The U20 hardly has the elite talent we have. What can we do to encourage our best to run? Without Anastasia Peters of Utah st, Jillian Candelino of Tenn, Sophia Kennedy of Stanford, Emma Stutzman of NAU, Paityn Noe of Ark and others, this will not be our best team. Those four would make the team. USATF, you need to do better. We have a podium level team - if not a team to compete for 2nd - and you're not sending them. Just disappointed in the USATF.
There's definitely lots that the USATF can be criticized for, but I'm not sure this is mostly on them. It's not as if these athletes (or their coaches, or at least someone in their circles) don't know the event is taking place. If they're not "encouraged" enough by the prospect of getting a free trip around the globe to represent their country, I'm not sure what else would work. This isn't just a U.S. issue -- last year at World XC, most wealthy European countries didn't send a team at all, and even Britain didn't send a full team in some of the races. At least the U.S. does this.
I think it's more just that most of these athletes are focused on track rather than XC at this time of year -- both pros (esp. in an Olympic year) who need to worry about standards and structuring everything around peaking for the summer, and college athletes who are all about their team and have a really demanding schedule already.
I'd say it's World Athletics who could do the most here, to bring some more glitz to the World XC event, and treat it as a championship equal in prestige to the T&F one. Then that would trickle down to the national competitions.
Good post, agree 100%. Also, a big XC fan and unfortunately, the US XC season does not align with the global XC season, so it is difficult to get commitment from the pros. I do think if someone is doing a spring marathon, XC is a great race to measure one's fitness.
Kudos to Kelati for running this race. Although she can be 'rewarded' with a trip to Serbia, going to Richmond is probably on her own dime, no? (Or perhaps her sponsor's). Still, happy she is doing it. Hopefully, this helps her make the Olympic 10,000m team.
Regarding the European nations not sending full teams, WA needs to tie participation in the World XC with something tangible, although not sure what. Maybe a country needs to send full teams to the XC champs for 5 years straight years in order to be considered to ability to host a championship? Or they get points toward something, etc.
Good post, agree 100%. Also, a big XC fan and unfortunately, the US XC season does not align with the global XC season, so it is difficult to get commitment from the pros. I do think if someone is doing a spring marathon, XC is a great race to measure one's fitness.
Kudos to Kelati for running this race. Although she can be 'rewarded' with a trip to Serbia, going to Richmond is probably on her own dime, no? (Or perhaps her sponsor's). Still, happy she is doing it. Hopefully, this helps her make the Olympic 10,000m team.
Regarding the European nations not sending full teams, WA needs to tie participation in the World XC with something tangible, although not sure what. Maybe a country needs to send full teams to the XC champs for 5 years straight years in order to be considered to ability to host a championship? Or they get points toward something, etc.
Another incentive could be top5 auto-qualifies for world outdoors standard or even the world outdoors championship. Short of financial incentives, it's lacking promotion. The USATF doesn't promote, LRC doesn't promote (besides a GAult preview), none of the tradition running websites promote. Maybe using other successful models like how the euro-xc works, how footlocker/nxn works, how the NCAA works but instead of universities something else. We could compete for podiums if only we sent our best.
This post was edited 2 minutes after it was posted.
Do universities and pro team's prohibit their runners from running USATF xc or discourage their runners? I'm stunned how many highschoolers are jumping at the chance to run and so many collegiates and pros opt out. Valby not running (our top collegiate), monson not running ( our top xc runner), Anastasia Peters not running ( our top u20 runner). Are they being prevented/discouraged to run. Not insinuating anything, just wondering.
I would think that on the HS level, the athlete might have more of a say, especially if that athlete is on a national-level. Is the coach going to throw said national-caliber athlete off the team? Not a good optic if the athlete was going to wear USA on their chest.
On the NCAA level, if you have a scholarship, then your coach probably 'recommends' what races you need to run. Especially, if you have the chance to earn conference or national points for your team. OTOH, repp'in your school in an international event probably brings in great PR.
If one is a pro, they are looking to maximize their value, so making the Olympic team is job 1, no matter how much they might love XC. So taking a break from training to sharpen up for XC, then go to Serbia, might not seem like a great idea. (Not that I agree with that).
Need to keep this thread going.
Finally, this is a PPV event, again. Unbelievable. Can't it be shown for free and get some sponsors!?!? WTF. It has been said many times, this is not growing the sport. There was outrage last week when one of the NFL playoff games was strictly PPV -- although it was very financially successful). XC or F&F is not the NFL.
The U20 hardly has the elite talent we have. What can we do to encourage our best to run? Without Anastasia Peters of Utah st, Jillian Candelino of Tenn, Sophia Kennedy of Stanford, Emma Stutzman of NAU, Paityn Noe of Ark and others, this will not be our best team. Those four would make the team. USATF, you need to do better. We have a podium level team - if not a team to compete for 2nd - and you're not sending them. Just disappointed in the USATF.
I don't know the birthdays of all the top NCAA freshmen, but Peters, Candelino, Kennedy, and Noe have 2004 birthdays, meaning that they aren't eligible for the U20 race this year. In order to run in the U20 race, athletes can't turn 20 at any point in the calendar year, even if they're 19 on race day.
The U20 hardly has the elite talent we have. What can we do to encourage our best to run? Without Anastasia Peters of Utah st, Jillian Candelino of Tenn, Sophia Kennedy of Stanford, Emma Stutzman of NAU, Paityn Noe of Ark and others, this will not be our best team. Those four would make the team. USATF, you need to do better. We have a podium level team - if not a team to compete for 2nd - and you're not sending them. Just disappointed in the USATF.
I don't know the birthdays of all the top NCAA freshmen, but Peters, Candelino, Kennedy, and Noe have 2004 birthdays, meaning that they aren't eligible for the U20 race this year. In order to run in the U20 race, athletes can't turn 20 at any point in the calendar year, even if they're 19 on race day.
That's a good point too. If you look at the NCAA results from a couple months ago, Stephens and Baloga were actually #1 and #2 among American freshmen who still qualify as U20 this year. So some of the very best really are running tomorrow, at least on the U20 women's side.
sad thing is a number who qualify will pass on going to worlds saying they don't want it to interfere with their prep for the Olympic Trails and possibly the Olympics. Meanwhile those athletes that kick our butt at the Olympics will be racing World XC. Hmm maybe there is something to it
RIght here. American coaches have to pay attention and learn and American runners have to start racing more.
There is one group that has taken US and World XC seriously and continues to notch those Olympic spots…. American Distance Project, going back to 2012
I just noticed this: It looks like Stephens won't be competing in the U20 Womens, unfortunately. NC State yesterday announced just Quarzo, whereas if Stephens were running they certainly would have mentioned her as well. Too bad. The team can still be AS good as it was last year, but they're not going to be challenging the Kenyans or Ethiopians for 1-2 (not that they likely would've even with Stephens).
RALEIGH - Freshman runner Jolena Quarzo will look to earn a bid to the 2024 World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Serbia this Saturday as s...
Welp, it looks like no Baloga either. She ran both a mile and an 800 at a meet in Flagstaff yesterday (see link), in the late afternoon/early evening. Something tells me she didn't then immediately hop on a cross-country flight so she could compete again at noon today.
Allie Zealand was impressive in 2nd. Ran the same time this year as last year despite the conditions. By contrast, Macchia ran 27 seconds slower and Shea ran 1:06 slower.
