Would you allow this?

It's middle school XC. They're probably out there hanging out with their friends. Lighten up.

soccerxc wrote:

It's middle school XC. They're probably out there hanging out with their friends. Lighten up.

11-12 mile pace. I’m not going to “lighten up”.

Well if my purpose is that these girls have a desire to continue running (and it seems like they just started it being August and they likely not having run over the summer, yes. If i wanted to see who had the talent to make the 2028 Olympic squad, no.

My local girls team ran in an invite last week that had around 270 girls in the race. We got first and second with high 18s/low 19s. We also had a girl get last in over 57 minutes.

My daughter's HS team has 9 girls under 20 minutes, and places well at states every year. They also have girls who can barely run 5K without stopping and the coach lets them enter the 'open' races at meets if they can run 30 minutes or so. That's cross country these days.

When I coached youth I did what Joe Newton did at York. You can race, and you get your jersey when you finish the race without walking. That’s motivation to try harder in practice AND the race.

fakerunner.org wrote:

I was at a relatives middle school 6-8 grade cross country race. While I was at this race there were girls running 11-12 minute mile pace for a 3k. These girls were also walking. I am not trying to be mean but this is ridiculous. So my question is, if you were a coach would you allow this?

Middle school is a time when children are testing out new sports and other activities. I imagine these girls may be trying XC as a social activity. I wouldn’t worry that they’re going to take a more serious runner’s spot at Oregon.

of course I'd allow it. middle school, even high school, cross country and track for lots of kids isn't about running fast. It's about being part of a community, enjoying the company of your friends, stepping out of your comfort zone (yes, although they were running slow, maybe just making it to the starting line is a big deal for them), and doing a little physical activity. There are always gonna be the kids that want to be great, and have the talent to do so, and they'll go bust their asses in practice and crush it on the course. But there are also the kids that are getting a lot out of the experience of joining their local teams without being fast, or even necessarily working that hard. I know this may be hard for you to comprehend, but LOTS of kids get serious VALUE out of this sport without being fast, and maybe even with some walking involved. I was part of a really great, huge, team that was an incredible community. People were just happy to be out there, to have something productive to do with their friends that enriched and brought joy into their lives. It's not always about times and accomplishments, it's about what truly improves the quality of these kids lives. If they're having fun, that's enough. let the kids be, and maybe you'll be able to open your eyes to how transformative and joyful this sport can be, even for the run-walkers of the world.

Heck no I wouldn’t. Send them back to their couches and xboxes - no need for 30 minutes of activity!!

I would totally allow it, even in high school. You have to realize that not every kid on the team is there because they love running and want to compete. If you would be embarrassed by having runners like that on your team, that says a lot more about you than the kids.

The real reason for youth sports is to keep kids occupied and out of trouble so who cares how slow they run?

You're being such an elitist. If you run an 11-12 minute mile, with some walking, you can't participate in XC or run? Are you serious?

Yes.

The town where I went to high school is growing. It just went to 2 junior high/middle schools. The new school had 1 girl go out for XC. There was a post on town social media to get more girls out for the team.

It's better that they do this than nothing at all.