IndianaRunner

[13sky]

http://www.alphatiming.net/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=7e4AwIv766Y%3d&tabid=68&mid=407

[Bond_James-006]

jv results?

[XCspectator]

No Open or JV race this year

http://www.alphatiming.net/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=Quz-LWB8-MM%3d&tabid=64&mid=411

[XCspectator]

Check that, according to the CN website preview there was an open race, just not officially timed. Runners could see their time as they crossed the finish.

http://cntf-cnxc.org/cross%202010/rushville_invitational_preview_2010.htm


Also seem like CN knocked quite a bit of time off their 2009 race. Top 5 returners ran 16:40-16:50 last year, 2010 15:55 to 16:22 for top 5 this year. Not sure if course changed (Rushville used to chage like every 2 years) and how conditions compared, but knocking 20-45 seconds off (not scientific analysis,not runner for runner) sure seems to indicate CN isn't complacent.

Rushville isn't the top field it used to be but the times were very good. Can't wait to see how they do in a bigger meet.

[runreddevilrun]

Here's my take on this Invite. I was really wowed by the CN team. They are very very impressive. I was at the race last year and the weather was really hot and humid this year the weather was about as perfect as you could order up. That is no excuse for better times however. They are stronger and they are to be dealt with in the national picture not the state picture. They will own Indiana in my opinion. I kind of was looking for a top ten in the combined races and I placed all the CN 1-7 and the division 2 race had three guys that looked very good as well. Scheinbein really had a race to himself after the second mile but the first two miles Merkel was giving him a race for his money and looked really strong but he seemed to hit a wall at two miles and I thought he was going to fade way back but seemed to get a second wind when Kent Garrett was running with him. When they went into the trees Garrett and Merkel were together and when they came out Merkel had dropped about 30 meters from Garrett. They all three ran pretty equal times the final 1200 meters and finished in that order. I thought that Scheinbein was really relaxed and didn't push at all at the end of the race and Garrett looked very much the same. Merkel got stronger toward the end and had a nice kick to finish the race (maybe 200m) he looked strong to finish and had he not hit the wall at two miles this could have been a different race. He was really giving Scheinbein a race. Don't know what happened at the 2 mile mark but it interupted his pace pretty heavily. It seemed to just be for a brief period of time but he did look good besides that 3 minutes in the race. If he can learn to hang on in the middle I think he could play a part in the semi state rankings. He still ran a solid 16:57 with a bad middle. So if he can run a full race at his race pace he will be solid and I think he can offer an answer to interupting the CN 1-7 at the Greensburg regional along with Crist and Mudd. Of course assuming all stay healthy. Garrett looked relaxed and didn't panic at all when Scheinbein and Merkel took off on him in the beginning. He just ran a solid race from beginning to end. Overall, Scheinbein and Garrett very solid and Merkel a little shaky but a good race for his first race of the year. Guerin as a team looked pretty good too. Union County looked a lot different this year than last and Batesville in general was missing runners that I was expecting to see run. Geisting of the state 400m dive at the state meet fame wasn't there and Batesville missed him and after looking at their results last year I thought they looked really bad while missing a several parts from last year that didn't run in this race. I think their #5 was in the 20+ minute range. Not what we are used to seeing out of Batesvile squads at this race but I don't know the history there so I can't offer any explanation to the fall of the squad outside of Merkel running very well. Union County had a couple of extra new faces that I think will get better through the year and will help them have a nice year on the coat tails of Scheinbein. Guerin, well what can you say, they are doing much like Union County and they have a solid club helping Garrett. So that is my take on the Rushville Invite overall. So my top ten from this race combined were CN1-7, Scheinbein, Garrett and Merkel. Hope I'm not too far off of what everyone else saw at this race but I hope others can help me out here if they saw the same things or even other things that i missed. I tried to take notes of what I was watching and tried to be open about my take of the races. On a side note, these budget cuts seem to be effecting some sports more than others. There was an announcement at the awards that no ribbons (JV) or timing(JV) and I believe he said no JV race timed next year or maybe not one at all. Seems to me there will be more people attedning the Martinsville and Brebeuf and Purdue races from this one next year. Or at least that was my take on the final outcome of the awards. I bet the football and basketball programs aren't getting rid of their taping programs for the guys shoes before every game. Sad the lack of respect runners get when it comes to any money for the sport. It's not an expensive sport but is having the cuts reflected immediately upon the sport.

[WarriorXC09]

can anyone explain the course geography to me, rolling hills?, long straightaways?, turns?, etc.?

[runreddevilrun]

The beginning 700m +- are on an sloping upgrade then down a couple hundred meters to a bottom then back up about small incline tothe soccer and football practices fields wrap around the starting line and back up the same sloping 700m upgrade then down a sloping decline for about 300m and then pretty much flat the rest of the way. A lot of turns however and they are all 90 degree hairpin turns that are really tight. It's not a real forgiving course in regards to the turns. there are 13 of these slow down and run turns. Overall I would call it a sloping hill course for 1.75 miles and flat to end.

[XC4IN]

Very nice write up. I would agree with most of what you had written. What I was most disappointed in was the whole issue with the JV race issue. They don't seem to value those kids who need the experience of running the timed race as well as being just as valuable as the varsity runners. The announcer at the awards, while is a volunteer, really was bad! The amount of time taken for the awards is LONG...he is just slow once a runner is named he can move to the next one. In addition seemed to jumble up the easiest of names. Granted some names were difficult to pronounce. He was bad last year too! by the time the large class was announced those schools were the only ones left on the field. I am one who hopes the team I support elects to go someplace else next year.

[XCspectator]

Is Rushville where your regional is usually held? That's why a lot of teams go to Rushville, to familarize the team with the course. And for CN it is sort of a traditional opener and maybe some loyalty.
I agree the awards take too long, but that happens at a lot of other meets also. Did they do them in the gym or in the football stands this year? The ones indoorss really are worse...hot and crowded.

[eaglesnest]

The awards were held on the football field. The announcer was bad.... how many times did he refer to "Guerion catholic"? It does seem that the race shrinks by about 5 teams each year. Don't know if other schools close by have other nearby ooptions for the future, but I would think any school not in that regional has to be looking at other meets for the future, especially with them cancelling the open. really, all they do is shoot the gun and run the clock. Cancelling that accomplishes what exactly? It can't be to save money. They don't put anything into it. They also stopped using chip timing. i would assume that was a cost issue as well.

[XC4IN]

I don't really have an issue with how long the award takes as each kids deserves to be recognized for their accomplishments. What I will say is that the top 20 runners in each race/division should know their placements and should be prepared to go up. They don't need to wait completely in their seats until they hear their name. My suggestion would be like at other invitationals the announcer has all those runners in the division to come front to be recognized and go down the row...hence saving a bit of time. The awards were held in the football stadium and if I am not mistaken took well over an hour. There was some very good running and it was nice to see all the support for all those participating. It was just a shame that the JV race was changed to an open one and it was a run at your own risk situation as stated by the meet organizers.

It is a great opportunity for those who will race there later in the season to preview the course and get the experience. For the loyalty issue not sure how much that is taken into account but if that were the case for my team I would be upset. By this I mean, if I were to be loyal to the event the organizers showed none to those teams who repeatedly attend by watering down the invitational to basically a varsity race and an oh OK let's throw in an open race to appease the coaches. This is just my personal opinion. It is was a shame and from speaking with people from other schools there was disappointment on their part too.

Not sure what happened to the t-shirt sales this year. There was an announcement at the awards that those who wanted t-shirts get their orders to their coaches and the shirts would be ordered. I am assuming there was an issue and shirts could not be made in time this year. In the past their t-shirt was one of the better ones of the season.

My hope is that the organizers will take feedback into account and use it to better the invitational next year.

[BulldogBlue]

[quote="runreddevilrun"]So my top ten from this race combined were CN1-7, Scheinbein, Garrett and Merkel. quote]


This was a really good and quality write up, well done runreddevilrun. I did a little look inside the numbers (guys races only). The peak into the numbers revealed the following. I would venture to say that it appears as a whole the field had slower times than last year, explanation unknown why? Weather, course, dry air who knows. There were only really a dramatic drop in times from last years race to this years race by 8 runners in the Division 1 and Division 2 races combined, according to the results of the 2009 and 2010 races. (yes, I know there are many others folks so don't slap me around about the others I did see them I am just picking on the ten that were singled out by runreddevilrun and the top ten in each division 1&2). I didn't compare the division 3 as the times didn't compare to the upper divisions, sorry guys I'm just keeping it real. Many of them had a great day of racing. I couldn't be there so I am relying on everyones input on this race. The runners that did improve on their race times were all the Columbus North guys and the Batesville kid ( Merkel). Scheinbein was a tad slower and Garrett's time was virtually the same. If the times reflect the same results this early as compared to what happened late in the year last year I think runreddevilrun may have very well picked out the ten elite runners of this race that will be there at the end of the year. The fact that they ran the same course as last year I would say is a good indicator of where the runners are in training as compared year to year. Not necessarily state bound but much improved year to year. I think we all knew CN would be more talented than last year, but not this much already and the Merkel kid is a surprise to most, except warrior . As I have written in other posts I thought he would be much improved this year as compared to last year. I stated I have seen him run and read about him this summer and I thought he was running much better than last year and if he had troubles in the race I would say he didn't have his better day. I keep watching this kid and I am not convinced he is given much of a chance but he is a different runner than last year, he will compete with our kids this year and next, I think. He impressed me at the track regional and he is continuing where he left off in track. Time wise he and our boys really stood out on this day on paper in a comparison of back to back years. There is a little history between CN and Batesville. Is he on the verge of setting up another Wagner/Grote matchup 10 years later? You heard it here first. Congrats to all the young men and women on a good day of racing I bet it was a fun day with the weather the way it was.