fact checker 642572498 wrote:
Kevin Hadsell wrote:
I don’t have a pony in this race. So, being completely objective, I would keep the focus on the NCAA qualifying. The scholarship situation is an entirely different conversation and is a valid one. However, the NCAA qualifying and regional structure is in the NCAA finance and championship committee’s hands at the moment. Once it gets to that level, the wheels are going to turn whether anyone likes it or not.
If it were me, I would be working double time right now to figure out a fair and equitable way to implement this type of scenario. I know exactly what you mean about the scholarship and the scholarships legitimizing the sport. However, I feel like you’ll have a better time doing that if cross country is legitimized more as a separate sport that’s operating in the same fashion that basically all other sports do.
Like I said, I would be laser focused on this current situation. If the NCAA has already said that it could be implemented by 2022, that means that they are not just going to, “forget“ about this.
With all due respect, Kevin, XC is not like the other sports. It's unique IN A GOOD WAY and we should celebrate that instead of trying to change it.
XC is the only sport where all NCAA competitors compete at the same time against each other. There is no bracket for seeding, there are no computer programs using algorithms to determine seeding, etc. So at the end of an XC season, we have the most accurate results and rankings out of all the NCAA sports.
There is something special about having the regional meet be an all-comers meet. Every athlete has a chance, every team has a chance. We should never seek for a computer program or ranking system to select teams/individuals when we can easily just race and leave it up to the athletes. Again, XC is the only NCAA sport where that's possible. And that's something to be CELEBRATED.
I hear you. I lived it. We lined-up and I had teams that made it and I had teams that were the first ones not to make it. I’m not saying the current system is bad.
However, keep in mind, it really doesn’t matter what we think as coaches or athletes or fans. What matters is what the NCAA thinks. It isn’t our championships. It is their championship. They have the right and the authority to decide how their championships are handled.
One would hope the NCAA would continue to seek input from the coaches (which they are). However, end of the day, it is a business. These championships are their brand. If you have only one championship, out of all the sports and all the divisions, that is viewed as in “all comers“ championship, it doesn’t fit within their brand. They feel like they want all championships to run a certain way and that’s their choice and everyone will just have to adapt to it.