by Larry Eder
HOKA ONE ONE Postal Nationals, North Carolina meet, photo by Phil Ponder
The HOKA ONE ONE Postal Nationals is one of the best ideas for the high school sport in a long, long time. Ressurecting the postal competitions of the 70s and 80s (started in 1958, actually), the two mile postal is a great distance for high schoolers to test their fitness at the end of the season.
It is also an event that teams of any stature can compete in. My beef about end of season cross country and track is that there are too many high level competitions, with some of the favorites fighting against each other. This is not good for the sport.
The two mile distance, eight laps on a 400 meter or so track, is a great way to see how fit one is. It is also a great way to end the season.
This is also another example of how HOKA ONE ONE gets it. The brands that are doing well in running right now are, guess what, supporting the younger generation as well as core runners. Events like the HOKA ONE ONE Postal Nationals should be run by every high school in the country. It is a great way to guage fitness at the beginning and end of the season.
I hope that HOKA ONE ONE Postal Nationals continues to grow and thrive. It is turnkey, easy to set up an event and fun to see how many teams get it and are running it in 2015!
Goleta, Calif. (December 17, 2015) — The boys of Woodlands XC, Woodlands, Texas, and the girls of Green Hope XC, Cary, North Carolina, earned the Postal Nationals Championship titles as HOKA ONE ONE® (a division of Deckers Brands NYSE: DECK) wrapped up a second successful year of the revived competition. Growing by over 700 percent since 2014, the Postal Nationals featured more than 650 high school teams from around the nation.
Woodlands XC, the boys championship-winning team, hails from The Woodlands, Texas. Perennially one of the top high school distance programs in the country, The Woodlands boys also finished 6th at the Nike Team Nationals and won their 18th Texas 6A State Title this season. The team averaged a blazing 9:20 over 3200m for their top-five boys.
Coach Juris Green expressed his sentiments on the season and victory, “For over 30 years our program has taken part in ‘postal championships’ and it has been a yearly event we look forward too. I was very excited to discover HOKA ONE ONE revived this tradition officially and provided a way for it to be publicized across the nation. The Woodlands competed last year and again this year with the hope of winning. We are very honored to be named the 2015 Champions and look forward to defending our title next year in 2016!”
Among the girls teams, Green Hope XC of Cary, North Carolina emerged victorious. Running at the Postal National Flagship in Winston-Salem, they averaged 11:18 for 3200m. While the girls were runner-ups at the North Carolina 4A State meet, they saved their best for last and are Postal Nationals Champions.
Coach Roger Collins shared his enthusiasm on the season’s final honor, “We were very excited to participate in the HOKA ONE ONE Postal Nationals competition this past fall, and I want to recognize the Dash for Doobie 3200 for providing us with that opportunity. Our girls worked very hard over the past several months. This is a wonderful reward for their efforts and something they can enjoy together.”
Reviving a tradition from the 1970’s, the HOKA ONE ONE Postal Nationals allows high school cross country teams from every state to compete against each other in a timed two-mile race on the track. To receive a ranking, teams average and then submit the time of their top five finishers. HOKA ONE ONE’S Postal Nationals provides an open, democratic format, where every team in the country gets the chance to compete to be crowned national champions. This year’s championship teams will also receive a visit from Olympic 1500m Silver Medalist Leo Manzano.
“As participation in the Postal Nationals skyrockets, it is evident high school teams want the chance to come together and compete with other schools from across the country,” says HOKA ONE ONE President Wendy Yang. “By offering young runners this opportunity we are hoping to encourage and support a life long love of running.”
The 2016 HOKA ONE ONE Postal Nationals will kick off in August 2016. All information, including rankings, can be found at www.hokaoneonepostalnationals.com. Questions? Email postalnationals@deckers.com.
About the HOKA ONE ONE® brand
HOKA ONE ONE® is the fastest growing, premium running shoe brand in the world. Two life-long runners launched HOKA in 2009, after years spent handcrafting and shaping lightweight shoes with extra-thick midsoles. Initially embraced by ultrarunners because of their enhanced cushioning and inherent stability, HOKA now offers shoes for all types of athletes who enjoy the unique ride the shoes provide. For more information visit www.hokaoneone.com or follow @hokaoneone #hokaoneone.
About Deckers Brands
Deckers Brands is a global leader in designing, marketing and distributing innovative footwear, apparel and accessories developed for both everyday casual lifestyle use and high performance activities. The Company’s portfolio of brands includes UGG®, Teva®, Sanuk®, Ahnu®, and HOKA ONE ONE®. Deckers Brands products are sold in more than 50 countries and territories through select department and specialty stores, 142 Company-owned and operated retail stores, and select online stores, including Company-owned websites. Deckers Brands has a 40-year history of building niche footwear brands into lifestyle market leaders attracting millions of loyal consumers globally.For more information, please visit www.deckers.com.
