She ran 4:09 last week at Bryan Clay
It was 38 degrees, with 22 mile per hour wind.
Not so fast my friend wrote:
She ran 4:09 last week at Bryan Clay
The weather in Des Moines was terrible.
It was a good race and a good win over a decent field. At the point where she usually falls back, she held them off on the homestretch.
The conditions were horrible.
Probably should have run collegiately, at least for a couple years. At least there's still some glimmer of hope, unlike with Mary Cain and Alana Hadley.
She made the right decision. She would have won everything in college.
Droddy & Stinson's Communal Bong wrote:
Probably should have run collegiately, at least for a couple years. At least there's still some glimmer of hope, unlike with Mary Cain and Alana Hadley.
In addition to Cain she was also High School rivals with Cranny and Baxter. The book isn't closed yet on Cranny but it looks like Alexa will have the best pro career from that era of HS phenoms . (I don't include Ajee in that group since she was a couple years ahead).
She might have actually learned how to run races and win. It should be interesting to see if she can develop racing strategy and learning to kick and win... centrowicz even said college racing is what helped him win the olympics- he had raced a lot in the slow races and kicking. It doesn’t seem she has a great racing sense
She dominates collegiate athletes (as a senior at University of Portland) and has beaten many ncaa champs. She has turned into a woman over the last 4 years, weathered the storm and will hopefully now begin to progress again. Im sure the pressure has been immense, but she looks stronger. I root for her every time she races, and have loved her progress. Loved seeing her spirit come out after the win. We are such an all or nothing culture.
Efraimson finishes second this year as a senior in college!
We must grow as a society and quit being such protectionists. This is America home of great opportunities, be careful allowing others to garner control, it may harm you. And it surely may limit your growth.
She was out kicking the best college kids in high school. Now it appears that she has adapted to finishing in low level pro meets (which are better than collegiate meets/ sorry little berg) next step finishing in diamond league races.
Another phenom who didn't live up to the hype..
Seriously, stop overhyping these young girls. No hype for any of them who are under 18 or 19. Wait until you see how they progress before hyping.
Droddy & Stinson's Communal Bong wrote:
Probably should have run collegiately, at least for a couple years. At least there's still some glimmer of hope, unlike with Mary Cain and Alana Hadley.
When did Alana Hadley fall off the radar?
In Alana Hadley's own words:
“I’ve hit as low as I can go and all I can do is go up from here. I refuse to let people bully me and talk bad about my parents any longer. It will be a long journey for me to get back into the shape I was in before but I am stronger mentally than I’ve been before with this new attitude. I’m tired of being broken and I’m tired of hating something I used to love all because of some jerks on the internet who think it’s okay to tear people apart and crush their dreams, all because they fear change and people who think outside the box.”
There is another post on Alexa at Bryan Clay floating around that has some good info.
While I'm not an Efraimson fanboy, it's pretty clear she made a great decision for her. Her pro races over the last 4 years give her approximately 15 of the 20 top times recorded in those same years in the whole NCAA, so she would have dominated, or at least been in the top3 in any of the events she entered. Instead she has been able to 1) make a living, 2) still get a college degree, 3) gain valuable experience as a pro with training, travel, agents, press, sponsors etc., and 4) build a solid base of training and racing that will carry her forward - she's still only 21/22??
The only valid criticism for her is that she has not run PB's or won pro races, but it's not like she dropped off a cliff - she's run just off her PB's on a very consistent basis. Given all mentioned above, I think the result is very positive and would not be surprised to see her really put it all together to perform very well in 2019 and 2020.
She is one of the few youngsters who has done well as a pro. I don’t see how anyone could think otherwise. Her decision has been a good one.
bartholomew_maxwell wrote:
In Alana Hadley's own words:
“I’ve hit as low as I can go and all I can do is go up from here. I refuse to let people bully me and talk bad about my parents any longer. It will be a long journey for me to get back into the shape I was in before but I am stronger mentally than I’ve been before with this new attitude. I’m tired of being broken and I’m tired of hating something I used to love all because of some jerks on the internet who think it’s okay to tear people apart and crush their dreams, all because they fear change and people who think outside the box.”
When you court attention as a phenom going pro, you get attention regardless of whether you succeed.
This message reminds me that we need to be careful to consider the age of these young people. Even as a middle age man, I still have to pause to consider the source and the validity of the comment.