MileSplit HQ - Something is wrong with the Spring State Meet in New York. No, it's not Time Warner Cable's buying the video rights with no intention of streaming, or even the oft-argued qualification process. The issue seems to be that many of our top athletes are simply opting not to go.
In the past, there have always been a trickle of athletes who have opted out for one reason or another. Alexis Panisse chose not to attend upon receiving an invitation to the Dream Mile in 2012. In 2014, the New Rochelle girls 4x100m team, who had then the fastest time in the state, instead opted for Prom, despite being the favorites in the relay, and other individual events.
However, that trickle has since turned into a flood in 2015.
Where Have All The Athletes Gone?
This winter, we posed a question to our Coaches Council, asking, "Would you give up the State Meet in favor for a more elite Invitational?" You can find their full responses here, but the general feedback was that the State Title reigned supreme. And yet, we find ourselves in a situation where many athletes don't even attend in Spring. For many, it comes down to three main reasons.
- Invitations to Elite Events
- Prom / Graduation
- Burn-Out / Disinterest / Senioritis
For many, the third reason can be fixed by proper coaching, although there are still athletes who qualify for the meet, view their chances of making it past prelims as slim, and simply don't attend. It is the other two which prevent the biggest problems. We have already heard several rumors about Indoor State Champs missing the Spring State meet for Prom or Graduation. With such a financial investment in both of these functions, it is only reasonable to make that decision, but you would have to thank the school district's for their forethought in date planning.
That leaves our first reason. For many seniors, with College a mere summer vacation away, the waters become murky. On the one hand, nothing will prepare them better for College than an Elite Field of competition like the Dream Mile. On the other, they will never have the chance to compete in High School Athletics again, should they make that choice. It's a decision many coaches will be weighing this Spring.
Trading Up
Several athletes have already lined up big meets in their post-season, in an effort to find competition that better prepares them for Collegiate competition, and garners faster times.
Biggest of these names is Rai Benjamin of Mount Vernon, who has accepted an Invitation to run the 200m at the Prefontaine Classic in Oregon. Benjamin was faced with a difficult choice, however, because the Pre Classic, and the Section 1 State Qualifier happen to fall on the same dates. His acceptance has ruled out any possibility of competing as an individual at the 2015 New York State Meet. However, he may still be entered as a relay alternate, should their relay advance, so he may still yet compete in Albany.
Can you blame him? It would be hard to pass up the opportunity to race at an International Invitational, when you have a good shot of representing Antigua and Barbuda in the next Olympics. What better way to prepare for that next level of competition, a solid rationale that led him to represent his county at the 2nd Annual IAAF World Relays. And he won't be the only New Yorker out there.
Distance Decisions
In a recent interview after the unthinkable 3200m race at Loucks, Mikey Brannigan of Northport mentioned that the Prefontaine Classic is on his schedule. With Pre only offering a High School race over 200m and the Mile, it would seem as if New York would be well represented in Oregon. Luckily, for Brannigan, the Section 11 State Qualifier is more in line with the rest of the State, and there is no date conflict.
However, Brannigan also mentions in the interview, that a goal would be to qualify for the Adidas Dream Mile via his efforts in Oregon. Flashback to Penn Relays, and Brannigan mentions the same thing in his post-race interview. (Side-note: Mikey mentions at the 1:50 mark about wanting to break the 3200m State Record as a goal for June. That goal came a lot sooner with his race at Loucks). We then mention to Brannigan that the Dream Mile and the State Meet happen to fall on the same day, and Brannigan responds, "We may have to look at one or the other, that will be up to me and my Coach."
For an athlete in Mikey's position, that could be a difficult decision. His current fitness indicates he is in the realm of Prefontaine himself, whose own HS 2-Mile time is not far off Brannigan's. Put him in the right race, and he could win the Dream Mile, which will most likely include Sub-4 athlete Matthew Maton, and complete Sub-4 likelihood Grant Fisher. It seems to be an argument between the possibility of a Sub-4 Mile, and the possibility of his first State Title. A tough decision. One could wager that without the Dream Mile / NBON conflict, an attempt for a fast mark could be made there, but those fields are not usually as stacked. But again, there is the possibility that the State Record Holder in the 3200m won't be at the State Meet.
Tickets Booked
Again at Loucks, a State Leader mentioned running at the Adidas Grand Prix. Anton Porter of Mount Saint Micheal is in a different situation, though. He hit his auto-qualifier already, booking his ticket at the New York Relays. After his win over Rai Benjamin in the 100m, Porter mentions his post-season plans include the "Dream 100m, NBON, and maybe Junior Nationals."
Porter finds himself in a similar situation to Brannigan. After a very close runner-up finish Indoors, Porter has yet to find himself with a State Title. Now, with his current fitness, in addition to the Indoor 55m State Champ being on the mend, he looks primed and ready to take home two individual top honors, especially with Benjamin out of the 200m field. But is it worth giving up the Dream 100m, which is more likely to produce a fast time?
Porter's absence would open the door for athletes like Izaiah Brown and Richard Rose to drop down and grab the 200m State Title. Richard Rose is another athlete without a State Title, after scheduling the SAT for the day of the Spring State Meet last year, despite being the favorite over 400m.
Girls Gone Too
The idea of fleeing the State Meet is not only a male dominated effort. Three former or current State Leaders will also not be attending the State Meet, although their decision came a little bit earlier.
Dominique Beltrez (formerly of Lakeland/Panas) is the current State Leader in the 100m Hurdles, running 13.90 against collegiate competition. The mark puts her a full tenth of a second ahead of the closest competition. However, she chose to compete unattached early in the Winter Season, searching for private coaching outside of High School Coaching.
The same can be said of Symone Darius (formerly of New Rochelle). After a nagging injury, Darius blasted a 11.82 (100m) / 23.95 (200m) double on Sunday afternoon. That shoots her to the top of the leaderboards in those respective events, both of which she placed very well at in their Indoor equivalents at Indoor Nationals.
Likewise can be said for Zola Golden (formerly of Arlington). She was racing Darius this weekend, and came away with a 11.89 (100m) / 24.85 (200m) double as well. The 400m is Golden's true event, and those marks indicate she is ready to challenge Sammy Watson's own State Leader in that event, as well.
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy?
It would seem as if athletes are fleeing the State Meet in search of better competition. This would seem to be creating a domino effect, as the next best athlete now looks to see where he can best improve as well. If everyone keeps leaving to find better competition, of course it will water down the competition even further. It would seem as if the Spring State Meet is a Juniors game to win, as they find the least amount of conflicts, the least amount of incentives to leave, and the most to gain by attending. At the same time, it makes you think: Does winning a State Title against diluted fields mean as much as it used to? You be the judge.