Taylor Ewert - Going to Arkansas
- Thread starter JAVMAN83
- Start date
Runningfast
Active member
Congrats, Taylor! Certainly a powerhouse program with world-class resources and a long tradition of success.
I wonder how racewalking will fit into the picture for her since it is not contested in the NCAA.
I wonder how racewalking will fit into the picture for her since it is not contested in the NCAA.
JAVMAN83
Well-known member
I suspect they'll work with her a bit on that one, but by not going to the NAIA, where they DO sponsor RW, she'll be missing out on some medals. However, when you're already at her level of performance in RW, why bother winning NAIA championships when nobody is even close except at the National & World levels.
Arkansas is a big time program. This year the XC team started the season ranked #8 in the preseason poll and have worked their way up to the #2 spot just a bit behind Colorado. At the NCAA last year the Razorbacks were 14th. They've got a good stable of track distance runners and the future looks solid for XC and in track.
Ewert is an incredibly driven athlete with concentration and dedication that is rare for someone her age. She was also that way when she younger. Here is a good article that will give you an idea of the focus this young woman has (while a good article, the author was a bit sloppy in not dating it. It was written in 2018 after Taylor walked a 45:58 10K in Finland). The time that Ewert posted in the 10K in Finland stands as the #6 time ever by female Statesian. The 10K event is not contested in the Olympics. Women only contest the 20K. Men contest the 20K & 50K. This past summer Taylor hit the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials standard in the 20K race walk with a time of 1:38:55.
Because making the 2020 Olympics has been a stated goal of Ewert's, it more than likely made her college search more difficult. I get the feeling that she is going to concentrate on race walking until after the Olympics and then turn her attention to the steeple and XC. Here's a quote from the article that I posted the link to:
Ewert’s future in distance running, as in race walking, seems just as bright.
But major, collegiate programs at the Division I level dole out scholarships to distance runners, not race walkers, and finding a school that will allow Ewert time to train in the discipline will be a long process.
That’s one reason why Ewert and her family are planning for a potential qualification to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in the race walk. Teri (Teri is Taylor's mom) believes if Ewert qualifies, she can compete unencumbered and then focus her next four years in college at the events she was recruited for. She even has a file on her computer titled, “The Road to the Olympics.”
So, to answer Runningfast's question:
It seems that Arkansas is willing to work with Ewert on this. The 2020 Olympics are held in late July and early August so, in reality, Taylor will only be missing out on some of her summer running in preparation for the 2020 XC season.
Ewert is an incredibly driven athlete with concentration and dedication that is rare for someone her age. She was also that way when she younger. Here is a good article that will give you an idea of the focus this young woman has (while a good article, the author was a bit sloppy in not dating it. It was written in 2018 after Taylor walked a 45:58 10K in Finland). The time that Ewert posted in the 10K in Finland stands as the #6 time ever by female Statesian. The 10K event is not contested in the Olympics. Women only contest the 20K. Men contest the 20K & 50K. This past summer Taylor hit the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials standard in the 20K race walk with a time of 1:38:55.
Because making the 2020 Olympics has been a stated goal of Ewert's, it more than likely made her college search more difficult. I get the feeling that she is going to concentrate on race walking until after the Olympics and then turn her attention to the steeple and XC. Here's a quote from the article that I posted the link to:
Ewert’s future in distance running, as in race walking, seems just as bright.
But major, collegiate programs at the Division I level dole out scholarships to distance runners, not race walkers, and finding a school that will allow Ewert time to train in the discipline will be a long process.
That’s one reason why Ewert and her family are planning for a potential qualification to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in the race walk. Teri (Teri is Taylor's mom) believes if Ewert qualifies, she can compete unencumbered and then focus her next four years in college at the events she was recruited for. She even has a file on her computer titled, “The Road to the Olympics.”
So, to answer Runningfast's question:
It seems that Arkansas is willing to work with Ewert on this. The 2020 Olympics are held in late July and early August so, in reality, Taylor will only be missing out on some of her summer running in preparation for the 2020 XC season.
JAVMAN83
Well-known member
Nice info. It would make perfect sense for Arkansas' staff, or any other staff for that matter to work with an elite athlete like her. It's plain ole' good PR
said_aouita
Well-known member
Wouldn't Taylor get an extra year of NCAA T&F eligibility if she qualifies for the Olympics?
She's a '20 graduate. The Olympics are next summer, 2020, in late July/early August, and prior to her freshman year. If anything she could possibly redshirt her frosh XC year. I wouldn't see why she would also redshirt her T&F season.
I had to go back and reread your question after I posted ^. I think you're asking if she will be able to redshirt and not if she will get an "extra" year of eligibility. Is that assumption correct? Nobody gets 5 years of eligibility.
said_aouita
Well-known member
I wasn't sure how the calendar year worked for ncaa and Olympic RS. Even if the summer Olympics, if carried over the entire (following) semester year for the student athlete.
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Mr. Slippery
Well-known member
I tried to research Olympic redshirting and only found a plethora of material pertaining to wrestling (an athlete must meet 1 of 4 criteria to gain an Olympic redshirt for wrestling from the NCAA).
Do Olympic redshirts even exist for collegiate XC and Track and Field, let alone any other sports besides wrestling (swimming, gymnastics, etc)?
Do Olympic redshirts even exist for collegiate XC and Track and Field, let alone any other sports besides wrestling (swimming, gymnastics, etc)?
I think, before the season, you can redshirt for any reason. Once the season begins, if an athlete races minimally in the early season, they can be granted a "medical redshirt" if they do not finish the season. (My son was given this after running 1 outdoor track race). Each season CC, Indoor, Outdoor, is treated as a separate season. (You can run CC and Indoor and redshirt Outdoor ... or any other combination).
EuclidandViren
Well-known member
KevinL you are correct. You can also redshirt and then also apply and earn the 6th year of eligibility for a medical redshirt. I have had numerous athletes run 6 years while earning a master's degree.
Mr. Slippery
Well-known member
I know about traditional redshirting, academic redshirting (a.k.a grayshirting), and medical redshirting. An Olympic redshirt is something else entirely, but so far, I have only found them to exist in wrestling.
Here's how one can get one from USA Wrestling for the 2020 Olympics:
Meet one of the following:
1) Past National Team members (Top 3 from the World or Olympic Team Trials)
2) Top 8 at the 2019 Senior US Open
3) Top 3 at the 2019 NCAA Wrestling Championship or NCAA Champion from a previous year AND top 2 from the 2019 U23 World Team Trials (must accomplish both)
4) Previous Cadet, Junior, U23 World Medalist
Mr. Slippery
Well-known member
An Olympic redshirt is a bonus. If a wrestler already used a traditional redshirt, he could still use an Olympic redshirt if he meets 1 of the 4 criteria mentioned previously. In that sense, it's similar to a medical redshirt. Again though, I don't see where these exist outside of wrestling.
Newton's Third
Well-known member
If an Olympic redshirt exists for track would she be able to take advantage of it since racewalking is not an NCAA division 1 event? The NCAA may see racewalking as a sport not associated with track and field at their level.
EuclidandViren
Well-known member
Racwalking under USATF is considered a sub sport. The sub sports recognized by USATF are:
(1) Road Racing
(2) Track and Field
(3) Mountain/Ultra/Trail Running
(4) Race Walking
(5) Cross Country
NFHS and OHSSA also differentiate the above sports as different sports and different seasons.
Newton's Third
Well-known member
The issue is how the NCAA sees it, in order to grant or not Olympic status and some potential special resdhirt year. It seems to me that if NCAA division 1 track and field does not recognize walking as a sport it might have the same status as if she were an equestrian or some other non-track Olympian. Someone wrote that wrestling has this status but would it for an NCAA wrestler that is an Olympian in racewalking but not wrestling?
psycho_dad
Well-known member
But why would she need a red shirt for that? The trials are after her HS is done and well before the start of college. The Olympics are also before the college season for CC (A different sport) Most likely she would red shirt as a freshman anyway, so no big deal. The issue would come up again in 4 years and it would depend on the dates for the trials and Olympics.
said_aouita
Well-known member
Wow, I thought all NCAA sports which are also in the Olympics would be allowed to use the "Olympic" RS, as in earning another year of college competition. Mr. Slippery is right-on, the Olympic RS is commonly used among the top college wrestlers. Seems odd if wrestling is the only sport to get them.
Like Newton's Third mentioned race walking is not a NCAA sport, but it is an event in Olympic track and field. Same sport, different event.....
said_aouita
Well-known member
What date is the official start of ncaa xc?
psycho_dad
Well-known member
First meet is Sept 1st ish and practice usually starts 21 days before that with a bunch of hard to understand exceptions for start of classes and day the dorm opens and the moons relationship to mars.
She still can only compete for 4 seasons. If she red shirts as a freshman, which is typical, the big question will be if she qualifies to the Olympics in that 4th year. I would suspect she would have to qualify and compete in the Olympics for anything to even matter. Simply going to the trials would not matter much.
She still can only compete for 4 seasons. If she red shirts as a freshman, which is typical, the big question will be if she qualifies to the Olympics in that 4th year. I would suspect she would have to qualify and compete in the Olympics for anything to even matter. Simply going to the trials would not matter much.
said_aouita
Well-known member
Any thoughts on her race walking benefiting her running form or vice versa? She's very efficient, no wasted up/down or side to side motion. Does race walking contribute to stronger hips?
That is entirely reasonable. Below is a quote from the article that I posted the link to. The "Russ" that is referenced in the quote is Howard Russ, her coach at Beavercreek.
The effort is almost casual. Ewert, who’s cadence reveals a small knee drive reminiscent of her race walk, clicks off each lap looking easier than the last. Her arms and legs move in swift, unified motion.
“Her hips, the way she has to do her movements in the race walk, it’s made her stronger overall in the lower body,” Russ said. “When you come to cross country and steeple, they’re strength events. And she loves to make people hurt.”
Here is the article that I posted above. There is a video in the article. She is well-spoken and really has her act together. She seems poised beyond her years and it is helpful that her parents are very supportive and let her dabble in what interested her.
EuclidandViren
Well-known member
Is this the greatest girls' team in the history of Ohio?
Better than Mags was in their hay day?
Better than Colerain was?
Better than Mags was in their hay day?
Better than Colerain was?
psycho_dad
Well-known member
If they put their top 5 in the top 25 overall and top 5 in the top 10 in the team race and score less than 28, then yes. If not, no.
Not having Centerville there has to make the chance of scoring lower a lot easier. 5-10 points off the score right there.
Mags scored 28!
Not having Centerville there has to make the chance of scoring lower a lot easier. 5-10 points off the score right there.
Mags scored 28!
said_aouita
Well-known member
Thanks! Great article by Flo. I'm also a fan of flowrestling
She is definitely a strong and efficient runner. My favorite paragraph- "Over time, Russ saw that dynamic change as Ewert dug even more into the physics of running. She realized it was more about the process leading up to a race, rather than the day itself, and eventually learned that every workout didn’t reveal some huge insight about her fitness. Variables and conditions made a huge difference."(edit) I know the Troy regional course drains well but Ewert's time, in those conditions, on that course is REALLY special. Her time would have been top 13 in the D3 boys race.
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psycho_dad
Well-known member
Mags was 5th at the NTN finals that year I believe, so I still have to go with Mags. #5 and #6 matter. Today was impressive, but it wasn't as impressive as Mags 09. IMHO