Foot Locker Nationals and Hasay

I have had the opportunity to work with Pete Henkes at the Midwest Footlocker Cross Country Championship for the past 13 years at UW Parkside. To work at the finish line and see the joy and excitement when runners qualify for San Diego is a great experience and demonstrateds the sheer joy of running High School Cross Country. The FootLocker Individual series is a great event and opportunity to promote the sport of running. I never had the opportunity to attend the National Championships in San Diego, put have heard several first hand reports about the great atmosphere and treatment of the athletes. I followed this year's race online. I (like many) am fascintated by Jordan Hasay.
Like most of the fans watching the Olympic Trials 1500m trials and finals in Eugene, I was fixated on watchting the tough little kid with the long hair. I watched her first trials race standing in the runway behind the finish line with Peter Tegen talking about his return to Wisconsin, as a resident. I asked Coach Tegen (after he had weeks before announced his retirement from Stanford) if he wanted to work with Jordan and he just smiled and said "I would have thought twice if she was at Stanford."I have also heard about the great pride and celebrity she has earned in California andspecifically her home town of San Luis Obispo. Jan Johnson is no longer San Luis Obispo's only Track and Field celebrity. (If Jan was ever a celebrity)
In Eugene, I had the opportunity to briefly talk with Jordan and her mother (The long hair runs in the family) and I also spent a few hours with her coach during the PCS Coaches Summitt at the legendary Villard Street Pub. The impression that I received is that Jordan is NOT over trained and actually maintains a very balanced and realistic High School training schedule. However, like most track fans we have seen this scenario way too many times and have to wonder about over training and her potential for success, at the next level.
However, what is her next step after High School ? Will she will compete at the NCAA level ? Hasay Quote: “I don’t want to be just the best high school runner,” Hasay said. “I want to go on to run professionally and be a great American distance runner in the future.” Based on that quote,the opportunities created by shoe companies,and the fact that the trials will be 3 years away, after her High School career. I doubt track and XC fans will see her in four years of NCAA Meets, or any NCAA Meets as a collegiate runner. The "Oregon/Nike" Galen Rupp model seems to be a proven path to success at the Trials. What a better pair for the future of distance running and the running faces of a shoe company.

Full Story about Hasay's Victory at Foot Locker Nationals