Austin Tamagno chooses NXN - Is he scared of Drew Hunter and Phillip Rocha???

Here's how it works.

We have 2 National Championships- that's bad.

Nike wanted Foot Locker to add teams, they said no.

Nike starts their own Nationals.

There are great runners on teams, they go to Nike (for the team).

There are great individuals who do not have a great team.

They have a choice: FL or Nike.

Now, if you choose FL you will meet some of the great runners BUT the great runners on teams won't be there (I'm talking NY/NE).

FL, by not having teams, leaves out some great runners, so Nike is the choice for the true National Championship- EVERYONE can run Nike.

A Great runner isn't going to abandon his team for FL.

It's a sad situation but FL is to blame for not going with Nike on the team thing.

Gdjdk wrote:

schollies

This word needs to be permanently removed from the lexicon.

Balboa is the standard. ritz, webb, kennedy, hall, verzbicus, reina, solinsky, goucher... didn't run around a chinsy pancake flat, horse race track infield at portland meadows for a reason..

This will never change. Period. The End.

As for tomagno and hunter, they will be teammates next year so there is no Oregon duckling taking place. it's very insignificant to all except the high school groupies on LR who have no life and will bash these future ducks next year. or I guess they already started in this thread...

The fireworks happen next year, when they both enter the championship rainmaker, national title machine of Oregon.

Powell don't care wrote:

natty title

Remove this crap from the lexicon as well.

Dewey_Runner wrote:

He's running with his team at NXN.

Sorry that Tamagno isn't a selfish POS like Rocha OP.

LOL. His team isn't running at NXN. Just him. His team ran at NXN last year, and he bailed on them to run at FL last year. So does that make him a "selfish POS" as well?

If Balboa is the standard you need to take out Ritz, Hall and Webb. They all ran on the flat fast Orlando course.

I think he might be doing it for a number of reasons. These may include:

1). He wants to help his team finish really high, or perhaps even get close to a championship. 2). He wants to focus on academics and get done what he needs to get done testing-wise for the scholarship he wants. 3). He doesn't want to worry too much about beating Hunter. They're going to be teammates in less than 7 months anyways. 4). Track is where he really wants to lay down and run some fast times and win some championships. He's always been capable of running a really fast mile.

I mentioned the Hunter thing, but like Austin's father said, he's not one to ever duck competition, so I find that one may be unlikely. There are probably some other potential reasons you could throw in there too.

I guess he realized last year he couldn't beat hunter or fish and now hes got rocha to worry about... Nike is his best shot. At the end of this day, this kid is all about himself. He was on a nationally ranked team last year who had a shot at winning nationals and just ditched them in order to run as an individual at footlocker. Programs like Great Oak or Dana Hills would never take a kid like this.

wow! runners and their parents stalk this site. If your dad has to come on here and make excuses...

bigatowle wrote:

I think he might be doing it for a number of reasons. These may include:

1). He wants to help his team finish really high, or perhaps even get close to a championship. 2). He wants to focus on academics and get done what he needs to get done testing-wise for the scholarship he wants. 3). He doesn't want to worry too much about beating Hunter. They're going to be teammates in less than 7 months anyways. 4). Track is where he really wants to lay down and run some fast times and win some championships. He's always been capable of running a really fast mile.

I mentioned the Hunter thing, but like Austin's father said, he's not one to ever duck competition, so I find that one may be unlikely. There are probably some other potential reasons you could throw in there too.

do you really buy what daddy was saying? what kind of grown man come on here to explain why his son ducks Rocha?

Flagpole wrote:

Newly Improved wrote:

I looked up the summit scholarship. Oregon gives 6,000 for a 26 on the ACT? Wow.

You have to have a 3.8 or higher unweighted GPA also.

How do you not have a 26 ACT with a 3.8 GPA? 3.8 was incredibly hard to get at my school for people.

runn wrote:

Here's how it works.

We have 2 National Championships- that's bad.

Nike wanted Foot Locker to add teams, they said no.

Nike starts their own Nationals.

There are great runners on teams, they go to Nike (for the team).

There are great individuals who do not have a great team.

They have a choice: FL or Nike.

Now, if you choose FL you will meet some of the great runners BUT the great runners on teams won't be there (I'm talking NY/NE).

FL, by not having teams, leaves out some great runners, so Nike is the choice for the true National Championship- EVERYONE can run Nike.

A Great runner isn't going to abandon his team for FL.

It's a sad situation but FL is to blame for not going with Nike on the team thing.

"A Great runner isn't going to abandon his team for footlocker". Hummm???

TAMAGNO DID!

It's The Truth wrote:

LOL. His team isn't running at NXN. Just him. His team ran at NXN last year, and he bailed on them to run at FL last year. So does that make him a "selfish POS" as well?

yes

I find most of these posts pathetic. The kid's in high school. Give him a break.

man o' man wrote:

cio2o2 wrote:

yes

Brea Olinda and their coach Jeremy Mattern maybe the reason California got no at-large berths this year. The NXN committee may have decided to give the at-large births to regions that will send complete and competitive teams. Not a chopped-up version less their best runner/scorer to come in 2nd to LAST!

And isn't it coincidental that a year after Tamagno "bails out" on his team to run Footlocker, coach Mattern "bails out" on his team to go coach with his brother! The bark doesn't fall far from the tree. Not a whole lot of loyalty in that program!

Now hold on a second there, skippy. I see it as the reverse. An NXN team holds the elite standout to coersive, emotional blackmail to run NXN since most of the slugs on that team wouldn't get within an arse's roar of making it to nationals without Tamagno. None of those slugs would qualify for Footlocker individually. Maybe the slug reference is a tad harsh, but you get my drift.

Rule of thumb - the HS season ends with the state meet. Post season silly season - every man for himself. Hell, they aren't even running for their school in silly season, not technically.

PS. Thanks to Jeremy Tamagno for posting on here.

I always thought distance runners stood up for their own. People are trashing a kid who either has not scored a 26 on the act or needs a higher score for some additional academic scholarship. He has consistently ran well in almost every race of his entire high school career. Last year's footlocker field was one of the deepest in history. Last month people trashed Rocha for calling the mt sac record soft, and now people are attacking a kid becaase he needs a higher score on his Act.

I have nothing but respect for Tamagno, Hunter and Rocha. Great kids, all of them -- regardless of the jealous 'tards who post negatively about them. Many of us look forward to Tamagno and Hunter as teammates at Oregon--making each other the better for it.

runn wrote:

Here's how it works.

We have 2 National Championships- that's bad.

Nike wanted Foot Locker to add teams, they said no.

Nike starts their own Nationals.

There are great runners on teams, they go to Nike (for the team).

There are great individuals who do not have a great team.

They have a choice: FL or Nike.

Now, if you choose FL you will meet some of the great runners BUT the great runners on teams won't be there (I'm talking NY/NE).

FL, by not having teams, leaves out some great runners, so Nike is the choice for the true National Championship- EVERYONE can run Nike.

A Great runner isn't going to abandon his team for FL.

It's a sad situation but FL is to blame for not going with Nike on the team thing.

The irony of this.

His team made NXN last year, and he left them to go run at FL nationals.

Now his team doesn't make NXN this year, and he chooses to run at NXN.

Seems like he really is ducking the individual competition.

Gerardo Tamagno wrote:

We figured that this subject would get some social media time. So, let me set the record straight: 1. Austin has NEVER skirted competition. 2. Taking the ACT/SAT is not an excuse but a reality as he is trying to qualify for the Summit academic scholarship. He has the GPA but needs the raise his test scores. 3. Should he get the necessary score, this will help us financially over the next few years. 4. No, he is not participating in NXN because of Nike.

As his parents, we are very proud of his academic and athletic accomplishments, his maturity, and his competitiveness AND we look forward to next phase of his career at Oregon.

There will be many more opportunities to run against the best in the years to come. It certainly will be exciting !!!!

I would tend to believe this and completely understand needing the financial help. His parents will be supporting him post-collegiately while he is doing the "AJ Acosta." Sure, he'll probably win a national team title or two with some All-American certificates in there...and yes, he's a great kid who may win an NCAA title...but after he's dumped by OTC's 1-2 year stipend contract, he'll be asking "skim or whole milk" of graduates of schools he could have gone to while "pursuing his dreams."