WOC Team Selection

[andy]

Announcement has just popped up on the BOF site

Well done to everyone and can't wait to see you all perform in Switzerland!

[mappingmum]

That's a busy week in the office for Claire Ward!

[JEP]

Sarah R ran all four events (that is seven races) a few years ago. I seem to remember she failed to perform well by the end of the week. It was said this would not be repeated - but it will be repeated. Selectors should be brave even if Claire deserves to be selected for all four events so that results are optimised.

[Becks]

Have we selected someone only for the relay before? Cool decision, just wondering on a fact fans kind of basis.

Congratulations to everyone - looking forward to some serious cheering at the multi lap tops coming up!

[andypat]

Sarah R ran all four events (that is seven races) a few years ago. I seem to remember she failed to perform well by the end of the week. It was said this would not be repeated - but it will be repeated. Selectors should be brave even if Claire deserves to be selected for all four events so that results are optimised.

It looks like they have changed the programme of events a little this year to make it easier for someone to do all 4 events. I guess the selectors are aware of that.

http://www.woc2012.ch/en/programme.html

[graeme]

Very unusual selection. I assume the middle wasn't popular with the athletes.

It's surely inconceivable that they wouldn't pick Cat and Sarah for the middle (1st and 2nd in selection, by a ways). So presumably they didn't want to do it. AFAIK Tess also didn't, and picking Helen Bridle (12th in the middle selection race) would be, as JEP puts it, brave. So it has to be the other three. Although Claire had said she wanted to do sprint and long, she obviously up for a challenge. Like I said, I don't envy the selectors choosing the girls.

Looking forward to following the team in Switzerland, should be good.

[Kitch]

I can't understand the thinking in the women's relay selection at all.
All 4 races is too much for almost anyone, so I would expect that Claire will not be performing at her best by the time the relays are run.
So, if you have handicapped your relay team I don't see the logic of taking Sarah. She is the experienced head, the safe pair of hands in this line up, but if you've already knackered Claire out what is the point of the "old hand"? why not blood some-one else, look to the future ?
Alternatively take Sarah but don't run Claire in all 4.

Actually the most sensible thing would be to have Sarah run the Middle and relay and Claire sprint, long, relay, which fits results.

I actually think selecting anyone for all 4 races is unfair on the athlete,
Firstly its asking too much.
Secondly I think it is likely to handicap all their performances, always holding something back for the next race.
If I was the athlete I'd turn one down

[Becks]

It did kill Ali Crocker last year. She was virtually hallucinating by the end of the long final. And she's exceptionally fit: 17.34 5km on a hilly cross country race about two days ago!

Edit: Just seen Claire's post on facebook. Will shut up now. Go Claire!

[Kitch]

yep,
if it works for Claire then well and good.

g'on yer sel' lassie

[harry]

Claire loves multitasking and it suits her. She showed at EOC that she can still race very well in the 6th consecutive race and this time she'll get more sleep and a couple of rest days and the terrain is less "heavy" than at EOC so why not 7?

As for Cat: she's such a little pro! Delighted to see her mature from bambi into a thoroughbred and she'll be nicely heat acclimated after World Studs

It might look odd at first glance or fence-sitting or like the graeme-troll says it might look like we're fringe runners scraping up the dregs... the little charmer!! ... but here is an alternative perspective.... the selectors have given five of us the chance to go "ALL IN" and focus everything on what we are going to be best at and love the most right now. This is a very cool opportunity and arguably our best chance to compete as strongly as possible against other more professional teams with more training camps and more full time athletes - it's tough to compete with a full timer over a whole season or series of races but when it's just a single race (plus quali) then fully focused preparation by us helps to level the playing field. We may surprise! We may fail but failure is important too. The main thing is to just go for it 100% and believe.

Anyway.. now it's time to go all in and get on with this!