'Don't Touch That!' "It's Hot!"Leave That Alone!" These are all infamous lines used by parents telling a young child not to touch a hot stove.
Well, the New Balance Indoor Nationals in New York was hot! And by some of the performances, Illinois shouldn't have touched it. I waited all week for this past weekend. I couldn't wait to watch the NBIN and the NCAA Division 1 championship (good show Shamier).
What this past weekend did was made one appreciate the talents of former Illinois greats Shamier Little and Aaliyah Brown the last few years at national meets. It is not as easy as it looks, huh? I even wrote a blog on it last week called 'New York, New York.' It was an introduction of what to expect there. And it was given to anyone who would read it. Illinois would be sending a large number of athletes, and I wanted to see where we stacked up nationally. Remember, Illinois track-wise is considered one of the 'Big Boy' states in the country. What did I get? A weekend filled with disappointment. Prelim after prelim I watched as IL athletes were tossed by the wayside.
There were a few bright spots as Lena Giger (Highland) made state history in becoming the first girl to throw the shot put over 50-feet. Emma Spagnola (left photo, West Aurora) and Maya Neal (Neuqua Valley) earned All-American honors in the long jump and the Pentathlon, respectively.
A lot of coaches and athletes found out the hard way what nationals and New York was all about. There were many who should've stayed home. I wasn't shocked, as all last week I sent texts to T. Jones that "we were in trouble. I've been there", I kept saying. "Our kids aren't battle tested. Many have never been in a meet of this magnitude. The atmosphere is unlike anything they've seen.'' I was a lonely voice in a field. This is not the blah, blah, blah invitational, this is nationals!
Briyahna Desrosiers (North Lawndale Prep) gave a very honest account of what happened to her and her experience. There were parts that matched my previous blog New York, New York. I'm sure the rest of the athletes felt the same way at some point, so I wasn't shocked. In fact, I told T. Jones we had maybe 2-3 athletes who had a shot to really do something. I saw a lot of inexperienced big-meet athletes who weren't mentally or physically prepared, some questionable coaching moves and a blatant disrespect for the game of track and field.
It seemed at one point that everyone said 'let's go to New York and do some site seeing.' It appeared as though New Balance was the excuse to get away. Overall, as a state we lost respect and quite simply -- wet the bed! Those that decided to stay home were smart. They kept their reputation intact and saved their money. I'm sure the meet would've brought confidence and experience to those who felt they could compete. But this past weekend hurt us bad. I got texts all weekend from coaches from all over the country who look up to our state as a track power asking: "what is wrong with you guys?"
The coaching decisions blew me away. How does our top male sprinter Cole Henderson (Pekin) make his debut in the New Balance meet? No tune up meet? He was just thrown to the wolves to fight against the nation's best. Your résumé from last year means nothing in a meet like this. He ran one of the state's best 60m times of the season, which is a credit to him. And it doesn't bode well for the hunters (those chasing the top athlete). I mentioned several blogs back because he will only get better as the season goes along. There's no way he was mentally or physically prepared for this meet. No Way! Usain Bolt doesn't go to the Olympics without running in a meet, so why should Cole go to nationals without one?
One of the United States' best triple jumpers from Cahokia in sophomore sensation Ja'Mari Ward was on the cusp of taking over the whole event. But he felt uncomfortable competing without his coach there. Maybe there was a legitimate reason why Coach Leroy Millsap wasn't there. If not, you have to be there! He made all the other meets, but misses the biggest one. There had to be a reason. He cares too much for his athletes; even coming out of his own pocket to get them to certain meets. Ja'Mari was mentally messed up the moment he left Cahokia. Remember, there were some more Ja'Mari's on the runway in New York. He can't just win there like he does in the meets in IL. On top of it all, he gets hurt. Very disappointing! The coach and his/her decisions are crucial to the athlete and their performances. By the end of the meet, a "C'mon man" from ESPN commentator Chris Carter was all that was needed to be said. Hopefully something was learned by the athletes/coaches who went and by those who consider going in the future. As stated in, Stay or Go, just because you have the money doesn't mean you should go.
How do we move forward? There are a few weeks left in the indoor season. Illinois athletes can still do BIG things and show we're one of the top states in the U.S. The whole state needs to go back to the drawing board. Coaches need to step up. Athletes that went to New York got a serious wake up call. Are you just happy with being the best in Illinois? Or do you want to strive for being the best in the country? Those that went were considered, for the most part, as some of Illinois' best. They will either step their game up, or continue on a downward slide the rest of the season. To the hunters, here's your chance. The door is open to knock off a few of these athletes as their egos and confidence may be a little fragile. And to the athletes who did well at New Balance, congrats and continue working hard.
There is now an even bigger target on your back than it was before the meet. The competition won't be the same as New Balance, but please treat it as such. Take some pride in your ability and your state. Let's put in some work, push yourselves and prove the state of Illinois is no joke. C'mon Man!!