This is - as others have said - a really good piece. It resonates with me because, well, I ran cross country, ran at Footlocker in high school (twice) and ran to a scholarship at a college that shall not be named. I was on that elite track - almost to the exact description you provided.
This is - as others have said - a really good piece. It resonates with me because, well, I ran cross country, ran at Footlocker in high school (twice) and ran to a scholarship at a college that shall not be named. I was on that elite track - almost to the exact description you provided.
But the truth was that I wasn't an elite athlete - and likely wasn't even close as a high-schooler (a knee injury ended competitive career in college). The divisional structure in high school gave me, and I still need to think about this more, a false sense of capability; I was great in my cohort, but middling when considering *all* high school runners in Michigan.
I suppose cross country was my first brush with genuine classism. For example, Div 1 kids had coaches and quality runners who could really push one-another; I was an outlier at my school, had time on my hands and a vague hope that running would get me into college. I would never stand a chance against an elite Div 1 high schooler likely because my ability to train well could not equal theirs (picture Rocky IV).
Need to think about it more but your piece reminded me of an excellent essay by the one and only David Foster Wallace. It's called String Theory, and it's a great meditation on what the difference is between genuine elite athletes and the merely talented: https://www.esquire.com/sports/a5151/the-string-theory-david-foster-wallace/
Need to think a bit more on post-college/athletic career - the pressure to perform and excel definitely has had a long lasting impact. Anyways, good piece. Looking forward to more.
JVL,
This is - as others have said - a really good piece. It resonates with me because, well, I ran cross country, ran at Footlocker in high school (twice) and ran to a scholarship at a college that shall not be named. I was on that elite track - almost to the exact description you provided.
But the truth was that I wasn't an elite athlete - and likely wasn't even close as a high-schooler (a knee injury ended competitive career in college). The divisional structure in high school gave me, and I still need to think about this more, a false sense of capability; I was great in my cohort, but middling when considering *all* high school runners in Michigan.
I suppose cross country was my first brush with genuine classism. For example, Div 1 kids had coaches and quality runners who could really push one-another; I was an outlier at my school, had time on my hands and a vague hope that running would get me into college. I would never stand a chance against an elite Div 1 high schooler likely because my ability to train well could not equal theirs (picture Rocky IV).
Need to think about it more but your piece reminded me of an excellent essay by the one and only David Foster Wallace. It's called String Theory, and it's a great meditation on what the difference is between genuine elite athletes and the merely talented: https://www.esquire.com/sports/a5151/the-string-theory-david-foster-wallace/
Need to think a bit more on post-college/athletic career - the pressure to perform and excel definitely has had a long lasting impact. Anyways, good piece. Looking forward to more.