A report from Track & Field News states that the wunderkind from Oklahoma State may skip the NCAA Indoor Championships in favor of the World Cross Country Championships.
The chattering class discusses the idea, some thinking it's good and others thinking it's bad, weighing the toll either would take on his body. But their take is not looking at it from the wrong perspective.
NCAA competition is "small ball". Mixing it up overseas with the Ethiopians and Kenyans is "thinking big". In the world of politics, "small ball" is the day-to-day contests of power and publicity in Washington. One of the things that impressed political observers most about Barack Obama during the presidential campaign is that he didn't care about stuff like that; he had a larger plan to follow, and did so very well. He "thought big", and one presumes he still does.
Similarly, German Fernandez and his coach are thinking well beyond the present.
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1 comment:
I completely agree with your assessment of Fernandez doing World XC over NCAA Indoors. Lets be honest, NCAA Indoors means absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things. Fernandez will get his opportunity to see how he stacks up against the likes of Rupp and Chelenga outdoors.
Plus, if Fernandez, Derrick and Puskedra all compete at the World XC Champs, that gives us the best trio of talent at the junior level EVER! That is a big thing, and it gives us an idea of how well our talented frosh trio stacks up against the world's best at that age. This alone is a greater story line then anything NCAA Indoors can offer up.
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