As we get ready for the 2012 Forest Park XC Festival, I’m once again hearing chatter about “The Curse of Forest Park.”
This conversation has developed over the last two seasons as Caleb Wilfong; the 2010 Festival winner was defeated by Zach Herriott in November. In 2011 the roles were reversed with Herriot prevailing at Forest Park in September and Wilfong winning in Jefferson City. I know both of these runners placed a high emphasis on winning the prestigious and very competitive Forest Park XC Festival but does it come at the cost of winning state later in the season?
On the girls side it was Colleen Quigley winning the Festival in 2010 and Hannah Long in 2011. Both runners were eventually defeated at state by Samantha Nightingale of Blue Springs South who did not participate in the Festival.
It’s important to note that the in years 1-4 of the Festival the boy that won the Forest Park Festival was also crowned state champion. The same holds true for the first three years of the girl’s race. Skeptics argue that the guys in won in previous years were Class 1 or 3 boys and that the bad luck only applies to someone in Class 4.
While any discussion of a “curse” is recent phenomenon, many will be watching to see how this year’s winner performs at the end of the season.
What do you think – Does winning a big early season meet hurt your chances later in the season? Feel free to comment on this post or answer our poll question on the topic.