Cooper has a 3:28 and 12:45 in him. He is on an upward spiral, and only an injury can stop him.
He isn’t anywhere near those times. Maybe can run that fast someday, but there’s no such thing as an upward spiral, and there is no guarantee that he will improve significantly in the future.
Cooper has a 3:28 and 12:45 in him. He is on an upward spiral, and only an injury can stop him.
The funny part is he could run those times and I'd still bet against him getting a medal, the current Americans with times in that ballpark have never gotten an outdoor medal.
Cooper has a 3:28 and 12:45 in him. He is on an upward spiral, and only an injury can stop him.
The funny part is he could run those times and I'd still bet against him getting a medal, the current Americans with times in that ballpark have never gotten an outdoor medal.
No American has run those times and they are way faster than Jager ever ran.
If he were so inclined, he could run both the steeplechase and 5000 at the Trials. I think his chances in the steeple are better than his chances in the 1500.
The funny part is he could run those times and I'd still bet against him getting a medal, the current Americans with times in that ballpark have never gotten an outdoor medal.
No American has run those times and they are way faster than Jager ever ran.
Seriously wonder how you passed high school English class. "In that ballpark" = approximately. I would say a 3:43 mile, 3:29.02, and a 12:46 are "in the ballpark" of 3:28 and 12:45. Not to mention, it's irrelevant what Jager ran, because we are talking about flat events, where 3:28 and 12:45 guys are not even medal favorites.
Cooper does not have the form for steeplechase. Yes he has the typical build and range for it but the form is not there at all. Look at Jager and others who are good at steeple: you need a bouncy, forefoot style. Teare is a great runner with incredible range but not built for the steeple
Old news, this was addressed last year. He is not coordinated enough. He can barely handle the tactics of his flat races. The hurdling alone would be a hard learning curve. The spacing and tactics involved would be too much for him. He needs to pick the 5000m and be done with it. His wheels can help him in that event but have not continued developing for the 1500.
Don’t do it Cooper you will look like a coward like Beamish. Steeplechase is a total cop out event. May as well take up race walking.
I don't agree with this at all. A great athlete is a great athlete. He'll be a great athlete if he finished 4th. He just happens to be at the wrong place and time in history to have it easy. The Olympics rule of the top 3 is a construct
Thanks. I agree it’s late in the game for a switch. But late is better than never. And I don’t think he needs to master it right away. He can test himself at a low-stakes meet in the next few weeks, then give it a go at the Trials. He’s so talented that’s all it would take for him to make the team. Seriously, can you name 3 US steeplers who would definitely beat him?
Once he makes the team, then he would have a solid month to work on his technique before the Olympics. He can do it!
Steeplechasing Glory has exposed his ignorance when it comes to the event. If Teare is good enough to make the team hes good enough to do it without ever working on "technique". You either have it or you don't. He's much more likely to be Brandon Bethke than Evan Jager. He just needs to give it a try to set a baseline. There is nothing technical about the steeplechase. Its a state of mind.
"The marathon has a wall. The steeplechase has 35 of them."
Is that a Brandon Bethke reference in the year of our Lord, 2024?!? Absolute legend of the sport.
Has rojo offered to coach him to steeple greatness?
Coaching the steeple is easy, but you are either made for it or not.
Do we now if he's a) coordinated and b) fearless?
Steeple guys are normally kind of crazy. They think wiping in the water jump is funny, love to jump in gorges, etc.
Normally they find the event kind of naturally, however. If there was some potential he'd be good at it, I think he'd have tried it most likely by now. The first guy I ever recruited to Cornell won the Ivy title. Within 3 weeks of him being on campus, I thought he shoulld try the steeple.
Yes he was tall like you say but he also was clearly athletic and crazy. He was terribly out of shape and would jog around campus with my slow ass for like 4-5 miles while the varsity guys did 10-12. We were approaching this stone bridge on campus and I said to him, "Right up there is the bridge where the guys gorge jump." When we go to the bridge, he immediately jumped up on the ledge and into the water.
When he got out of the water I said to him, "Jesus, how did you know it was deep enough and that it was a safe place to jump?" He said, "Oh i figured if it wasn't you would have stopped me."
So show me proof he's coordinated and crazy.
The only one I was thinking this about might be Birnbaum. When I saw that tweet of him ice skating on Hayward Field, I thought to myself, "Dude is clearly coordinated and seems adventurous, might he want to try to the steeple?"
Old news, this was addressed last year. He is not coordinated enough. He can barely handle the tactics of his flat races. The hurdling alone would be a hard learning curve. The spacing and tactics involved would be too much for him. He needs to pick the 5000m and be done with it. His wheels can help him in that event but have not continued developing for the 1500.
Hey, we kicked it around pretty good last year. Just want you to know I still ponder your opinion that Coop lacks the athleticism for SC. Not that I agree - but open to the possibility.
I bet Cooper would be BADASS at the steeple. I'm all for it.
Bet he would be sub average for a guy with his 1500/5k times.
It is tough as we rarely get great talent in the steeple. How many sub 3:35 guys have we had run it? Odds are if you are good enough to be world class in the steeple, your good enough to be competitive in flat races in the ncaas.
Jager was a 3:32 1500 guy (same as Teare) before he turned to the steeple. He was in the 1500m final at the 2011 nationals, but getting destroyed on the last lap and finishing 12th made him realize he didn't have the kick required for the distance.
Sean McGorty tried this and it wasn't all that bad but there is no easy way to a world championship or Olympic medal.
yeah for sure-plus he had the help of Pascal Dobert for technique who was still with at BTC in 2021--I'm sure him leaving was one factor why he went back to the 5000/10000m...
No American has run those times and they are way faster than Jager ever ran.
Seriously wonder how you passed high school English class. "In that ballpark" = approximately. I would say a 3:43 mile, 3:29.02, and a 12:46 are "in the ballpark" of 3:28 and 12:45. Not to mention, it's irrelevant what Jager ran, because we are talking about flat events, where 3:28 and 12:45 guys are not even medal favorites.