Michigan vs Michigan State football game the following day likely has something to do with it. The golf course is used for parking/tailgating, so I'd guess they want as much time as possible to prepare the area for their money maker.
I here you. And you are likely correct. But really? We cant figure out how to get the BIG10s in front of live eyes! Maybe sunday? Turned over garbage cans and porty potties on the gold course be darned! We were going to take our whole XC team to see this. Oh well. Maybe VNTC should host a big pro meet!
Power 5 conferences hold the meets on Friday due to football. There are no hotels on Friday night and parking is nonexistent due to football. Guessing they went to Friday because the B10 coaches viewed it as a disadvantage to have a Sunday meet which only allowed for 12 days until regionals.
There is no football. You might be right, but weak excuses at best.
About half the Big Ten teams should have away games every week. It doesn't have to be hard. Coordinate with conderence officials so they can have the conference meet on a Saturday on a campus that won't have a football crowd.
But you also have to consider teams traveling back to campus. If Wisconsin gets back to Madison at 5pm on a Saturday in the middle of an afternoon game, they don't get access to their locker room, training room, etc. as all of that is inside Camp Randall Stadium. As it is, team vehicles wouldn't be able to get anywhere near the stadium. I am sure they aren't the only one in that scenario. Is it ideal? No. But that is the reality of college sports at the level in which the Big 10 Conference participates. Logistically, it is infinitely easier for teams to compete on Friday. And yes, the move from Sunday to Friday was made to have more rest built-in for the championship season schedule as well as to be on the same schedule as all the other Power 5 conferences.
I was psyched to learn that the BIG10 XC championships would be in my home state. Multiple kids on my squad want to go watch. Only to realize they are at 10:45 on a friday!!
Seriously, do we hate having spectators in track and XC (they do the same thing for track too in the BIG10-even a small invitational)? Cant do it at 4pm? Maybe a saturday god forbid? Do basketball and football play at noon on a wednesday? C'mon man!
Most of the conference championships are on Friday morning, are they not?
Power 5 conferences hold the meets on Friday due to football. There are no hotels on Friday night and parking is nonexistent due to football. Guessing they went to Friday because the B10 coaches viewed it as a disadvantage to have a Sunday meet which only allowed for 12 days until regionals.
I don't understand why they can't just schedule it at a place the team is playing an away game that weekend?
I was going to similarly comment. They know the football schedules years in advance, so just schedule the conference meet at a site where the football team has an away game. Pretty simple.
Michigan vs Michigan State football game the following day likely has something to do with it. The golf course is used for parking/tailgating, so I'd guess they want as much time as possible to prepare the area for their money maker.
I've always wondered why you wouldn't use halftime to showcase another sport? Have the race finish inside the stadium so that 110,000 fans get to cheer on the final lap before the finish. It would be amazing.
Michigan vs Michigan State football game the following day likely has something to do with it. The golf course is used for parking/tailgating, so I'd guess they want as much time as possible to prepare the area for their money maker.
Soooo…..what the answer really is then, is that we need to schedule conference championships in states where the football teams suck. THAT’s the answer! My home state of Iowa might be getting in on that…yes!! Or, we could make it real cross country, running over top of the tailgaters, side-stepping grills…might be entertaining.
Our regular reminder that we are in love with a niche sport only dorks care about.
It isn’t a niche sport, it is an elite sport. Every person in the world has tried out for it (either on the playground or in gym class), but only a few have the ability and courage to continue with it. Even fewer have been able to excel at it. The sport has the best endurance athletes in the world.
Field hockey is a niche sport. Cross country is the highest level of of the purest athletic pursuit: distance running.
No they don't. USC and UCLA are entering the B10. Nobody knew that a year ago and we still don't know how the divisions will be structured.
OK, maybe so, but as others have said the XC schedule is made BEFORE the football one is, (not sure if it is true). So why can't the XC schedule be made AFTER?
We all understand football is the top dog, I don't see anyone arguing with that, so let's just work around their schedule. All it takes is some coordination between the coaches and ADs.
I do not think anyone mentioned this (if so, I missed it); if people want to see the race it would be very hard to get it shown anywhere, especially in the Big Ten. Also, a lot of football fans drink a lot and stay in the hotels Saturday night.