It's going to be a big weekend and so there will be plenty of discussion to be had about states, the favorites, the sleepers and the times.
And over the next two weeks I plan to be a member of said discussions. I'm really excited and intrigued by what this state qualifying formula will yield, the snubs, the surprises and all that good stuff.
But what I want to talk about is something that you might have missed from this week. And since I've got your back PA, I'm going to fill you in on some big news.
The PA Distance Festival, hosted by West Chester Henderson, has been a rapidly expanding, strong meet. It's produced some of the state's fastest times in a last chance style setting after states but before nationals. It's kind of a perfect way to finish off a season. Weather has traditionally been great, competition is excellent, well run meet and the perfect time of year and setting to chase times.
And guess what? This year it looks like the meet is going to take another big step towards improving. Coach Kelly has announced that there will be three meet of champions events contested at the PA Distance Festival this year: 800m, Mile, and 5000m.
I've made no secret that I want a meet of champions set up for PA like New Jersey has and it appears that we are taking a step towards this on the track. I'm hoping PA will get behind it and help make the meet something great.
In my eyes, it's a chance to get the best runners from AA, AAA and Independent together (along with some out of staters apparently which should be cool) and eliminate the need to double for state team points or the tactical nature of state championship finals and everyone can really just go for it.
I'm planning to be there if all goes well and hopefully I can put together some prizes for the top 3 finishers in each race. I'm linking the full document with qualifying standards and such so everyone can get a feel for all the details.
I will be keeping a meet of champs qualifiers/leaders board starting this outdoors in replace of the indoor state qualifying sheet that I have now. I also plan to try and actively recruit people to attend the meet so hopefully we can get the best field possible on the line.
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