MileSplit HQ - In the fast paced world of High School XC, many times coaches and athletes can get caught up in the process. We decided to take the time, and digest what's happened so far in 2014. Enjoy our ramblings of the day.
Vying For Time
It always amazes me how savvy coaches have to be with time management in the fall. Between SAT's, ACT's, PSAT's, Jewish Holidays, and College visits, there is a lot of time taken away for "excused" absences. This season, more than any other, there are more legitimate reasons for athletes to miss practice than ever before. And these are just the required ones. There are still the extracurriculars, which distance running tends to coincide with, such as National Honor Society, homecoming committee, student council, chess club, whatever. It makes the teams accomplishments that much more impressive, and the dedication of the top teams managing to work it all in becomes even more apparent. Those of us who have coached over the past decade have seen a radical shift in the type of athlete that comes out for the XC team. Call it the "Youth of the Internet" age, where interests are so diversified between too many options, all in an effort to stand out on a College Application. However, when the general student body is replicating the same thing, the diversification of students becomes bland, and they have nothing truly significant to hang their hats on. Coaches have had to battle that more and more often in recent years, trying to impress upon their athletes that excellence in one outweighs adequate in everything. And the best coaches in the state are those who have changed their methods to accommodate that reality.
The Changing Landscape
Like never before in the history of our sport, the landscape is changing. The impetus? Footlocker Nationals and Nike Cross Nationals. More so even than their New Balance track equivalents, these events are changing the landscape on how the sport is approached, especially in New York State. Unlike Indoors or Outdoors, Nationals are something that is on the mind of every top program and individual. And it has changed the training, the scheduling, and the approach to how you plan a season. It is most readily apparent in the decline of the Federation meet. Once the pinnacle of the cross country season, a Meet of Champions, now the meet has glaring holes in its attendance. Luckily, there are still quality teams who attend, to battle the CHSAA and PSAL powerhouses, but it leads to the question, "Why not combine Intersectionals and States, as they do in both Indoor and Outdoor track?"
Over the years, there have been two camps emerging, and they become more and more readily apparent as years pass by. The first camp, are the teams who look for Nike Cross Nationals bids. They are forced to show their hands early, and steadily improve throughout the season. The At-Large process pushes teams on the bubble to meets they never had been to before, like McQuaid and Manhattan, as they attempt to "gain stock" for consideration from the selection committee. Their whole season is played as a poker match, learning when to show their hand, and when to hide it. And the tactic is justified, to an extent, by the sometimes confusing decisions of the selection committee (see Rush-Henrietta in 2012), despite the continued excellence of New York teams at NXN. A paranoia creeps into the teams on the bubble, to an extent that the landscape is changing. It even leaks into some of the top teams as well. Anoush Shehadeh, a resident of Larchmont, NY but who attends a private school in MA, placed fourth at Foot Locker last year. This year, she has a strong team around her. She has slowly been running as their teams 5th girl, pushing the younger athletes to better and better marks. They could very well be the quiet upset of the northeast region. The same could be said for Pennsbury and Unionville, who haven't made the splash into bigger invitationals this year. Little is known about these "top-teams," and it only adds fuel to the fire of "gaining stock."
And then there is the other camp, split into two parties. The individuals for Foot Locker don't need to build up their resume. They simply need to place top 10 in a single race, and then as high as they can in the race proceeding it. For these athletes, the landscape has changed most significantly. Meets like McQuaid and Manhattan have little importance to them, as they try to peak in mid-December. Their entire training schedule is pushed back over a month. The #1 preseason ranked girl in the nation, Hannah Debalsi of CT, has yet to run a single race. Their are several top level athletes in the same boat in New York, presumably tempoing dual meets to get the required six meets in. The issue is, the State Meet is five to six weeks before the date of Foot Locker Nationals. For better or worse, we have athletes going into their state championships, not at their peak. It has changed the landscape dramatically, as athletes worry they will burn out by the time "it really matters." But that is the risk they take, and their choice to do so. 2013 was indicative of this trend. Mickey Burke took third in the State Meet, yet took 4th in the Foot Locker Natioanl meet. It makes people question, has Nationals become more important than States?
The final party, is the most traditional. The athlete who channels the beliefs of the early 1980's, where the top guys in the state believed that every time you step on the starting line, you are racing all out. These are the most exciting races to watch, an athlete against the clock, steadily improving week after week. It's the reason why so many marks from the 80's are still on the record books, especially on the track. And every year, several of these athletes make it on to the post-season, and do quite well. It is just how they are built to race, knowing that fast is fast, no matter what point in the season. They are what make the sport exciting.
Gender Reversal
As the season has progressed, I have noticed an interesting reversal. While the years of 2004-2011 seemed to bring about some of the best female distance runners the state has ever seen, the trend has slowed as of late, at least in the density of talent. However, the boys have taken off. As someone who maintains All-Time lists of the some of the most traversed courses in the State, I am noticing that many more boys are making it on to the lists than the girls. There have been arguments that courses have been getting faster, but yet, the girls times have still held up. Taking the speed ratings from Manhattan, and plugging in St. Anthony's to State Meets and NXN-Regionals of the past, they are clearly superior. Yet they still get third at Manhattan. It shows that talents brings about talent, and when fast teams are all racing for the same goal, they each owe each other something for the extra stimulus.
State Meet Qualification Process
This year, as every year before, strong teams will be left behind. You can already tell which conferences are the most competitive. Section 3 Class A Boys. Suburban Council Girls. Section 4 Class A Girls. It creates discussion on whether our current process of selection is "fair." In track, where there are also criticisms, I have always took the stance that process is as fair as it should be. If you can't finish top three in your section, you are going to states unable to make the podium. However, for XC, my opinion is different. The size of the field plays such a big role into team scoring, that how a team does at states and sectionals, utilizing the same performance, can yield vastly different results. The scores fluctuate with less runners in the race, and those teams that proceed by tie-breakers, or five point margins, can be reverse by the size of the field. Not to rehash old issues, so I refer you to an article we put out last year, entitled, "Debating The XC State Qualification System"
State of the Site
It has now been about a year since our site has gone subscription. Since that point, we've added Live Streaming to some of the biggest track meets in the state, race replays of significant XC meets, fully functionally sectional off-shoots, and several teams of top-notch photographers. We hope you've noticed a jump in our coverage, and we hope to continually increase our scope. It has all come from the users, and their contributions to the site. This year will mark the fourth year of the sites existence, meaning the seniors of today have never known a time without us covering their sport. We hope to continue creating a culture conducive to running fast, and being recognized for it.