My experience with HS kids is that everyone wants fast times, so flat, short
courses are preferred.
I directed the state championship meet for South Carolina independent
schools this season. The course was a full 5k, it was hilly and the surface
was uneven and had some loose sand. The main complaint that I received was
that the times were too slow.
Our state public schools championship races are on a course which is short
and has firm, even footing. It produces times which are about a minute too
fast. Needless to say, everyone loves it.
I think that road racing has a lot to do with the obsession with times.
Ed Prytherch.
Alan Tobin wrote:
> I often find it funny that a lot of XC races are run over flat, clipped
> grass courses. Even worse is the multi-loop courses such as Worlds. I
think
> to qualify as an XC course you have to jump, scramble, or wade through
> something. I can think of only 3 XC races in my life that were "true" XC
> races. Once in high school with 3 inches of snow on the ground (any course
> with at least 1 inch of snow on the ground qualifies as a "true" XC
course),
> another time in high school during a downpour with little foot deep pools
to
> run across (again, any race in which it downpours or there is a lot of
> "sloshing" going on qualifies), and once in college at I believe it was
> Virginia Tech...the "jump over this little downed tree" obstacle...it's so
> cute..;)
>
