What we can learn from the Dutch/Olympics

Do you spend any amount of time around the Jr. Elite program?  While I agree it still needs wokr, we are light years ahead of where we were just 10 years ago.

As for Verzbicas, was that before or after his bike crash?  If not fopr that crash, I could easily make the argument that he would be ahead of any American when looking at the 2016 Olympic picture.  You're talking about one of 5 high schoolers to ever go under 4 minutes in the mile....and a sub 8:30 2 mile.  I watched him destroy Huertes in 2010, when Huertes had already made the team.  Verzbicas may never reach the potential he showed when he dominated the Jr. World race, but to use him as an example is unfair.

Uh...you also realize that USA's Tamara Gorman won last years Jr. Elite Worlds for women, right?

Every single time I have e-mailed USAT I got an immediate response.  Every single time I have called with a question I got it answered before I hung up.  Yes, USAT has some work to do, and yes, I know about the different factions concerning the recent elections.  But I can tell you this, since I spend a great amount of time around the Youth/Jr. Elite High Performance teams......the development program is certainly NOT being run out of a 2nd floor business office with a few employees.  It's run at USAT Select Camps that are put on by educated, capable, and well trained coaches/mentors.  It's run on the Youth/Jr. Elite race circuit that have some of the best organized and ran races I've ever been a part of.  It's run on a daily basis by youth coaches who have developed recruitment, training, and team programs that are light years ahead of anything you have seen at the collegiate level......not to mention athletes that can mop the floor with all but the very best of collegiate triathletes.

Yes, USAT needs to figure out how to proceed with AG athletes vs. Elite development.......but it will take some time.  I think posts like yours are thinly diguised jabs (and not so disguised) at an organization while offering NOTHING in the way of suggestions for improvement, and little knowledge of what actually is going on at the development level.  As you said, Americans like to whine a lot, huh?

The problems?  This is one of the great things about sports in America--lots of choice.  If anything, I think there is too much specialization, at too young of an age, for most athletes.

i think what he is really saying here is that on an international stage we are flushing money down the drain on football, because no one else cares.  the best athletes we have go to the sport that pays the most, not the most fringe one they can find.  he is right, but that's not how it works over here. olympic sports will never be big in the USA, we only care once every 4 years for the most part.  football, basketball, baseball. those are THE sports to do growing up, and to make it big professionally. unless your parents funnel you into something else if you have the genetic talent you will end up in one of those three.

Yup...can't wait for football season either.

And yes...the US does "waste" a lot of talent on football.  The 2013 combined player salaries for the all NFL teams was right around $3.5 billion.  How much are these successful Dutch speed skaters going to make this year while capitalizing on their fancy medals?

What a waste indeed.

Momma don't want Bobby playing no foolskating.

True enough, it's a problem.  On the development level,  USAT can't tell you where the EDR races will be next year, or what races will be qualifiers for PATCO, Worlds,  etc.  Furthermore, last year and this year the qualifying races fall right in the middle of the high school track state championship qualification.....ridiculous IMO.