Foot Locker West
A Positive Experience -
Make Your Choice of Races Carefully
by Doug Speck
Everyone would like to run in the championship "top-seeded" section
in every race in
every meet that one competes in. This coming weekend's Western Regional in
the Foot Locker series is one where athletes are given a choice of the
"by-grade" or
a "seeded" race, instead of being directed into a particular race by
meet management based
upon their seasonal results. It is hoped that some real thought will go into the
choices that athletes make. A positive experience comes from a competitive
setting where one is
challenged and is able to cope with the pacing of an event as opposed to being
dragged
through the early portion of the race at a tempo that leaves one exhausted for
the series of
three very tough hills that follow the first mile at the Mt. San Antonio College
Course.
The seeded races contain a number of the very top runners in the entire
nation, with the
relatively flat first mile portion of the Mt. SAC course lending itself to a
quick early pace.
The Girls seeded contest last year had a first mile of 5:05, with the Boys out
in the low
4:30's. Both fields feature a number of returnees for this Fall, so the early
tempo will be at
least as fast in 1999.
With good-sized fields, some type of early contact with the top pack is
probably necessary to earn a "top-eight" qualifying spot for
nationals. This general pacing of the race needs to be considered in
choice of races. A typical girls tempo of 5:25-5:40 and Boys 4:50-5:00 or
slower for the first mile will be more than slightly
upset as one tries to keep up with the top pack this weekend, or finds
themselves dragged out
with the field. A pace fairly close to the one that an athlete has covered early
in their
races in most of their important contests this Fall probably cannot be bettered
by a significant
amount without paying dearly and leaving the weekend's competitive experience
clearly less
than positive.
Who should be in the seeded races? It is hoped that those athletes who would
expect to
be one of the top eight to nationals would consider those races, with fifty to
seventy-five
athletes from the Western U.S. probably having some chance of achieving such a
performance. Some may have had a down state meet race or some other reason
to believe that something special is in store for them this weekend, but there
are
certain realities that should be considered. Especially for underclass athletes,
the "by-grade"
races can be a developmental experience that can leave one with a sense of
"building"
towards a good effort in the "seeded" race as a senior. Again, a good
competitive effort
against those of similar abilities will leave one with a better sense afterwards
than being
dragged out at some ridiculous pace (for the athlete involved in over their
head) and flogged
over the rugged Mt. SAC hills.
In looking over State Meet results there are some realistic break-offs
from last year's Western Regional competition when times are compared back to
State Meets
that should be considered. Some State Meets move from site to site, with those
summarized
at the end. Weather considerations are not included in the following
considerations,
with those factors often not reported in Meet summaries considered.
Boys Seeded race
possible athletes' times they should have achieved in their state meet races
this Fall, based upon 1998 State and 1999 State and 1998 Foot Locker Western
Regional Results:
Arizona - 16:35 or better in State race
California - 15:50 or better at State race
Montana - 15:15 or better at State race
New Mexico - 17:30 or better at State race
Oregon - 16:30 or better at State race
Utah - 16:30 or better at State race
Washington - 16:05 or better at State race
Others (State Meet site different 1999 than 1998???)
Alaska - 16:55 or better at State race
Hawaii - 16:45 or better at State race - Hawaii
coach agrees
Idaho - 17:00 or better at State race
Nevada - 17:05 or better at State race
Wyoming - 16:45 or better at State race
Girls Seeded race
possible athletes' times they should have achieved in their state meet races
this Fall, based upon 1998 State and 1999 State races and 1998 Foot Locker
Western Regional Results:
Arizona - 19:35 or better at State race
California - 18:50 or better at State race
Montana - 18:15 or better at State race
New Mexico - 20:30 or better at State race
Oregon - 19:30 or better at State race
Utah - 19:30 or better at State race
Washington - 19:05 or better at State race
Others (State Meet site different 1999 than 1998????)
Alaska - 19:55 at State race
Hawaii - 13:15 or better at State race (2 miles) - Hawaii
coach agrees
Idaho - 20:00 or better at State race
Nevada - 20:05 or better at State race
Wyoming - 19:45 or better at State race
The above are some general guidelines, with any comments on the above welcome
at:
[email protected]
Aloha Doug,
As far as Hawaii is concerned, I believe you hit the nail right on
the head. Our state meet course changes drastically every year but the
quality of competition changes very slowly. My evaluation is that only
the top 2 or 3 from our state belong in the seeded race, which matches
your cutoff times. For our students, we will not allow them to run the
seeded race unless they are in the top 2 or 3 at state. As far as times
go, our state looks slower than it actually is due to heat, humidity,
and usually a lack of an accurate length of our state meet course. This
years state course for girls was long while the boys' course was
accurate. Keep up the ggod work and Mahalo.
Joel Truesdell
Kamehameha Girls Cross Country Coach
