Raising the Standard: Two Public-Record Reports on Course Accuracy and State Qualifying
By Coach Christopher Young
Read in this order
Course Accuracy and Standards lays the groundwork.
Odd/Even Qualifier Report builds on it and won't make complete sense without report 1.
Checks package (optional): the data and scripts behind every number.
Coaches, colleagues, parents and athletes,
Cross country changed the direction of my life. Most of us in this sport could say something similar, and that's why I'm writing. The kids we coach trust that the times, rankings and qualifying spots we publish are real. When those numbers aren't sound, the kids are the ones who pay for it, either with a false sense of where they stand or with a spot they earned and didn't get.
Linked below are two public-record reports I've put together over the past few days. Please read them in order. The Course Accuracy and Standards report comes first and lays the groundwork; the Odd/Even Qualifier report builds on it and won't make complete sense without it. Neither one is meant to call out a program, a host or a child. Every course here is run by people who care, and nothing in these reports suggests bad faith. The question they ask is simple: are we holding ourselves to a standard that lives up to what our athletes give us?
Course Accuracy and Standards. South Carolina has no requirement that a cross country course be measured and published. The report shows how unmeasured courses can move season bests and rankings. It proposes that SCHSL and SCTCCCA require a published measurement before a course counts toward rankings standards.
Odd/Even Qualifier Report. In the 2021–2025 qualifiers, 26 teams lost a state berth that the other half of the draw would have given them. All 26 would have qualified in the other race. The report proposes a format of 7 automatic spots plus 2 at-large berths per race.
Every result was checked against the official timer results, and the files behind each number are in the checks package linked below for anyone who wants to check the work.
I'm not writing to win an argument. I'm asking us to take a hard look together, leave no stone unturned, and make sure the final rankings and what we put in front of the media are as sound as they can be for every athlete who toes the line. We set the tone for our youth, and I believe we can raise it.
I'd welcome your thoughts, questions or pushback, and I'm glad to walk through any part of this.
Read first: Course Accuracy and Standards (PDF)
Read second: Odd/Even Qualifier Report (PDF)
Checks package (zip, data and scripts): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gRaJKI3RCimXTscgQuHf0GkbzE4Armmk/view?usp=sharing
Report 1 at a glance: Course Accuracy and Standards
South Carolina has no requirement that a cross country course be measured and published. The report shows how unmeasured courses can move season bests and rankings, and proposes that SCHSL and SCTCCCA require a published measurement before a course counts toward rankings standards.
Report 2 at a glance: Odd/Even Qualifier Report
In the 2021–2025 qualifiers, 26 teams lost a state berth that the other half of the draw would have given them; all 26 would have qualified in the other race. The report proposes 7 automatic spots plus 2 at-large berths per race.
With respect and gratitude,
Coach Christopher Young
Director of XC⚡️TF, Lake Wylie High School
Comments