Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does he like the xc boys? They tend to have very different personalities than the soccer players at our school.

No, he thinks they are weird, no other way to say it. Soccer players are his posse

XC culture is very inclusive and has a range of personalities and levels, with kids who run extremely slow to some phenomenal standouts. There are usually Friday night dinners with bonfires with boys and girls together. My DD switched to XC her senior year from high school soccer and loved the atmosphere.

Anonymous wrote:In high school our state champ running back (and basketball small forward) ran track and medaled at the state level. I don't think he ever went to a track practice because that was during baseball season. He just sort of showed up and took the medals. That's how the stories go anyway. He had four or five varsity letters.

I would guess he was a sprinter. It would be unusual for a distance runner to not train for the races and place at state.

Anonymous wrote:Does he like the xc boys? They tend to have very different personalities than the soccer players at our school.

No, he thinks they are weird, no other way to say it. Soccer players are his posse

Does he like the xc boys? They tend to have very different personalities than the soccer players at our school.

In high school our state champ running back (and basketball small forward) ran track and medaled at the state level. I don't think he ever went to a track practice because that was during baseball season. He just sort of showed up and took the medals. That's how the stories go anyway. He had four or five varsity letters.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:5’11, maybe 6 at this point - slender frame. Very athletic compared to my other 2 kids, who had success at sports due primarily to grit. this one was riding a bike with no training wheels at 18 months. That’s why I struggle a bit, almost feels like he’s wasting athleticism if he switches to running.

How is running a waste of athleticism? What a bizarre statement.

It is. It destroys fast twitch muscle

No.

Maybe matathoning but not cross country. It’s three mile runs. Teenagers will run 3 miles in soccer practice anyways, the difference is in a cross country race you do it in 20 minutes.

I wouldn’t think of it as wasting his soccer training. He’s going to stop playing at some point - would you suddenly decide then that it was all a waste?

If he decides to pursue xc/track, the footwork, agility, and field vision he learned in soccer will help him a lot when navigating bumpy trails or making a move in a crowded field. There’s some strategy involved. It’s both a solitary and a team sport.

For a parent, the main difference between soccer and XC is that you only see the beginning and the end of the race. What happens inside the woods is a mystery.

Sweet

Anonymous wrote:cross country and soccer are the same seasons?? how do your kids do both

Travel/club soccer not high school soccer

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:5’11, maybe 6 at this point - slender frame. Very athletic compared to my other 2 kids, who had success at sports due primarily to grit. this one was riding a bike with no training wheels at 18 months. That’s why I struggle a bit, almost feels like he’s wasting athleticism if he switches to running.

How is running a waste of athleticism? What a bizarre statement.

It is. It destroys fast twitch muscle

No.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:5’11, maybe 6 at this point - slender frame. Very athletic compared to my other 2 kids, who had success at sports due primarily to grit. this one was riding a bike with no training wheels at 18 months. That’s why I struggle a bit, almost feels like he’s wasting athleticism if he switches to running.

How is running a waste of athleticism? What a bizarre statement.

+1
Both of my DCs are cross-country and distance runners. They also play club soccer. They say their XC practice are hands down more difficult and grueling. Distance running takes hard work, grit, and determination. Many kids start cross country (its usually a no cut sport), and a large number quit after the first few weeks.

A 4:40 as a freshman with no training is impressive. Boys, when they put in the work and train, usually improve significantly from their freshman to senior years.

NP, but I think the poster used the wrong word in "athleticism", but I see where they are coming from.

Endurance running is brutal, but you could interpret "athleticism" to be agility, quickness, dexterity, ability to change directions quickly, and in that regard, endurance running does little to build your athleticism.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:5’11, maybe 6 at this point - slender frame. Very athletic compared to my other 2 kids, who had success at sports due primarily to grit. this one was riding a bike with no training wheels at 18 months. That’s why I struggle a bit, almost feels like he’s wasting athleticism if he switches to running.

How is running a waste of athleticism? What a bizarre statement.

It is. It destroys fast twitch muscle

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:5’11, maybe 6 at this point - slender frame. Very athletic compared to my other 2 kids, who had success at sports due primarily to grit. this one was riding a bike with no training wheels at 18 months. That’s why I struggle a bit, almost feels like he’s wasting athleticism if he switches to running.

How is running a waste of athleticism? What a bizarre statement.

sorry, was worded poorly - meant wasting the soccer skills and muscle memory (soccer specific “athleticism”) that he developed as a youth

cross country and soccer are the same seasons?? how do your kids do both

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:5’11, maybe 6 at this point - slender frame. Very athletic compared to my other 2 kids, who had success at sports due primarily to grit. this one was riding a bike with no training wheels at 18 months. That’s why I struggle a bit, almost feels like he’s wasting athleticism if he switches to running.

How is running a waste of athleticism? What a bizarre statement.

+1
Both of my DCs are cross-country and distance runners. They also play club soccer. They say their XC practice are hands down more difficult and grueling. Distance running takes hard work, grit, and determination. Many kids start cross country (its usually a no cut sport), and a large number quit after the first few weeks.

A 4:40 as a freshman with no training is impressive. Boys, when they put in the work and train, usually improve significantly from their freshman to senior years.