The high school indoor season has finally arrived! There are some athletes who have been training for a couple of months and some who have had meets with their clubs as far back as late December. The indoor season on the national scene will pick up as early as this weekend with big meets like the Simplot Games in Idaho, University of Kentucky High School Invitational, and the New Balance Indoor Nationals in New York City. Prior to these meets, there were contests hosted by Texas A&M University and the University of Arkansas. What are the benefits, if any, in attending these meets?
There are some reasons why athletes aren't taking advantage of these meets. Some teams/athletes just aren't ready to attend. There are also financial issues and throw in this crazy weather we've been having, it can make the most experienced traveler stay home. Plus reputations are on the line when you go to these meets. There are some coaches and athletes that would rather keep their local and state reputations than to put it on the line competing against the top athletes in the country. Lastly, perception is everything! The first thought when an athlete from Illinois goes to one of these meets, is that they must be the best or one of the best in the state. Again perception! The athlete is representing their school, city and state.
I think Briyahna Desrosiers of Chicago North Lawndale may be the ultimate example of what can happen to an athlete who attends these types of meets. Desrosiers was not being recruited by Texas A&M University prior to her running in the meet. But she has a coach, Zontavious Johnson, who realized what the competition and exposure would bring and how a good performance would put her on the national radar with colleges all over the country. Desrosiers ran the US #1 400m time of 55.04 in the prelims, which instantly put her on the national recruiting radar. Last week she signed a letter of intent to... you guessed it Texas A&M University.
I realized once the state meet was taken off TV many years ago, the track game was going to have to change to get exposure for my athletes. My college coach used to sit in his office and watch the meet. My athletes were the first ones to attend the Simplot Games in and National HS championships (editor note: split nationals w/ NIKE and National Scholastic) in NY back in 2004 and 2005. I knew I was taking a gamble putting a sophomore in a senior-dominated meet verses the likes of the “X-Man” (Xavier Carter who attended LSU). At that time, there were no freshman races or emerging elite divisions to basically save face. If you showed up you better have your big boy pants on. I also knew he'd get the exposure because nobody from Illinois had ever gone to national championships according to the meet director. All eyes would be on him because he was a sophomore. As he was introduced, the announcer said, "And all the way from Illinois"... He made it to the semi-final and missed making the final in a photo finish against the future 2012 Olympic 4x4 anchorman Bryshom Nellom from Long Beach Poly. As he crossed the finish line, there was a guy standing next to me and he asked, "Is he your kid?" I said yes, he’s a sophomore. The guy says "I know" and hands me a business card. He was the head coach of Syracuse University. The outdoor season arrived and the athlete had received letters from LSU, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, etc (filling up a nice-sized box). All of this was based off a couple of races in New York. A kid who was on nobody's radar, all of a sudden was a hot prospect.
Coach Angelo Brown of Lincoln Way East upgraded my original blueprint probably without even knowing it all the while giving his school and the state of Illinois a good name nationally. He, like other coaches, realized when you have the type of athletes he has, regular school meets on the schedule just aren't as challenging. Coach Brown showcased Aaliyah Brown in the Texas A&M Indoor meet for most of her high school career. There were many coaches from the Big 12 in attendance as she was beating Texas' top sprinters. And you guessed it, she is currently at Texas A&M. When he and other coaches take their athletes to the Arkansas or Kentucky meet, you are now showcasing to the SEC. A great performance or win elevates the athlete, coach, school & the state. The athlete gets top notch competition and an opportunity to run on some of the top tracks in the US. They experience running on banked curves before they even enter college. They get to see some college campuses and cities along the way they may not have seen. The end result sometimes, as it has worked out for many athletes, is a track scholarship. I don't regret the moves I made going to these meets. It also gave me exposure as a coach; it’s something to look into, coaches if you have a top notch athlete.
This is dedicated to one of my former sprinters Shrek. I haven’t forgot about you.