The Etrain Oscars Are Back!

Greetings Train fans. It’s been a great year. We’ve witnessed countless great performances, thrilling finishes and Rick Fowler commercials. Some of us may have even looked up what Rocket Mortgage does. But most importantly, we’ve completed another year at the Blog and it’s time to celebrate!

We are now accepting nominations for the 2^nd Annual Etrain Oscars! For those of you unfamiliar with the event, this awards show is an opportunity to recognize the hardworking athletes on this blog. But more importantly, it’s an opportunity for you as readers to share in the process. You can nominate people for the awards in the traditional ways (email, twitter, commenting) and then we will have a Google Poll link on the site, starting next week, to give everyone a chance to vote on who (or what) they think deserves some recognition.

The Oscars awards presentation is tentatively set for June 29^th at 8 PM and will be live streamed on the blog. Once the Oscars is in the books, it’s out with the old and in with the new almost immediately as July 1^st will kick of etrain’s patented Top 50 XC Rankings.

For those who don’t remember, here are the categories for the 2016-2017 Etrain Oscars!

Best Picture

Best Race of the Year

Awarded to the best race, from either Cross Country or Track and Field, featuring a PA athlete. This is not best performance, meant to highlight an individual’s performance, but rather best race meant to highlight an exciting, impressive or particularly memorable event.

Best Actor

Best Individual Performer

Awarded to the best runner in the year. Voters can choose to consider an athletes full body of work over three seasons or one particularly exception performance or season. It’s up to each reader’s own interpretation of “best”. 

Best Actors

Best Performance by a Team or Relay

Similar to Best Actor, this is open to interpretation as well. Voters can select a relay, a XC team or a track team. They can also consider a team’s entire body of work over three seasons. 

Best Supporting Actor

Best Performance by a #2 Runner on a Team or Relay
This award is meant to highlight the efforts of a runner who may not be the “star” of a team, but made important contributions towards a school’s achievements during the year, whether that be on relays or in team scoring for track and cross country. 

Best Animated Feature

Best Performance by an Underclassmen
This is essentially the “Best Actor” award, but for freshman and sophomores. Again, the voters can interpret exactly what constitutes “best”. 

Cinematography

Best Meet of the Year
Awarded to the best meet of the year. This award is similar to best race of the year, but considers all the events contested at a given meet and the total drama, excitement and experience of said meet.

Costume Design

Best Uniforms
Pick your favorite uniforms that you’ve seen this season! It can be as a simple as listing a high school or, if you want to go in depth, feel free to get specific.

Best Directing

Best Coaching Performance
This award highlights the coaches who help each team and athlete hit their potential. Feel free to list a school or program even if you don’t know the coach who is operating behind the scenes.

Best Documentary Feature

Best Post of the Year
Highlights the best blog post or news article you’ve read over the year. It could be a serious, dramatic story or a funny, humorous piece. Again, you can choose for yourself what constitutes “Best”.

Best Documentary Short Film

Best Comment of the Year
This award is the same as the best blog post, but is meant to highlight your contributes as commenters. If you can’t think of a specific moment or are having trouble skipping back through posts to find something, feel free to just give a commenters name or nickname or highlight a particular prediction or topic that was covered that you particularly enjoyed.

Film Editing

Best Upset of the Year
Which race produced the most surprising result of the year? There are plenty to choose from this year, but don’t feel limited to just state meets or just track. Any meet could have produced the biggest upset.

Best Foreign Language Film

Best Non-Distance Performance
This gives you a chance to highlight some of your favorite moments that weren’t covered on this blog. You can nominate a team, individual or race for this award. Feel free to get creative.

Make Up and Hair Styling

Best Cross Country Course
Pick your favorite course of the 2016 XC season.

Music (Original Song)
Best Running Song of the Year
What song was your go to for this season? Whether it be while training or trying to get pumped up before a big race, it all counts. We will even accept songs that weren’t released this year. Drake songs are recommended by Jarrett.

Visual Effects
Best Kick of the Year
What was the best finishing sprint we’ve seen in the 2016-2017 season? Maybe it’s one particular runner who shines consistently or maybe it’s one race where everyone was gunning to the line and that made it memorable. It’s all up to you!

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

Most Improved Runner
Which runner would you like to highlight for making big strides during the 2016-2017 season? It doesn’t have to literally be someone with a big stride.

Writing (Original Screenplay)

Best Story Line of 2016-2017
What’s the #1 story of this past year? Which story line made you want to tune into the blog, comment and discuss? Which storyline warmed your heart? Again, it’s all what you as the voters feel defines the 2016-2017 season. So feel free to get creative.

New for this year:
Best Sound Mixing
Best Range
Awarded to the runner in the state who can do the most events in the state effectively.