)
... As a fan, it is much more enjoyable to listen to her being interviewed (or,
for example, high-schooler Jordan Hasay at the Olympic Trials) than most pros
because a genuine enthusiasm and personality exists.A Quick Note About Mary Cain
Bill Meylan (May 19, 2013)
A number of people have asked about TullyRunners.com's "lack of coverage" of Mary Cain and her exceptional track performances since competing as an unattached runner coached by Alberto Salazar ... Mary Cain stopped competing for Bronxville high school during the 2012 cross country season and started competing as an "unattached" runner ... Her last "high-school-only" race was in December 2012 when she lost to Sarah Baxter in cross country at NXN Portland Meadows.
Since then, Mary Cain has run indoor and outdoor track races against college and pro-level runners with great success ... She has set a number of national high school records including a recent 1500 meter record of 4:04.62 at the Oxy High Performance Meet in Los Angeles ... Many writers and fans are hailing Mary Cain as the best female high school track runner of all time (even better than Mary Decker-Slaney).
TullyRunners continues to post Mary's NY State records on its track record web-pages ... BUT, since Mary Cain has decided to stop competing against high school runners, I have lost interest in her because TullyRunners covers high school competition ... She is getting more than adequate coverage from other sources.
Should Mary Cain Turn Pro or Go To College??
Although she is only a high school junior, this question is now being asked nationally ... One national news reporter just called and asked for my opinion ... My opinion is - It is her choice ... Some additional comments:
Mary Cain is very bright young lady ... I suspect she will attend a very good college and get straight As whether she competes for that college (or not) is open to question, but thats a personal choice for her.
Mary Cain interviews well because she is
smart, has a "bubbly" personality and is very aware of what she is saying
(the same cannot be said for many pro track & field athletes)
... As a fan, it is much more enjoyable to listen to her being interviewed (or,
for example, high-schooler Jordan Hasay at the Olympic Trials) than most pros
because a genuine enthusiasm and personality exists.
Mary Cain is a special talent ... The first person I heard apply the analogy "Mary Decker-Slaney" and "Olympic-caliber potential" was Bronxville Coach Jim Mitchell when we were talking about Mary at a NY State Championship Meet . Jim is one of the most respected and successful coaches in New York State history, so I think Mary Cain was fortunate to be attending Bronxville high school.
Mary Cain was freshman at the time (2011) The NY State Outdoor 1500 Meter Race was approaching Jim told me, "I really think Mary can run sub-4:20" 11 days earlier she had split 2:05.2 for 800 meters in a relay race, and a couple of weeks prior to that, she ran a 3000 meter race in 9:28 as a training exercise in a small five team meet (the only time she ran that distance all year) . Mary stepped on the track and won the NY State Championship 1500 Meter Race in 4:17.84 (a NY State record and national frosh record) . She didnt seem that tired after the race, and the enthusiasm and jokes were flowing during the interviews!
Mary Cain was a Bronxville varsity track member for four years (7th, 8th, 9th and 10th grades) . She was a Bronxville varsity cross member for 3 seasons (9th, 10th and part of 11th grade . Mary was a competitive swimmer during the fall seasons of 7th and 8th grade) . So Mary has had plenty of experience as team participant.
Pro??
. If Mary Cain is able to
run with the "big dogs" and WANTS to run with the "big dogs", why not?
.
But I really want to see her race Sarah Baxter in the Portland Meadow Swamp
one more time just to see if the experiment keeps repeating itself.