sense... they learn how to work at a young age, as well as manage money. Running a farm is a business.
Farm communities wrote:
Mid-west farming communities. I lived in the central US, as well as several other areas, including metro cities, and without a doubt, the most mature and disciplined young people came from smaller farming communities.
It makes sense... they learn how to work at a young age, as well as manage money. Running a farm is a business.
+1
Except maybe for the managing money part lol
Upper middle class suburbs. Any area of the country really. Kids whose parents grew up and learned that hard work = results (in sport and in life). Running is a cheap sport, but the best teams always come from relatively well-off suburban communities. Why? It's not the money, it's the attitude that earned you the money.
Lots of hard working kids in the midwest, but also Texas, California, New York...
fadsfasdfadsf wrote:
Upper middle class suburbs. Any area of the country really. Kids whose parents grew up and learned that hard work = results (in sport and in life). Running is a cheap sport, but the best teams always come from relatively well-off suburban communities. Why? It's not the money, it's the attitude that earned you the money.
Lots of hard working kids in the midwest, but also Texas, California, New York...
Also, it is great experience to see all of the Mexicans working so hard in the kitchen and on the golf course . . . I learned a lot by watching them.
If you are poor, you have a bad working attitude.
nuevo para diez senor
Rocky mountain states. Per capita, places like Montana and Utah produce a lot of good, hardworking runners. I agree that the upper midwest does well too (but not because most those kids grow up on farms, because most of them don't).
look for anywhere kids are picking fields . . . white or brown (usually brown)
As far as sports go, inner cities, kids see sports as there only chance and put everything into it.
As far as which sport Amateur wrestling a kid will often enter a workout at 160 and regularly lose 10-12 pounds(occasionally OVER 15) of water weight in a single workout and will run and lift and drill in addition to the main workout.
You can't go wrong with the Nike factories in Bangladesh.
Brookwood, GA
fadsfasdfadsf wrote:
Upper middle class suburbs. Any area of the country really. Kids whose parents grew up and learned that hard work = results (in sport and in life). Running is a cheap sport, but the best teams always come from relatively well-off suburban communities. Why? It's not the money, it's the attitude that earned you the money.
Lots of hard working kids in the midwest, but also Texas, California, New York...
I'd agree with this, actually. I know that it's cool in sort of a populist way to claim that working class people are the most disciplined, hard working people on the planet, but I don't think this is the case in any way that would translate to running.
Running is all about consistency. All other things equal, a kid who has the discipline to say "I am going to put on my shoes and head out the door for an hour run every day over the summer at 10am without exception" is going to be better than the kid who is tough, but less consistent. In my experience, the ability to set a long-range plan and stick to it is a skill that is much more developed in middle and upper-middle class kids.
I grew up a middle-class kid in an affluent community, and my sister married into a rural, blue collar family, so I have plenty of experience with kids on both sides of the tracks. If I want to hire a kid for a day of hard labor, I'll give the in-laws a call. But if I found myself needing someone for a task that requires relentless persistence, I'll look to the kids of MD and professor friends.