From our girls' race recap:
Earlier this week, we made the case for why Foot Locker should extend invitations to the top five finishers in the boys’ and girls’ races at NXN. The basis of our argument was that HS XC crowns two individual national champions when it should only be crowning one, and runners like Tuohy, who is from New York, don’t have the option of running both as the NXR and FL regional qualifiers are on the same day.
And after today’s results, we’re even more firmly convinced that this is the right thing to do. Tuohy destroyed the field at NXN, and defending Foot Locker champion Claudia Lane did the same at FL West, running 16:59 to break the course record by 15 seconds and win the race by 72 seconds.
If Tuohy chooses not to run in San Diego, that’s understandable — she has raced nine weeks in a row and a trip to FL would either require missing a significant amount of class or making two West Coast trips in a week.
But why not give her the option? Make it happen, Foot Locker.
Update: We've put this out on twitter. Retweet if you agree:
https://twitter.com/letsrundotcom/status/937100519834882049
http://www.letsrun.com/news/2017/12/katelyn-tuohy-1644-crushes-field-2017-nxn-fayetteville-manlius-survives-win-11th-title-12-years/
Do the right thing, Foot Locker- Invite Katelyn Tuohy to FL finals.
Report Thread
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Yo, Tuohy had every option to run Foot locker, she chose not to. Did she have a team at NXN, NO.... Lane had the option to go to NXN and chose FL.
Get over it. Tuohy does not not get a free pass
You pick your race!
Why don't we have a match race like they did with horses, ( neutral site at the churchill downs ) when one had to be destroyed. And when can bet on them too! -
That's not the way the rules work, big boy. Want to run? Qualify at regionals like everyone else. Want to go to the Olympics? Place top 3 at the Trials like the rest. It's as simple as that.
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Let her rest
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She ran the NXN regional with her team with the shot of qualifying. She has said in interviews as well that she knows who Claudia is and is excited to race her one day.
Footlocker should at least extend the invitation because who knows how things could change next year with injuries and the like. Both of these individuals are in the shape of their life and the best of the best all time in HS Girl XC History.
They could invite the NXN winners for both genders, making it a 41 person race each. 1 person would not detriment the field at all.
It would be a disservice to the sport if they don't at least give her the option to race against Claudia this season. If not, maybe the Scotland race should invite them both of FL doesn't have the spirit to do so. -
Ridiculous logic wrote:
That's not the way the rules work, big boy. Want to run? Qualify at regionals like everyone else. Want to go to the Olympics? Place top 3 at the Trials like the rest. It's as simple as that. -
Ridiculous logic wrote:
That's not the way the rules work, big boy. Want to run? Qualify at regionals like everyone else. Want to go to the Olympics? Place top 3 at the Trials like the rest. It's as simple as that.
Agree.
Want to be considered the champ you have to beat a defending champ, when you avoid a defending champ I don't feel bad if everyone discredits your accomplishment.
Lane won last year and clearly Foot Locker was going to be her race this year (plus its always been known as crowning the individual champ). Pick your poison, be the champion of the large almost 200 runner team race or the exclusive, historical race that also happens to have a defending champion.
I would be disappointed if FL allowed an "at-large" because FL has always kept regional meets to minimum (usually 4). Each of which typically comes close to a National level of competition in there own right. You got perform there to move on, no muddying of the waters with at-larges, being a footlocker finalist means something that a lot of people understand - even those that have left running. Contrast that to the "at large" 7th place team runners (there where 50+ runners >20:00 at nike today, those girls aren't even going to be D1 recruits).
When you say Nike finalist you wonder what that means, whereas everyone knows what footlocker finalist means. If they were to let in Touhy this year this year, next year more may chose Nike thinking they can back door there way in. I for one don't want the Footlocker regional meets being diluted any more than they already have, those are fantastic meets that are open to all. -
TheOptionIsThere wrote:
.... 1 person would not detriment the field at all.....
Its not this year that would be a problem, its future years where kids now pick the closer to home and often earlier Nike meets, because they think they can back door in to FL, which would be at the detriment of the FL regional meets and the overall FL field.
The accessibility and timing of the Nike Regional has already hurt the FL Regional events. I love the greater accessibility of the Nike Regionals, but don't want to lose the near national quality Regional meets FL traditionally has had. -
They are both 15-16 year old girls who look 12, things change thsi could be the peak for them.
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I’m against having her invited.
1.) She could have chose FL over NXN
2.) Footlocker has had 40 runners in the past. Period. I feel ‘inviting’ athletes is too discretionary. Why not invite a top ranked kid who didn’t make it? Like Gabe Fendel.
Footlocker and NXN are competing events. That’s the way they want it. One will have more talent and depth than the other. Therefore creating more prestige at one over the other. That’s how market competition works. I would like to see one indivual crowned. But I think we have already seen that this year... -
That would be a kick in the teeth to those runners who finished 11th at footlocker to see somebody who didn't even line up to try to qualify get in the race.
Footlocker owes those cockroaches from nike nothing If they would crawl back in the hole they came from, this Tuohy girl would have been running footlocker like all the other great runners around the nation. -
I agree with the Johnson Bruhs. If Footlocker is smart they'll invite her. Bring some prestige back to the meet
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So how pissed off might (defending champ) Lane be if Tuohy gets added last minute and beats her? FL is risking their integrity somewhat if they go that route.
I am just hoping they meet in Edinburgh. -
Should be Nailed from behind wrote:
when you avoid a defending champ I don't feel bad if everyone discredits your accomplishment.
You really think either of these kids is avoiding the other?
I realize this place is a cesspool of bafoonery led by the OP this thread but you're completely clueless.
No. Tuohy should not get an invite because she did not qualify. As usual Rojo is on the wrong side of an argument. -
The more I think about it I think our editorial should have been different. Invite the FL champ each year. That's it.
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wejo wrote:
The more I think about it I think our editorial should have been different. Invite the FL champ each year. That's it.
You want to invite the FL champ to the FL champs?
Brilliant. -
Nailed it perfectly wrote:
Ridiculous logic wrote:
That's not the way the rules work, big boy. Want to run? Qualify at regionals like everyone else. Want to go to the Olympics? Place top 3 at the Trials like the rest. It's as simple as that.
Agree.
Want to be considered the champ you have to beat a defending champ, when you avoid a defending champ I don't feel bad if everyone discredits your accomplishment.
Lane won last year and clearly Foot Locker was going to be her race this year (plus its always been known as crowning the individual champ). Pick your poison, be the champion of the large almost 200 runner team race or the exclusive, historical race that also happens to have a defending champion.
I would be disappointed if FL allowed an "at-large" because FL has always kept regional meets to minimum (usually 4). Each of which typically comes close to a National level of competition in there own right. You got perform there to move on, no muddying of the waters with at-larges, being a footlocker finalist means something that a lot of people understand - even those that have left running. Contrast that to the "at large" 7th place team runners (there where 50+ runners >20:00 at nike today, those girls aren't even going to be D1 recruits).
When you say Nike finalist you wonder what that means, whereas everyone knows what footlocker finalist means. If they were to let in Touhy this year this year, next year more may chose Nike thinking they can back door there way in. I for one don't want the Footlocker regional meets being diluted any more than they already have, those are fantastic meets that are open to all.
I’m guessing you have the perspective of an older person who grew up when there was only the Footlocker Meet. Any appeal to 14-18 year olds about the legacy of Footlocker is ineffective.
You might also remember the time when Footlocker was expanded from 32 to 40 qualifiers when the compromise was struck with NXN to allow the top two finishers from the West to compete the following week at FL. That deal was eliminated after a few years and there has not been any cooperation between the meets since. They are competing championships and wouldn’t bend their rules to reward an athlete who chose not to compete in their event. -
We're at an odd point having two of these huge races for highschool. If I had to guess, I'd bet NXN and NXR will take Footlocker out in the future despite it's long heritage. NXR is just more attractive to the younger crowd, I barely even hear about footlocker anymore from my local running schools, but if I mention NXN, they could tell me the past winners on their fingertips. Also to note, Footlocker is almost completely out of run specialty and have no influence on the running world besides FLR and FLC. So until one of the races throws in the towel, I doubt will see any of these highschool titans clash until they are running at NCAAs.
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FL should not invite Tuohy for many reasons - most importantly, you shouldn't change qualification rules on the fly. Next year, if they post the qualification rule as "all FL top-10 regional qualifiers + top 5 at NXN," then everyone would know the rules in advance, and no one could complain about the invite.
Also - Tuohy is now the "NXN national champ." Lane missed her opportunity to run against the best, and vice-versa. If Lane wins next weekend then people can call her the "FL national champ" as well. We're in sort of the old NCAA football days when there were a few years that the final AP poll and final Coaches poll had different #1 selections. I'm OK with this... as the debate and speculation can be fun.
Finally, although it will not be XC 5K, I suspect we'll see them head-to-head at one of those "dream" races or "NB nationals" races that happen in track. -
Hardloper wrote:
I agree with the Johnson Bruhs. If Footlocker is smart they'll invite her. Bring some prestige back to the meet
Why would Footlocker give ground to a sworn enemy?
NXN is a joke. 90% of top finishers were individuals. Maybe Tuohy would rather run in San Diego but bullied or peer pressured by her high school team. This is how scheming Nike is. How many studs are brow beat into doing NXN regionals?
If truly a national champs, why can't you wear Saucony?
