NCAA's should not be in Louisville

Lets just have the ncaa hire Alberto Salazar to inspect xc courses then.

You do know this is cross country, right? Or is this Galen and your not willing to put your certification stamp on it?

That's all the both of you have? Can't even come up with a good argument. Not Rupp certified....let get A. S. to certify the course....come on you two are as bad as that dump of a course today!

I'll agree that it's a markedly worse venue for spectators. Parking, watching, moving about. The course just doesn't have the championship-sized scale that Terre Haute does. Not having run there, I can't speculate as to whether or not athletes approve of the course itself.

Xcfanboy46229 wrote:

That's all the both of you have? Can't even come up with a good argument. Not Rupp certified....let get A. S. to certify the course....come on you two are as bad as that dump of a course today!

Your argument is lousy at best. What sort of specific examples can you give? Do you think the NCAA would really put their xc championship on a "joke" course? I've run and spectated at the Louisville course as well as Terre Haute and I can assure you it's a worthy course. I prefer Terre Haute for many reasons but it provides a solid alternative.

Stop trolling.

I agree about the Louisville course. I thought they were supposed to have a real course by now. Not only does the course suck but it was not good for tv. Someone needs to find a decent alternative or they should keep it in terre haute.

9/10

OP is fishing for "rupp-certified" responses

I've been to a number of meets in Louisville, including both recent NCAA championships, as well as a number in Terre Haute.

I completely agree. This course simply cannot handle the d1 championship field. In my opinion the main reason is the narrowness of the course. The roughness you mention is also not great, that ditch at the beginning is frankly dangerous and there are several other places that are equally awful. But narrowness and tight turns are the main issue in my opinion.

It's a great course for the southeast regional, and is probably even ok/fine for a race like pre-nats this year. Those races don't have the size and depth of field at the front. That U-turn at about 600m, where the field is packed at 20 runners per second, is just nuts. Then the course quickly narrows to half the width of Terre Haute, at many points, with a ton of sharp turns.

I don't think the roots and rocks are as big a deal, although they could definitely bust some ankles in a packed field. The turns, ditches, sideways slopes, and mainly narrowness of the course are what rule it out for me. I'm amazed that coaches stand for it.

It's also a far worse spectator course than Terre Haute.

Why don't they just hold the Champs at MFing Rim Rock?

Louisville is more runner friendly.

Terre Haute is more spectator friendly.

Done both at both.

Just my opinion though.

As a Divison 1 coach who had a team at Terre Haute last year and at Louisville this year I can honestly say I like everything about Louisville better. The course and the city. I am looking forward to 2017 and being back in Louisville.

Terre Haute = grass track nationals.

probablyNOT wrote:

As a Divison 1 coach who had a team at Terre Haute last year and at Louisville this year I can honestly say I like everything about Louisville better. The course and the city. I am looking forward to 2017 and being back in Louisville.

Agreed. Also a D1 coach here with multiple teams on each course, only amendment I'd make is that the ditch needs to go. I believe with a little better planning, they can get better coverage of the race.

Travel, food, weather, city, ease of access and overall feel are on the side of Louisville.

I'm not saying its the answer or that I even like it all that much (don't really love the course) but I'd go back for all the above mentioned reasons. Until we have a better alternative I'll be grateful that we aren't stuck with Terre Haute every year.

probablyNOT wrote:

As a Divison 1 coach who had a team at Terre Haute last year and at Louisville this year I can honestly say I like everything about Louisville better. The course and the city. I am looking forward to 2017 and being back in Louisville.

This letter has got Joe Walker written all over it. Trying to be a spin doctor as usual. Everything the Walker's have their hand in has a sort of sickening feel to it. I feel slimy and dirty just being around them.

I'm just a fan and have been to both places. I like that Terre Haute is a dedicated course and much more fan friendly. I like that it is not just an afterthought in a big city.

You can party the other 51 weeks of the year.

As a fan I much prefer Louisville. Good course plus good places to stay, places to eat, and things to do.

Seriously, you can see about as much of the race in Louisville as you can in Terror Haute. It is nice having a dedicated course but TH has too much of a 'golf course' feel. Too manicured.

Louisville hands down.

been to 7 xc championships (fan) in 10 yrs indiana hands down. to many things to list. btw. they need to replace bob, an embarrassment to the sport to know to so little about xc. sad to see xc come to this. as a fan i will never go back to louisville....i didnt come there to eat

fast freddy runs wrote:

Terre Haute = grass track nationals.

Have you ever run at Terra Haute? It is far from a grass track. It is well maintained so it looks nice but it isn't flat.

I don't think "Cross Country" means what you think it means. You are supposed to battle your competitors over the course presented. Leave your watch at home.

Here's a fine example of a recent World Championship course where our boys dug deep and beat Kenya: