that is sad that Katelyn was so distraught after her race.
Seems like her coach did not preview the field well enough plus Katelyn should have run more on feel since she slowed down so much
I hope Katelyn bounces back!
Great race for Gabrielle and I'm sure Katelyn will be back big time come spring.
I have mixed feelings on the way that this was reported and I don't love how the article is mainly about Tuohy's failure, rather than Gabrielle's triumph. That said, I do think the author makes some excellent points.
"Clearly Tuohy's emotional vulnerability was on a different plane than her physical prowess. It should never be forgotten that a girl's complex growth patterns are rarely in sync. Muscle and mind, it's a crap shoot. " I coach high school girls and this is right on. The other part I thought was accurate was this:
"...when you're challenged by the hot breath of competition on your neck, and not only victory but who you are is under assault, thoughts can go haywire and, in a flash, you can be crushed."
I think it's especially apt to top level athletes who, from the time they are very young, win everything. So they craft their identify on being winners, and when that is challenged, it can be crushing.
This will be good for Tuohy in the long run. Her coach though, obviously didn't mentally prepare her for the level of competition she was facing.
Brings to mind some of the literal race collapses in the early years for Flanagan and Barringer-Simpson, both of whom turned out to be gritty competitors.
OTOH Suzy F-H never was bested in high school and college but imploded later on on the biggest stage, the Olympics.
SF-H was exactly who I thought of. Immediately came to mind.
I never saw the race but sometimes if a person wins all the time, when they get against better competition they start too fast.
In fact I did see her NXN race and that's exactly what she did there, she started waay too fast. Unfortunately there was no one else as good as her there.
This race can be good for her if she is coached right.
"Her posture was clean and her countenance impassive, with the hint of a smile that implied female empowerment at its finest...It should never be forgotten that a girl’s complex growth patterns are rarely in sync."
This is another instance of a man trying to sound pro-woman and instead coming off as sexist or just silly.
What the hell would "female empowerment" have to do with dominating a race (or seeming to)? If she was almost smiling, why is that not simply athletic empowerment?
And that last line...shades of Trump talking about Megyn Kelly bleeding out of her "whatever."
Anyway, that is not a great sign that KT was so devastated by a loss at a non-championship meet, albeit a high-profile one.
another thing that bothered me about this article
Wilkinson's "streetwise Philly" kick
hmmm... if she was a white girl from Philly i highly doubt he would call her kick "streetwise"
UGh
Article says "The mere mention of “Mary Cain” sets off unending debate on how to handle precocious girls like Tuohy, a 15-year-old sophomore at North Rockland High outside New York. "
My answer, don't try to make them precocious. With running it's not like it's all from talent. Sure she is extremely talented, but she is also working extremely hard which isn't going to work well in the long run. She won't have any range for improvement. In my mind let's not talk about HS runners being at an elite/pro runner, let them be kids, don't even try to get them to that level. If they happen to get to it in your natural training of 30 miles a week, then wow, they are that talented, great, then let's talk about something. Katelyn may or may end up successful but I guarantee if she isn't she will not say "Well atleast I have the HS 5K record" she will be upset that she ruined herself for the future.
This article is rude and creepy
turtle friend wrote:
another thing that bothered me about this article
Wilkinson's "streetwise Philly" kick
hmmm... if she was a white girl from Philly i highly doubt he would call her kick "streetwise"
UGh
Yeah. "Savvy racing tactics from a gritty competitor" would probably have been my descriptor after watching the race.
Ughhhhh wrote:
This article is rude and creepy
And haughty. The author sounds like a judgmental prick.
Unfortunately, with precocious talent comes precocious ambition. In other words, because of early success, the athletes themselves (along with their coaches) have oversized and unrealistic ambitions. Interesting we only have discussions like this with high school girls, not boys.
I think same could be said if Drew Hunter. But probably the way girls mature they are able to get "closer" to elite levels earlier so it's tempting for athlete and coach to push it more. I feel that's where coaches have to pump the breaks. But again in this day and age of youth sports, that's not how things go.
In August of 2016, just before her junior year at Friends, Wilkinson won the national J.O. 1,500 meters in 4:25.04, breaking a 24-year-old record for her age-group. Her time was equivalent to a 4:46 mile.
That's 3 seconds faster in the last 18 months.
Indoor? wrote:
I think same could be said if Drew Hunter. But probably the way girls mature they are able to get "closer" to elite levels earlier so it's tempting for athlete and coach to push it more. I feel that's where coaches have to pump the breaks. But again in this day and age of youth sports, that's not how things go.
Diglio strikes me as a coach who will back her way off the gas pedal. Hopefully.
YMMV wrote:
Indoor? wrote:
I think same could be said if Drew Hunter. But probably the way girls mature they are able to get "closer" to elite levels earlier so it's tempting for athlete and coach to push it more. I feel that's where coaches have to pump the breaks. But again in this day and age of youth sports, that's not how things go.
Diglio strikes me as a coach who will back her way off the gas pedal. Hopefully.
I mean that's fine, but he already pushed the gas and drove off the mountain.
Not a massive improvement wrote:
In August of 2016, just before her junior year at Friends, Wilkinson won the national J.O. 1,500 meters in 4:25.04, breaking a 24-year-old record for her age-group. Her time was equivalent to a 4:46 mile.
That's 3 seconds faster in the last 18 months.
From a 4:46.24 equivalent outdoor mile to 4:42.94 indoors is a significant jump, given that indoor times are about 5 seconds slower at her level.
Also consider that this girl has been at it for a long time and ran very close to a sub-5:00 mile when she was in seventh grade (4:38.38 for 1500).
While the media and fans tend to overplay feats accomplished in a high-visibility competition like Millrose, it is still a solid jump at her level.