Some coaches felt a little thrown off balance when they heard the announcement. Shortly after the FHSAA awarded the state meet to Ed Radice Sports Complex for another two years, it was announced that this year there would be no Prestate Meet.
Though the Tampa course is not known for its complexity, most coaches certainly feel it beneficial for their teams to have a go at the state course before the big race. Other coaches were taken back simply because the state preview has become such a fixture on their calendars.
Have no fear, flrunners.com is here! It seems destiny had a way of working its magic with the situation. First of all, the shortened season wreaked havoc on us all: suddenly there were three less weeks to work with and most coaches agree that too many big meets in too little time is a big no-no. Secondly, in early March our negotiations with Grenelefe Golf Resort (previously scheduled to be our 2003 host) began to go sour. This left us in the position of possibly looking for a new venue—helping to fill the Prestate void at Ed Radice seemed a logical fit.
Bob Ennis, Mike Boza, and the rest of the state meet backers in Tampa have been extremely supportive in our efforts to bring the flrunners.com Invitational IV to Ed Radice, effectively merging the two largest and most competitive meets in the state (flrunners and Prestate). The date this year, October 3-4, should be reasonably conducive to fast times and fit perfectly in stride with most team's schedules.
This year's meet should be unprecedented. In Florida Runners tradition, we will bring together the best of the best competition in our Race of Champions, while being sure to provide a wonderful experience to teams of all levels and areas.
We will introduce an additional varsity division this year—bringing the total to four. Our new Invitational division will serve as a good fit for those second-tier teams that aren't quite at the level of our Race of Champions, but probably will be top 20 in their respective classification at the state meet. Friday afternoon we will once again host our JV, College/Open, and Middle School races. All races will be 5K (including College/Open Men) except for our middle school races (they will be two miles).
Look for more information (including entry forms) to come at the conclusion of track season. Until then mark October 3-4, 2003 on your calendars!
If you have any questions, please contact meet director, Jason Byrne, at jason@flrunners.com or call (407) 774-6510.
Some coaches felt a little thrown off balance when they heard the announcement. Shortly after the FHSAA awarded the state meet to Ed Radice Sports Complex for another two years, it was announced that this year there would be no Prestate Meet.
Though the Tampa course is not known for its complexity, most coaches certainly feel it beneficial for their teams to have a go at the state course before the big race. Other coaches were taken back simply because the state preview has become such a fixture on their calendars.
Have no fear, flrunners.com is here! It seems destiny had a way of working its magic with the situation. First of all, the shortened season wreaked havoc on us all: suddenly there were three less weeks to work with and most coaches agree that too many big meets in too little time is a big no-no. Secondly, in early March our negotiations with Grenelefe Golf Resort (previously scheduled to be our 2003 host) began to go sour. This left us in the position of possibly looking for a new venue—helping to fill the Prestate void at Ed Radice seemed a logical fit.
