Bailey Roth breaks 35 year old steeple HSR!

babe ruth

My opinion is that once you GRADUATE from high school, you can no longer set high school records. You can still set Junior or age group records though.

Of course this would create an incentive to flunk a couple classes so you had to take summer school to actually get your diploma. In that case, you could still set High school records.

T;lw wrote:

Yeah, that's why you couldn't break it and why it's been around 35 years. I think it was Jeff Hess from Univ. of Florida.

Think about it, malmo, it's a pretty stout time. 8:35-8:40 is equivalent to about an 8:35-8:40 for 2 miles, which has only been done by 2-3 kids in this country's history.

Jeff Hess went to the University of Oregon and he is the current head coach at South Eugene high school. He is a super nice and humble guy, great coach.

Does Li have any experience with the steeplechase.

Is 8:48 the fastest steepler he has ever had?

Where else did this kid look to go to school?

Asu guy wrote:

T;lw wrote:

Yeah, that's why you couldn't break it and why it's been around 35 years. I think it was Jeff Hess from Univ. of Florida.

Think about it, malmo, it's a pretty stout time. 8:35-8:40 is equivalent to about an 8:35-8:40 for 2 miles, which has only been done by 2-3 kids in this country's history.

Jeff Hess went to the University of Oregon and he is the current head coach at South Eugene high school. He is a super nice and humble guy, great coach.

Hess went to Arizona.

schools out FOREVER wrote:

My opinion is that once you GRADUATE from high school, you can no longer set high school records. You can still set Junior or age group records though.

Of course this would create an incentive to flunk a couple classes so you had to take summer school to actually get your diploma. In that case, you could still set High school records.

Some schools have graduation before their State meet (for example, many California schools have graduation before the state meet in early June). So would only some marks made there count?

He is made of fire !

When you get to know him you see an unquenchable desire to win , and yet he is one of the most humble athletes I've ever met.

He is always encouraging other athletes and out cheering for his team!

2 National records

2k record was 23 years old ,

3k was 35 years old by the great Jeff Hess !

in only his 2nd 3k ever !

Nice to see the US get back on the map here !

this race shouldn't be owned by Africa !!!

Thanks for Bringing us hope Bailey Roth !

Go rip it in finals !

malmo can't follow the logic. Bailey Roth has played with the same set of rules that have been around American high school track for ages... meaning there are not many opportunities to run them in high school!

I only ran them in summer track, over 2000m and was able to run 6:04 for an "Intermediate" Age Group record.

My point is that this is why it's a 35 year old record, much like the high school marathon record should be faster than 2:18, but it's not.

By the way, Roth ran that in the prelim. I think we could see a sub-8:45 in the final from him.

Can anyone point me to a site with HS record progression for the Steeple (and other events)? In particular I'm looking to see if Jim Shields of Chaminade HS had the record before Hess. I think he ran 8:52.

Thanks.

Praise the effort George! The record was what it was. 35 years is an old record, I would beg to differ it being "weak" it may not have been "godly" but it wasn't weak by any stretch of the imagination. A person like yourself , who was a national caliber runner, should understand what it takes to perform at this level, particularly considering the fact it was his 2nd 3k steeple ever. When you tow the line, you aren't guaranteed success but when it occurs , we should all praise it! I happen to know Bailey and it's an honor to say the least. This young man is all class (something he could teach you about). As humble as they come, loves the sport and those who participate in it. He is the first to begin congratulating his fellow competitors once the battle is over. I wish him well at Arizona and beyond because this kid is the real deal and is going to make a lot of noise.

malmo wrote:

When I was a 18y 8m college freshman I ran an 8:52sc on a crappy asphalt track the very first time I tried the event (winning by 20s). My best flat times were 4:08/8:55.

Hess's HS PRs were 3:47.8 and 8:18 for 15/3000. He lines up pretty closely with your freshman times across the board.

malmo wrote:

T;lw wrote:

Absolutely phenomenal. I never thought this would be broken. I ran close to 9-flat to place 3rd at US National over 10 years ago and always looked at that national record as crazy fast. !!

WTF? The HS steeple record was very weak. Should be at least 8:35 to 8:40.

Of course the HS steeple was weak.

Why do you think east African and even European runners have dominated on us so hard in the steeple, even while we hold our own a bit in the 800, 1500/mile and even 5000?

The steeple requires ATHLETICISM. Other than some of the greats like malmo (and these days Jager), junior high and HS kids pursuing track are NOT the most athletic kids. If they were, they would be in ANY OTHER SPORT. Meanwhile, in most of the world athletic kids and not the castaways are the ones in track.

The truth hurts.

Yes he did.

8:50.1 Jeff Hess (South, Eugene, Oregon) 1979

8:52.6 Jim Shields (Chaminade, Mineola, New York) 1976

8:56.9 John Gregorek (St Anthony, Smithtown, New York) 1978

8:57.8 Hess 1979

8:59.53 Eddie Owens (Packer, Brooklyn, New York) 2011

9:00.11 **Edward Cheserek’ (St. Benedict’s, Newark, New Jersey) 2011

9:02.56 Noel Bateman (Aquinas Institute, Rochester, New York) 2006

9:02.9 Hess 1979

9:03.15 Darren Fahy (La Costa Canyon, Carlsbad, California) 2012

9:03.2 Shields 1976

**10 performances by 7 performers**

9:03.79 *Andy Martin (North Hunterdon, Annandale, New Jersey) 1984

9:03.92 Bailey Roth (Coronado, Colorado Springs, Colorado) 2014

9:05.6 Karl Van Calcar (Edmonds, Washington) 1983

I can't follow logic? Really? What you just said is logical, yet not a new revelation. We all (most of us anyway) understand the reasons why the hs record is weak.

Jeff Hess said, "Obviously the reason the record stood for so long is that a lot of really good high school runners have not run in the steeple."

Probably fewer than 1 in 500 hs school kids ever had an opportunity to run the steeplechase, and of those who did, they don't get many chances. That's not their fault. Take a guy like Thom Hunt, one of the most versatile hs runners ever, with 4:02/8:45 hs school credentials. Now put him in a steeplechase -- 8:35 is realistic. The aforementioned Ricky Pittman (8:27 as a freshman in college) was probably good for sub 8:40, was well.

malmo wrote:

When I was a 18y 8m college freshman I ran an 8:52sc on a crappy asphalt track the very first time I tried the event (winning by 20s). My best flat times were 4:08/8:55.

not a steepler wrote:

Hess's HS PRs were 3:47.8 and 8:18 for 15/3000. He lines up pretty closely with your freshman times across the board.

Hess as a little bit faster in both, but nearly identical in age. So is Roth.

Flamerunna wrote:

Praise the effort George! The record was what it was. 35 years is an old record, I would beg to differ it being "weak" it may not have been "godly" but it wasn't weak by any stretch of the imagination. .

Well then, opinions differ. We'll have to agree to disagree.

I think that the problem here is mindset that says that suggesting the obvious -- that the steeplechase record is weak -- is the same as bashing the record. It's not. That's projection on your part. Roth should be very happy with his record, and it would be very cool if a lot more hs kids had an opportunity to run it. We might even find a few more Evan Jagers out there -- who I believe could have run under 8:40 in high school if he had a chance. He didn't have the hs school credentials that Hunt had, but, Jager is, in my mind, the Natural.

All-time hs school lists.

As a generalization HS programs are lacking in insurance, equipment or facilities and coaching expertise broad enough or deep enough to be effective in equipment events.

I will extend that to a big % of college programs and not be wrong. How many potential HS multieventers are lost to the fact that they can score in a number of events?

Would the national HS-U20 PV scene be more robust if all state included it in the program? What has the allweather ball fields done to the long throwing events at HS-U20 level?

The WEAK here in not in the performers or the benchmarks it is in the breath and depth of participants.

Malmo how many times did you have to drag the big barriers out by yourself to get a workout in? How many times were you allowed to fill the pit for practice? How many of your HS 2miler classmates begged the coach to let them run steeple?

Coincidentally, there's a nice article in the current "Running Times" magazine about South Eugene HS and its coach, Jeff Hess. Jeff went to South Eugene HS and Arizona for college.

A lot of HS records have been set at the Golden West Invitational (and similar meets) that were after graduation for many schools.

Tuscon wrote:

Asu guy wrote:

Jeff Hess went to the University of Oregon and he is the current head coach at South Eugene high school. He is a super nice and humble guy, great coach.

Hess went to Arizona.

Your right, I totally forgot that.

Lets give it up for the white Kenyan!!!!

Put us back on the map. !!!!

You all are talking like its some math problem!

Americans are lcked into this equivalence thinking !!!

You ale loosing sight of the finesse and skill it takes to be good at this brutally hard event !

Just because your fast dowsnt mean you can run the steeplechase fast !