as usual the wannabe running news site spouts out more garbage and triathlon hate.
verzbicas could keep playing in the shallow american running field or step up the game and become the next allastair brownlee. hmm looks like he made the right move.
Triathlon = a sport where even the hard core followers don’t know the proper name of its fastest athlete.
as usual the wannabe running news site
I don’t know that LetsRun is a *wannabe running news site *as they’re usually one of the 1st to the table to report the news. The forum is loaded w/ all sorts of nonsense, but arguably no more/less than what’s posted here.
spouts out more garbage and triathlon hate.
I’m not sure how that’s *triathlon hate *as it’s a quote directly from Verzbicas.
verzbicas could keep playing in the shallow american running field or step up the game and become the next allastair brownlee. hmm looks like he made the right move.
Although I disagree w/ the timing of his decision & don’t want to get into a debate over whether he should/shouldn’t have left…to say that he could *keep playing in the shallow american running field or step up the game, *is hardly the case…actually quite the opposite.
Today he has the ability to be competitive as a professional triathlete.
Today he’s not even the top 3 on his collegiate xc team.
So you tell me if there’s more depth in triathlon or in that shallow american running field?
LV can’t swim. If you can’t swim you can’t ride with the main pack. If you can’t ride with the main pack you won’t be in the mix on the run.
LV won’t be in the mix on the run.
LV will be riding alone the lead pack will be working together. Not saying they aren’t working as hard, just saying they’ll be faster on the same effort. They will gain more time on LV.
LV will be behind someone that ran 29 for a 10k. Even if he’s with the main pack, when he won junior champs this year he ran 15:33 for 5k, double that and you get 31 for 10k.
LV may be great with the boys, but he has a lot of work to do to race with the men.
And as for the quote, I’m sure anyone that just got a tour of the Oregon running scene would have a stronger passion for running than they would triathlon at that point. How often do you think while watching Kona that you want to go out for a run or ride? Same idea here.
Although the sub text with the quote was a low blow I wouldn’t expect anything different from the brojos.
LV can’t swim.
.
I can totally see your point from Junior ITU worlds in sept
http://athlinks.com/time.aspx?eventid=144628&courseid=250404
I mean golly 11 seconds off the first place swimmer is pretty much flopping around like a baby seal.
Can he sit in the main pack right now? Maybe maybe not, depends who is racing and how hard they are pushing. But saying he can’t swim is asinine. But i’m sure you swim sub 18s right now so its all good right?
Get over it SeasonsChange. It’s his own words. Unlike ST where only a couple of pros hop on to post (well, mostly just Jordan) dozens of current and former world class athletes and their coaches mix it up with the idiot high school or college punk, or troll. You might not like it, but their portrayal of triathletes is typically pretty close in my opinion. I read the posts here, and there, and in terms of acquiring knowledge about endurance sports ST is not even in the same league. Sorry, that’s my opinion and you will have an impossible time convincing me otherwise.
As someone their pointed out, LV is apparently trading in a college career for a shot at the Olympics. That’s fine, but in the end probably misguided, but it’s his choice.
As you might not like it SeasonsChange, but an Olympic medal in triathlon is about as meaningful as a gold in the Modern Pentathlon. It in no way, shape, or form does it equate to a gold in the 5000, or 1500 or 10000 or marathon. But that’s his choice. I doubt he ever makes the team actually. But, we’ll see, won’t we?
. I doubt he ever makes the team actually. But, we’ll see, won’t we?
Verzbicas is like the Tebow of Tris now. Geez, you guys are ready to say he wont amount to anything after he wins the world junior champs 2 months ago.
For his sake, let’s hope he isn’t the Tebow of tris. Tebow is flat out the worst starting QB in quite some time.
Verzbicas is like the Tebow of Tris now.
You nailed it.
Oh yes, I forgot that we have a world class coach who graces us all with his wisdom. Geesh.
Reading some of the comments on ST already it reminds me when people saw Taylor Phinney winning at a young age, and the next thing people were saying; “he’s the next Lance at the TdF”. Hell, we have people already saying he’s our best top hopeful for 2012, and he likely cant even garner enough points to even be in the conversation. The amount of pressure he’s going to face is going to be unreal.
And he’s played 4 games maybe he gets better maybe he doesn’t. But damn Verzbicas has got 4th at junior worlds and 1st at Junior worlds, and you think he’ll never make the olympics? Do you hate him because he’s good or do you think our Pro US team is just THAT good.
I don’t know if he does or not, but my point is “who cares?” He had a shot a making it as a runner, which would be a much bigger deal than making it in curling, or equestrian, or triathlon. But he apparently isn’t patient enough to let himself develop, which makes me wonder if he has the character to overcome injuries, adversity, and all the other things that the current crop of top US pros have. We’ll see.
I have no idea what hes gonna do, he may crash and burn. Kirsty McWilliam could never really come back after she won juniors 2008 in vancouver and I don’t think she is even racing anymore. But hes still got 5 years he can race U23. After he starts building that experience then it will be a lot better indication of how he is going to do it the WCS series.
Bigger deal to who? You? Maybe he doesn’t care how “big of a deal” running is compared to tris to some people. Just a thought here, maybe he wants to do what he loves to do and he determined running in college wasn’t that. He’s only 18 its not like he would be the first 18 year old in the world to change his mind on what he wanted to do. If he wants to be a triathlete and not a runner so be it. He doesn’t have to want to make it as a runner just because he was good at it. I don’t know why people what to chastise the kid because he wants to do want he wants to not what a bunch of people who love running want him to do.
Your acting like hes never raced at a high level before, but Lukas has been racing ITU juniors since he was young. Hes over came many injuries and has been under tons of pressure and he usually performs well. There was alot of pressure to win Junior worlds for him and for Kevin, and he ended up racing that race almost perfectly. He knows how to race triathlon, and is a more well rounded package than people give him credit for. He can swim, he was out of the water with the leaders in Beijing, and he still has room to improve. Saying he cant swim is just like when people where saying Lance wouldn’t be able to swim. I wouldn’t count him out of anything he puts his mind to.
I guess it really makes me suspicious when I see someone quit something simply because they are not top dog and struggling (which appears to be the case). I would love to know where his parents came in on this. Did they support him leaving? Did they try to convince him to finish what he started? No matter how you look at it, he got some bad advice - either at the beginning if he was encouraged to go to Oregon when his passion is triathlon, or now when he bailed on something he apparently very much wanted to do just a few months ago. Either way, I don’t see how this choice shows his character.
Verzbicas is like the Tebow of Tris now.
You nailed it.
WHAT. THE. BLEEP?
Paulo, stick to coaching, not comparing football players and runners/triathletes/whatever this kid does
But the thing is no one knows besides him and the people who were close to him if he really was struggling. Maybe he just didn’t like it, he didn’t pick the best time to leave, but I have zero problems in him leaving if thats what he wanted to do. It has nothing to do with him finishing what he started, why would he go through 4 years of disliking what he was doing, if that was the case, when he can do something he wants to do. He made a decision, decided it was a bad one and changed his mind. Could he have picked a better time to leave, sure, but once again he’s 18.
Who quits on their team before regionals? I’m not talking 4 years. I’m talking finishing the season he started. What, he won’t make the Olympics in tri if he runs at Oregon for 4 more weeks? Seriously?