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|  ATF Newswire: BorderChallenge Cancelled
By Larry Eder Dear ATF Readers, As the publisher of American Track & Field, I saw the BC as
a news item, just as I see the Nike Team Nationals (NTN),
and FootLocker races. I also allowed them to run ads, like I
do the two others, and I also supported the event on the
web, as I do the two others. I am thankful that Aron Taylor, President of the
BorderChallenge, took the time to write the following note
(see below) to explain the cancellation of his event. There is
no disgrace in canceling an event. Sometimes things work
and sometimes they don't. It does put the quality and importance of the events that
work, the Nike Team Nationals into a whole other
perspective. The NTM, which grew out of the NIke Border
Clash, is singularly the most significant event to happen in
high school sports in the last decade. The support given to
make the event what it is would cost even more than the
nearly two million a year that Nike puts into this event. But take a moment and think about this: when you see a
great runner racing well, you do not consider all of the work
that has gone into that great performance? To put on an
event, at the national scale like the NTN, requires that
support from a team, both physically and financially, and that
cannot be underestimated. The team that Josh Rowe has
assembled at Nike (which includes now former fellow
Madisonian Pascal Dobert) will continue to give us exciting
news about NTN for 2007. That hard work should never be
underestimated. There are lots of moving parts and
requirements for a large event, and the BC, as the following
letter tells us, was not able to fulfill. Making the right
decision, the Border Challenge was cancelled. We wish
Aron well. ______ Larry, You have been such a major part of the success of this
event. I have been
hit with circumstances beyond my control or ability to
overcome. Financially
we received a blow that presently we can't overcome. Below
is a letter
released today. Thank you and I am saddened
tremendously.
Aron _____ September 4, 2007 To Whom It May Concern: I would like to thank the many supporters and advocates of
the BorderChallenge Championships. You know who you
are and the perspective impact your efforts have made on
making a dream a reality. Without you the realization of such
a massive undertaking and endeavor would never have
occurred. To you... Thank You. BorderChallenge was and is about making a system for a
sport I passionately love more fair, equal, and making it
more personal to the high school cross country athlete. I
was there on November 4, 2006 when five states united in
an effort to achieve their dreams. I was there when the
Dakota Ridge, Colorado girl's team defeated the greatest
collection of girls cross country teams in one race in this
currently unrecognized Rocky Mountain Region. This same
team which finished only 3rd in their division at the Colorado
State Championships never gave up hope, ambition, and in
my humble opinion, fought with a spirit to compete at Nike
Team Nationals. I was also there when their efforts were
ignored and their dreams stayed with them in Colorado. It
was for this passion BorderChallenge was created. I believe there is something more to the sport of competition
than being a track guru, self proclaimed or acclaimed editor,
or for that matter those on "The Selection Committee", the
spirit of passion, heart, never giving up, always looking
forward, and achieving the impossible in the face of
tremendous odds that exemplify the sport of cross country.
How often have teams been favored at State
Championships only to lose to a dark horse? Dakota Ridge
was all of this; as a result I created with the help of many,
many passionate fans, coaches, city officials, and those
within "The Industry" a system I felt was more perfect. Unfortunately, circumstances beyond my control, beyond our
control have stopped our dream from becoming a reality this
year. For these very, very unfortunate reasons we have been
faced with the personally saddening decision to cancel the
2007 BorderChallenge Event. I personally apologize to the
competitors, coaches, race directors, and those personally
invested in this event. This is a disheartening turn of events
that is a set back. I would like everyone to know I am not finished. We will try to
overcome these setbacks and provide an event for 2008.
Through this tremendous work I have realized one thing---a
fair system is possible and those in charge of the current
systems have the power to change. Sincerely and with Warm Regards, Aron Taylor
President - BorderChallenge
aronmikhaeltaylor@hotmail.com ******* atf newswire, is published by shooting star media, inc. all
rights reserved.
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