{"comments":{"2163749":{"pb_id":"193137","pb_type":"members","likes":"0","parent_id":"0","pid":"2163749","comment_id":"2163749","member_id":"193137","comment":"Erik, first of all and most important, I apologize for obviously communicating my thoughts so poorly.  What you took from my comments was not the intention at all, and not my point at all.  But I will take responsibility for that and own that.  And I actually thank you for bringing to my attention how poorly I came off in my comments.  I can assure you that I was not trying to disrespect the girls in the Midwest or any of the athletes.  No one can argue that some of the best runners in the nation are in the Midwest, and they have run awesome all season.  And I surely don't think the best runners are all in New York, I'm not even from New York (but I can't deny how many of the top runner's are from that state....I guess that is why Nike gives them their own region)?   I said at the end of my original comments that you were simply reporting what happened at Footlocker.  I should have elaborated on that, because the article itself came off to me as my comments came off to you.  Except for me it came off as disrespectful to all the other girls in the other three regions........talking about the dominance of the Midwest.  I know that was not your intent and that is why I made the comment that you were just reporting what happened.  So, let me try and communicate better what my point really was, since I did such an awful job before.   It is simply my frustration with having two national meets.  I think it is absurd, and a real injustice to the kids.  It would be perfect if NXN would have stayed only a team competition, with top individuals from teams getting individual awards as well.   But Nike in my opinion got greedy and is taking from the great tradition of the Footlocker Race.  Footlocker has really been about having a  national individual Champion for XC, and Nike started so a team champion could be crowned nationally.   Very cool.......if it would have stayed that way.  It was great to have both of these for the kids (Footlocker gave us the individual national champion and Nike the Team).  I wish Nike would have just called their individual winner a Meet Winner, not National Champion.  You can only have one National champion, but Nike claims it has the National Champ in Tuohy and Footlocker says Mascarelli.  What a mess if you ask me.  Once again we have two Organizations saying they have the National XC Champion.    So, since Nike and Footlocker are not going away and refuse to work with one another (which is sad for the kids), here is how I wish things would go.......Nike should not crown an individual National champion but a Meet champion instead, and Footlocker crowns the individual National champion like they have for 40 years and get rid of a Regional Team Winner.  Anyway, I hope this may clear up some things I communicated poorly out of frustration of a bigger issue.  And I deeply apologize to anyone and any athletes I disrespected or offended......please believe me that was not my intent.  The article just sparked my frustration, and looking back, commenting on this particular article was not the place to vent that.  And my apologies to DyeStat and Runnerspace.  I appreciate everything Dyestat and Runnerspace does for the Sport of Running.  I wish when I was running in High School in the 80's that you all existed.  Thanks for all the work you all do for the this awesome sport.  Apologies to the awesome XC and Track and Field community!!!","date_added":"Dec 11th 2018, 8:29pm","nest":0,"liked":false,"member":[],"can_delete":false,"item_id":556174,"item_type":"news","pb_image":"i\/no_avatar.png","pb_title":"JStar","pb_url":"profile.php?member_id=193137","pb_url_dns":"https:\/\/JStar.runnerspace.com\/","pb_wally_id":"2027414"},"2163375":{"pb_id":"67894","pb_type":"members","likes":"0","parent_id":"0","pid":"2163375","comment_id":"2163375","member_id":"67894","comment":"We know from your posts throughout the year that outside of New York and now, by extension, the Northeast, that you don't think any girls high school talent exists in the rest of the country, but please be respectful of the fact that Taylor Ewert, Emily Covert and Ericka VanderLende had the opportunity to race at both meets, through qualifying or the new NXN at-large system, and all 3 girls placed in the top 10 in both. Ewert and Covert placed in the top 5 in both. Alex Morris placed seventh and 15th at NXN and Foot Locker. Katelynne Hart placed second and 16th at Foot Locker and NXN. Sydney Masciarelli and Abby VanderKooi, one from each region, declined invitations to NXN and placed first and third at Foot Locker. Had Katelyn Tuohy, Kelsey Chmiel and Claire Walters not wanted to race with their XC clubs (can't say high school teams), they would all likely have been given NXN at-large berths and could have gone to the Foot Locker Northeast Regional and, thus, raced at both meets if they so chose. But the reality is they didn't. So please don't blame kids for the choices that NXN makes to go head to head with Foot Locker at these regional meets on the calendar. Foot Locker has been around for 40 years and NXN for 15. One could adjust to the other in the spirit of giving kids more opportunities, but doesn't choose to. Many of the Midwest athletes have raced 4 and 5 times in the past month at state, regional and national meets and still had enough energy left to be All-Americans at both meets. And please don't blame kids for the fact that Foot Locker has always recognized the top boys and girls teams regionally. That is part of the meet's history. NXN chooses to recognize the top XC clubs (can't say high school teams) and then the top individuals. That is why the meet started as NTN and then chose to evolve. There is no doubt Katelyn Tuohy would be a national champion at any meet she enters, with Chmiel and Masciarelli both in contention for the top three. But just don't dismiss what the Midwest athletes did or can do based on who is there or not there because they didn't choose who they get to or want to run against. Foot Locker Northeast Regional champion Jack Stanley took the opportunity to do both meets and placed 19th at NXN and seventh at Foot Locker, behind several Midwest athletes at both. So please make sure your argument includes both genders, and not just the girls please.","date_added":"Dec 10th 2018, 4:59pm","nest":0,"liked":false,"member":{"wally_id":"1468046","email_settings":"4294967295","email":"erik@dyestat.com","address":"erikdyestatcal","gender":"u","member_id":"67894","member_name":"Erik Boal","avatar_location":"","avatar_type":"","avatar":"https:\/\/www.runnerspace.com\/i\/no_avatar.png"},"can_delete":false,"item_id":556174,"item_type":"news","pb_image":"i\/no_avatar.png","pb_title":"Erik Boal","pb_url":"profile.php?member_id=67894","pb_url_dns":"https:\/\/erikdyestatcal.runnerspace.com\/","pb_wally_id":"1468046"},"2163285":{"pb_id":"193137","pb_type":"members","likes":"0","parent_id":"0","pid":"2163285","comment_id":"2163285","member_id":"193137","comment":"Can we all get a little real here?  I'm not sure why we even talk about a regional title and winner at Footlocker.  NXN has ruined any sense at Footlocker as to who has the best runners regionally.  To talk about the Midwest putting up a historical performance over 40 years at Footlocker is nonsense in light of NXN the past 15.  The Midwest would not have dominated Footlocker if NXN did not exist, the Northeast would have easily dominated!  New York girls at Nike went 1 (Tuohy), 2 (Chmiel), 5 (Walters), and 6 (Rauber), with all the same Midwest girls at Footlocker being there.  Throw Masciarelli and the New York Girls together at Footlocker and you clearly see that the Northeast has the best runners in the Nation, not the Midwest.  Bottom line is that NXN has ruined any significance of even talking about National dominance of a Region at Footlocker.  Most of the best runners in the Northeast Region were not a Footlocker and could not be due to Regional dates overlapping.  So I know Dyestat was just reporting, but this fact should have also been reported.","date_added":"Dec 10th 2018, 2:40pm","nest":0,"liked":false,"member":[],"can_delete":false,"item_id":556174,"item_type":"news","pb_image":"i\/no_avatar.png","pb_title":"JStar","pb_url":"profile.php?member_id=193137","pb_url_dns":"https:\/\/JStar.runnerspace.com\/","pb_wally_id":"2027414"},"2163408":{"pb_id":"67894","pb_type":"members","likes":"0","parent_id":"2163285","pid":"2163408","comment_id":"2163408","member_id":"67894","comment":"We know from your posts throughout the year that outside of New York and now, by extension, the Northeast, that you don't think any girls high school talent exists in the rest of the country, but please be respectful of the fact that Taylor Ewert, Emily Covert and Ericka VanderLende had the opportunity to race at both meets, through qualifying or the new NXN at-large system, and all 3 girls placed in the top 10 in both. Ewert and Covert placed in the top 5 in both. Alex Morris placed seventh and 15th at NXN and Foot Locker. Katelynne Hart placed second and 16th at Foot Locker and NXN. Sydney Masciarelli and Abby VanderKooi, one from each region, declined invitations to NXN and placed first and third at Foot Locker. Had Katelyn Tuohy, Kelsey Chmiel and Claire Walters not wanted to race with their XC clubs (can't say high school teams), they would all likely have been given NXN at-large berths and could have gone to the Foot Locker Northeast Regional and, thus, raced at both meets if they so chose. But the reality is they didn't. So please don't blame kids for the choices that NXN makes to go head to head with Foot Locker at these regional meets on the calendar. Foot Locker has been around for 40 years and NXN for 15. One could adjust to the other in the spirit of giving kids more opportunities, but doesn't choose to. Many of the Midwest athletes have raced 4 and 5 times in the past month at state, regional and national meets and still had enough energy left to be All-Americans at both meets. And please don't blame kids for the fact that Foot Locker has always recognized the top boys and girls teams regionally. That is part of the meet's history. NXN chooses to recognize the top XC clubs (can't say high school teams) and then the top individuals. That is why the meet started as NTN and then chose to evolve. There is no doubt Katelyn Tuohy would be a national champion at any meet she enters, with Chmiel and Masciarelli both in contention for the top three. But just don't dismiss what the Midwest athletes did or can do based on who is there or not there because they didn't choose who they get to or want to run against. Foot Locker Northeast Regional champion Jack Stanley took the opportunity to do both meets and placed 19th at NXN and seventh at Foot Locker, behind several Midwest athletes at both. So please make sure your argument includes both genders, and not just the girls please.","date_added":"Dec 10th 2018, 7:14pm","nest":1,"liked":false,"member":{"wally_id":"1468046","email_settings":"4294967295","email":"erik@dyestat.com","address":"erikdyestatcal","gender":"u","member_id":"67894","member_name":"Erik Boal","avatar_location":"","avatar_type":"","avatar":"https:\/\/www.runnerspace.com\/i\/no_avatar.png"},"can_delete":false,"item_id":556174,"item_type":"news","pb_image":"i\/no_avatar.png","pb_title":"Erik Boal","pb_url":"profile.php?member_id=67894","pb_url_dns":"https:\/\/erikdyestatcal.runnerspace.com\/","pb_wally_id":"1468046"}},"last_id":"2163285","url":"comments.php?item_type=news&item_id=556174&item_url=profile.php?member_id=193137"}