Fast is good explosive is better. College coaches don't just want to know who is fast only that's for sure. I think track is great in development but very rarely in any sport are you running with perfect running form. You have to have a strength base to you and many other things then just running trackto be fast. Basketball you can't run with great form when your dribbling a basketball. It's about getting from point a to b at angles or how you use your body to do that. Chris Mullins wasn't the fastest player but he understood how to beat his players by movement and the understanding of angles. You can't make someone faster if they don't have the genetics to be fast. You can improve them that's a fact . If you get a good trainer who knows what they are talking about like many of the kids have its worth my money. It's about training the athlete to what that sports requires fast is always good but being explosive and having the ability to move in different directions at speed in small spaces while being efficient with body mechanics is better. I don't think track teaches you how to move in small areas or how to be agile. Scarpelli talks about paying for trainers when he is a crossfit instructor or was one who has/had his track kids pay for training. I don't know if he still does but he def did.

I think the point of the article is to identify track as a complimentary sport to many others. And put a period there.

To compare/contrast it to other training that has additional cost outside of the public school system is a whole separate article.

Track is a way to get cardio conditioning, reinforce neuromuscular memory, muscle strength and sheer training discipline (through your coach, your team and yourself) when your sport is on hiatus or in low gear or that can be done simultaneously. AND it is provided by the high school as a normal part of the year.

High school Track is a time honored sport that has complimented football(for instance) since I was a lad, and continues to be endorsed by the likes of the De La Salle football program.

A grass roots way to strive beyond what one may consider their primary sport.

To say that time is better spent with a trainer versus a second sport depends on the athlete and the objectives of that athlete. There is truth in the value of a trainer and their techniques but not to the exclusion of a multi-sport lifestyle.

Multiple sports lead to multiple athletic and life lessons. It can provide multiple perspectives on training technique and objectives. It can provide exposure to more athletes and coaches and their views and their character modelling.

I'm not saying that Mullin's myopic focus on basketball was bad for him, because alcoholism is multifactorial.

More sports leads to more better kids is a reasonable factoid.

Running hills is the greatest work out to build speed. We have the hills right here along foothill road. A lot of it is forty-five degrees up, the best conditioning. Get out, run up the ridge, three times week. In four to six weeks you will be amazed with your increased speed.

This is just another example of how our schools segregating and polarizing the student body into have's and have not's.

What do you expect to come of the poor students who just aren't fast enough to keep up with these "Super Athlete/Students"? How will they manage to deal with the pressure to be better, faster and stronger when they barely can muster up the strength or courage to play a game of Dodge Ball?

I think we need to put an end to all this "Who is the best" mentality and learn to reward our children for the just being the best that they can be, regardless to what any coach, teacher, tutor, school administrator, politician or celebrity tells them they are.


...ok, that was all I could do before practically peeing myself but I just know that somewhere out there is a Helicopter Mommie harboring those very same thoughts about their 8th place Participation Award winning trophy son-daughter. And YES! Hill running is probably one of the best ways to develop speed and endurance. Just ask Jerry Rice..

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The hill he still runs in Redwood City is maybe a bit higher and longer than the Ridge Trail but for our own backyard, it's a no brainer.

Track is one of those sports where the athlete can directly control the outcome. Effort equals outcome, unlike some other sports like baseball where parents chirping in coach's ear may equal starting position. It's so refreshing to be part of a sport that celebrates the athletes attitude, effort, and real athleticism! Both high school's track programs should be celebrated!