IndianaRunner

[CoachPotter]

Some runners have very strong feelings about indoor meets and the indoor season. I am curious what do you runners and coaches like or dislike about indoor meets. What might make you like the season/meets more?

Personally I liked running indoors more than outdoors for two simple reasons: 1. I always felt like I was flying when running on a 200m track; 2. I loved not having to worry about weather conditions (nothing like an April sleet to make you enjoy a track meet).

[Leininger]

I definitely agree with your 2nd statement. You can't always guarantee good weather conditions in April (example: FC Miracle Mile last year) - but you CAN guarantee ideal conditions in indoor tracks.

I also like racing - both as a former athlete and now as a coach. Racing is the fun part. If you're going to train all winter, you might as well get to do the fun part.

[Cash]

Why I like indoor better:
As an athlete, I loved indoor meets because they just seemed like one big party. And the competition was always good.

As a coach, I like to get an idea of what schools are going to be strong, and network with coaches that I probably won't see until June. It's all one big family reunion.

As a track fan, it gives me a chance to observe coaches and athletes. I learn so much more about a program from what happens indoors than I do in the outdoor season.

[oriolethrowscoach]

Leininger - you actually call yourself, and anyone else for that matter, from whitley county an "athlete"? I hate indoor meets. They do not have discus, at least in Indiana!!! hahah

[oriolethrowscoach]

PS- apparently, I need to get a new user name!!! Should be LookingForAJobthrowscoach

[Leininger]

Leininger - you actually call yourself, and anyone else for that matter, from whitley county an "athlete"? I hate indoor meets. They do not have discus, at least in Indiana!!! hahah

Easy, Treesh. We can't all be so fortunate to grow up in DeKalb County.

[CoachPotter]

Aw Treesh, you know I always have a job for you up here in Pendleton!

[RunWild]

Indoor is not as fan friendly (space issues) but as a runner I loved the atmosphere, the anticipation, and the overall feeling that track season has finally started.

On a different not along the same lines- I wish the IHSAA would recognize the HSR as our official state meet. The athletes, coaches, and teams that work had through the winter deserve to be recognized. Perhaps the IATCCC could produce an indoor all state list. At least there is an HSR and athletes get recognized there. I also wish Indiana would go ahead and get with the rest of the world and stop running 55m. Move it back 5 meters. Finally, can we eliminate 3200m and replace it with a 5k or a maybe 3k? Just some thoughts, not complaining I love the sport and everyone who works hard for it and our athletes.

[CoachPotter]

On a different not along the same lines- I wish the IHSAA would recognize the HSR as our official state meet. The athletes, coaches, and teams that work had through the winter deserve to be recognized. Perhaps the IATCCC could produce an indoor all state list. At least there is an HSR and athletes get recognized there. I also wish Indiana would go ahead and get with the rest of the world and stop running 55m. Move it back 5 meters. Finally, can we eliminate 3200m and replace it with a 5k or a maybe 3k? Just some thoughts, not complaining I love the sport and everyone who works hard for it and our athletes.

RunWild, starting this year the IATCCC is recognizing individuals and relays as All State and the athletes will get the same award as if it were the outdoor meet. It is my hope that the coaches of the schools will push for ADs and Principals to recognize the kids with the same honor. I would compare it to being All State in Cheerleading and I know most schools recognize those honors.
As for the distances, those are recognized HS distances.
Personally I would like to see the full mile and two mile distances run, but that isn't what high schools run in the state series.

[Hambone]

Will All-State indoors qualification be the same amounts of runners/relay teams as outdoor state?

[rhsxc_coach]

I love indoors. It’s my favorite of the three seasons. When I first came to Indy 6 years ago I was surprised that Indoors was non-existent and that I had to search high and low for meets to get my kids entered in. We now have a schedule with about 7-8 indoor meets a year. Not only is the atmosphere intense (you can’t beat an epic 4x2 or 4x4 on a 200m track with 1000s of fans screaming), but as another poster previously mentioned, you feel like you’re flying around the track. I’ve told this story to several other coaches already, but back home in PA, indoors is its own varsity sport. Once in the early 80s a handful of coaches got together and started a league, Greater Philadelphia Track Coaches Association for boys and Delaware Valley Girls Track and Field Coaches Association for girls. Each league has about 70 schools in it, teams pay about $400 per year and this money goes to renting college tracks and awards. Every team volunteers one coach to work (this is what makes the meets awesome because it’s all run by coaches who are out there doing it for the athletes, rather than some bureaucrat from the P.I.A.A). From November through March girls race every Friday night, guys every Saturday afternoon, top four in each event at each meet qualify for the meet of champions at the end of the year and times from throughout the season are also used to qualify for the PA State Championship.
I think running indoors certainly helps with running faster times, feel free to check out the top times in PA right now at PTFCA.org. For example guys 800 #1= 1:51.25 and #25= 1:59.88, girls 800 #=2:12.26 and #25= 2:21.85. That’s a lot of depth that carries over to Outdoors I know that a part of it is due to population size, but another part certainly has to do with racing all winter. Plus, who wants to train for five months without getting on a track and showing what you got.

I’d like to thank the Potters and the IATCCC for putting on our Indoor State meet as well. I’d love to see this keep getting bigger and really take off.