I think that the move of the state meet to Elkins was a very important move for the sport of cross country. If everyone will just sit back and look and the sport of cross country, it is basically based on strength and how hard one athlete has trained through brutal terrain to accomplish his/her main goal. That is a State Championship. I think in my opinion and a lot of other college coaches have made comments that the move to a flatter course as it has been the past 2 years was a big mistake. An athletes training ethic is to train on what your championship meet will be on. The thing about a flat course is that anybody can train and do workout to prepare for a flat championship course, but can any individual train for a hilly a rugged course like Elkins. That is the question. As a runner I have run in many college races and high school races I have got the answer. To train and run on hilly courses you have got the right frame of mind and the phrase running is 80% mental and 20% physical takes into play. Anybody can train and run on flat courses, strength does not take much into play, you just go out there and run, but hilly courses you have got to plan it out, where to surge and where to relax. When a recruiter recruits you they come and see your performances then they will see then hilly courses first hand. That is what separates the men from the boys on the hilly courses. Once you win a championship on the magnitude that Elkins give then you know that have separated yourself into the elite category. One other comment I have read, why in the world would you want to shorten the course to 4000m. Then the college coaches will really underestimate the talent of West Virginia runner.

Daniel Ramezan
ex Gilmer County High School and Glenville State runner.