All day long, Jim Blackburn was worried about BC high knowing that the 4x400 relay would probably be the difference between the two teams. It was, but by then Brockton had clinched the team title by eking out points in events where they were not expected to score and by beating North in the pivotal 4x100 relay. At the end of the day, the score was 52-51 Brockton, with BC High making it a close third with 48.
Sam Arsenault had a spectacular day for the Tigers, in fact, as good a day as you can have, as he won the 300 hurdles (PB 39.98), the high jump (PB 6-7), and anchored the winning 4x400 relay team. It got me wondering whether any other Newton North athlete has won two individual events and a relay in the same D1 championships. I'm almost certain that Jed Carpenter (400, TJ and 4x400) accomplished the feat in 2004, but I can't find the results to confirm it. Josh -- can you help me out here? Did Jed do it? Has anyone else done it?
North also had another winner as Seb Putzeys dominated the 800, pulling away to win in 1:56.05, over 2.5 seconds ahead of second place. Other scorers included Ivan Kostadinov, who placed 4th in the long jump (21-3.75 -- oh, for half an inch more!), Adam Bao, fifth in the Triple jump (43-5.5 -- oh, for two inches more!), and the amazing Dan Giovanucci, who threw two feet better than his previous best to pull out 6th in the shot put (47-3.25). "As big a performance as Smitty winning the state meet," according to North throws coach Mike Bower.
North's 4x100 relay (Lamisere, Peterson, Bao, Kostadinov) placed 4th (43.72 - oh, for 8/100ths of a sec... oh well, never mind).
In the girls meet, there was little doubt that Newton South was the best team, and they led the meet wire-to-wire. The first event on the track was the 2-mile, the Lions took 1-3-6, with Kelsey Karys winning in 10.52.95. Newton North freshman Margo Gillis ran a personal best 11:11.29 to place 2nd.
While South was racking up the points on the way to winning the team title by 20 over Lincoln-Sudbury, Newton North was placing in several events. Carolyn Ranti led for much of the 800 before being overtaken by state 1000 champ Emily Mepham and Attleboro's Alex Neville. For Ranti, the time was still a season's best 2:14.83. Emma Kornetsky and Michelle Kaufman placed 4th (16-4) and 5th (16-3) in the long jump. Kaufman also placed 5th in the 300 hurdles. Freshman Emily Hutchinson just missed placing in the high jump, clearing 5-1 but dropping out of a tie for 5th on more misses.
North's 4x800 relay team (Kornetsky, Gillis, Tabatabaie (?), and Ranti) placed 3rd behind L-S and Newton South, running 9:32.44. Ranti ran a 2:15 anchor split and very nearly ran down South's Bridget Dahlberg.
Speaking of Dahlberg, Noah pointed out to me that with the exception of the girls 800, runners from Newton or neighboring Brookline dominated the distance events for both boys and girls:
Girls 2M: 1. Karys (NS), 2. Gillis (NN), 3. Reed (NS)
Boys 2M: 1. Wilson (Brk), 2. Burnstein (Brk)
Girls 1M: 1. Dahlberg (NS), 2. O'Keefe (NS)
Boys 1M: 1. Gibson (Brk)
Girls 800: ... 3. Ranti (NN)
Boys 800: 1. Putzeys (NN)
Interesting.
So it's on to the All-State meet next Saturday at Durfee High School in Fall River, where Noah promises to reprise his acclaimed role as race announcer and pundit for "JamCam."
Div I Meet Results on Cool Running
May 30, 2008
Class A Meet Today at Lincoln-Sudbury
The Division I State Championships (a.k.a, "Class A's") take place today at Lincoln-Sudbury H.S. Field events begin at 2:00; running events at 2:30.
Directions from Route 128/I-95:
Take Route 128/95 to Route 20 in Weston/Waltham.
Go west on Route 20 through Weston to Wayland Center.
In Wayland Center, turn right onto Route 27 (north).
Go north on Route 27 for 3.2 miles until you reach Sudbury Center.
Turn right onto Concord Road, go 1.1 miles.
Turn right at Lincoln Rd, the school will be on your left.
Schedule of Events:
Performance Lists
Directions from Route 128/I-95:
Take Route 128/95 to Route 20 in Weston/Waltham.
Go west on Route 20 through Weston to Wayland Center.
In Wayland Center, turn right onto Route 27 (north).
Go north on Route 27 for 3.2 miles until you reach Sudbury Center.
Turn right onto Concord Road, go 1.1 miles.
Turn right at Lincoln Rd, the school will be on your left.
Schedule of Events:
2:00 PM - FIELD EVENTS
TRIPLE JUMP (B-G)
HIGH JUMP (G-B)
SHOT PUT (G-B)
DISCUS (B-G)
JAVELIN (B-G)
LONG JUMP (G-B)
POLE VAULT (G-B)
2:30 PM - RUNNING EVENTS GIRLS FOLLOWED BY BOYS
TWO MILE RUN FINAL ON TIME
800 METER RUN FINAL ON TIME
300 METER HURDLES FINAL ON TIME
400 METER RUN FINAL ON TIME
*100 METER DASH TRIALS
*100 METER HURDLES TRIALS
*110 METER HURDLES TRIALS
**200 METER DASH TRIALS
ONE MILE RUN FINAL ON TIME
*100 METER DASH SEMI FINALS IF NECESSARY
*110 METER HIGH HURDLES SEMI FINAL IF NECESSARY
*100 METER HURDLES SEMI FINAL IF NECESSARY
200 METER DASH FINALS
100 METER DASH FINALS
100 METER HURDLES FINAL
110 METER HIGH HURDLES FINAL
***3200 METER RELAY FINAL ON TIME
400 METER RELAY FINAL ON TIME
1600 METER RELAY FINAL ON TIME
Performance Lists
May 28, 2008
May 31, 2008 - First (We Hate Bottled) Water Run/Walk Off
Carolyn Ranti and friends are organizing a race/walk in Newton this Saturday as their Environmental Service Project for AP Biology. The event will be held at Cold Spring Park and includes a 5K race (two loops of the Park) or 2.5K walk (one loop).
The event is intended to bring attention to the negative environmental impact of using bottled water in situations where safe municipal water supplies are available. There is no entry fee to race or walk, but the organizers are asking for small donations to benefit Newton's Green Decade Coalition.
Sign up at 2:00 on Saturday. The race starts at 2:30. There will be a table at the end of the parking lot (there will be signs directing people).
I plan to be there and it would be great to see other readers of the blog there!
May 22, 2008
Blog Vacation: In the Wilds of Maine
The Blog is on a mini-vacation until Tuesday, May 27, as I spend the long weekend in Tremont, Maine, fighting off the black flies, and running on the fire roads.
May 21, 2008
League Meet Results
League meet results pieced together from local news sources:
Daily News Tribune - Tiger Boys Excel at BSC Championships
MetroWest Daily News - Locals Shine at BSC track meet
Sam Arsenault ran a personal best 40.0 to win the 300-meter hurdles, high-jumped 6-4, and ran on the winning 4x400 relay with teammates Adam Bao, Seb Putzeys and Ivan Kostadinov.
Adam Bao won the triple jump (44-9), Kostadinov won the long jump (21-9), and both ran on the victorious 4x100 relay (43.4) along with Troy Peterson and Hymlaire Lamisere.
Seb Putzeys won the 800 in a personal best 1:55.7, beating Robert Gibson. It is a curious and astounding fact that Gibson, clearly the best distance runner in the state, winner of the 2007 D1 State XC championship and 2008 Indoor All-State 2-Mile, has not won an individual BSC championship race in any season this year.
Lamisere placed second in the 100-meter dash (11.2) and senior Alex MacLean came finished second in the shot put, while classmate Steven Long was third in the discus.
Jarad Forman ran a huge PR in the mile (DyeStat claims 4:34!), to take 4th. Wow. I mean Wow, wow, wow.
For the girls, Michelle Kaufman won the 300 hurdles (46.9) and long jump (16-9). Bonnie Guang won the shot put (33'). Margo Gillis placed second in the 2-mile in 11:28, according to DyeStat reports.
By the way, congratulations to Framingham's winning 4x100 (51.0?) and 4x800 teams (10:14). Did anyone see that coming? Also, great time for Weymouth's 4x400 team (4:04?).
Daily News Tribune - Tiger Boys Excel at BSC Championships
MetroWest Daily News - Locals Shine at BSC track meet
Sam Arsenault ran a personal best 40.0 to win the 300-meter hurdles, high-jumped 6-4, and ran on the winning 4x400 relay with teammates Adam Bao, Seb Putzeys and Ivan Kostadinov.
Adam Bao won the triple jump (44-9), Kostadinov won the long jump (21-9), and both ran on the victorious 4x100 relay (43.4) along with Troy Peterson and Hymlaire Lamisere.
Seb Putzeys won the 800 in a personal best 1:55.7, beating Robert Gibson. It is a curious and astounding fact that Gibson, clearly the best distance runner in the state, winner of the 2007 D1 State XC championship and 2008 Indoor All-State 2-Mile, has not won an individual BSC championship race in any season this year.
Lamisere placed second in the 100-meter dash (11.2) and senior Alex MacLean came finished second in the shot put, while classmate Steven Long was third in the discus.
Jarad Forman ran a huge PR in the mile (DyeStat claims 4:34!), to take 4th. Wow. I mean Wow, wow, wow.
For the girls, Michelle Kaufman won the 300 hurdles (46.9) and long jump (16-9). Bonnie Guang won the shot put (33'). Margo Gillis placed second in the 2-mile in 11:28, according to DyeStat reports.
By the way, congratulations to Framingham's winning 4x100 (51.0?) and 4x800 teams (10:14). Did anyone see that coming? Also, great time for Weymouth's 4x400 team (4:04?).
May 20, 2008
The Wii of All Flesh
Nintendo has launched it's fitness-themed video game for the Wii controller called "Wii Fit" and I'm not sure whether to applaud or make loud catcalls.
On the one hand, who could argue with fitness?
On the other, isn't there any area of our life that is safe from being turned into a video game? (That's a rhetorical question -- the last thing I need is to start a speculation-fest on Nintendo's plans for the rest of our bodily functions).
What is fitness, anyway? Isn't it something that by definition prepares you for things out in the real world? Does Wii Fit do that? Well, maybe it does. The more I watch the promotional videos, the more it looks like it might be a reasonable alternative to watching those TV exercise shows that have been on since the 1960s.
But there's still something really strange about going for a video-based run in the park...
A nice run in the park
On the one hand, who could argue with fitness?
On the other, isn't there any area of our life that is safe from being turned into a video game? (That's a rhetorical question -- the last thing I need is to start a speculation-fest on Nintendo's plans for the rest of our bodily functions).
What is fitness, anyway? Isn't it something that by definition prepares you for things out in the real world? Does Wii Fit do that? Well, maybe it does. The more I watch the promotional videos, the more it looks like it might be a reasonable alternative to watching those TV exercise shows that have been on since the 1960s.
But there's still something really strange about going for a video-based run in the park...
A nice run in the park
May 18, 2008
Record Day at MSTCA Div I Relays
(Photo - Henry Finch)
With Michelle Kaufman standing at the end of the runway, preparing for her final attempt in the long jump relay, the Newton North girls sitting in a row alongside the runway began their rhythmic clapping. They had just seen Emma Kornetsky jump a personal best 5.42 (17-9), and with Vicki Marone's 4.85 (15-10), and Kaufman's previous leap of 5.28 (17-4), the Newton North team was looking good for the win; still, the gallery wanted to see more.
Kaufman charged down the runway, hit the board with barely an inch to spare, elevated, and then flew. When she landed sometime later, she knew it was good. The mark was 5.65, 18 feet 4 inches, a personal best by almost half a foot, and enough to make North Asst. Coach Adam Carpenter "run around like a schoolgirl" (Shawn Wallace). The trio of marks was two feet better the next team, and set a new MSTCA Relays record.
Later, the Newton North boys would do their best to upstage the girls, jumping an aggregate 20.67 (67-8), or a staggering 22-7 per jumper, also an MSTCA Relays record. I didn't get the individual jumps from the record-setting trio of Bao, Arsenault, and Kostadinov, but perhaps one of my readers can supply the marks.
The victory for the girls in the long jump relay was one of four wins on the day. The Tigers also won the shuttle hurdle relay (with their B team taking fifth), the sprint medley (Carolyn Ranti splitting 2:15 to move from fourth to first on the final leg), and the discus. A 2nd place finish in the distance medley, a 3rd place in the shot put, and a 5th in the 4x800 completed the scoring for North. Alas, those 56 points were not quite enough to hold off Newton South, which scored 60 points, including wins in the 4x1600, distance medley, and shot put.
For the boys, the win the long jump was accompanied by a win in the sprint medley (in which the Tigers were relegated to the slowest heat after their entry card went missing), 3rd place finishes in the shot put and 4x400, and a somewhat disappointing 4th place in the triple jump. That was good enough for the Tigers to take third place in the overall standing with 36 points, 11 behind BC High and five behind Andover.
Misc Notes: The Brookline boys dominated both distance events. They won the 4x1600 in an All-Class state record 17:50.11, eclipsing by four seconds the time set by the 2004 Newton North team. Two hours later they won the distance medley by over 20 seconds. Other than a brilliant first 1600 by Newton South's Andrew Wortham, no one really gave Brookline any competition.
Newton South set a huge meet and all-class record in the girls 4x1600, running 21:07.08 to break their own previous record by a whopping 45 seconds -- and all this without Bridget Dahlberg, the best miler in the state! Newton South's B team ran 22:43 for 8th. I think it's safe to say that their 8x1600 relay team (avg 5:28) would be pretty formidable.
Mike Miller was complaining about having the pole vault count in the team scoring, since some schools have it, and other are barred from having it. However, in spite of the potential for the pole vault to impact the team competition, that didn't happen in the D1 meet (the Newton South girls gained a single point by placing sixth). However, the D2 meet is a nightmare, with the pole vault not only determining the team champion but taking place on Sunday, almost a day after the main competitions. This is such a bad idea that it deserves its own column on the subject.
I thought it was great to have this meet in mid-May instead of late April. It really felt like a championship meet.
Link to Div I MSTCA Relays Results on Cool Running
NNHS Alumni Results - May 17, 2008
I try to picture the final sprint, the final 100 meters after almost 25 laps of racing, the runner from Bowdoin trying to hold off the runner from Rochester, or was it the other way around?
I've run at that track, the one at Springfield College, and I can picture it in my mind, the runners passing the steeplechase water jump on the final turn, the spectators in the aluminum bleachers... Had I been there on Saturday for the ECAC Div III Championships, I would have been quite conflicted watching Dan Chebot (NNHS Class of 2005) and Pat Pierce (NNHS Class of 2004) sprinting for the finish together. On this day, Dan prevailed by half a second, 32:49.59 to 32:50.17.
At the same meet, Doug Brecher competed in the 5000 (I'm surprised he wasn't also in the 10K), running 15:39.15.
At the SEC Championships, being held this weekend at Auburn, Chris Barnicle placed 9th in the 10000m, running 30:11.15 for Arkansas.
I've run at that track, the one at Springfield College, and I can picture it in my mind, the runners passing the steeplechase water jump on the final turn, the spectators in the aluminum bleachers... Had I been there on Saturday for the ECAC Div III Championships, I would have been quite conflicted watching Dan Chebot (NNHS Class of 2005) and Pat Pierce (NNHS Class of 2004) sprinting for the finish together. On this day, Dan prevailed by half a second, 32:49.59 to 32:50.17.
At the same meet, Doug Brecher competed in the 5000 (I'm surprised he wasn't also in the 10K), running 15:39.15.
At the SEC Championships, being held this weekend at Auburn, Chris Barnicle placed 9th in the 10000m, running 30:11.15 for Arkansas.
May 16, 2008
Pistorius Can Run... Can He Qualify?
Oscar Pistorius, the 21-year-old South African sprinter and double amputee, has been cleared to seek a qualifying time for the 2008 Olympics by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Pistorius has run 400 meters in 46.46 seconds, about a second slower than the Olympic "A" standard of 45.55, and half second slower than the "B" standard. It seems to be quite a long shot for him to run an individual qualifying time in the next several weeks. However, if South Africa qualifies a 4x400m relay team, the country could select Pistorius to compete.
I heard the news on WEEI, normally not a big source of international Track and Field news. Here's a link to BBC coverage of the decision.
An excerpt from that article:
"On the basis of the evidence brought by the experts called by both parties, the panel was not persuaded that there was sufficient evidence of any metabolic advantage in favour of the double amputee using the Cheetah Flex-Foot."
"The panel does not exclude the possibility that, with future advances in scientific knowledge, and a testing regime designed and carried out to the satisfaction of both parties, the IAAF might in future be in a position to prove that the existing Cheetah Flex-Foot model provides Oscar Pistorius with an advantage over other athletes."
Pistorius has run 400 meters in 46.46 seconds, about a second slower than the Olympic "A" standard of 45.55, and half second slower than the "B" standard. It seems to be quite a long shot for him to run an individual qualifying time in the next several weeks. However, if South Africa qualifies a 4x400m relay team, the country could select Pistorius to compete.
I heard the news on WEEI, normally not a big source of international Track and Field news. Here's a link to BBC coverage of the decision.
An excerpt from that article:
"On the basis of the evidence brought by the experts called by both parties, the panel was not persuaded that there was sufficient evidence of any metabolic advantage in favour of the double amputee using the Cheetah Flex-Foot."
"The panel does not exclude the possibility that, with future advances in scientific knowledge, and a testing regime designed and carried out to the satisfaction of both parties, the IAAF might in future be in a position to prove that the existing Cheetah Flex-Foot model provides Oscar Pistorius with an advantage over other athletes."
State Relays Tomorrow
Saturday is the State Relays, and the decision to move the meet three weeks later in the season looks like a good one to me. It seems fitting that "the true state championships" should follow the dual meet season and happen when everyone has had a chance to shake off early spring sluggishness.
The Div I Relays will be at Andover. The Newton North girls are the defending champs, and the boys are the defending runners-up.
Here's a link to meet information, including the schedule of events.
It might not happen as teams try to maximize points, but I can't help hoping to see record assaults in the 4x1600 relays. These will be the first races on the track, with the boys running at 9:30 and the girls approximately 20 minutes later. It would be great to see the Brookline boys (Robert Gibson, David Wilson, Chris Mercurio, Ryan Hardiman) run sub 17:45. And if the Newton South girls run their best team they could run sub 20:45.
The Div I Relays will be at Andover. The Newton North girls are the defending champs, and the boys are the defending runners-up.
Here's a link to meet information, including the schedule of events.
It might not happen as teams try to maximize points, but I can't help hoping to see record assaults in the 4x1600 relays. These will be the first races on the track, with the boys running at 9:30 and the girls approximately 20 minutes later. It would be great to see the Brookline boys (Robert Gibson, David Wilson, Chris Mercurio, Ryan Hardiman) run sub 17:45. And if the Newton South girls run their best team they could run sub 20:45.
May 14, 2008
Tigers Wrap Up Undefeated Seasons
It's official. The Newton North Boys and Girls won their final meets yesterday at Framingham to record matching undefeated seasons. For the boys, it was their 11th straight unbeaten season. The girls won their 19th league title in the last 21 years. Congratulations to both teams on an outstanding dual-meet season!
The final score of the girls meet was 102-34, and Framingham is not a bad team! Highlights for the girls included a double win for Emma Kornetsky in the 400 (61.5) and the long jump (PR 16-10). Whoa. If I'm not mistaken, this is Emma's first season long jumping. All of a sudden she's in state meet territory.
Michelle Kaufman won two events, the 100 (12.6) and 300 hurdles (51.9), and there were many other multiple scorers for North. Perhaps the most surprising result of the day was that Framingham junior Camille Murphy took first in the mile ahead of North junior Carolyn Ranti. Murphy's time of 5:17.2 is the fastest in the BSC this year. In another exciting distance race, this time involving freshmen, North's Margo Gillis outkicked Framingham's Sarah Bowhill 11:45 to 11:52 to win the 2-Mile.
The score of the boys meet was 98-38, with Newton North's athletes continuing to set season-best marks. Sam Arsenault won a hard-fought 300 hurdles and was pushed to a BSC best time of 40.9. Sam also won the long jump and high jump. Adam Bao won the triple jump by an inch (41-1) and 400 by a tench of second (52.3), while Hymlaire Lamisere ran 10.9 in the 100, which is also a BSC best for the year.
Alex Maclean won the shot (46-1), Steve Long the discus (128-8), and Ben Klein the javelin (132-0).
Newton North swept the mile, with Jarad Forman winning in 4:46, just ahead of freshman Ezra Lichtmann (4:46.9). Dan Hamilton led another Toger sweep of the the 2- mile in 10:21, with Charlie Krasnow running a PR 10:41.8.
The final score of the girls meet was 102-34, and Framingham is not a bad team! Highlights for the girls included a double win for Emma Kornetsky in the 400 (61.5) and the long jump (PR 16-10). Whoa. If I'm not mistaken, this is Emma's first season long jumping. All of a sudden she's in state meet territory.
Michelle Kaufman won two events, the 100 (12.6) and 300 hurdles (51.9), and there were many other multiple scorers for North. Perhaps the most surprising result of the day was that Framingham junior Camille Murphy took first in the mile ahead of North junior Carolyn Ranti. Murphy's time of 5:17.2 is the fastest in the BSC this year. In another exciting distance race, this time involving freshmen, North's Margo Gillis outkicked Framingham's Sarah Bowhill 11:45 to 11:52 to win the 2-Mile.
The score of the boys meet was 98-38, with Newton North's athletes continuing to set season-best marks. Sam Arsenault won a hard-fought 300 hurdles and was pushed to a BSC best time of 40.9. Sam also won the long jump and high jump. Adam Bao won the triple jump by an inch (41-1) and 400 by a tench of second (52.3), while Hymlaire Lamisere ran 10.9 in the 100, which is also a BSC best for the year.
Alex Maclean won the shot (46-1), Steve Long the discus (128-8), and Ben Klein the javelin (132-0).
Newton North swept the mile, with Jarad Forman winning in 4:46, just ahead of freshman Ezra Lichtmann (4:46.9). Dan Hamilton led another Toger sweep of the the 2- mile in 10:21, with Charlie Krasnow running a PR 10:41.8.
May 13, 2008
Did I Say That?
If the key to good coaching is good communication, I think I might be in trouble. It's not that I don't communicate, it's that I seem to communicate much more than I actually mean.
The other day I was chatting with Duncan, one of the cross-country runners at Concord Academy, and he asked me about a runner who used to train with rocks in his backpack. I must have looked puzzled. Was this some expression -- "rocks in his backpack" -- that the kids were using these days and that I hadn't heard before? No, Duncan was adamant. "Don't you remember? You told us about a Newton North runner who used to train with a backpack full of rocks."
I still have no idea who this runner might have been, nor do I have any recollection of ever telling such a story.
But then, this happens to me a lot. I tend to think out loud, and when I am thinking about running, the words tumble out as I try to weave together information drawn from a variety of sources. Sometimes I struggle to find the right analogy or comparison. Sometimes, I use an example that doesn't quite work. And even when it does work, I find it hard to remember later exactly what it was I said. Whatever the reason, I frequently find myself asking "Did I say that?"
This used to happen all the time with Dave Polgar. Dave is a sweet guy, but very stubborn about certain things. I used to talk myself blue in the face trying to get him to accept what to me seemed like a simple proposition: for example, the value of warming up before running hard. But either I wasn't very clear, or he had selective hearing because we'd regularly have conversations like this:
Dave: You told me I should never stretch!
Jon: Did I say that? I THINK what I said was that warming up before a hard workout is more important than static stretching.
Dave: I'm not doing those drills... The last time you made me do those drills, I pulled my hamstring and couldn't run for a week.
Jon: Well, you need to warm up FIRST, before you do the drills.
Dave: [glares suspiciously] Coach, why are you trying to kill me?
Sometimes, I know, I say too much. I'll get carried away talking about some current hotshot runner or some legend from the past and I'll start talking about their workouts. Do this in front of a group of high school distance runners and the next thing you know they're trying to talk you into some completely extreme workout idea or training schedule, convinced that "it will be fun" and that it must hold the secret to running faster.
"I thought you told us we should be running 70 miles a week!"
"Did I say that? No, I think what I said was that so-and-so was able to run 70 miles a week because he built up his mileage gradually over four years..."
And so on.
It never ceases to amaze me that my words carry so much weight. And yet, I have had numerous examples of the influence that even casual words have had on athletes I have coached. It is a great responsibility to have people actually listen closely to what you say and change their behavior because of it. Perhaps the most memorable example was one time when I was talking about learning to handle discomfort. I described my own boyhood attempts to make myself tougher by learning to take cold showers (I have no idea where this idea came from and I know it wasn't successful).
The next day, one of my runners came to practice practically cursing at me. He had taken a shower after the previous day's practice and, with the water gushing hot, had bravely swung the faucet all the way in the opposite direction.
Now he was glaring at me. "Coach," he said, "why are you trying to kill me?"
The other day I was chatting with Duncan, one of the cross-country runners at Concord Academy, and he asked me about a runner who used to train with rocks in his backpack. I must have looked puzzled. Was this some expression -- "rocks in his backpack" -- that the kids were using these days and that I hadn't heard before? No, Duncan was adamant. "Don't you remember? You told us about a Newton North runner who used to train with a backpack full of rocks."
I still have no idea who this runner might have been, nor do I have any recollection of ever telling such a story.
But then, this happens to me a lot. I tend to think out loud, and when I am thinking about running, the words tumble out as I try to weave together information drawn from a variety of sources. Sometimes I struggle to find the right analogy or comparison. Sometimes, I use an example that doesn't quite work. And even when it does work, I find it hard to remember later exactly what it was I said. Whatever the reason, I frequently find myself asking "Did I say that?"
This used to happen all the time with Dave Polgar. Dave is a sweet guy, but very stubborn about certain things. I used to talk myself blue in the face trying to get him to accept what to me seemed like a simple proposition: for example, the value of warming up before running hard. But either I wasn't very clear, or he had selective hearing because we'd regularly have conversations like this:
Dave: You told me I should never stretch!
Jon: Did I say that? I THINK what I said was that warming up before a hard workout is more important than static stretching.
Dave: I'm not doing those drills... The last time you made me do those drills, I pulled my hamstring and couldn't run for a week.
Jon: Well, you need to warm up FIRST, before you do the drills.
Dave: [glares suspiciously] Coach, why are you trying to kill me?
Sometimes, I know, I say too much. I'll get carried away talking about some current hotshot runner or some legend from the past and I'll start talking about their workouts. Do this in front of a group of high school distance runners and the next thing you know they're trying to talk you into some completely extreme workout idea or training schedule, convinced that "it will be fun" and that it must hold the secret to running faster.
"I thought you told us we should be running 70 miles a week!"
"Did I say that? No, I think what I said was that so-and-so was able to run 70 miles a week because he built up his mileage gradually over four years..."
And so on.
It never ceases to amaze me that my words carry so much weight. And yet, I have had numerous examples of the influence that even casual words have had on athletes I have coached. It is a great responsibility to have people actually listen closely to what you say and change their behavior because of it. Perhaps the most memorable example was one time when I was talking about learning to handle discomfort. I described my own boyhood attempts to make myself tougher by learning to take cold showers (I have no idea where this idea came from and I know it wasn't successful).
The next day, one of my runners came to practice practically cursing at me. He had taken a shower after the previous day's practice and, with the water gushing hot, had bravely swung the faucet all the way in the opposite direction.
Now he was glaring at me. "Coach," he said, "why are you trying to kill me?"
May 12, 2008
David Wilder Kicks Them All Down
Track and field is not exactly a big part of the athletics program at Concord Academy. In fact, the Fighting Chameleons have never fielded a track team. That changed a little this spring with the introduction of a track club that met once a week. Even so, most of the kids who came out weren't much interested in actual competition.
The exception was David Wilder.
David was Concord's best cross-country runner in the fall, finishing 7th in the EIL League Meet, but he seemed particularly well-suited to the intensity of track races. He liked to see how hard he could push himself, and he liked nothing better than to be in a close race, battling someone for the lead with 200 meters to go. He stayed in shape over the winter, and this spring told me that he wanted to run a fast mile.
This was easier said than done. With no team and no meets on the schedule, it was a challenge to find opportunities for David to run. A few weeks ago we attended a meet for "homeless" track teams - team without tracks of their own. David ran the 1500m and finished fourth in 4:39 (a 5:00 mile). He had followed my advice and had gone out at a "reasonable" 71-72 seconds for the first quarter. Unfortunately, the leaders had run 67-68 and he was never in the hunt. He decided that next time he would stick with the leaders no matter what.
On Saturday, we drove down to Portsmouth, RI, for the SENE/EIL Championship meet. David was entered in the 1500m and the discus. I know that this is an unusual double, but David makes it work. He learned how to throw the discus in middle school from an exceptional throws coach, and his form is impeccable. With a team of one, it helps to be able to compete in multiple events!
It was windy at the start of the 1500. When the gun went off, the field of runners sprinted down the backstretch jockeying for position. David, whose had exactly one race worth of experience, expertly positioned himself in about 5th, staying in the second lane and out of trouble. The first 200 was about 31.5 for the leaders, with David about a second back.
When the leaders hit the headwind on the first turn, everything slowed, and David moved up into fourth. The quarter passed in 67, very fast for someone who had run 5:00 pace two weeks earlier! David had said he didn't want to be cheated in this race and wanted to finish with nothing left. All right, I thought, so far so good.
At the half, passed in 2:21, the race was down to three runners, with David hanging on to third. I thought it was 50-50 that the top two would pull away. It was very windy, and they probably didn't want to expend any extra effort at that point, but I, knowing the ferocity of David's kick, thought they might regret that decision.
As the leaders passed 1200 in 3:32, they were starting to accelerate for the final drive to the finish. There was a little gap, but they had not succeeded in getting rid of the lone representative of the CA track team. With a little over 200m, he was right there, still stalking the leaders, still waiting for the moment to make one really good move.
Watching the race unfold, my concern was that one of the two leaders would move first and open up a gap that would be unbridgeable. But with 150m to go, David seized the initiative, accelerating into the lead. Too soon? As he came around the final turn and saw all that empty tartan in front of him, he reached top speed. Later, he would tell me that he was pushing so hard because he didn't want to get caught, but with 50m to go he was pulling away.
David crossed the line in 4:25.4, a 14-second PR and roughly equivalent to a 4:45 mile. His 10 points in the 1500m would be enough to beat two other schools in the team scoring of the meet. Later he would add a 3rd place in the discus (throwing 97') for another 6 points.
After the 1500, I told David that he executed the race perfectly. But execution is one thing, the desire to finish the race with nothing left is something else again. Sticking with the leaders through that opening lap took guts. Not letting them get away took determination. The kick -- well, that was pretty cool, too.
The exception was David Wilder.
David was Concord's best cross-country runner in the fall, finishing 7th in the EIL League Meet, but he seemed particularly well-suited to the intensity of track races. He liked to see how hard he could push himself, and he liked nothing better than to be in a close race, battling someone for the lead with 200 meters to go. He stayed in shape over the winter, and this spring told me that he wanted to run a fast mile.
This was easier said than done. With no team and no meets on the schedule, it was a challenge to find opportunities for David to run. A few weeks ago we attended a meet for "homeless" track teams - team without tracks of their own. David ran the 1500m and finished fourth in 4:39 (a 5:00 mile). He had followed my advice and had gone out at a "reasonable" 71-72 seconds for the first quarter. Unfortunately, the leaders had run 67-68 and he was never in the hunt. He decided that next time he would stick with the leaders no matter what.
On Saturday, we drove down to Portsmouth, RI, for the SENE/EIL Championship meet. David was entered in the 1500m and the discus. I know that this is an unusual double, but David makes it work. He learned how to throw the discus in middle school from an exceptional throws coach, and his form is impeccable. With a team of one, it helps to be able to compete in multiple events!
It was windy at the start of the 1500. When the gun went off, the field of runners sprinted down the backstretch jockeying for position. David, whose had exactly one race worth of experience, expertly positioned himself in about 5th, staying in the second lane and out of trouble. The first 200 was about 31.5 for the leaders, with David about a second back.
When the leaders hit the headwind on the first turn, everything slowed, and David moved up into fourth. The quarter passed in 67, very fast for someone who had run 5:00 pace two weeks earlier! David had said he didn't want to be cheated in this race and wanted to finish with nothing left. All right, I thought, so far so good.
At the half, passed in 2:21, the race was down to three runners, with David hanging on to third. I thought it was 50-50 that the top two would pull away. It was very windy, and they probably didn't want to expend any extra effort at that point, but I, knowing the ferocity of David's kick, thought they might regret that decision.
As the leaders passed 1200 in 3:32, they were starting to accelerate for the final drive to the finish. There was a little gap, but they had not succeeded in getting rid of the lone representative of the CA track team. With a little over 200m, he was right there, still stalking the leaders, still waiting for the moment to make one really good move.
Watching the race unfold, my concern was that one of the two leaders would move first and open up a gap that would be unbridgeable. But with 150m to go, David seized the initiative, accelerating into the lead. Too soon? As he came around the final turn and saw all that empty tartan in front of him, he reached top speed. Later, he would tell me that he was pushing so hard because he didn't want to get caught, but with 50m to go he was pulling away.
David crossed the line in 4:25.4, a 14-second PR and roughly equivalent to a 4:45 mile. His 10 points in the 1500m would be enough to beat two other schools in the team scoring of the meet. Later he would add a 3rd place in the discus (throwing 97') for another 6 points.
After the 1500, I told David that he executed the race perfectly. But execution is one thing, the desire to finish the race with nothing left is something else again. Sticking with the leaders through that opening lap took guts. Not letting them get away took determination. The kick -- well, that was pretty cool, too.
May 11, 2008
Adam Bao (TJ and Two Relays) Shines at State Coaches
Here we go again--I can't find the results for the Boys State Coaches meet online and I have to rely on the agate type in the Boston Globe for NN boys performances.
Well, agate or not, Adam Bao was huge at the State Coaches Meet. He won the triple jump by half a foot (43-5.5), helped NN's 4x100 relay team finish second (by 0.12) to Woburn in 43.93, and ran a leg for NN's victorious 4x400 relay (3:30.23). So why wasn't he the outstanding performer of the meet? That award went to Woburn's Chris Martin who tied for first in the long jump (21-11.5), and ran a leg on Woburn's 4x100 team. What am I missing? Bao had an outright victory, a relay victory, and a relay second-place; Martin a tie for first, a relay victory, and earns the outstanding performer award and three paragraphs in the Globe. I don't get it.
Well Adam, if you read this, you're my choice for Performer of the Meet.
And while I'm whining, what would it take for the Globe to have slightly less lame coverage of H.S. track meets? Here's what we got in Sunday's paper: four limp paragraphs on what sounds like a boring 800, three on Chris Martin (in which our correspondent tells us that Woburn's time of 43.81 is "just short of the meet record of 43.10"), two paragraphs on the 200, two on the mile, and 29 words for the rest of the meet. Hey, if you competed in the 100, 400, 2-Mile, 110 hurdles, 300 hurdles, triple jump, pole vault, or any of the throws, no coverage for you. The Globe even omits the 400 results entirely. Oh well, at least they had three pages and five articles about the Celtics 24-point loss to the Cavaliers.
Other medal-winners for Newton North included Seb Putzeys, who placed second in the mile (4:25.39) and Sam Arsenault, who placed 3rd in the 300 hurdles (41.23) and 4th in the long jump (21-5.5). I'm sure there were other fine performances for the Tigers, but they didn't make the Globe. Maybe the Daily News Tribune will have more detail.
Has the State Coaches meet started losing its mojo? I always thought it was a big deal kind of meet, but the Newton North girls chose not to compete, and many of the best performances of the weekend happened at Collins-McIntyre Invitational at Andover (At Andover, there were eight runners in the 2-mile with faster times than the winning time at the State Coaches meet, led by a blistering 9:19.95 from Brookline's David Wilson; in the girl's 2-mile, Newton South's Bridget Dahlberg and Kelsey Karys were way faster than anyone at State Coaches...).
Well, agate or not, Adam Bao was huge at the State Coaches Meet. He won the triple jump by half a foot (43-5.5), helped NN's 4x100 relay team finish second (by 0.12) to Woburn in 43.93, and ran a leg for NN's victorious 4x400 relay (3:30.23). So why wasn't he the outstanding performer of the meet? That award went to Woburn's Chris Martin who tied for first in the long jump (21-11.5), and ran a leg on Woburn's 4x100 team. What am I missing? Bao had an outright victory, a relay victory, and a relay second-place; Martin a tie for first, a relay victory, and earns the outstanding performer award and three paragraphs in the Globe. I don't get it.
Well Adam, if you read this, you're my choice for Performer of the Meet.
And while I'm whining, what would it take for the Globe to have slightly less lame coverage of H.S. track meets? Here's what we got in Sunday's paper: four limp paragraphs on what sounds like a boring 800, three on Chris Martin (in which our correspondent tells us that Woburn's time of 43.81 is "just short of the meet record of 43.10"), two paragraphs on the 200, two on the mile, and 29 words for the rest of the meet. Hey, if you competed in the 100, 400, 2-Mile, 110 hurdles, 300 hurdles, triple jump, pole vault, or any of the throws, no coverage for you. The Globe even omits the 400 results entirely. Oh well, at least they had three pages and five articles about the Celtics 24-point loss to the Cavaliers.
Other medal-winners for Newton North included Seb Putzeys, who placed second in the mile (4:25.39) and Sam Arsenault, who placed 3rd in the 300 hurdles (41.23) and 4th in the long jump (21-5.5). I'm sure there were other fine performances for the Tigers, but they didn't make the Globe. Maybe the Daily News Tribune will have more detail.
Has the State Coaches meet started losing its mojo? I always thought it was a big deal kind of meet, but the Newton North girls chose not to compete, and many of the best performances of the weekend happened at Collins-McIntyre Invitational at Andover (At Andover, there were eight runners in the 2-mile with faster times than the winning time at the State Coaches meet, led by a blistering 9:19.95 from Brookline's David Wilson; in the girl's 2-mile, Newton South's Bridget Dahlberg and Kelsey Karys were way faster than anyone at State Coaches...).
May 10, 2008
NNHS Alumni Results - May 10, 2008
Doug Brecher: 31:15 10K at New Englands!
Doug Brecher ran 5:02 pace for 6+ miles to place sixth overall in the New England Championships in a personal best time of 31:15.65.
David Smith: Three Events at Heps
The Ivy League championships (Heptagonals) were this weekend and Yale freshman David Smith competed in three events. In the shot put, he threw 14.59 (47-10.5); in the discus, 39.02 (128'); and in the hammer, 39.88 (130-10).
Doug Brecher ran 5:02 pace for 6+ miles to place sixth overall in the New England Championships in a personal best time of 31:15.65.
David Smith: Three Events at Heps
The Ivy League championships (Heptagonals) were this weekend and Yale freshman David Smith competed in three events. In the shot put, he threw 14.59 (47-10.5); in the discus, 39.02 (128'); and in the hammer, 39.88 (130-10).
May 07, 2008
Natalie Du Toit Qualifies for Beijing Olympics
I've written previously about the Olympic dreams of Oscar Pistorius, the South African sprinter and double amputee. Pistorius runs with the aid of prosthetic lower limbs, and the legality of these devices has been a matter of scientific and philosophical debate.
But I completely missed the story of Natalie Du Toit, a South African swimmer and single-leg amputee. Du Toit swims without a prosthesis and on May 3 she qualified for the Beijing Olympics by finishing fourth in the 10km race in the Open Water World Championships in Seville, Spain.
Du Toit surprise at Beijing place
An aspiring world-class swimmer before a collision with a car destroyed her left leg in 2001, Du Toit has never abandoned her dream of competing at the Olympics. Somehow it seems fitting that she would qualify in the 10k open water swim -- which will be contested for the first time in Beijing -- as it is the most grueling swimming event on the program.
On her web site, Du Toit lists two goals: one, to swim in the Olympics, and two, to be able to run. One down, one to go.
What Can We Learn From Sled Dogs?
This is why I love reading the NY Times Science pages. Tuesday's issue has an article that describes how the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) is studying sled dogs to find out why the heck they don't collapse with fatigue despite maintaining an extended caloric burn rate that puts Tour de France cyclists to shame.
Researchers Seek to Demystify the Metabolic Magic of Sled Dogs
The dogs endurance abilities are legendary, but even so the details are staggering: when competing in the Iditarod, a multi-week trek over 1100 miles of Arctic trail, the dogs burn 240 calories per pound per day, 2.4 times the metabolic burn rate Lance Armstrong maintains when touring the Pyrenees, and yet somehow they do not exhaust their reserves of fat and glycogen.
Dr. Michael Davis that there is a biological "switch" that the dogs turn on that makes them such great athletes on the trail. He also believes that other species might have the same ability to activate this switch.
"They have a hidden strategy that they can turn on," he said. “We are confident that humans have the capacity for that strategy. We have to figure out how dogs are turning it on to turn it on in humans."
Or is it possible the dogs are just more motivated than other species?
As I read, I couldn't help remembering the incredible passage from Jack London's "Call of the Wild," describing a dog who kept wanting to pull the sled, even unto death:
"He pleaded with his eyes to remain there. The driver was perplexed. His comrades talked of how a dog could break its heart through being denied the work that killed it, and recalled instances they had known, where dogs, too old for the toil, or injured, had died because they were cut out of the traces. Also, they held it a mercy, since Dave was to die anyway, that he should die in the traces, heart-easy and content. So he was harnessed in again, and proudly he pulled as of old, though more than once he cried out involuntarily from the bite of his inward hurt. Several times fell down and was dragged in the traces, and once the sled ran upon him so that he limped thereafter on one of his hind legs.
But he held out till camp was reached, when his driver made a place for him by the fire. Morning found him too weak to travel. At harness-up time he tried to crawl to his driver. By convulsive efforts he got on his feet, staggered, and fell. Then he wormed his way forward slowly toward where the harnesses were being put on his mates. He would advance his fore legs and drag up his body with a sort of hitching movement, when he would advance his fore legs and hitch ahead again for a few more inches. His strength left him, and the last his mates saw of him he lay gasping in the snow and yearning toward them."
I've known runners like that.
Researchers Seek to Demystify the Metabolic Magic of Sled Dogs
The dogs endurance abilities are legendary, but even so the details are staggering: when competing in the Iditarod, a multi-week trek over 1100 miles of Arctic trail, the dogs burn 240 calories per pound per day, 2.4 times the metabolic burn rate Lance Armstrong maintains when touring the Pyrenees, and yet somehow they do not exhaust their reserves of fat and glycogen.
Dr. Michael Davis that there is a biological "switch" that the dogs turn on that makes them such great athletes on the trail. He also believes that other species might have the same ability to activate this switch.
"They have a hidden strategy that they can turn on," he said. “We are confident that humans have the capacity for that strategy. We have to figure out how dogs are turning it on to turn it on in humans."
Or is it possible the dogs are just more motivated than other species?
As I read, I couldn't help remembering the incredible passage from Jack London's "Call of the Wild," describing a dog who kept wanting to pull the sled, even unto death:
"He pleaded with his eyes to remain there. The driver was perplexed. His comrades talked of how a dog could break its heart through being denied the work that killed it, and recalled instances they had known, where dogs, too old for the toil, or injured, had died because they were cut out of the traces. Also, they held it a mercy, since Dave was to die anyway, that he should die in the traces, heart-easy and content. So he was harnessed in again, and proudly he pulled as of old, though more than once he cried out involuntarily from the bite of his inward hurt. Several times fell down and was dragged in the traces, and once the sled ran upon him so that he limped thereafter on one of his hind legs.
But he held out till camp was reached, when his driver made a place for him by the fire. Morning found him too weak to travel. At harness-up time he tried to crawl to his driver. By convulsive efforts he got on his feet, staggered, and fell. Then he wormed his way forward slowly toward where the harnesses were being put on his mates. He would advance his fore legs and drag up his body with a sort of hitching movement, when he would advance his fore legs and hitch ahead again for a few more inches. His strength left him, and the last his mates saw of him he lay gasping in the snow and yearning toward them."
I've known runners like that.
May 06, 2008
North Boys, Girls at 6-0 With Wins Over Needham
For many of North's athletes it was their third meet in six days. No matter, as both Tiger teams ran, jumped, and threw their way to triple digits in twin victories over Needham Monday afternoon.
For the boys, there were BSC-best performances from Sam Arsenault in the high jump (6-4) and Adam Bao in the triple jump (PB 45-9). Arsenault also won the 300 hurdles in 41.1, while Bao won the long jump in 20-6. Seb Putzeys also won two events, as he pulled off the challenging 400/800 double, running 52.9 for the 400, and coming back to run 2:09 in the 800.
North's Dan Giovanucci won the shot put (45-4), making three North shot putters over 45' in the last week, while E.J. Metallides took the discus. Jared Forman ran a PR 4:43.5 to win the mile. The tireless Dan Hamilton won the two-mile (running his third deuce since last Wednesday. Troy Peterson won the 100 and Hymlaire Lamisere won the 200. Final score: 106-30 Newton North.
For the girls, Weston just seems to have revved them up. Michelle Kaufman was everywhere again, winning four events, including the 100m hurdles in a personal best 15.9. Carolyn Ranti has apparently become a sprinter, as she won the 200 and 400 (the latter in a personal best 60.8). Bonny Guang won the shot put (30-8) and discus (91-0), and Emily Hutchinson pulled off an unusual double, winning the javelin and high jump. This, you might say, is a versatile team.
North wraps up its dual meet season next Tuesday at Framingham, hoping to clinch league titles. But first there's the State Coaches Invitational meets on Saturday. The boys will be at Durfee and the girls at Somerville.
For the boys, there were BSC-best performances from Sam Arsenault in the high jump (6-4) and Adam Bao in the triple jump (PB 45-9). Arsenault also won the 300 hurdles in 41.1, while Bao won the long jump in 20-6. Seb Putzeys also won two events, as he pulled off the challenging 400/800 double, running 52.9 for the 400, and coming back to run 2:09 in the 800.
North's Dan Giovanucci won the shot put (45-4), making three North shot putters over 45' in the last week, while E.J. Metallides took the discus. Jared Forman ran a PR 4:43.5 to win the mile. The tireless Dan Hamilton won the two-mile (running his third deuce since last Wednesday. Troy Peterson won the 100 and Hymlaire Lamisere won the 200. Final score: 106-30 Newton North.
For the girls, Weston just seems to have revved them up. Michelle Kaufman was everywhere again, winning four events, including the 100m hurdles in a personal best 15.9. Carolyn Ranti has apparently become a sprinter, as she won the 200 and 400 (the latter in a personal best 60.8). Bonny Guang won the shot put (30-8) and discus (91-0), and Emily Hutchinson pulled off an unusual double, winning the javelin and high jump. This, you might say, is a versatile team.
North wraps up its dual meet season next Tuesday at Framingham, hoping to clinch league titles. But first there's the State Coaches Invitational meets on Saturday. The boys will be at Durfee and the girls at Somerville.
May 05, 2008
This Day and Age
I know it's my own fault for not attending the Weston Invitational, but I've become impatient with meets that in this day and age still can't get it together to provide online results within, say, 24 hours of the end of the meet. What's a harried Internet journalist to do? Actually go to the meets and keep detailed notes?
As it is, I rely on hints from the DyeStat message boards, local papers with their spotty coverage, and other blog sites. But none of them makes up for not having access to the actual results.
By the way, Henry Finch and the other folks that contribute to the Newton South Running Times did their usual great job getting photos of the meet. Here's a photo from Henry showing Newton South junior Bridget Dahlberg pulling away from Emily Jones in the final straight of the girls mile. According to the DyeStat boards, Dahlberg ran 4:55 with Jones a couple of seconds back. From the picture, it also looks like a Marshfield (?) runner and Lincoln-Sudbury runner (Emily Mepham?) are on their way to excellent times, as well.
Here's another good picture of a Newton North shot putter (Ed Metallides?)... It just shows how out of touch I am that I don't know for sure...
Sure would be nice to have those results!
And while I'm whining about the hard life I lead tracking down times, let me say that I am reserving a special place in Hell for the college administrators who have chosen to host their athletic web pages on for-profit servers with countless pop-up ads and annoying audio promotions. Sorry, Noah, I hate visiting the Bluejay sports pages and I always feel like I should run an anti-virus scan after I've spent fifteen minutes looking for your results. And the video reports from Arkansas' hog-wired site? It's this kind of thing that gives bandwidth a bad name.
But back to Weston. I know it's hard work to get results out, but this is their 11th year. Wouldn't you think they'd have some sort of system by now? Or has the meet grown too popular for the "low-key" way that it's run? It just seems a shame when you go to all the trouble to assemble a meet with some of the best H.S. athletes in mass. and then can't tell the world how fast they ran, how far they threw, how long and how high they jumped.
As it is, I rely on hints from the DyeStat message boards, local papers with their spotty coverage, and other blog sites. But none of them makes up for not having access to the actual results.
By the way, Henry Finch and the other folks that contribute to the Newton South Running Times did their usual great job getting photos of the meet. Here's a photo from Henry showing Newton South junior Bridget Dahlberg pulling away from Emily Jones in the final straight of the girls mile. According to the DyeStat boards, Dahlberg ran 4:55 with Jones a couple of seconds back. From the picture, it also looks like a Marshfield (?) runner and Lincoln-Sudbury runner (Emily Mepham?) are on their way to excellent times, as well.
Here's another good picture of a Newton North shot putter (Ed Metallides?)... It just shows how out of touch I am that I don't know for sure...
Sure would be nice to have those results!
And while I'm whining about the hard life I lead tracking down times, let me say that I am reserving a special place in Hell for the college administrators who have chosen to host their athletic web pages on for-profit servers with countless pop-up ads and annoying audio promotions. Sorry, Noah, I hate visiting the Bluejay sports pages and I always feel like I should run an anti-virus scan after I've spent fifteen minutes looking for your results. And the video reports from Arkansas' hog-wired site? It's this kind of thing that gives bandwidth a bad name.
But back to Weston. I know it's hard work to get results out, but this is their 11th year. Wouldn't you think they'd have some sort of system by now? Or has the meet grown too popular for the "low-key" way that it's run? It just seems a shame when you go to all the trouble to assemble a meet with some of the best H.S. athletes in mass. and then can't tell the world how fast they ran, how far they threw, how long and how high they jumped.
May 03, 2008
NNHS Alumni Results - May 3, 2008
I was delighted to see that Pat Pierce, NNHS '04 and now a senior at Bowdoin College, placed 9th in the 10000m at the New England Div III championships with a time of 32:22.24, 80 seconds faster than his previous season's best time from two weeks ago. Pat has patiently worked through several injuries during his college career and it is great to see him racing well again. In the same race were two other former Bay Staters: Jerzy Eisenberg-Guyot (Brookline, now Tufts) ran 32:25.29 for 11th, and Philip Gingras (Walpole, now Westfield State) ran 32:58.96 for 20th.
Anyone know where Doug Brecher was? I hope he's not injured...
Also competing at the NE DIII meet, held at the Coast Guard Academy, was Stephanie O'Brien, who won her heat of the 800 in 2:19.17 to place 9th overall.
Today (Sunday) is the second day of several conference meets (Centennial, America East), as well as the Stanford Cardinal Invitational. I'm looking forward to adding results for Noah Jampol, Dave Polgar, and Chris Barnicle (scheduled to run the 10K at Stanford).
Edit:
Dave Polgar ran 3:58.55 for 1500m to place 12th at the America East Championships.
Noah Jampol ran 4:16.25 to place 18th in the Centennial Conference championships.
In the NY State Collegiate Championships, Dan Chebot ran 15:43.05 in the 5000m.
And from the world of road running, Josh Seeherman took to the paved pathways of Wakefield to finish 7th in the 26th Annual Breakheart 6k Road Race in a time of 22:05.
Anyone know where Doug Brecher was? I hope he's not injured...
Also competing at the NE DIII meet, held at the Coast Guard Academy, was Stephanie O'Brien, who won her heat of the 800 in 2:19.17 to place 9th overall.
Today (Sunday) is the second day of several conference meets (Centennial, America East), as well as the Stanford Cardinal Invitational. I'm looking forward to adding results for Noah Jampol, Dave Polgar, and Chris Barnicle (scheduled to run the 10K at Stanford).
Edit:
Dave Polgar ran 3:58.55 for 1500m to place 12th at the America East Championships.
Noah Jampol ran 4:16.25 to place 18th in the Centennial Conference championships.
In the NY State Collegiate Championships, Dan Chebot ran 15:43.05 in the 5000m.
And from the world of road running, Josh Seeherman took to the paved pathways of Wakefield to finish 7th in the 26th Annual Breakheart 6k Road Race in a time of 22:05.
Weston Twilight Meet Preview
Cool temperatures, overcast skies, and scattered showers are in the forecast most of the day, with the chance of partial clearing towards evening -- conditions that will make for chilly spectating at the Weston Twilight meet.
Even on warm spring days, you need to wear warm clothes for Weston. The meet begins in the late afternoon (4:30 for the field events, 5:00 for the running), and continues into the dark, and it can be COLD! It doesn't help that the meet notoriously runs behind schedule, making it tricky to know when to warm up.
Last year's meet featured a breakthrough performance for Carolyn Ranti in the 800 (to take second), and a tremendous race in the girls 2-Mile, with Emily Jones holding off Jess Barton, and both well ahead of Bridget Dahlberg and Colleen Weatherbee.
Jones and Dahlberg are back, but entered in the mile this time, along with All-State indoor 1000m champ Emily Mepham. Odd as it seems, although Dahlberg has won three state titles in the mile, she might be considered the underdog against Jones. It should be a great race. In the girls 2-Mile, state runner-up Kelsey Karys will take on state 3rd-place finisher Rebecca White. Although Karys has a seed time twenty seconds faster, this should be a closer race than that. In all, there are nine girls seeded faster than 11:30. Tenth seed is Newton North freshman Margo Gillis. It will fascinating to see how she handles what is sure to be a demanding pace.
Omar Aden will be the heavy favorite in the boys mile. Aden, the All-State champ is seeded at 4:13, eight seconds faster than Dracut's Dan Roarke. Actually, Aden's main competition is likely to come from Chelmsford's Chris Brown. If the weather is cold and even a little bit breezy, I don't expect a really fast time but it should be a good race.
Bay State rivals Seb Putzeys and Robert Gibson will tangle again in the boys 800, and will be joined by "Lil Stizz" -- Wayland's Brett Stein. Gibson beat Putzeys in the team's dual meet a couple of weeks ago, but everyone should be a bit faster now.
Carolyn Ranti is in 800 again where she'll take on Lincoln-Sudbury's Ellie Hylton and Newton South's Diana Braver.
One of the deepest fields, at least going by the seed times, is the girls 400m. It's hard for me to believe that Emma Kornetsky is seeded only 13th with a 60.80!
The girls long jump is also very deep, with 23 athletes seeded at 15-0 or better! Coaches' exaggeration? I suspect so, but there's no question it is a good field. Seventh-seeded Allison Hollland (Watertown) finished fourth in the indoor All-State meet.
This year's meet entries
Last year's Weston results
Even on warm spring days, you need to wear warm clothes for Weston. The meet begins in the late afternoon (4:30 for the field events, 5:00 for the running), and continues into the dark, and it can be COLD! It doesn't help that the meet notoriously runs behind schedule, making it tricky to know when to warm up.
Last year's meet featured a breakthrough performance for Carolyn Ranti in the 800 (to take second), and a tremendous race in the girls 2-Mile, with Emily Jones holding off Jess Barton, and both well ahead of Bridget Dahlberg and Colleen Weatherbee.
Jones and Dahlberg are back, but entered in the mile this time, along with All-State indoor 1000m champ Emily Mepham. Odd as it seems, although Dahlberg has won three state titles in the mile, she might be considered the underdog against Jones. It should be a great race. In the girls 2-Mile, state runner-up Kelsey Karys will take on state 3rd-place finisher Rebecca White. Although Karys has a seed time twenty seconds faster, this should be a closer race than that. In all, there are nine girls seeded faster than 11:30. Tenth seed is Newton North freshman Margo Gillis. It will fascinating to see how she handles what is sure to be a demanding pace.
Omar Aden will be the heavy favorite in the boys mile. Aden, the All-State champ is seeded at 4:13, eight seconds faster than Dracut's Dan Roarke. Actually, Aden's main competition is likely to come from Chelmsford's Chris Brown. If the weather is cold and even a little bit breezy, I don't expect a really fast time but it should be a good race.
Bay State rivals Seb Putzeys and Robert Gibson will tangle again in the boys 800, and will be joined by "Lil Stizz" -- Wayland's Brett Stein. Gibson beat Putzeys in the team's dual meet a couple of weeks ago, but everyone should be a bit faster now.
Carolyn Ranti is in 800 again where she'll take on Lincoln-Sudbury's Ellie Hylton and Newton South's Diana Braver.
One of the deepest fields, at least going by the seed times, is the girls 400m. It's hard for me to believe that Emma Kornetsky is seeded only 13th with a 60.80!
The girls long jump is also very deep, with 23 athletes seeded at 15-0 or better! Coaches' exaggeration? I suspect so, but there's no question it is a good field. Seventh-seeded Allison Hollland (Watertown) finished fourth in the indoor All-State meet.
This year's meet entries
Last year's Weston results
May 01, 2008
North Sweeps Braintree
Delayed a day because of Tuesday's rain, Newton North made another long trip South on Rt. 128 Wednesday to sweep Braintree. The Tiger boys won twelve individual events and outscored the Wamps 105 to 31. The girls were only slightly less dominant, winning both relays and eight individual events to win by a score of 90-46. Both teams are now 5-0 with only Needham and Framingham standing in the way of undefeated seasons.
For the boys, Adam Bao won three individual events (400, long jump, triple jump) and ran the 3rd leg of the winning 4x400 relay. Sam Arsenault (high jump, 300m hurdles) and Steve Long (shot put, discus) won two events each. Hymlaire Lamisere (100), Ivan Kostadinov (200), Seb Putzeys (800), Dan Hamilton (2-Mile), and Ben Klein (Jav) all won their events.
For the girls, Michelle Kaufman had her usual busy day at the office, winning two events (100, 300 hurdles) and placing second in two others (long jump and triple jump). Other winners for North included Vicki Marone (long jump), Nora Barnicle (800), Carolyn Ranti (mile), Franca Godenzi (2-Mile), Paris Mongo (discus), and Bonny Guang (shot put).
Many of the Tigers will compete at the Weston Twilight Meet on Saturday night. Next Tuesday, May 6, the Tigers continue their Bay State road trip, competing at Needham.
For the boys, Adam Bao won three individual events (400, long jump, triple jump) and ran the 3rd leg of the winning 4x400 relay. Sam Arsenault (high jump, 300m hurdles) and Steve Long (shot put, discus) won two events each. Hymlaire Lamisere (100), Ivan Kostadinov (200), Seb Putzeys (800), Dan Hamilton (2-Mile), and Ben Klein (Jav) all won their events.
For the girls, Michelle Kaufman had her usual busy day at the office, winning two events (100, 300 hurdles) and placing second in two others (long jump and triple jump). Other winners for North included Vicki Marone (long jump), Nora Barnicle (800), Carolyn Ranti (mile), Franca Godenzi (2-Mile), Paris Mongo (discus), and Bonny Guang (shot put).
Many of the Tigers will compete at the Weston Twilight Meet on Saturday night. Next Tuesday, May 6, the Tigers continue their Bay State road trip, competing at Needham.
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