rojo wrote:
malmo wrote:If a coach can't make a five 9:10 guys into the top 50 he's not a very good coach at all. To win nationals would be a asking a lot but to ffinish in the top five is doable.
Malmo, you have no idea what you are talking about. This isn't 1975. It's not even 2007 (which someone cited from Oklahoma State).
The HS training is so much better than 40 years ago. Most 9:10 guys aren't going to improve a ton.
Rojo, I've been a student of the sport since before you were born. You may believe that "training is better" but its a myth. The reason why you're seeing so many fast high schoolers lately is mainly three things.
==First and foremost, the participation numbers are much higher than they have ever been. I graduated in 1973. I ran a 9:10 two mile and was 30th in the country out of my senior class (41st overall) I'm shifting the comparison to 9:07 3200 (9:10 2 mile) because the data from Jack Shepards high school annuals only goes 50 deep. The data simply isn't there to determine how many kids historically ran a 9:10 3200 (9:13 two mile). So in 1973 a 9:07 3200 (a distance that was never run) made me the 30th fastest hs senior. There were 166,000 high school boys participating in cross country during the 1972-73 school year. The pool of cross country runners is significant because that's where you are going to get those high school two milers. 30 out of 166,000 works out to a rate of 18.0 out of 100,000.
While the raw number of 9:07 high school seniors today is higher, so is the participation numbers. The rate, however, is pretty much the same. Compare year/times/participation/rate What follows is a list of 9:07 3200 runners
1973 30th 166,000 18.0 per 100.000
2009 39th 231,000 16.8
2010 46th 239,000 19.2
2011 50th 247,000 20.2
2012 42nd 248,000 16.9
2014 43rd 252,000 17.1
2015 79th 250.000 31.6
2016 58th ~250,000 23.2
Secondly, the tracks are superior. In the day everyone ran on dirt, cinders, clay or rubberized asphalt tracks. Very few high schoolers ever ran on modern synthetic tracks (Tartan, etc). I ran on one once. That's it. Today, modern synthetics are the standard. These are a huge step up from the tracks that kids from my era ran on.
Thirdly, the opportunity afforded by the explosion of in-season and post season invitationals. These are huge events with multiple heats of kids competing against their peers nationally. These races are also run in the evening, under the lights, which further catalyzes the number of fast times. Essentially they are time-trial festivals.
Yes, of course there were post season invitationals 45 years ago, but they were few and far between, and were conducted on inferior tacks. Case in point. In 1973 Craig Virgin set the national two mile record of 8:40. It was in the afternoon, under the blazing Sun, The track was so hot that it was melting, a sticky black tar that stuck to the bottoms of your spikes. For kids from the 70s this was a common experience. We ran on tracks that would make your mascara run. ;-)
But it's the training you say? Sure...