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Wiltz doing track

Messi said:
ISU is never going to be able to get elite sprinters. A better barometer are their distance kids. The staff is getting nationally elite HS kids and they're getting slower once they arrive at isu. In the last 3 years they've gotten two of the best Iowa HS milers ever and they're not even on the team anymore
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This sounds like a coaching staff problem.
 
Messi said:
ISU is never going to be able to get elite sprinters. A better barometer are their distance kids. The staff is getting nationally elite HS kids and they're getting slower once they arrive at isu. In the last 3 years they've gotten two of the best Iowa HS milers ever and they're not even on the team anymore
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theyre not on the team anymore? What happened? I've not heard good things about the staff. Makes me a sad track and field alumnus to see the state of the program in a weakened big 12. The high school coaches in the state that I've talked to don't have good things to say about their interactions with this staff...
 
I had a friend in the early 2000's that was a sprinter at ISU. He ran a 10.4 100 if I remember. Kid was built like a greek god. To be truthful I haven't ever really followed ISU track but he was a great athlete and was so much fun to play football with on the weekends. Sad to hear its not going well.
 
hurdleisu24 said:
theyre not on the team anymore? What happened? I've not heard good things about the staff. Makes me a sad track and field alumnus to see the state of the program in a weakened big 12. The high school coaches in the state that I've talked to don't have good things to say about their interactions with this staff...
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Both Jason Thomas and Josh Evans were both struggling adjusting to the training, which 90% of incoming freshman do, and had injruies to some degree. Nothing career ending but enough where they had to take some time off running. Both were told not to see the trainers. Obviously their performance declined while running injured and they were told they could no longer train with the team. Jason left the team and is now just a student at ISU but I believe Josh is still training on his own and running in the meets Martin Smith allows him to. Josh ran a 4:04 1500 at Jim Duncan last month which equates to about a 4:21 mile, a far cry from his 4:04 personal best which he ran his Senior year of HS. These are just two runners that have suffered under the tutelage of Martin Smith, there are many others and an abundance of examples of shady stuff Martin and his staff engages in. I felt these two examples were good to share as they are Iowa kids and some may recognize their names, as well as having tangible examples of reduced performance.

Jamie Pollard has always been aware of these instances and I know multiple people who have approached either him directly or someone in the athletic department and expressed their concerns but no change has been made and with Thomas Pollard now in the program, I doubt one is coming soon.

Accusations and stories of abuse aside and speaking in terms of numbers; Martin Smith is one of the highest paid track/xc coaches in the country and has never finished better than 7th at the Big 12 conference track meet and has never made it to cross country nationals as a team.
 
Messi said:
Both Jason Thomas and Josh Evans were both struggling adjusting to the training, which 90% of incoming freshman do, and had injruies to some degree. Nothing career ending but enough where they had to take some time off running. Both were told not to see the trainers. Obviously their performance declined while running injured and they were told they could no longer train with the team. Jason left the team and is now just a student at ISU but I believe Josh is still training on his own and running in the meets Martin Smith allows him to. Josh ran a 4:04 1500 at Jim Duncan last month which equates to about a 4:21 mile, a far cry from his 4:04 personal best which he ran his Senior year of HS. These are just two runners that have suffered under the tutelage of Martin Smith, there are many others and an abundance of examples of shady stuff Martin and his staff engages in. I felt these two examples were good to share as they are Iowa kids and some may recognize their names, as well as having tangible examples of reduced performance.

Jamie Pollard has always been aware of these instances and I know multiple people who have approached either him directly or someone in the athletic department and expressed their concerns but no change has been made and with Thomas Pollard now in the program, I doubt one is coming soon.

Accusations and stories of abuse aside and speaking in terms of numbers; Martin Smith is one of the highest paid track/xc coaches in the country and has never finished better than 7th at the Big 12 conference track meet and has never made it to cross country nationals as a team.
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I find it troubling that Pollard should be far more in the know about this being a runner himself. Like you said with his son now on the team, he obviously has no problem with it.
 
Allen Lazard needed to run track in high school. If there is anything keeping that guy from being a first round pick it's his speed. Yet he never ran track...
 
isufbcurt said:
It's not like ISU is a destination for sprinters. We have been good with distance runners but when it comes to sprinters they all go to warm climate schools.
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As a fat guy that hates running, this is still interesting to me. Is there a reason for this? I'd think it would be the other way around. You can practice sprinting anywhere indoor or out regardless of weather. You can't really do that with cross country.
 
Messi said:
Both Jason Thomas and Josh Evans were both struggling adjusting to the training, which 90% of incoming freshman do, and had injruies to some degree. Nothing career ending but enough where they had to take some time off running. Both were told not to see the trainers. Obviously their performance declined while running injured and they were told they could no longer train with the team. Jason left the team and is now just a student at ISU but I believe Josh is still training on his own and running in the meets Martin Smith allows him to. Josh ran a 4:04 1500 at Jim Duncan last month which equates to about a 4:21 mile, a far cry from his 4:04 personal best which he ran his Senior year of HS. These are just two runners that have suffered under the tutelage of Martin Smith, there are many others and an abundance of examples of shady stuff Martin and his staff engages in. I felt these two examples were good to share as they are Iowa kids and some may recognize their names, as well as having tangible examples of reduced performance.

Jamie Pollard has always been aware of these instances and I know multiple people who have approached either him directly or someone in the athletic department and expressed their concerns but no change has been made and with Thomas Pollard now in the program, I doubt one is coming soon.

Accusations and stories of abuse aside and speaking in terms of numbers; Martin Smith is one of the highest paid track/xc coaches in the country and has never finished better than 7th at the Big 12 conference track meet and has never made it to cross country nationals as a team.
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That's ridiculous
 
dualthreat said:
Allen Lazard needed to run track in high school. If there is anything keeping that guy from being a first round pick it's his speed. Yet he never ran track...
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Not sure how much of a difference that would have made. He's a 6'5 possession WR he doesn't necessarily need 4.4 40 speed
 
Messi said:
Both Jason Thomas and Josh Evans were both struggling adjusting to the training, which 90% of incoming freshman do, and had injruies to some degree. Nothing career ending but enough where they had to take some time off running. Both were told not to see the trainers. Obviously their performance declined while running injured and they were told they could no longer train with the team. Jason left the team and is now just a student at ISU but I believe Josh is still training on his own and running in the meets Martin Smith allows him to. Josh ran a 4:04 1500 at Jim Duncan last month which equates to about a 4:21 mile, a far cry from his 4:04 personal best which he ran his Senior year of HS. These are just two runners that have suffered under the tutelage of Martin Smith, there are many others and an abundance of examples of shady stuff Martin and his staff engages in. I felt these two examples were good to share as they are Iowa kids and some may recognize their names, as well as having tangible examples of reduced performance.

Jamie Pollard has always been aware of these instances and I know multiple people who have approached either him directly or someone in the athletic department and expressed their concerns but no change has been made and with Thomas Pollard now in the program, I doubt one is coming soon.

Accusations and stories of abuse aside and speaking in terms of numbers; Martin Smith is one of the highest paid track/xc coaches in the country and has never finished better than 7th at the Big 12 conference track meet and has never made it to cross country nationals as a team.
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Very similar stuff to what I have heard. Troubling....
 
Clonefan34 said:
Not sure how much of a difference that would have made. He's a 6'5 possession WR he doesn't necessarily need 4.4 40 speed
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Do you think he's a 1st round pick after next year? His speed will play a huge part. He needs to be at least 4.5x and I'm not totally convinced he is. He doesn't play that fast.
 
cyrocksmypants said:
How so? What's the difference between doing it on an indoor track vs an outdoor track (legitimately asking).
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Are you comparing people from cold weather climates to warm weather climates? Or college athletes running track?

I thought the former. And the difference in speed down south is huge for a reason.
 
dualthreat said:
Are you comparing people from cold weather climates to warm weather climates? Or college athletes running track?

I thought the former. And the difference in speed down south is huge for a reason.
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I assumed it had something to do with weather? Should I be implying more of a racial demographics kind of thing?
 
cyrocksmypants said:
I assumed it had something to do with weather? Should I be implying more of a racial demographics kind of thing?
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Well that's part of it. There's only ever been 1 white man to run under 10 seconds in the 100 m dash. It just happened recently.

Running surfaces are extremely important to sprinters. Run sprints on concrete and you'll have bone and joint problems/injuries almost immediately. Sprint on snow/ice? No way.

Only a very small percentage of athletes have access to indoor tracks. The other 98% run on grass year round and live where it's warm.
 
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