john track and field wrote:
This is the answer I would give as well. There is an emphasis on the "now" instead of the "later" in the US.
This can be observed at every level, but the NCAA is especially guilty of it. Very few coaches are willing to shelve conference success which might mean keeping their job or getting a raise in favor of long term development of an athlete/athletes.
This is also an issue at the high school level. California is a good example of that. Sprinters have to run 8 rounds in California to get to state finals. What do you think is going to happen after a talented athlete does that for 3-4 years on top of major invitationals like Arcadia, Mt. Sac, ect.
Been following Cali this year and the amount of talent they have is so insane. I’m surprised more national champions and pros don’t come out of there. But as I looked deeper my God how many rounds do these kids run? Go look at the top Cali distance kids, like Parra, Noonan, and Perez ran multiple sub 4:10 and sub 9’s through many prelims and rounds. No wonder we don’t hear about their top talent later when their older smh.