Talented kid doesn't want to run

XC and track are different. My son ran xc for four years but would not do track. What is his reason for not wanting to run track? Does he plan on running xc next year? If he is not going to run track try to get him to join the soccer team.

Running is kind of boring and it hurts. If he doesn't want to do it, then that's his choice. But if he is just gonna dick around and do nothing productive, then might as well run. While running can be boring, winning and the benefits that running provide sure as hell aren't boring.

Coach and father wrote:

So my sophomore son just joined our high school cross country team last year. He did about 30 miles a week over the summer like everyone else, and with speedwork after he ran 16:33 for 3 miles xc, so i think that he have some decent talent. He made state xc championships later, but we're from a weak state.

Anyway, i managed to persuade him to join track. Now he wants to quit track for whatever reason. What can i do to get him back?

get out of his face. You can't make him do what is not in his nature. Step away. Stop trying to live his life though your expectations.

If he doesn't love it, it won;t matter what he does to satisfy you.

I coached a kid who was a few races away from olympic selection. He competed for the country, but he just wasn't geared for it.

He was a talented athlete but didn't have the heart for it. He ended up going into medicine and became the olympic dr.

Support your kid's decisions. You'll be a more successful parent.

I guess so.

I'll let him quit track but hopefully he won't quit cross country in the fall. He seems to like xc more than track.

Coach and father wrote:

He seems to like xc more than track.

Smart kid :)

Maybe he'd like to get in a couple of road races in the spring? That is assuming he likes running, but he just does not want to do track for whatever reason.

He either runs or he doesn't. If he is gonna do XC, he's gotta run all year, i.e. run track/soccer/train.

broo wrote:

He either runs or he doesn't. If he is gonna do XC, he's gotta run all year, i.e. run track/soccer/train.

lol

I disagree. Once they start something, they should finish it. Allowing them to quit activities they have started, during the season, teaches quitting and does not get them the pride of encountering and overcoming difficulties, which comes only when you follow through. What you should probably do in the meantime, however, is to help him to change up some of his workouts and runs for more fun off-track work. For some kids, xc is very fun because of the places you run and the track is just boring. So, have him do more tempos and fartleks and so forth on trails and other places it is less boring to run. When the season is over, let him decide about future seasons. Off-season is the proper time for reflection on what to do, not in-season.

Enough with this nonsense. Why would you suspect some rando kid can just "join the soccer team"?? I don't play nor follow soccer but show a little respect.At my school, unless you're a known soccer talent coming in, you have a slim chance. Me

lkj wrote:

XC and track are different. My son ran xc for four years but would not do track. What is his reason for not wanting to run track? Does he plan on running xc next year? If he is not going to run track try to get him to join the soccer team.

Definitely!

16:33 is a modest performance. It isn't worthy of going to extraordinary lengths to try and keep him on the team. Running isn't for everybody. I don't golf. It isn't for everybody. Now if he ran 14:33, different story, but even then a 15:00 5k for a HS'er isn't necessarily indicative of a future gold medal at the OG or even a trials qualifier for that matter. Most 15:00 guys in HS just drop off the face of the earth. I know. I did just that. Let him enjoy whatever it is he enjoys, and be glad he is healthy and happy.

Not really. 16:33 is pretty good since he's only a sophomore and trained 30 mpw for less than a year. If he likes xc then let him do xc. If he don't like track then don't let him do track.

Are you the track coach too? If not, i can understand why he doesn't want to do track. Track training can be extremely intense , but it all comes down to the coach.

neh wrote:

Not really. 16:33 is pretty good since he's only a sophomore and trained 30 mpw for less than a year. If he likes xc then let him do xc. If he don't like track then don't let him do track.

He said 16:33 for 3 miles. That's about a 17:17 for 5k on a cross country course that could be short.

Since we're talking to the father here and not the kid, I will be blunt...it ain't that great. I tell you that only so you don't think you're missing out on a D1 full ride some day or something like that, because that's probably not the case even if he liked running more (chances are against him).

You can't make a kid like running or like anything...they either do or they don't. Those who do will get the most out of their talent, and those who don't won't. Right now your kid is a won't. He will likely find something he likes better.

No i'm not the track coach...and i don't know his programs because i don't want to interfere with his training.

Flagpole, yes i know , that 16:33 is not exceptional, and nowadays a D1 full ride requires 4:10 mile and 9 minute 2 miles.

My son actually likes running xc though. He wanted to sign up himself. It's track that's the problem. I guess he just don't like running around in circles:)

I agree with the posts above saying you should very clearly indicate that he should not quit. Unless it is interfering with school, he joined a team and made a commitment to his coaches and teammates. He needs to finish the season. He is under no obligation to join again next year, of course.

Separately, you can discuss why he hates it and maybe help him overcome any issues. But if it just isn't his passion, then that is fine.

As a track coach, I don't let kids join my team if they quit another school sports team mid season, unless it was for academic, health, or other reasons beyond their control.

Have you tried a belt?

People saying your son is not talented are being difficult. Is he the next Dathan Ritz? Probably not. But I agree that 16:33 in his first year out puts him in the upper tier.

I am currently a track coach for the first time and hate it. I coached 5 years of CC and enjoyed it a lot. Track is such a weird sport, and I can see why kids don't like it sometimes. Long meets waiting for your event, lots of kids from other sports who tend to bring "clown around" attitudes that CC doesn't have… and too many races. For some endurance athletes, running multiple events in a day in a loud, crowded environment does not bring the joy of the solitude of the roads and the course that you experience in CC. Can you tell I am describing myself a bit?

I agree with the sentiment about quitting mid-season. Learning to stick things out is important. However, my advice to you about the future is to not force him to run track. He will become resentful. Parents who force their kids to do sports usually do more damage than good.