Decision Time and the Grind to Regionals

Before I get into the post here I just want to remind everyone that voting is still open for teams for the meet of champs! Comment on this post or the post below it (that has all the meet of champs related info) to cast your vote. Voting will close this Thursday at 4 PM (11/6).

This has been an incredibly deep year for the PA boys. We have three very impressive state champs a slew of potential Foot Locker finalists who just picked up an extra chunk of motivation this past Saturday. If you will pardon my language, PA is kinda screwed when it comes to the National meets. We have to wait an eternity between states and regionals. Peaking twice exactly a month apart is brutal. Guys who pick up momentum at districts and states are forced to sit around and cool off. Good teams and individuals lose the racing sharpness that came with racing every week, often multiple times per week. As far as I know, PA is easily the most affected by this as NY and NJ are racing much later into the year (and the New England States have a New England Meet of Champs in addition to their individual state meets to help out training).

This is biggest reasons I would like to have a Meet of Champions meet: to help break up the massive gap between races. If you are training the two extra weeks for meet of champs already, the two extra weeks til Footlocker isn’t too bad. But a month of extra cross country training? In the cold and snow? Often times by yourself and outside of the funding of the school? With no organized races or competitions? And you can start training for indoor track? I’m surprised we get anybody to train until Regionals.

But I will try to persuade you all that it is worth the extra month and that we as a state should send all of our top guys out to New York for Footlocker and Nike. Before I start the begging and pleading, let me share with you some important regional details. Please correct me if I make any mistakes about the process as things may have changed that I don’t know about.

PA has both regionals on the same day so guys have to make a choice between NXN and Foot Locker. This was especially difficult before they started creating NXN individual bids (Max Kaulbach in 2007 was 2^nd at Regionals but his team didn’t make it so he was stuck home). Now, however, guys like Griffin Molino, who don’t even have 5 guys on their high school team, can head over to New York and qualify individually to NXN. Hence the name change from NTN (Nike Team Nationals) to NXN (Nike Cross Nationals).

 

Footlocker Regionals will be held at Van Cortlandt Park this year as it has most years (there was a brief Sunken Meadow window in there). The top 10 individual finishers qualify for the Footlocker Nationals meet in San Diego. There are 4 separate regions, each with the same qualifying system (so 40 total individuals go to Nats). I believe the states in the Northeast Region are Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts and DC. If I end up with some free time I will take a look at a map. This meet is also scored state vs. state and PA has typically done well as a team (but struggled to beat New Jersey). It’s always nice to win the regional as a team and I believe there are awards for the top 5-7 guys from each state.

 

Footlocker also has class specific races in addition the national qualifying meet. They have a Freshman, Sophomore, Junior and Senior class race. These are cool races if you are a young guy trying to get a feel for the meet, or a senior

Nike Northeast Regionals is held at Wappinger Falls in New York. The meet includes teams form New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine and Massachusetts. New York has it’s own regional and Virginia, Delaware and DC are in a different qualifier. So you are competing against less states for an individual spot right off the bat. The top two teams from each region automatically advance to the National Championships in Oregon and there are also a few at large selections that occur (that’s how Henderson qualified in 2012). The Northeast Region will probably send 2-3 teams, but has sent 4 before (in 2008 when NA qualified, I believe 4 teams were sent). The top 5 individuals not on those qualifying teams will make it to the NXN Nationals. So only half the individual spots are on the line relative to Footlocker.

Hopefully this gives those of you who did not know a basic understanding of these meets. Both will be held on Saturday, November 29^th this year.

I will now share some of my own personal thoughts about the national meets. Let me just preface this by saying, I was never even close to good enough to be seriously competitive in the championship race at either meet so this will be purely a fans perspective.

1) You don’t have to believe you are national caliber to take the trip.

This is probably the biggest misconception. Obviously, a big reason to go compete at a regional meet is to try and make it to the national championships. That’s a fantastic experience and you get to compete against the best in country on an historic stage. However here are some other top notch reasons to extend your season.

a) The chance to represent your state on a national level

We are trying to show how talented of a state we are in cross country. That means we not only need our best 1 or 2 or 3 guys competing, we need our best 7 or 8. And the guys who could claim to be our best 7 or 8 in four weeks is a long, long list.

b) A chance to redeem yourself if states wasn’t what you were hoping

That was what my good friend Fran Ferruzzi did in 2011. He was disappointed with his race so he went to regionals and had a really great day (finished better at regionals than at states by about 30 spots). That allowed him to end his season confidently and he had a great indoor track season as a result (his only individual state medal indoors in the 3k). Which shows you another misconception, that training through until regionals will affect your track season.

c) The chance to prove yourself against other classes/divisions

If I’m someone like Sebastain Curtin or Simon Smith, I want to go to Footlocker and prove that I am a top 5-10 guy in the state. Right now, most fans don’t know much about Seb Curtin and the AAA guys steal the spot light consistently. What better way to prove yourself than by making a statement on even footing in a head to head race?

d) Experience

This is huge as well. Dominic Hockenbury has been talking all year about how he loves Van Cortlandt and he had such a good race there last year. That confidence is going to be key to success in the future. That all started because he competed there as a sophomore even when he had a very slim chance at nationals. It’s important not just to see the course and experience the race (it’s a type of competition that you haven’t competed at before unless you have already been to this meet, I guarantee it), it’s also about experiencing the extra month of training and learning what works and doesn’t work. Plus if you have done that extra month the year before, it makes it easier to do it again. Running is hugely mental, don’t forget it.

e) It’s fun and anything can happen!

You never know what will happen in a race like this. Josh Hibbs was one of the most surprising Footlocker qualifiers ever and he came from PA. So extend your XC season, go to a meet where you can compete and bond with the best guys in PA (how many times a year do Colin Abert, Casey Comber and Sam Webb all get to be on the same team?!) and participate in a unique experience! Even just hop in one of the class races and watch the big invitational heat (it is a really fun race to watch, I had the pleasure of doing it once). You know which guys have come through the Northeast Region in the past? Ed Cheserek, Matt Centrowitz, Craig Forys, Josh McDougal, the Rosas, Chad Noelle and many more. Those are some big names. And you could say, yeah I remember when I lined up next to Cheserek …

2) You have to want to do it to have success

So you know how I just spent all this time trying to convince you? I think really what I am trying to do is inspire you and dispel some common misconceptions, because the only person that can push you every day for an extra month is yourself.

And here’s the other thing, don’t feel obligated just because you had success at states. In 2011, North Penn snuck up on everyone and grabbed a state title in a thrilling upset. They trained and peaked perfectly for that moment and weren’t thinking of nationals at that point. But after they won states, they felt an obligation to continue their season and make a push for nationals. An obligation, but not a desire. Unfortunately, they didn’t end up having the success they would have liked at regionals as a result.

Meanwhile, Vinny Todaro won a state championship in AA over Brendan Shearn in 2012 and had a good shot at going to nationals (PA sent 4 guys, including Shearn and also sent two teams at NXN). However, he didn’t want to train the extra month and ended his season on a high note. I’d bet he is probably happy with his decision.

It’s hard to know if you really want it. Sometimes you can’t tell what you’re truly feelings are. So my suggestion (and again I’m no coach or expert by any means) is to do the following. Take 2-3 days off or easy after states. Then start back up on your training as if you are going to run regionals. If it’s a pain training and you hate it, then just bail, rest up and get ready for track. If you are feeling good, keep it going. Find a race at the halfway point (maybe a road race or maybe the Henderson 3200m on the track!) hop in and see how it goes. It’s a great check and you didn’t just waste a month training.

If you are on a team, I’d suggest working to come to a unanimous agreement before going to regionals. You need all 7 guys to buy in to have success, you don’t want any negativity holding you back. If you are a deep team (like many of these teams are) you can always make a few substitutions and still have plenty of success.

Again, I’m no expert, just my two cents.

3) Personally I like NXN better than Footlocker

I’m a sucker for the course and the atmosphere and all things Nike. I just think that meet is so cool (although hopefully this new course isn’t lame and isn’t as muddy). It’s an interesting spin on a cross country race and seeing Rosa, Lutz and Gedyon run down the final stretch together muddy and cold is one of the sickest running moments I know. But Footlocker has all the history to it and all the mystique. Plus, I honestly think Footlocker is a tiny, tiny bit easier to make it to nationals from just because of the whole 10 spots thing. But look, either way you spin it making it to nationals is very, very hard.

I believe this is the complete list of qualifiers the last 8 years (NXN/Footlocker)

2013: Henderson, Molino, James / Ross Wilson

2012: O’Hara, Henderson, Aziz / Shearn, Norris, Pondel, Kennedy (holy cow what a year)

2011: Dustin Wilson (Footlocker)

2010: Endress / Hebda, Campbell

2009: GFS / Miles, Gunzenhauser, Gil

2008: North Allegheny, Miles / Furcht, (Phil Wood technically, but he only lived in PA, he was competing in NJ)

2007: Dennin, Aldrich, McNally (Footlocker, Kaulbach would have made NXN in the new format)

2006: Coatesville / Springer

 

Fun fact, guys who had hard losses at states have excellent records at Footlocker while state champs are pretty hit or miss. The guys who win both a state title and make it to nationals are all timer types. The list is Dennin, Miles, Russell, Russell. They finished 2^nd, 1^st, 1^st, and 1^st in their respective regional meets

(Dennin has the highest finish of any Footlocker finalist in recent years at around 12^th or 13^th and only lost to Don Cabral at Regionals. The 2007 Footlocker field was stacked: Mike Fout, Chris Derrick, German Fernandez, Colby Lowe, Luke Puskedra, Rob Finnerty, Don Cabral were all in this field. This is one of the last years before NXN really took off. Coincidence? I think not …)

So now time for the final piece to my post: my national suggestions. I will now be encouraging some people to run at the regional or national meets, but remember the advice I have listed above. I only know your times and performances, not your attitude or how tired you are or anything like that. Keep in mind I encourage more than the people on this list to participate in these end of year meets. These people just spring to mind as very logical participants.

NXN

North Allegheny, Conestoga, O’Hara, DT West, CB West, WC Henderson, CRN, Molino, Malvern Prep, GFS, York Suburban, Winchester Thurston, Sewickley, Grove City, LaSalle

The following factors jump out to me

A) NA is the best team in the state and has the fastest average in Hershey history. They should go.

B) Conestoga, O’Hara and Malvern Prep have probably had this as a goal all year (which is always good) and they have individuals who have a shot at nationals as well.

C) DT West and CB West are young teams that will be better next year. And they were good this year.

D) GFS, WCH and CRN may not have realistic nationals shots right now, but they are top notch programs. If you are a top program, I believe you should be scheduling this meet every year. Learn the course, learn the training cycle and when the right team comes along, you can make it to nats. I think that’s how GFS pulled the big upset and made it in 2009.

E) Small schools give themselves a chance to prove themselves on the big stage. York Suburban can show just how good of a team they are and worst case scenario Griffin Mackey and Will Loevner get big time experience at the NXN regional meet.

F) I’m curious what kind of team LaSalle is. They have beaten Stoga and O’Hara this year. This would be a cool chance for redemption and a nice experience for a somewhat young squad with future potential.

Footlocker

Abert, Brophy, Hockenbury, Comber, Webb, Green, DiCintio, Curtin, Brehm, Ritz, Allgayer, Gebhart, Seiger, Henderson, Kachman, Lapsansky

That’s just the top 16 names that come to mind, there are other guys (Cupp, Susalla, Alex Kim, Peretta) who could have been in this group, but I stuck with this crew for now. You have legit national contenders like Abert, Brophy, Ritz and Hockenbury, legit sleepers like Comber, Webb, Curtin, Brehm, Green and Gebhart and some younger guys with upside like DiCintio, Seiger, Allgayer, Henderson, Kachman and Lapsansky.

Plus Lapsansky trains with Abert so it makes a lot of sense to come along for the ride. If Seiger goes, might as well bring Wilkinson. Herman comes with Ritz, Sands maybe comes with Brophy. Shinn with DiCintio. Gives both guys a better chance at success to have a training partner.

So anyway, that’s my two cents. I think we should try to get a running list going of who will be competing in the post season meets and the Henderson 2 mile (lots of guys should consider this race, it’s a perfect opportunity to keep training interesting and test your fitness). So if you know any details, feel free to throw it down below. I’ll try to update what I hear through the grape vine as well.