How does this post look? It is from my new desktop widget. Pretty cool, huh? This new Mac Laptop is a tech geeks dream!
I can post without logging into the internet. I just need to be on my own computer. This allows me to put my opinions & thoughts into the world wide web with even LESS thought!
The possibilities are limitless. :) The dangers are inherent.. :(
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Friday, September 21, 2007
Skanks lose
Just got done watching the Skanks lose! It was great, I was just sitting in a bar in Long Island with a bunch of Yankees fans, the "indifference" they showed when they Yankees finally lost was pristine.
Go Sox!
Go Sox!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
New Hit Song
I hate to spew such hyperbole, but Eddie Vedder really is a musical genius. He did the soundtrack for the new movie "Into The Wild" (which I am very eager to see, I think it will be too sympathetic to the character of Chris, but that's another post) and the first single, "Hard Sun" is just amazing.
So, go to your local record store, go to iTunes, or even go to some illegal music sharing community if you have to, but get this single. It is powerful, bold, and haunting, all at the same time. Awesome.
So, go to your local record store, go to iTunes, or even go to some illegal music sharing community if you have to, but get this single. It is powerful, bold, and haunting, all at the same time. Awesome.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Beli-cam, Camera-gate, Tainted Titles
I really have no original thoughts on the whole "video taping scandal" the Patriots are embroiled in. I really don't, but I wish I did. I do think the best take on all of this is this article by Michael Silver of Yahoo Sports, via PatriotsDaily.com
I guess the issue is not dead yet, although I agree when my brother says that Belichick is going to turn over the tapes of his golf swing in Nantucket instead of any actual game footage, (and how can Goodell enforce this?) when the league demands all "film of games" be turned in to the NFL HQ. :)
P.S. "Tainted Titles" I read that one on cnnsi.com. That borders on the inappropriate, doesn't it?
I guess the issue is not dead yet, although I agree when my brother says that Belichick is going to turn over the tapes of his golf swing in Nantucket instead of any actual game footage, (and how can Goodell enforce this?) when the league demands all "film of games" be turned in to the NFL HQ. :)
P.S. "Tainted Titles" I read that one on cnnsi.com. That borders on the inappropriate, doesn't it?
Captain Obvious
Well, it looks like I am going to spend the morning reading about the Pats big win and the Red Sox big loss on all the national web sites. It was a huge win for the Pats, (obviously) and a tough loss for the Red Sox, (obviously)
Bittersweet, I guess.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Re-cap
Wow,
The Sox lost a heartbreaker, I thoght Papi could have picked a better pitch to swing at, but oh well. What's the lead now, 4.5 games? I'm OK with that.
Now, the Pats, 38-14 smack down of the chargers. (Notice I didn't capitalize, that's because they don't deserve the proper punctuation.) That score was NOT as close as it seemed. Randy and Tommy were having there way with the overrated san diego defense. Quentin Jammer is the most overrated defensive back out there, and Shawn Merriman is only good when he knows the team is passing. He was totally a non-factor in the second half. MVP of the game, had to be Sammy Morris, he was the hammer that kept pounding the Bolts over and over again. It was a great game to watch, an I can't wait until Norv reviews the tapes and realizes his team had no chance against the Pats.
A s for the Donkeys, they had to bush league to beat the Raiders, (Shanahan's T.O. right beofre the Polish drunk kicked it) and as soon as they play a semi-decent team, Cutler will get crushed. Trust me.
The Sox lost a heartbreaker, I thoght Papi could have picked a better pitch to swing at, but oh well. What's the lead now, 4.5 games? I'm OK with that.
Now, the Pats, 38-14 smack down of the chargers. (Notice I didn't capitalize, that's because they don't deserve the proper punctuation.) That score was NOT as close as it seemed. Randy and Tommy were having there way with the overrated san diego defense. Quentin Jammer is the most overrated defensive back out there, and Shawn Merriman is only good when he knows the team is passing. He was totally a non-factor in the second half. MVP of the game, had to be Sammy Morris, he was the hammer that kept pounding the Bolts over and over again. It was a great game to watch, an I can't wait until Norv reviews the tapes and realizes his team had no chance against the Pats.
A s for the Donkeys, they had to bush league to beat the Raiders, (Shanahan's T.O. right beofre the Polish drunk kicked it) and as soon as they play a semi-decent team, Cutler will get crushed. Trust me.
Would you...
Would you have taken 24-0 at halftime two hours ago? I sure would have.
Look at that videotape Norv, you need it!!!!
Time to watch some Sox game, still is a pitchers duel.
Look at that videotape Norv, you need it!!!!
Time to watch some Sox game, still is a pitchers duel.
Pitchers Duel
Pitchers Duel in Fenway, Schill and the Anti-Christ are tied 1-1 in the sixth. Late inning fireworks for one team are sure to come up!!
freak
Adalius Thomas just out ran two wide recievers! He is listed as a lineman and he is faster than a wide reciver!!! He accelerated down the sideline, he got faster as he ran! Unbelievable!
Sox 1-0
This is a great game over on ESPN, but it is too hard to watch with the Pats on.
Poor Varitek, it is a good thing he catches a good game.
And now we are watching Rock of Love! Oh crap. Bret Michaels is a dork. And all of these girls are skanks.
Poor Varitek, it is a good thing he catches a good game.
And now we are watching Rock of Love! Oh crap. Bret Michaels is a dork. And all of these girls are skanks.
14-0!!!
Just surgical, the first time I have agreed with Madden in years.
God they look good, don't they. I am afraid of jinxing it.
All the Colo St. boys in the house, get your orders in for your Moss and Welker Jerseys!
God they look good, don't they. I am afraid of jinxing it.
All the Colo St. boys in the house, get your orders in for your Moss and Welker Jerseys!
What a block!
Did you see the block from Kevin Faulk on the long play to Welker!
What a block!!!! Youtube it! That was awesome!
Ben Watson was so wide open, it's fantastic!
I bet the defense is pretty fired up too!
What a block!!!! Youtube it! That was awesome!
Ben Watson was so wide open, it's fantastic!
I bet the defense is pretty fired up too!
Our County
I hate John Cougar Mellancamp. Even though his song "Small Town" was the song at my graduation, I still find him anoying as hell.
Live Blog
Well,
The Seppala contingent is all together watching the Pats/Chargers game and the Sawx/Skanks game. The "last" button on the remote control might get warn out, I will most certainly use words that are not suitable for a child's ears, and I really, really hope the home town teams win.
Stay tuned!
Sep
The Seppala contingent is all together watching the Pats/Chargers game and the Sawx/Skanks game. The "last" button on the remote control might get warn out, I will most certainly use words that are not suitable for a child's ears, and I really, really hope the home town teams win.
Stay tuned!
Sep
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Times!
I heard a nasty rumor that Kevin Williams went sub 15 at the road race known as the Liberty Bell Invite. Wow! Any times, places or scores for the hometown team? Let me know in the comments section.
Friday, September 14, 2007
New Email Address
My comcast email account is terrible. So, I switched. Anyone needing to get in contact with me, shoot me an email at:
bseppala19[at]gmail[dot]com
Yeah, I joined the Google machine, I'm a sell-out.
bseppala19[at]gmail[dot]com
Yeah, I joined the Google machine, I'm a sell-out.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Two New Links
I have got two new links off to the side of the page.
SkiPost.com links to various articles about Nordic skiing and training. The training is very applicable to cross country and track, along with other forms of cardiovascular exercise.
In case you were wondering, the top three cardiovascular sports are:
1. Nordic skiing 2. Crew 3. Swimming
NPR.org Go check out the science stuff, very cool. I should really try and donate this year. I listen to it in the car and now I am reading it on the Internet, all for free. I am such a freeloader.
SkiPost.com links to various articles about Nordic skiing and training. The training is very applicable to cross country and track, along with other forms of cardiovascular exercise.
In case you were wondering, the top three cardiovascular sports are:
1. Nordic skiing 2. Crew 3. Swimming
NPR.org Go check out the science stuff, very cool. I should really try and donate this year. I listen to it in the car and now I am reading it on the Internet, all for free. I am such a freeloader.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Pots and Kettles
Mark Schlereth on ESPN news calling out the Patriots on the stealing of hand signals:
"Does it diminish those three rings?" asked Josh Elliot, ESPN anchor.
"Sure it does!!" Mark sternly said. "It's cheating, it's stealing. It's an unfair competitive advantage."
Uhhhh, didn't the Donkeys cheat the salary cap when they won their Super Bowls?
Wasn't Mr. Schlereth on that team?
Yeah, I thought so.
"Does it diminish those three rings?" asked Josh Elliot, ESPN anchor.
"Sure it does!!" Mark sternly said. "It's cheating, it's stealing. It's an unfair competitive advantage."
Uhhhh, didn't the Donkeys cheat the salary cap when they won their Super Bowls?
Wasn't Mr. Schlereth on that team?
Yeah, I thought so.
Time Trial
Beth and I went hiking this weekend, up in Winter Park. It was a "getaway" weekend for both of us, and it totally rejuvenated us. Denver is a great place to live, but Winter Park is a fantastic place to escape to.
We hiked the Jim Creek Trail, which heads up from the Winter Park Ski Area, but on the other side of the road. It was a really fantastic hike, I will try and post pictures of it later this evening. The gradient is moderate, not too steep, but not too flat; the terrain is not very technical; and the views of the nearby mountains and Buck Creek are inspiring. We hit the perfect temperature too, since we were up in the high country, it was in the 60's as opposed to the 90's. (Which seems to be what you hike in down here on the Front Range trails) Beth, Otis and I didn't make it to the waterfalls at the end, I'm guessing we got about ¾ of the way, but it was still an awesome way to spend a couple hours.
Hiking along, I was reminded of a famous work-out I had heard about when I lived back in New Hampshire. The Moosilauke Time Trial was a race that was put on by the Dartmouth Ski Team every fall. Anyone could compete, not just Dartmouth skiers, because it is a great test of your pre-season fitness. Master athletes, high school athletes, skiers from other colleges, alums, old-timers, everyone in the skiing community tried to attend at least once. Some years it was a big race, other years it was pretty small. (It depended on the weather, who wants to run up a mountain pouring rain at the bottom, and a blizzard at the top?)
On a chilly fall morning, the racers would all meet at the trailhead at the Ravine House and the coaches write up a start list. One racer every 30 seconds or maybe every minute, and then the two coaches start their watches at the same time. The trail, I believe, was about 3 miles long, and gained quite a bit of elevation. One coach would then head up the trail, as fast as they could go, with some extra jackets and some food. Since this was a race up one of the famous 4,000 ft. peaks of NH, that coach would get about a 30 minute head-start before the first racer on the start list would take off. The coach at the bottom would send the racers off according to their times on the start list. Hopefully the coach would beat that first runner up the mountain, and as each runner crossed, note their final overall time. Eventually, all of the runners would leave from the trailhead, and make it to the top, and when the summit coach had his start list totally filled out, everyone would head back down the trail. Some simple subtraction, and the results list would be posted on the trail marker. A true time trial, no tactics, no strategy, no help from others, just all out climbing. It was a redline workout, where the athlete had to be careful not to “overheat the engine”. Sounds fun, doesn't it? :)
The key to this race was, every year, they raced the same trail, using the same time trial style. This allowed athletes to come back year after year to see what kind of shape they were in. This information was extremely important, for summer training workouts, fall race schedules, or injury rehabilitation philosophies, plus it was a HUGE team builder. So, in addition to being a whole lot of fun, it was tactically useful in many ways as well
This is exactly what I would like to somehow start with the CHS runners. But, there are lots of hurdles to overcome. When would we do it? What time of year? Who would come? How could we get to the race? What would be an appropriate trail to run on? Would we drive up that day, or drive up the night before? Well, this weekend, I think I found the trail. Perfect length, easily accessible, not too technical, it would be great to hold a time trial on. Beth even agreed! (I didn't ask Otis, he was having too much fun splashing in the creek.) Now, I just gotta get to work figuring out the other logistics. Stay tuned!
We hiked the Jim Creek Trail, which heads up from the Winter Park Ski Area, but on the other side of the road. It was a really fantastic hike, I will try and post pictures of it later this evening. The gradient is moderate, not too steep, but not too flat; the terrain is not very technical; and the views of the nearby mountains and Buck Creek are inspiring. We hit the perfect temperature too, since we were up in the high country, it was in the 60's as opposed to the 90's. (Which seems to be what you hike in down here on the Front Range trails) Beth, Otis and I didn't make it to the waterfalls at the end, I'm guessing we got about ¾ of the way, but it was still an awesome way to spend a couple hours.
Hiking along, I was reminded of a famous work-out I had heard about when I lived back in New Hampshire. The Moosilauke Time Trial was a race that was put on by the Dartmouth Ski Team every fall. Anyone could compete, not just Dartmouth skiers, because it is a great test of your pre-season fitness. Master athletes, high school athletes, skiers from other colleges, alums, old-timers, everyone in the skiing community tried to attend at least once. Some years it was a big race, other years it was pretty small. (It depended on the weather, who wants to run up a mountain pouring rain at the bottom, and a blizzard at the top?)
On a chilly fall morning, the racers would all meet at the trailhead at the Ravine House and the coaches write up a start list. One racer every 30 seconds or maybe every minute, and then the two coaches start their watches at the same time. The trail, I believe, was about 3 miles long, and gained quite a bit of elevation. One coach would then head up the trail, as fast as they could go, with some extra jackets and some food. Since this was a race up one of the famous 4,000 ft. peaks of NH, that coach would get about a 30 minute head-start before the first racer on the start list would take off. The coach at the bottom would send the racers off according to their times on the start list. Hopefully the coach would beat that first runner up the mountain, and as each runner crossed, note their final overall time. Eventually, all of the runners would leave from the trailhead, and make it to the top, and when the summit coach had his start list totally filled out, everyone would head back down the trail. Some simple subtraction, and the results list would be posted on the trail marker. A true time trial, no tactics, no strategy, no help from others, just all out climbing. It was a redline workout, where the athlete had to be careful not to “overheat the engine”. Sounds fun, doesn't it? :)
The key to this race was, every year, they raced the same trail, using the same time trial style. This allowed athletes to come back year after year to see what kind of shape they were in. This information was extremely important, for summer training workouts, fall race schedules, or injury rehabilitation philosophies, plus it was a HUGE team builder. So, in addition to being a whole lot of fun, it was tactically useful in many ways as well
This is exactly what I would like to somehow start with the CHS runners. But, there are lots of hurdles to overcome. When would we do it? What time of year? Who would come? How could we get to the race? What would be an appropriate trail to run on? Would we drive up that day, or drive up the night before? Well, this weekend, I think I found the trail. Perfect length, easily accessible, not too technical, it would be great to hold a time trial on. Beth even agreed! (I didn't ask Otis, he was having too much fun splashing in the creek.) Now, I just gotta get to work figuring out the other logistics. Stay tuned!
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Randy
"I don't need to revitalize. Everybody knows who I am. I don't need to revitalize nothing."--Randy Moss, after the game today.
The big touchdown pass from Brady to Moss, remember that one? Brady had six seconds to throw the ball. The Pats had 9 guys in pass protection, and Moss was covered by two, then three guys. So, Tommy lays it right in there, Moss has the focus and the hand-eye coordination to make the catch, and the game is blown wide open. Beautiful, just freakin' beautiful. I can't wait for next Sunday night against the Chargers. It's going to be awesome!
The big touchdown pass from Brady to Moss, remember that one? Brady had six seconds to throw the ball. The Pats had 9 guys in pass protection, and Moss was covered by two, then three guys. So, Tommy lays it right in there, Moss has the focus and the hand-eye coordination to make the catch, and the game is blown wide open. Beautiful, just freakin' beautiful. I can't wait for next Sunday night against the Chargers. It's going to be awesome!
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Fun With Links Leads to Long Ramble
It looks like I was getting under some people's skin with my posting on my blog. Good. I have a good idea I know who Coach Nicolls is, I have a good idea I know who mtnrnner is, I have no clue who raptor is, but I would like to thank all of them for defending me. I feel my "track" record speaks for itself, and I appreciate the respect. Thanks.
Some of you know who e.c.k. is, and I know as well, but that person, who as they just posted, "is a fan of 5A track and cross country," has asked me to not reveal their identity. Maybe you can trace IP addresses to figure out who e.c.k. is. But, I would bet you all have way more important things to do.
Moving on, maybe I should explain what I mean by "crap" so we are all on the same page. I guess that was what got the feathers ruffled in the first place. I believe that XC rankings are a colossal waste of time. Remember, this is high school cross country we are talking about. I believe that dyestat is not the best thing to ever happen to high school running. I use it, I read it, but I don't necessarily believe it as gospel. Again, I tend to think this is HS school running, not life and death. And I think that athletes could better spend their time than posting on message boards and getting all caught up in a whirlwind of fabricated drama. Three things you could do instead of prowling dyestat. (In no particular order)
1. Go for a run.
2. Do some homework
3. Clean your house for your parents.
I guarantee all three of those will be better for you than trying to figure out who will win the mile race at States in three years.
I hate to brag, (so I will), but bear with me. I really do have a point. :) I have been lucky enough win state titles in 5A Track & Field, lucky enough to ski at the Division One level in college, lucky enough to win a State skiing title in high school, lucky enough to even win a regional title in Little League baseball. (With the help of my brother.) So, with all of these athletic achievements that took months and years of preparation under my belt, guess where I felt the most pressure to win?
Little League freakin' baseball. Isn't that crazy? But it's true! Try pitching with the entire town watching your sidestep. Or imagine what is like to settle under a fly ball with all of your friends behind the outfield fence. My Little League team was consistently on the front page of the local paper, for Pete's sake! Looking back, that was where I felt the most pressure, when I was 12, trying to keep a ground ball from going between my legs. Insane, don't you think? The pressure I felt in Little League was far greater than any pressure I felt in high school, college or coaching. Easily.
This where I see HS track going, unfortunately. Rankings, pressure, expectations, all presented on a national scale. It's slowly turning into what Little League was for me. Hey, I know I am tough, I put pressure on kids, I admit that. But I hope there is more pressure on kids to get good grades, which is how it should be. Or more pressure to be a good family member, where the pressure should be.
I believe I practice what I preach. If you are struggling in school, you need to get the grades taken care of before you practice. Family trips, which unfortunately seem to be so few and far between these days, I encourage. High school running should be the beginning of your running career, not the pinnacle. Yet somehow I feel that it is turning into the be-all and end-all for some athletes. Too much pressure and expectations seem to be riding on HS track.
I want to focus on kids feeling good about themselves when they run and having fun doing it. Sure, winning is fun, but so is cheering your teammates on at a JV meet, or being in the choir, or sitting next to your little brother on a road trip to Virginia with the air conditioner broken. (OK, maybe not that last one.) So, have FUN when you run. If running is not enjoyable for you, then don't do it. Don't give in to external expectations. Set your own goals, achieve them, and then if that was fun, set some more. Running is a lifelong activity, so please, have a good time doing it.
Maybe this makes me sound soft, but that's OK. If kids don't like running, then they won't run. And if they don't run, then that's the crime. I want to win, I want kids to work hard and give their best, trust me. However, not winning is not a crime. Not having fun, that is what sucks.
Some of you know who e.c.k. is, and I know as well, but that person, who as they just posted, "is a fan of 5A track and cross country," has asked me to not reveal their identity. Maybe you can trace IP addresses to figure out who e.c.k. is. But, I would bet you all have way more important things to do.
Moving on, maybe I should explain what I mean by "crap" so we are all on the same page. I guess that was what got the feathers ruffled in the first place. I believe that XC rankings are a colossal waste of time. Remember, this is high school cross country we are talking about. I believe that dyestat is not the best thing to ever happen to high school running. I use it, I read it, but I don't necessarily believe it as gospel. Again, I tend to think this is HS school running, not life and death. And I think that athletes could better spend their time than posting on message boards and getting all caught up in a whirlwind of fabricated drama. Three things you could do instead of prowling dyestat. (In no particular order)
1. Go for a run.
2. Do some homework
3. Clean your house for your parents.
I guarantee all three of those will be better for you than trying to figure out who will win the mile race at States in three years.
I hate to brag, (so I will), but bear with me. I really do have a point. :) I have been lucky enough win state titles in 5A Track & Field, lucky enough to ski at the Division One level in college, lucky enough to win a State skiing title in high school, lucky enough to even win a regional title in Little League baseball. (With the help of my brother.) So, with all of these athletic achievements that took months and years of preparation under my belt, guess where I felt the most pressure to win?
Little League freakin' baseball. Isn't that crazy? But it's true! Try pitching with the entire town watching your sidestep. Or imagine what is like to settle under a fly ball with all of your friends behind the outfield fence. My Little League team was consistently on the front page of the local paper, for Pete's sake! Looking back, that was where I felt the most pressure, when I was 12, trying to keep a ground ball from going between my legs. Insane, don't you think? The pressure I felt in Little League was far greater than any pressure I felt in high school, college or coaching. Easily.
This where I see HS track going, unfortunately. Rankings, pressure, expectations, all presented on a national scale. It's slowly turning into what Little League was for me. Hey, I know I am tough, I put pressure on kids, I admit that. But I hope there is more pressure on kids to get good grades, which is how it should be. Or more pressure to be a good family member, where the pressure should be.
I believe I practice what I preach. If you are struggling in school, you need to get the grades taken care of before you practice. Family trips, which unfortunately seem to be so few and far between these days, I encourage. High school running should be the beginning of your running career, not the pinnacle. Yet somehow I feel that it is turning into the be-all and end-all for some athletes. Too much pressure and expectations seem to be riding on HS track.
I want to focus on kids feeling good about themselves when they run and having fun doing it. Sure, winning is fun, but so is cheering your teammates on at a JV meet, or being in the choir, or sitting next to your little brother on a road trip to Virginia with the air conditioner broken. (OK, maybe not that last one.) So, have FUN when you run. If running is not enjoyable for you, then don't do it. Don't give in to external expectations. Set your own goals, achieve them, and then if that was fun, set some more. Running is a lifelong activity, so please, have a good time doing it.
Maybe this makes me sound soft, but that's OK. If kids don't like running, then they won't run. And if they don't run, then that's the crime. I want to win, I want kids to work hard and give their best, trust me. However, not winning is not a crime. Not having fun, that is what sucks.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Getting to work
I woke up at one o'clock this morning, couldn't sleep. Typical fall insomnia. So, I got to work. On what you might ask? Working on track stuff. Yep, working on track stuff in the middle of freakin' September. I emailed Coach Laster, (he hasn't emailed me back yet), dug out some calendars, going through what worked last year and what didn't, flipped through some books, basically putzed around as quietly as I could.
Now, in the next couple of weekends, Laster will come over, we will set up the schedule for the year, and then, in true Big Black fashion, we will "get to work."
Monday, September 3, 2007
Paper Mache!
Reche Caldwell got cut! I guess when they added everything up, Reche was the odd man out. That totally sucks, I was a huge fan of Paper Reche, bug eyes and all. And this is a horrible time to cut him, as he has very little chance of catching on with another team. Reche had great trust and timing with T.F.B., and now we cut him BOO!!!! A heartless bad decision that was made in the name of "Bill We Trust." This blogger is not happy about it though, we had better win that first game against the Jets.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
I couldn't agree more!!
There is intelligent life on the dyestat message board! While I think most of what people spew up there is absolute crap (watch-out, sheiny heiny, broncoboy), I think Coach Nicolls has the line of the day. From the Liberty Bell Post, my reaction in bold. Enjoy another somewhat lazy post!
| Member | Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 0   |
Several Points here to make:
1) IMO CO has too many classes for the population it has. This tends to seperate the good teams and individuals and some never see each other all year, because big meets like Liberty Bell (in track too) do not adjust their Divisions by competition.
My suggestion would be to take last years cumulative scoring runners times and break down the divisions by this simple math. It would not be perfect due to graduations etc, but at least it would provide some sense to the equation.
I think that the divisions are a bunch of bullshit as well. Take the best teams from last year, put them int he same division. Coach is right, grad rates might affect it, but not that much. It is a total joke that LHS and CHS do not face each other head-to-head in the Liberty Bell Track meet, especially when we are so equal.
There are teams in Div 1 that" don't have a good program, never have had a good program and never will have a good program (until things change). There is also a "team" in Div 1 that appears like it will not even be able to field 5 runners.
Are you serious, there is DI team that doesn't even have five runners?
2) Courses need to be "spike" courses. Too much running on concrete. Couple that with ridiculous situations that peg the meter on both ends of the spectrum, by having kids climb steep slippery mud hills/creekbeds on all fours (and falling back down) because the can't wear spikes due to other sections of a course having long areas of concrete/asphalt.
I'm not referring to Liberty Bell which is a recognized road race, but rather other venues that end up with too much "prepared surface" running. This is, after all, Colorado.
I have been banging this drum for years!!! This is an "across the country" style of racing. Racing on hard pavement causes injuries, mental burn-out and doesn't tell you who the best true cross country runner is. Yeah, it gives you fast times, but how far are we away from running the fall XC races 95% on a track?
My solution, boycott all these races. Head to the moutains and run the races up there where you run up and down ski hills. Or the Eastern Plains, where you can at least get some running in on dirt trails. I never understood the desire to have XC runners always competing against the same runners day in and day out. There is no qualifying in this sport, so run some races to get you faster for the supposed "play-offs" of the season (League, Regionals, States). Does running the Liberty Bell really prepare you better than running up hills on trails in Breckenridge? Hell no! XC is supposed to be fun. I really think coaches are forgetting that in this day and age of NTN rankings and message boards. Remember, to normal people, running 5 km as fast as you can is not inherently fun. We gotta add as much enjoyment as we can!
3) Traveling has its positives and negatives. We gave up our travel meet to Missouri this year because of many factors: disruptive to overall training, lost time in classes and homework difficulties, lower number of schools participating, and the real icing on the cake of the host school not using its best runners.
Coach N and I have to get together and have a Jamba Juice and discuss travel meets. I could go on for hours about the pros and cons of travel meets, but we have company coming over in a few minutes, and I gotta go slice up some watermelon.
Sep
1) IMO CO has too many classes for the population it has. This tends to seperate the good teams and individuals and some never see each other all year, because big meets like Liberty Bell (in track too) do not adjust their Divisions by competition.
My suggestion would be to take last years cumulative scoring runners times and break down the divisions by this simple math. It would not be perfect due to graduations etc, but at least it would provide some sense to the equation.
I think that the divisions are a bunch of bullshit as well. Take the best teams from last year, put them int he same division. Coach is right, grad rates might affect it, but not that much. It is a total joke that LHS and CHS do not face each other head-to-head in the Liberty Bell Track meet, especially when we are so equal.
There are teams in Div 1 that" don't have a good program, never have had a good program and never will have a good program (until things change). There is also a "team" in Div 1 that appears like it will not even be able to field 5 runners.
Are you serious, there is DI team that doesn't even have five runners?
2) Courses need to be "spike" courses. Too much running on concrete. Couple that with ridiculous situations that peg the meter on both ends of the spectrum, by having kids climb steep slippery mud hills/creekbeds on all fours (and falling back down) because the can't wear spikes due to other sections of a course having long areas of concrete/asphalt.
I'm not referring to Liberty Bell which is a recognized road race, but rather other venues that end up with too much "prepared surface" running. This is, after all, Colorado.
I have been banging this drum for years!!! This is an "across the country" style of racing. Racing on hard pavement causes injuries, mental burn-out and doesn't tell you who the best true cross country runner is. Yeah, it gives you fast times, but how far are we away from running the fall XC races 95% on a track?
My solution, boycott all these races. Head to the moutains and run the races up there where you run up and down ski hills. Or the Eastern Plains, where you can at least get some running in on dirt trails. I never understood the desire to have XC runners always competing against the same runners day in and day out. There is no qualifying in this sport, so run some races to get you faster for the supposed "play-offs" of the season (League, Regionals, States). Does running the Liberty Bell really prepare you better than running up hills on trails in Breckenridge? Hell no! XC is supposed to be fun. I really think coaches are forgetting that in this day and age of NTN rankings and message boards. Remember, to normal people, running 5 km as fast as you can is not inherently fun. We gotta add as much enjoyment as we can!
3) Traveling has its positives and negatives. We gave up our travel meet to Missouri this year because of many factors: disruptive to overall training, lost time in classes and homework difficulties, lower number of schools participating, and the real icing on the cake of the host school not using its best runners.
Coach N and I have to get together and have a Jamba Juice and discuss travel meets. I could go on for hours about the pros and cons of travel meets, but we have company coming over in a few minutes, and I gotta go slice up some watermelon.
Sep
Saturday, September 1, 2007
It's in German
Wow.
This is why we don't race steeplechase in high school here in Colorado. Imagine if you had a bunch of freshman doing this race in the waning light of a late running JV meet? It would be a disaster.
Anyone know of any states that do support steeplechase in high school?
Also, wow to me for figuring out how to get YouTube videos in my blog. Yeah, it is actually pretty simple, but it took me a while :)
This is why we don't race steeplechase in high school here in Colorado. Imagine if you had a bunch of freshman doing this race in the waning light of a late running JV meet? It would be a disaster.
Anyone know of any states that do support steeplechase in high school?
Also, wow to me for figuring out how to get YouTube videos in my blog. Yeah, it is actually pretty simple, but it took me a while :)
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