Sadly, you're probably correct...
Both the MMOC & the XC version cost our athletes nothing...the OATCCC provided everything. No one was making money off of the athletes @ either of these meets. Awards were not "over the top"...no "All-American" proclamations, little hyperbole. Instead, athletes who had been fierce competitors became intense teammates, running for Team-Ohio. When the tales of past meets...and the titanic battles w/Team Michigan (& Indiana, to a lesser extent) were told on Friday night when the team finally was all present...a transformation would occur. Suddenly, winning for Ohio mattered more than competing for themselves. On the track, having athletes chanting O-H-I-O & waving the Ohio flag during intense racing allowed athletes to realize that being a TEAM is very important...if only for a weekend. Those experiences don't occur at national meets.
I have taken many an athlete to both XC & Track national meets and had a marvelous time. Sadly, those meets are becoming more exclusive based on finances. Travel expenses, hotel bills, entry fees...often those w/o access to solid financial means get left behind. The MMOC (& XC version) allowed all to participate...regardless of financial status. It allowed athletes of all divisions to be part of Team-Ohio...regardless of school size. It allowed parents to see their seniors compete one more time, on a true all-star caliber squad...for their home state, relatively close to home.
The proliferation of national meets and the opportunities to claim national titles seems to be the trend...mainly because there is a lot of money to be made by the companies hosting such meets. The appeal to ego is strong and a sign of the changing times. So, while it is no surprise, it is still disappointing. Sometimes it's good to realize/reflect that old virtues are still virtues. We need to make sure to reinforce some of those virtues and not fall prey to the marketing/glamour & hyperbole of marketers.
RIP MMOC
