On Saturday, several NNHS alumni competed at the NESCAC championships hosted by Connecticut College.
The unseasonably warm temperatures affected the distance races, but Doug Brecher managed a strong showing in the 10000, finish 7th in 32:53.12, a few second behind Brookline alum Jerzy Eisenberg-Guyot in 6th (32:49.91).
Wesleyan senior Anna Schindler ran the 5k, and finished 11th in 19:03.17.
Scott Cole competed in the 800m, running 2:01.39.
And this just in from the Drake relays...
"Freshmen Jonathan Meminger and Stephen Geloneck, sophomore Brian Hilland, and senior Jon Wofsy combined to run Harvard’s best time of the season in the sprint medley relay. Wofsy ran a 47.5 split in the 400 meter leg of the race as the Crimson clocked in at 3:30.67." (reported by Catherine Farrell)
April 27, 2009
April 26, 2009
Two Teams Break National Record for Boys 4x800
Albemarle H.S. of Virginia and Morris Hills of N.J. staged a race for the ages in the Boys 4x800 at the Penn Relays on Saturday, with both teams smashing the national record, as well as the nineteen-year-old Penn Relays record. When Alan Webb's South Reston team won here in 2001, they ran 7:41.75. Albemarle and Morris Hills were more than 10 seconds faster!
Penn Relays - Boys 4x800 - Results and Video
Thanks to Josh Seeherman for calling our attention to this great race. For at least the second year, Josh was on the scene as a live blogger for the three-day Relay Carnival, which attracted 48,000 spectators on Saturday.
Two individual performances from Mass. athletes deserve mention. Madison Park's Ricardo Jaquite won the triple jump on Saturday, leaping 14.97 (49-1.5).
Emily Jones (Bromfield) ran a terrific race to finish 2nd in the H.S. girls 3000m championship, running 9:32.22 (that's the equivalent of a 10:14 2-mile!)
Penn Relays - Boys 4x800 - Results and Video
Thanks to Josh Seeherman for calling our attention to this great race. For at least the second year, Josh was on the scene as a live blogger for the three-day Relay Carnival, which attracted 48,000 spectators on Saturday.
Two individual performances from Mass. athletes deserve mention. Madison Park's Ricardo Jaquite won the triple jump on Saturday, leaping 14.97 (49-1.5).
Emily Jones (Bromfield) ran a terrific race to finish 2nd in the H.S. girls 3000m championship, running 9:32.22 (that's the equivalent of a 10:14 2-mile!)
April 21, 2009
Tuesday Workout of the Week: Quarters
Since today's meet between Newton North and Norwood has been postponed, let's talk quarters.
(Marathoners, for the sake of your full and complete recovery, you should stop reading right now.)
The very first track workout I ever ran was 4 x 440y on the Amherst High School cinder track. I was in 7th grade, and my coach threw me in with the 9th graders, who seemed very big and very fast, and wise in the ways of track workouts. I stuck with them for as long as I could, which was three quarters at about 75-77 seconds. My fourth one was 90 seconds, and I was done.
Several years later, as a junior, I remember running 12 quarters at 68-69s, with two minutes rest between them. It astonished me then, and I remember thinking how cool it was that I could run sub-70 over and over again like that, never wavering more than a second or two from the desired pace.
About 10 years later, when I was training for much longer races than a mile, I ran one interesting workout, in which I ran 25 x 400m (10K), all at about 74-75s pace. I left my watch running continuously during this workout, and started each 400m on a multiple of 2:00 (0:00, 2:00, 4:00,...) so I had approximately 45s rest in between.
As this miniscule sampling of workouts suggests, track sessions involving quarters are highly variable and can be constructed to serve many different ends. Eventually, almost everyone runs quarters. Sprinters run quarters; marathoners run quarters; milers run quarters like they were born to do it. freshman run quarters with a sense of awe and wonder; seniors run quarters with grim confidence and determination, as if to say, "yes -- these will hurt, but this is what we do... this is the price of admission to the club."
So why are 400m repeats so ubiquitous? Well, there's something primal about running once around the track fast. Imagine a bunch of kids hanging out on a summer afternoon... normal kids, maybe athletes, maybe not.. can't you imagine them saying to each other, "hey, I'll race you once around the track"?
Once around. One quarter mile. Well, actually about 2.34 meters short of a quarter mile on a standard 400m track, but in the old days we all ran on 440-yard tracks and a mile was four quarters, and that was that. Even now, it sounds a little pedantic to say "we're going to run 400m repeats today..." No, let's run quarters. I like the sound of that better.
(When I first started at Newton North, the distance runners told a story about a particular workout that involved longer repeats of some sort, and one of the runners -- I think it was Tyler Newman -- asked Coach Blackburn, "Hey coach, how about a quick water?" Without hesitation, Coach responded, "Ok, let's do a quick quarter," and off they went. This is one of many stories whose moral is that you should be careful of attempting to bargain with the person who holds the stopwatch...)
. . .
Ok, so let's stop reminiscing about the old days and get down to business. How should we incorporate quarters into training for H.S distance runners?
While it is possible to construct a strength workout (a.k.a, aerobic capacity workout) out of quarters, it's a little bit inefficient. Once in a while, it's an interesting change to run many repeat quarters at 3k-5k pace with very little rest, but eventually you realize that the rest just kind of gets in the way, and if your goal is strength, it's more convenient to run repeat 800s, 1000s, or 1200s.
So let's simplify the situation and say that when we run quarters we'll run them fairly fast - either at 1M race pace, or perhaps much faster, when we are far along in the season and we want to do race-specific preparation.
A deceptively simple workout is the classic 8-10 x 400m @ 1M race pace or a little faster with 2 minutes rest in between. Bannister ran this workout again and again during his lunch hours as he was preparing for his attempt at a sub-4:00 mile. Actually, early in his preparations he ran this workout, but ran his quarters slower, averaging 63-65 seconds, and worked down to averaging 58-59 seconds. The workout thus constructed had two important goals: make the runner efficient and comfortable at the goal race pace, and promote physiological adaptation to the strain that this pace puts on the buffering capacity of the working muscles. The pace is faster than maximum aerobic capacity (it's about 110-115% of V02 max), and the rest is not sufficient to fully recover; thus, as the workout progresses, there is a build-up of metabolic by-products that makes it harder and harder to hold the pace. However, the rest does allow enough recovery to run double or triple the race distance in the workout. When giving this workout, I prefer to give fewer intervals, so that there is absolutely no let-up in the pace; in fact, I want the volume to be such that the athlete can make the last quarter the fastest. Ideally, the workout prepares the athlete to run the pace and finish strong.
For younger runners like my former seventh-grade self, fewer quarters is appropriate. For older runners with a lot of experience, more quarters can be appropriate. I have certainly seen high school runners run 12 x 400m or even 16 x 400m and not fall apart. College runners and those who have read "Once a Runner" will be laughing at me, thinking that 12 or 16 quarters is nothing. Fine. Laugh if you want. Every athlete is different.
Quarters can also be a way of spicing up strength-oriented workouts by adding some quick running in with longer, slower-paced runs. For example, I sometimes finish a strength-oriented workout with 2 x 400m or even 4 x 400m. A good transitional workout (transition from strength to more race-like speed) is 4 x 800m + 4 x 400m.
And later still, at the height of the competitive season, we might start running fewer quarters but run them much faster, say at 800m race pace, but it's still April so let's leave those workouts for another day.
(Marathoners, for the sake of your full and complete recovery, you should stop reading right now.)
The very first track workout I ever ran was 4 x 440y on the Amherst High School cinder track. I was in 7th grade, and my coach threw me in with the 9th graders, who seemed very big and very fast, and wise in the ways of track workouts. I stuck with them for as long as I could, which was three quarters at about 75-77 seconds. My fourth one was 90 seconds, and I was done.
Several years later, as a junior, I remember running 12 quarters at 68-69s, with two minutes rest between them. It astonished me then, and I remember thinking how cool it was that I could run sub-70 over and over again like that, never wavering more than a second or two from the desired pace.
About 10 years later, when I was training for much longer races than a mile, I ran one interesting workout, in which I ran 25 x 400m (10K), all at about 74-75s pace. I left my watch running continuously during this workout, and started each 400m on a multiple of 2:00 (0:00, 2:00, 4:00,...) so I had approximately 45s rest in between.
As this miniscule sampling of workouts suggests, track sessions involving quarters are highly variable and can be constructed to serve many different ends. Eventually, almost everyone runs quarters. Sprinters run quarters; marathoners run quarters; milers run quarters like they were born to do it. freshman run quarters with a sense of awe and wonder; seniors run quarters with grim confidence and determination, as if to say, "yes -- these will hurt, but this is what we do... this is the price of admission to the club."
So why are 400m repeats so ubiquitous? Well, there's something primal about running once around the track fast. Imagine a bunch of kids hanging out on a summer afternoon... normal kids, maybe athletes, maybe not.. can't you imagine them saying to each other, "hey, I'll race you once around the track"?
Once around. One quarter mile. Well, actually about 2.34 meters short of a quarter mile on a standard 400m track, but in the old days we all ran on 440-yard tracks and a mile was four quarters, and that was that. Even now, it sounds a little pedantic to say "we're going to run 400m repeats today..." No, let's run quarters. I like the sound of that better.
(When I first started at Newton North, the distance runners told a story about a particular workout that involved longer repeats of some sort, and one of the runners -- I think it was Tyler Newman -- asked Coach Blackburn, "Hey coach, how about a quick water?" Without hesitation, Coach responded, "Ok, let's do a quick quarter," and off they went. This is one of many stories whose moral is that you should be careful of attempting to bargain with the person who holds the stopwatch...)
. . .
Ok, so let's stop reminiscing about the old days and get down to business. How should we incorporate quarters into training for H.S distance runners?
While it is possible to construct a strength workout (a.k.a, aerobic capacity workout) out of quarters, it's a little bit inefficient. Once in a while, it's an interesting change to run many repeat quarters at 3k-5k pace with very little rest, but eventually you realize that the rest just kind of gets in the way, and if your goal is strength, it's more convenient to run repeat 800s, 1000s, or 1200s.
So let's simplify the situation and say that when we run quarters we'll run them fairly fast - either at 1M race pace, or perhaps much faster, when we are far along in the season and we want to do race-specific preparation.
A deceptively simple workout is the classic 8-10 x 400m @ 1M race pace or a little faster with 2 minutes rest in between. Bannister ran this workout again and again during his lunch hours as he was preparing for his attempt at a sub-4:00 mile. Actually, early in his preparations he ran this workout, but ran his quarters slower, averaging 63-65 seconds, and worked down to averaging 58-59 seconds. The workout thus constructed had two important goals: make the runner efficient and comfortable at the goal race pace, and promote physiological adaptation to the strain that this pace puts on the buffering capacity of the working muscles. The pace is faster than maximum aerobic capacity (it's about 110-115% of V02 max), and the rest is not sufficient to fully recover; thus, as the workout progresses, there is a build-up of metabolic by-products that makes it harder and harder to hold the pace. However, the rest does allow enough recovery to run double or triple the race distance in the workout. When giving this workout, I prefer to give fewer intervals, so that there is absolutely no let-up in the pace; in fact, I want the volume to be such that the athlete can make the last quarter the fastest. Ideally, the workout prepares the athlete to run the pace and finish strong.
For younger runners like my former seventh-grade self, fewer quarters is appropriate. For older runners with a lot of experience, more quarters can be appropriate. I have certainly seen high school runners run 12 x 400m or even 16 x 400m and not fall apart. College runners and those who have read "Once a Runner" will be laughing at me, thinking that 12 or 16 quarters is nothing. Fine. Laugh if you want. Every athlete is different.
Quarters can also be a way of spicing up strength-oriented workouts by adding some quick running in with longer, slower-paced runs. For example, I sometimes finish a strength-oriented workout with 2 x 400m or even 4 x 400m. A good transitional workout (transition from strength to more race-like speed) is 4 x 800m + 4 x 400m.
And later still, at the height of the competitive season, we might start running fewer quarters but run them much faster, say at 800m race pace, but it's still April so let's leave those workouts for another day.
April 20, 2009
The Big Day
Beginning before 7:00 a.m., the buses began rolling out from Boston and Cambridge, carrying tens of thousands of runners to Hopkinton. After all the nervous excitement of the last few days, these final hours are a surrealistic mix of practical concerns (how many layers to wear, how much vaseline to apply, how to time the needed trips to the toilet) and fervent hopes for a good race and not too much suffering before its over.
For those watching on TV, it's spectacle and entertainment. We thrill at the thought that Ryan Hall will be in the front pack with the Kenyans and Ethiopians. We root for Kara Goucher to prove her famous coach right and emerge as one of the best marathoners in the world. We will rush out to the course to watch our friends, family, and colleagues run by.
For the runners, it's logistics, it's keeping calm after all the anxious waiting of the last week, it's finally being able to not check the weather forecast every couple of hours. This is it; all the elements are in place. Now, just take care of the last few details and don't let the overwhelming relief of being released to run seduce you into a fast early pace.
For local runners, the decision to enter and train for the Boston Marathon was made many months ago, maybe a year ago. If my own circle of running buddies is representative, the training began in earnest in January with long runs on bitterly cold Sunday mornings. In spite of the stinging cold, the many layers of clothing, looking back I know those runs were easy, relaxed, with the race itself far off in the distance and incapable of inspiring dread. But in the last few weeks, with most of the training done, the worries have multiplied. Would the weather turn ugly hot or ugly cold? Would that nagging soreness turn into something really serious? And the thought that afflicts almost every runner when the time for preparation is over, did I do enough to prepare?
Running the marathon -- training for the marathon -- is such a fundamental act of personal commitment that we rightly celebrate all the entrants, and laud all the finishers. Even though the race is full of excesses (All that GU! All those souvenirs!), at its core it's pretty simple: you get on the bus and ride for an hour, are dropped off in the wilderness (sorry Hopkinton), and you get to run back home. We'll help you all we can with cheers and prayers. When you're done, you'll be a different person. And that goes for all of you, too, Ryan and Kara and Robert and Deriba and Dire and Bezunesh, and Lidiya...
Good luck. Godspeed. Courage.
For those watching on TV, it's spectacle and entertainment. We thrill at the thought that Ryan Hall will be in the front pack with the Kenyans and Ethiopians. We root for Kara Goucher to prove her famous coach right and emerge as one of the best marathoners in the world. We will rush out to the course to watch our friends, family, and colleagues run by.
For the runners, it's logistics, it's keeping calm after all the anxious waiting of the last week, it's finally being able to not check the weather forecast every couple of hours. This is it; all the elements are in place. Now, just take care of the last few details and don't let the overwhelming relief of being released to run seduce you into a fast early pace.
For local runners, the decision to enter and train for the Boston Marathon was made many months ago, maybe a year ago. If my own circle of running buddies is representative, the training began in earnest in January with long runs on bitterly cold Sunday mornings. In spite of the stinging cold, the many layers of clothing, looking back I know those runs were easy, relaxed, with the race itself far off in the distance and incapable of inspiring dread. But in the last few weeks, with most of the training done, the worries have multiplied. Would the weather turn ugly hot or ugly cold? Would that nagging soreness turn into something really serious? And the thought that afflicts almost every runner when the time for preparation is over, did I do enough to prepare?
Running the marathon -- training for the marathon -- is such a fundamental act of personal commitment that we rightly celebrate all the entrants, and laud all the finishers. Even though the race is full of excesses (All that GU! All those souvenirs!), at its core it's pretty simple: you get on the bus and ride for an hour, are dropped off in the wilderness (sorry Hopkinton), and you get to run back home. We'll help you all we can with cheers and prayers. When you're done, you'll be a different person. And that goes for all of you, too, Ryan and Kara and Robert and Deriba and Dire and Bezunesh, and Lidiya...
Good luck. Godspeed. Courage.
April 19, 2009
NNHS Alumni Results - 4/18/09
Northeastern sophomore Jess Barton had a big weekend at the CAA Championships, held in Towson, Maryland Friday and Saturday. On Friday, Barton placed 7th in the 5000m in a personal best 17:00.81, a time that qualifies her for the ECAC meet and ranks her third on NU's all-time list. Then on Saturday, Barton placed 2nd in the 3000m steeplechase, running 10:55.83, only 5 seconds away from an NCAA qualifying time.
At the Little Three (Amherst, Wesleyan, Williams) Championships, Wesleyan senior Scott Cole had a great middle distance double, running 2:00.54 to place 15th in the 800m, and 4:14.68 to place 8th in the 1500m. I believe both times are personal bests for Scott (not so sure about the 1500m...). At the same meet, Anna Schindler placed 8th in the women's 5000m, running 19:28.24.
At the Connecticut Spring Invitational, David Polgar placed 7th in the 1500m, running 4:00.34.
It couldn't possibly live up to Newton North vs. Brookline, but at the annual Harvard-Yale dual meet Adam Bao and David Smith helped Yale trounce the Crimson 105-54. Bao won the triple jump with a leap of 12.88 (42-3.25) into a 1.7m/s wind. Smith placed 3rd in the shot put with a heave of 14.75 (48-4.75), and 5th in the discus with a throw of 42.58 (139-8).
Chris Barnicle ran 14:00.16 for 5000m in the Olympic Development section at the Mt. Sac Relays on Saturday. How deep was the race? That time placed Chris only 15th -- and it wasn't even the invitational section. All-in-all, an astonishing 49 men ran under 14:00 at the meet.
Gillis Wins Inaugural BAA HS Mile; Hamilton 2nd in Boys Race
Margo Gillis won the girls scholastic division of the BAA Invitational Mile, and teammate Carolyn Ranti finished second, as the two Newton North runners bested a field of 15 athletes selected from the cities and towns that host the BAA Marathon. Gillis ran 5:10.6, which becomes the event record, and Ranti finished in 5:14.1, three seconds in front of Natick's Rebecca White.
In the boys scholastic mile, Dan Hamilton came with 0.7s of making it a Newton North sweep, as he placed second behind Brookline's Ryan Hardiman, 4:38.0 to 4:37.3, and a second ahead of Boston's Omar Abdi. North's Michael Goldenberg was 5th in 4:46.4.
Results of BAA Invitational Miles
In the boys scholastic mile, Dan Hamilton came with 0.7s of making it a Newton North sweep, as he placed second behind Brookline's Ryan Hardiman, 4:38.0 to 4:37.3, and a second ahead of Boston's Omar Abdi. North's Michael Goldenberg was 5th in 4:46.4.
Results of BAA Invitational Miles
April 15, 2009
North Girls Leap Past Weymouth
Newton North and Weymouth are similar teams: both schools have legions of enthusiastic athletes, great coaches, and some bona fide stars. In the indoor season, Weymouth prevailed over the Tigers and went on to win the league title; yesterday, North turned the tables, winning 78-58 over the host Wildcats.
Not to diminish the importance and excitement of many close races, but the difference between the two teams came down to jumping. North outscored Weymouth 24-3 in the three jumping events, and that was the difference in the meet. The Tigers were led by senior Michelle Kaufman, who won the long jump (16-1) and triple jump (35-9), as well as the 200 (26.9). Emily Hutchinson won the high jump (4-11), as well as the javelin (80-1). Amy Ren took a pair of seconds in the long jump and triple jump, and Lucia Grigoli took second in the high jump.
Other outstanding performances for North included an impressive double from sophomore Margo Gillis, who won the 2-mile (11:27), and came back an hour later to win the 400 in 60.7, Carolyn Ranti gave the Tigers and early boost by winning the mile in a personal best 5:12.8, and North's 4x100 relay team of Stephanie Brown, Kayla Wong, Ari Sanchez and Emily Denn won a key matchup with Weymouth, running 52.4.
Overall, the Tigers outscored Weymouth 44-38 on the track, but it could easily have been the other way around. North's strength in the field events, and especially the jumps, carried the day.
Not to diminish the importance and excitement of many close races, but the difference between the two teams came down to jumping. North outscored Weymouth 24-3 in the three jumping events, and that was the difference in the meet. The Tigers were led by senior Michelle Kaufman, who won the long jump (16-1) and triple jump (35-9), as well as the 200 (26.9). Emily Hutchinson won the high jump (4-11), as well as the javelin (80-1). Amy Ren took a pair of seconds in the long jump and triple jump, and Lucia Grigoli took second in the high jump.
Other outstanding performances for North included an impressive double from sophomore Margo Gillis, who won the 2-mile (11:27), and came back an hour later to win the 400 in 60.7, Carolyn Ranti gave the Tigers and early boost by winning the mile in a personal best 5:12.8, and North's 4x100 relay team of Stephanie Brown, Kayla Wong, Ari Sanchez and Emily Denn won a key matchup with Weymouth, running 52.4.
Overall, the Tigers outscored Weymouth 44-38 on the track, but it could easily have been the other way around. North's strength in the field events, and especially the jumps, carried the day.
Kiley (20 points) Leads North Over Weymouth
The Cavalry came over the hill in the nick of time.
With Ben Kiley and Sam Arsenault competing again, and the rest of the Newton North boys track team stepping up to their toughest challenge of the season, the Tigers overwhelmed a very talented Weymouth team 82-53 at Weymouth yesterday to stay unbeaten.
Kiley hasn't been 100% this spring, but despite the lingering effects of a knee injury, he was just about perfect yesterday, winning four events, the 100 (11.4), 200 (23.4), LJ (20-10), and HJ (5-7). Arsenault is still struggling with a foot injury, but the senior finished 2nd in the 400 (53.0) and long jump (19-5, off his RIGHT foot), and tied with Kiley for first in the high jump. Between the two of them, they accounted for 29 points. The margin of victory in the meet? 29 points.
But two athletes aren't enough to win a dual meet, let alone compete with a team as deep and talented as Weymouth. The Tigers were buoyed by "step-up" performances from Conor Ebbs, who won the shot put and discus, Dan Hamilton and Mike Goldenberg (1st and 2nd in the 2-mile), Troy Peterson (2nd in the 100, leadoff leg on the winning 4x100 relay), Hao-Kai Wu (2nd in the 200, 4x100 relay), Tony Chen (2nd in the 110 hurdles, 2nd in the triple jump, 4x100 relay), Ethan Goldman (3rd in both hurdle events), and many others who picked up all the 2nds and 3rds that neutralized Weymouth's strengths in the hurdles, middle distances, and javelin.
The Tigers' record now stands at 3-0 this season, and 59-0 this decade. With meets against Norwood, Braintree, Framingham, and Needham, the Tigers hope to stay healthy and run the table on the road to another league title.
NN v. Weymouth results on Athletic.net
Daily News Tribune: Tiger boys regain a healthy shine
With Ben Kiley and Sam Arsenault competing again, and the rest of the Newton North boys track team stepping up to their toughest challenge of the season, the Tigers overwhelmed a very talented Weymouth team 82-53 at Weymouth yesterday to stay unbeaten.
Kiley hasn't been 100% this spring, but despite the lingering effects of a knee injury, he was just about perfect yesterday, winning four events, the 100 (11.4), 200 (23.4), LJ (20-10), and HJ (5-7). Arsenault is still struggling with a foot injury, but the senior finished 2nd in the 400 (53.0) and long jump (19-5, off his RIGHT foot), and tied with Kiley for first in the high jump. Between the two of them, they accounted for 29 points. The margin of victory in the meet? 29 points.
But two athletes aren't enough to win a dual meet, let alone compete with a team as deep and talented as Weymouth. The Tigers were buoyed by "step-up" performances from Conor Ebbs, who won the shot put and discus, Dan Hamilton and Mike Goldenberg (1st and 2nd in the 2-mile), Troy Peterson (2nd in the 100, leadoff leg on the winning 4x100 relay), Hao-Kai Wu (2nd in the 200, 4x100 relay), Tony Chen (2nd in the 110 hurdles, 2nd in the triple jump, 4x100 relay), Ethan Goldman (3rd in both hurdle events), and many others who picked up all the 2nds and 3rds that neutralized Weymouth's strengths in the hurdles, middle distances, and javelin.
The Tigers' record now stands at 3-0 this season, and 59-0 this decade. With meets against Norwood, Braintree, Framingham, and Needham, the Tigers hope to stay healthy and run the table on the road to another league title.
NN v. Weymouth results on Athletic.net
Daily News Tribune: Tiger boys regain a healthy shine
April 13, 2009
Will Weymouth be Newton's Waterloo?
Newton North, the most consistently successful track program in the Bay State league over the past decade, heads to Weymouth on Tuesday facing the most serious challenge to its supremacy this millennium.
The Weymouth girls were clearly and definitively the best dual meet team in the league indoors this winter, and repeated as Carey champions. But they haven't quite been able to match up with North outdoors, although the meets have been close. Weymouth has an excellent chance to break that jinx tomorrow, with a team that has few weaknesses and many strengths, including the short and long sprints. In the last two years, they have not quite been able to match North's depth in the field events, but this year could be different. Indeed, what stands out about both Weymouth teams is their depth and coverage across events.
Some of the usual questions revolve around where each team will use its stars. Where, for example, will Newton North run Carolyn Ranti (800?) and Margo Gillis (mile? 400? 800?). There will be some great races on the track, but I have a feeling that the two teams will come out close to even in the individual events, and split the relays (Am I crazy to think North can take the 4x100?)
And that same feeling tells me that the meet will be won or lost in the field events, and I just don't know enough to know where the strength of each team lies. Weymouth has home "field" advantage, so maybe that will be enough to tip the scales. Anyway, it will be a great meet and could very well be close up to the end.
Meanwhile, the Newton North boys will have to come up with something pretty special to beat a Weymouth team that currently claims the best league performances in the 200, 400, 1M, 2M, 400 hurdles, and 4x400 relay.
Weymouth's top performers include Steve Sallowin, only a sophomore but perhaps the best distance runner in the league (top times in the 1M and 2M); David Bean, who holds the league's best time in the 100, and the second best time in the 100; Sean Galligan (52.54 in the 400); and perhaps the most valuable guy on the team, Malcolm Gurney (15.84 in the 100H, 58.54 in the 400H, 148' in the javelin, and 40-9 in the triple jump). Then there's Shawn Finn (league top ten in all three throwing events, with a 140' javelin throw to his credit) and solid middle-distance guys like Chris Dooley (2:06 800) and Rob Keegan (10:27 2-mile). I'm sure I'm forgetting someone.
If Newton is going to win and keep it's ten-year dual meet streak alive, it will need to fight to a draw, or something close, in the sprints and hurdles, which won't be easy. Isaiah Penn, Troy Peterson, Tony Chen, Ethan Goldman will need to have big days, and the Tigers hope Ben Kiley and Sam Arsenault are ready to go. Weymouth has the edge in the 400, 800, and mile (assuming Sallowin runs the mile). Ezra Lichtmann gets a tough assignment trying to keep Weymouth from going 1-2 in the 800. Jarad Forman and Dan Ranti are hoping to get points in the mile. The 2-mile looks good for North, with Dan Hamilton and Mike Goldenberg coming on strong (10:07 last week).
With a good showing, Newton makes up some points in the shot put and long jump. Weymouth looks to have the edge in the javelin (but Neil Fulwiler has thrown 144' and could win here), and North with Conor Ebbs has the edge in the discus. If Arsenault or Kiley is available, that helps a lot in the high jump. Without them, will North find someone else to score some points there?
The 4x100 is too close to call -- Newton needs to win here, because I think Weymouth is too strong in the 4x400.
Bottom line, I think Weymouth is slightly stronger on the track; North is slightly stronger in the field (maybe with Arsenault and Kiley a little bit more than a little stronger). It's going to be a great day and a great meet.
The Weymouth girls were clearly and definitively the best dual meet team in the league indoors this winter, and repeated as Carey champions. But they haven't quite been able to match up with North outdoors, although the meets have been close. Weymouth has an excellent chance to break that jinx tomorrow, with a team that has few weaknesses and many strengths, including the short and long sprints. In the last two years, they have not quite been able to match North's depth in the field events, but this year could be different. Indeed, what stands out about both Weymouth teams is their depth and coverage across events.
Some of the usual questions revolve around where each team will use its stars. Where, for example, will Newton North run Carolyn Ranti (800?) and Margo Gillis (mile? 400? 800?). There will be some great races on the track, but I have a feeling that the two teams will come out close to even in the individual events, and split the relays (Am I crazy to think North can take the 4x100?)
And that same feeling tells me that the meet will be won or lost in the field events, and I just don't know enough to know where the strength of each team lies. Weymouth has home "field" advantage, so maybe that will be enough to tip the scales. Anyway, it will be a great meet and could very well be close up to the end.
Meanwhile, the Newton North boys will have to come up with something pretty special to beat a Weymouth team that currently claims the best league performances in the 200, 400, 1M, 2M, 400 hurdles, and 4x400 relay.
Weymouth's top performers include Steve Sallowin, only a sophomore but perhaps the best distance runner in the league (top times in the 1M and 2M); David Bean, who holds the league's best time in the 100, and the second best time in the 100; Sean Galligan (52.54 in the 400); and perhaps the most valuable guy on the team, Malcolm Gurney (15.84 in the 100H, 58.54 in the 400H, 148' in the javelin, and 40-9 in the triple jump). Then there's Shawn Finn (league top ten in all three throwing events, with a 140' javelin throw to his credit) and solid middle-distance guys like Chris Dooley (2:06 800) and Rob Keegan (10:27 2-mile). I'm sure I'm forgetting someone.
If Newton is going to win and keep it's ten-year dual meet streak alive, it will need to fight to a draw, or something close, in the sprints and hurdles, which won't be easy. Isaiah Penn, Troy Peterson, Tony Chen, Ethan Goldman will need to have big days, and the Tigers hope Ben Kiley and Sam Arsenault are ready to go. Weymouth has the edge in the 400, 800, and mile (assuming Sallowin runs the mile). Ezra Lichtmann gets a tough assignment trying to keep Weymouth from going 1-2 in the 800. Jarad Forman and Dan Ranti are hoping to get points in the mile. The 2-mile looks good for North, with Dan Hamilton and Mike Goldenberg coming on strong (10:07 last week).
With a good showing, Newton makes up some points in the shot put and long jump. Weymouth looks to have the edge in the javelin (but Neil Fulwiler has thrown 144' and could win here), and North with Conor Ebbs has the edge in the discus. If Arsenault or Kiley is available, that helps a lot in the high jump. Without them, will North find someone else to score some points there?
The 4x100 is too close to call -- Newton needs to win here, because I think Weymouth is too strong in the 4x400.
Bottom line, I think Weymouth is slightly stronger on the track; North is slightly stronger in the field (maybe with Arsenault and Kiley a little bit more than a little stronger). It's going to be a great day and a great meet.
April 12, 2009
NNHS Alumni Results - 4/11/09
It was wet and windy for the Solomon Invitational, hosted by Northeastern University in Dedham on Saturday. The rain didn't slow down Jess Barton, who ran a very nice 4:40.61 to place 3rd in the 1500m. Also runnng the metric mile, Seb Putzeys placed 5th in 4:13.45. Official old guy Dave Cahill placed 5th in the 400m, runnig 53.32.
Bates was in action against Colby, MIT, and USM, and Doug Brecher was also running a "speed event" for him, as he placed 7th in the 1500m in 4:12.37. Ben Chebot ran the 5000m and finished in 16:54.59.
On Friday, April 10th, Harvard and Yale joined forces to compete against Cambridge and Oxford in a meet hosted by Yale. David Smith placed 6th in the discus with a throw of 39.72 (130-4)and had the third best throw of the day in the shot with a put of 14.54 (47-8.5).
Bates was in action against Colby, MIT, and USM, and Doug Brecher was also running a "speed event" for him, as he placed 7th in the 1500m in 4:12.37. Ben Chebot ran the 5000m and finished in 16:54.59.
On Friday, April 10th, Harvard and Yale joined forces to compete against Cambridge and Oxford in a meet hosted by Yale. David Smith placed 6th in the discus with a throw of 39.72 (130-4)and had the third best throw of the day in the shot with a put of 14.54 (47-8.5).
April 08, 2009
Penn is Mightier as NNHS Tops Brookline
With Sam Arsenault and Ben Kiley still injured and out of commission, Newton North faced a big test yesterday in their meet against Brookline. However, even without two of its indoor standouts, Newton North found new stars, including Isaiah Penn, who won the 400 (54.3) and long jump (18-3) and finished 2nd to teammate Hao-Kai wu in the 200m, to help the Tigers prevail 81-54 on a cold and raw April afternoon at Downes Field.
The early sprint events went Brookline's way, as Joel Parent won the 110 hurdles (with Tony Chen and Ethan Goldman taking 2nd and 3rd), and then came right back to win the 100m (with Troy Peterson 2nd). Jared Forman (4:46.5) won a tough battle in the mile over Brookline's Christian Sampson, and North's 4x100 team of Troy Peterson, Hao-Kai Wu, Tony Chen, and Swardic Mayanja ran 46.9 to win by two seconds and even things up a bit on the track.
Meanwhile, Newton's throwers were having a field day (no pun intended), as Ryan Donovan (43-2) led a NNHS sweep in the shot put, and Neil Fulwiler (140-2) led a sweep in the javelin. Connor Ebbs won the discus, giving North 23 points in the three throws. (These points proved critical, offsetting Brookline's 1-2 in both the high jump and triple jump.)
Back on the track, Ethan Goldman ran 64.2 to finish 2nd and set his second consecutive school record in the 400 hurdles. With the outcome of the meet still in doubt, sophomore Ezra Lichtman won a thrilling victory in the 800m over Brookline senior Ryan Hardiman, 2:09.9 to 2:10.1. When Wu and Penn placed first and second in the 200m, North had clinched the meet. For good measure, Dan Hamilton (10:04.4) and Mike Goldenberg (10:07.1!) went 1-2 in the 2-mile, and the team of Fulwiler, Lichtman, Ryan Kwan, and Forman were victorious in the 4x400 relay (3:48.1).
North will face an equally tough contest next Tuesday when they are scheduled to compete against unbeaten Weymouth. The Tigers are hoping to have Kiley and Arsenault back at full strength for that meet. (Arsenault did compete yesterday, taking 3rd in the javelin with a toss of 102-7.)
The girls meet wasn't close, as Newton won all but one of the individual events and both relays to overwhelm the Warriors 112-24. I'm still seeking individual results and will post them when I find them.
The early sprint events went Brookline's way, as Joel Parent won the 110 hurdles (with Tony Chen and Ethan Goldman taking 2nd and 3rd), and then came right back to win the 100m (with Troy Peterson 2nd). Jared Forman (4:46.5) won a tough battle in the mile over Brookline's Christian Sampson, and North's 4x100 team of Troy Peterson, Hao-Kai Wu, Tony Chen, and Swardic Mayanja ran 46.9 to win by two seconds and even things up a bit on the track.
Meanwhile, Newton's throwers were having a field day (no pun intended), as Ryan Donovan (43-2) led a NNHS sweep in the shot put, and Neil Fulwiler (140-2) led a sweep in the javelin. Connor Ebbs won the discus, giving North 23 points in the three throws. (These points proved critical, offsetting Brookline's 1-2 in both the high jump and triple jump.)
Back on the track, Ethan Goldman ran 64.2 to finish 2nd and set his second consecutive school record in the 400 hurdles. With the outcome of the meet still in doubt, sophomore Ezra Lichtman won a thrilling victory in the 800m over Brookline senior Ryan Hardiman, 2:09.9 to 2:10.1. When Wu and Penn placed first and second in the 200m, North had clinched the meet. For good measure, Dan Hamilton (10:04.4) and Mike Goldenberg (10:07.1!) went 1-2 in the 2-mile, and the team of Fulwiler, Lichtman, Ryan Kwan, and Forman were victorious in the 4x400 relay (3:48.1).
North will face an equally tough contest next Tuesday when they are scheduled to compete against unbeaten Weymouth. The Tigers are hoping to have Kiley and Arsenault back at full strength for that meet. (Arsenault did compete yesterday, taking 3rd in the javelin with a toss of 102-7.)
The girls meet wasn't close, as Newton won all but one of the individual events and both relays to overwhelm the Warriors 112-24. I'm still seeking individual results and will post them when I find them.
April 07, 2009
Tuesday Workout of the Week: Ladder
The idea of a ladder is to organize a series of interval runs so that athletes start with shorter workbouts, "climb the ladder" to longer workbouts, and eventually come back down to end with shorter workbouts again. Examples of ladder patterns include...
400/600/800/600/400
400/800/1200/1600/1200/800/400
100/200/300/400/300/200/100
It's pretty easy to come up with ladder workouts for virtually any occasion, and that's both an advantage and a disadvantage. As a coach, I know it's pretty easy to write down a ladder workout -- and it looks very convincing, as though I really know what I'm doing! -- but the ladder pattern itself doesn't tell you anything about what the workout is supposed to accomplish. The total volume, pace, and rest interval chosen can change everything.
As I think about ladder workouts, I consider one benefit to be that the workout encourages the athlete to constantly grapple with the issue of pacing. It's not a good idea to run the first pieces of the ladder too fast, and then struggle through the long pieces. Run correctly, there is a fairly subtle shift of pace up and down the ladder, and the final piece is usually the fastest of the workout. That makes the workout hard, but fun. It can also be great for a runner's confidence, helping that runner get used to running fast when tired.
Another benefit to ladder workouts is that they are very easy to adapt and adjust on the fly to keep a group coherent. For example, if the workout is 400/800/1200/800/400, and after the second interval one of the runners is off the back, that runner can run a 1000 instead of a 1200 (less volume and more rest), then come down with a 600 instead of an 800, and finish with a 400.
On the downside, it's easy for a ladder workout to become a complete mishmash of different paces, with the result that the workout is neither fish nor fowl -- neither a good speed workout, nor a good strength workout. I can't actually tell you what, if any, physiological benefits there are to running a bunch of different paces mixed up in the same workout, compared to running a workout that is more focused on a particular pace or energy system. Sometimes I think ladder workouts are all about tricking your mind into running harder than you otherwise would.
Well, maybe that's not a bad reason to do them every once in a while, so let's come up with one that we can use for our middle distance runners -- still early in the season when the focus is on building strength and aerobic capacity. Last week's workout was 5 x 3:00 with 3:00 rest. This week, we'll introduce a ladder that is slightly more volume and will include some faster running at the beginning and end of the workout:
400 @ 1M pace, 2' recovery
600 @ 2M pace, 2' recovery
800 @ 2M-5K pace, 2:30 recovery
1000 @ 2M-5K pace, 2:30 recovery
800 @ 2M-5K pace, 2:30 recovery
600 @ 2M pace, 2' recovery
400 @ 1M pace
(Total = 4600m)
That's a total of almost 3M, most of it at aerobic capacity pace or a little slower. The workout as written is appropriate for more experienced runners who are already in good aerobic shape but are still not focusing on speed. To make the workout a bit more friendly to less experienced or less in-shape runners, it can be modified as follows:
400 @ 1M pace, 2' recovery
400 @ 2M pace,
600 @ 2M-5K pace,
800 @ 2M-5K pace,
600 @ 2M-5K pace,
400 @ 2M pace,
400 @ 1M pace
(Total = 3600m)
I didn't list recovery times because the idea is that runners who are doing this workout can start their intervals with the runners who are doing the longer workout, above. Keeping teammates working together is one of the quiet bonuses of this kind of workout.
...
From a personal standpoint, one of my favorite ladder workouts was the classic 400/800/1200/1600/1200/800/400, with 400 rest after the 1600, and 200 rest after everything else. 6400m of fast running -- definitely a strength-builder!
Then there were the inverted ladders -- 1600-1200-800-400-400-800-1200-1600 -- with progressively LESS rest going down the ladder, and slightly more going up. That particular workout -- five miles of fast running finishing up with a 1600 -- would only appear on our calendar once a year, and only when we were in really good shape and wanted to test ourselves. We nicknamed it "the death spiral" although there's nothing spiral about it. I guess it just captured the mood of the workout as you found your body spiraling down into greater and greater oxygen debt.
400/600/800/600/400
400/800/1200/1600/1200/800/400
100/200/300/400/300/200/100
It's pretty easy to come up with ladder workouts for virtually any occasion, and that's both an advantage and a disadvantage. As a coach, I know it's pretty easy to write down a ladder workout -- and it looks very convincing, as though I really know what I'm doing! -- but the ladder pattern itself doesn't tell you anything about what the workout is supposed to accomplish. The total volume, pace, and rest interval chosen can change everything.
As I think about ladder workouts, I consider one benefit to be that the workout encourages the athlete to constantly grapple with the issue of pacing. It's not a good idea to run the first pieces of the ladder too fast, and then struggle through the long pieces. Run correctly, there is a fairly subtle shift of pace up and down the ladder, and the final piece is usually the fastest of the workout. That makes the workout hard, but fun. It can also be great for a runner's confidence, helping that runner get used to running fast when tired.
Another benefit to ladder workouts is that they are very easy to adapt and adjust on the fly to keep a group coherent. For example, if the workout is 400/800/1200/800/400, and after the second interval one of the runners is off the back, that runner can run a 1000 instead of a 1200 (less volume and more rest), then come down with a 600 instead of an 800, and finish with a 400.
On the downside, it's easy for a ladder workout to become a complete mishmash of different paces, with the result that the workout is neither fish nor fowl -- neither a good speed workout, nor a good strength workout. I can't actually tell you what, if any, physiological benefits there are to running a bunch of different paces mixed up in the same workout, compared to running a workout that is more focused on a particular pace or energy system. Sometimes I think ladder workouts are all about tricking your mind into running harder than you otherwise would.
Well, maybe that's not a bad reason to do them every once in a while, so let's come up with one that we can use for our middle distance runners -- still early in the season when the focus is on building strength and aerobic capacity. Last week's workout was 5 x 3:00 with 3:00 rest. This week, we'll introduce a ladder that is slightly more volume and will include some faster running at the beginning and end of the workout:
400 @ 1M pace, 2' recovery
600 @ 2M pace, 2' recovery
800 @ 2M-5K pace, 2:30 recovery
1000 @ 2M-5K pace, 2:30 recovery
800 @ 2M-5K pace, 2:30 recovery
600 @ 2M pace, 2' recovery
400 @ 1M pace
(Total = 4600m)
That's a total of almost 3M, most of it at aerobic capacity pace or a little slower. The workout as written is appropriate for more experienced runners who are already in good aerobic shape but are still not focusing on speed. To make the workout a bit more friendly to less experienced or less in-shape runners, it can be modified as follows:
400 @ 1M pace, 2' recovery
400 @ 2M pace,
600 @ 2M-5K pace,
800 @ 2M-5K pace,
600 @ 2M-5K pace,
400 @ 2M pace,
400 @ 1M pace
(Total = 3600m)
I didn't list recovery times because the idea is that runners who are doing this workout can start their intervals with the runners who are doing the longer workout, above. Keeping teammates working together is one of the quiet bonuses of this kind of workout.
...
From a personal standpoint, one of my favorite ladder workouts was the classic 400/800/1200/1600/1200/800/400, with 400 rest after the 1600, and 200 rest after everything else. 6400m of fast running -- definitely a strength-builder!
Then there were the inverted ladders -- 1600-1200-800-400-400-800-1200-1600 -- with progressively LESS rest going down the ladder, and slightly more going up. That particular workout -- five miles of fast running finishing up with a 1600 -- would only appear on our calendar once a year, and only when we were in really good shape and wanted to test ourselves. We nicknamed it "the death spiral" although there's nothing spiral about it. I guess it just captured the mood of the workout as you found your body spiraling down into greater and greater oxygen debt.
April 06, 2009
Wofsy Runs 49.03 at Penn Invite
(Thanks to Josh Seeherman for calling my attention to this result from last week's Penn invite in Philadelphia.)
It was almost four years ago that Jon Wofsy, one of the most talented 400m anchor runners in NNHS history, set his personal best in the 400, running 49.01 as a freshman for Harvard. Since then Jon has battled multiple injuries; he didn't compete at all as a sophomore, and ran only sporadically his junior and senior years.
But on Saturday, Wofsy finished 7th (out of 69 competitors) in the 400m at the Penn Invite, winning his heat in 49.03, and coming within 0.02 of his PB. It is great to see his name in the results, and we wish him all the best this season.
Penn Invite Results
It was almost four years ago that Jon Wofsy, one of the most talented 400m anchor runners in NNHS history, set his personal best in the 400, running 49.01 as a freshman for Harvard. Since then Jon has battled multiple injuries; he didn't compete at all as a sophomore, and ran only sporadically his junior and senior years.
But on Saturday, Wofsy finished 7th (out of 69 competitors) in the 400m at the Penn Invite, winning his heat in 49.03, and coming within 0.02 of his PB. It is great to see his name in the results, and we wish him all the best this season.
Penn Invite Results
NN Prepares for Brookline
On Tuesday, Newton North travels to Brookline for a dual meet with the Warriors.
The Tiger boys will have their hands full, especially given the uncertain status of Sam Arsenault. Assuming Sam is still limited to the throwing events, the Tigers will have to rely on others to pick up the slack in the hurdles and jumps. Looking over the results of North's first meet against Dedham, it seems that North is deep enough to score a lot of points in the sprints, with Troy Peterson (100), Ben Kiley (100), Isaiah Penn (200/400), Tony Chen (110H), Neil Fulwiler (400H), Hao-Kai Wu (200).
In the field events, Brookline certainly has the edge in the high jump (Joel Parent) and triple (Ian Sandler), but in the three throwing events, North could score a lot of points. Connor Ebbs had a throw of 129' in the discus against Dedham, and Neil Fulwiler threw the javelin 144'. North's shot putters have an excellent chance to sweep that event, putting the pressure on Brookline to find points elsewhere.
One of the most surprising things to me was to see how deep Newton North's distance runners are at such an early stage of the season. The same nucleus of runners that qualified for the State cross-country meet last fall is reunited this Spring and the Tigers had 3 runners at 4:50 or better in the 1M and 2 runners at 10:16 or better in the 2-mile. Jarad Forman (4:34 miler) is back, and won the mile last week, with Dan Ranti and Jake Gleason right behind him. Gleason's time of 4:50 is a huge PR, and shows that he is a threat to score points in either the mile or 2-mile. Michael Goldenberg is back on the track after a successful winter doing Nordic skiing, and his 10:16 in the 2-mile is scary for so early. Dan Hamilton's 10:03 is the fastest in the league so far.
On paper, the Newton North girls look a lot stronger and deeper than the Warriors. Joe Tranchita has talked about the team's balance, and that's probably the key here. The Tigers have strong distance runners (Gillis, Ranti, Barnicle, Heffernan), solid sprinters, hurdlers and jumpers, and good coverage in the field events.
The meet is scheduled to begin at 3:45 at Downes Field in Brookline.
The Tiger boys will have their hands full, especially given the uncertain status of Sam Arsenault. Assuming Sam is still limited to the throwing events, the Tigers will have to rely on others to pick up the slack in the hurdles and jumps. Looking over the results of North's first meet against Dedham, it seems that North is deep enough to score a lot of points in the sprints, with Troy Peterson (100), Ben Kiley (100), Isaiah Penn (200/400), Tony Chen (110H), Neil Fulwiler (400H), Hao-Kai Wu (200).
In the field events, Brookline certainly has the edge in the high jump (Joel Parent) and triple (Ian Sandler), but in the three throwing events, North could score a lot of points. Connor Ebbs had a throw of 129' in the discus against Dedham, and Neil Fulwiler threw the javelin 144'. North's shot putters have an excellent chance to sweep that event, putting the pressure on Brookline to find points elsewhere.
One of the most surprising things to me was to see how deep Newton North's distance runners are at such an early stage of the season. The same nucleus of runners that qualified for the State cross-country meet last fall is reunited this Spring and the Tigers had 3 runners at 4:50 or better in the 1M and 2 runners at 10:16 or better in the 2-mile. Jarad Forman (4:34 miler) is back, and won the mile last week, with Dan Ranti and Jake Gleason right behind him. Gleason's time of 4:50 is a huge PR, and shows that he is a threat to score points in either the mile or 2-mile. Michael Goldenberg is back on the track after a successful winter doing Nordic skiing, and his 10:16 in the 2-mile is scary for so early. Dan Hamilton's 10:03 is the fastest in the league so far.
On paper, the Newton North girls look a lot stronger and deeper than the Warriors. Joe Tranchita has talked about the team's balance, and that's probably the key here. The Tigers have strong distance runners (Gillis, Ranti, Barnicle, Heffernan), solid sprinters, hurdlers and jumpers, and good coverage in the field events.
The meet is scheduled to begin at 3:45 at Downes Field in Brookline.
April 05, 2009
NNHS Alumni Results - 4/04/09
The first weekend of April brought blustery conditions to Fitchburg, where several NNHS alumni competed at the Jim Sheehan Memorial meet, hosted by Fitchburg State College.
UMass-Dartmouth freshman Hymlaire Lamisere was busy, competing in three events. He finished 8th in the 200m in 24.70, 11th in the 100m in 12.05, and 11th in the long jump with a leap of 19-8.75.
Bates College was also in in attendance and it was good to see Ben Chebot back on the track. Ben ran 17:13.06 for 5K in what I think is his first race in a while. Doug Brecher ran the 1500m and finished 10th in 4:18.88.
GBTC's Dave Cahill ran the 400m, finishing 10th in 52.61.
BU at Florida Relays
At the Florida Relays, Dave Polgar competed in the 1500, running 4:03.45 (roughly a 4:20-4:21 mile).
Wesleyan at Coast Guard Invitational
Wesleyan senior Scott Cole set a 1500 PR, running 4:16.06 to finish 11th at the Coast Guard Invitational on Saturday.
Jampol Makes All-Conference Academic Honor Roll
On Friday, Johns Hopkins junior Noah Jampol was named to the Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll for the winter season. To be eligible, student athletes must achieve a grade-point average of 3.4 or higher and be "starters or significant reserves" on their athletic teams. Jampol was one of JHU's top milers, running 4:29 for the Blue Jays this winter.
UMass-Dartmouth freshman Hymlaire Lamisere was busy, competing in three events. He finished 8th in the 200m in 24.70, 11th in the 100m in 12.05, and 11th in the long jump with a leap of 19-8.75.
Bates College was also in in attendance and it was good to see Ben Chebot back on the track. Ben ran 17:13.06 for 5K in what I think is his first race in a while. Doug Brecher ran the 1500m and finished 10th in 4:18.88.
GBTC's Dave Cahill ran the 400m, finishing 10th in 52.61.
BU at Florida Relays
At the Florida Relays, Dave Polgar competed in the 1500, running 4:03.45 (roughly a 4:20-4:21 mile).
Wesleyan at Coast Guard Invitational
Wesleyan senior Scott Cole set a 1500 PR, running 4:16.06 to finish 11th at the Coast Guard Invitational on Saturday.
Jampol Makes All-Conference Academic Honor Roll
On Friday, Johns Hopkins junior Noah Jampol was named to the Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll for the winter season. To be eligible, student athletes must achieve a grade-point average of 3.4 or higher and be "starters or significant reserves" on their athletic teams. Jampol was one of JHU's top milers, running 4:29 for the Blue Jays this winter.
April 02, 2009
2009 Outdoor Debut: Tigers Sweep Dedham
Isaiah Penn won three events, and Ethan Goldman set a school record (65.9h) in the 400m hurdles as the Newton North boys defeated Dedham yesterday. According to the Daily News tribune (link below), other impressive performances included Niel Fulwiler throwing 144' in the javelin, and Connor Ebbs throwing 129 in the discus -- outstanding for the first meet.
North's distance runners were also in fine form, with Dan Hamilton winning the 2M, Jarad Forman winning the mile, and Ezra Lichtman taking the 800.
North's girls also won easily. Performances that stand out in my mind include Emily Denn in the 100 hurdles (17.1) and Maggie Heffernan in the mile (5:43).
North Track rolls to Sweep at Dedham
Next Tuesday North runs against Brookline.
North's distance runners were also in fine form, with Dan Hamilton winning the 2M, Jarad Forman winning the mile, and Ezra Lichtman taking the 800.
North's girls also won easily. Performances that stand out in my mind include Emily Denn in the 100 hurdles (17.1) and Maggie Heffernan in the mile (5:43).
North Track rolls to Sweep at Dedham
Next Tuesday North runs against Brookline.
April 01, 2009
NNHS Boys Vow to Keep "Homemade" Record Board
The new Newton North is supposed to have state-of-the-art everything, which is one reason it is the most expensive high school in state history. But if the Newton North boys track team has its way, the new school will inherit a much-beloved piece of the old school -- a homemade placard that lists track and field school records (boys only) and has served as inspiration for a generation of Tigers.
The board, which Coach Blackburn built in his garage six years ago, graces the wall of the SOA (Simulated Outdoor Area) in the old Newton North. Before and after every indoor practice, members of the boys team stare at the board and imagine having their names up there, recorded in bright orange paint by Coach Blackburn's still steady hand. In fact, the affection for the old board is so great that when team captains heard that a new "official" record board was planned for the new school, they wrote letters to the School Committee and local papers protesting the decision and asking that the old board be installed in the new facility.
On the one hand, it's easy to sympathize with the athletes, since the old record board obviously has sentimental meaning for them. But some say it's time for the old board to go. As one former athlete (who preferred to remain anonymous) said, "It would be cool to have an actual, you know, real record board. I think some of the times up there are suspect, anyway. I mean, there are no FAT times up there, and there isn't even an outdoor mile time listed... it just says 'Chris Barnicle' and no time... what's up with that?"
A spokesperson for the school building committee denied that there was any plan to move the old board, and dismissed the idea of keeping it as a "prank" by graduating seniors who had nothing better to do with the last two months of their high school careers. When asked about a new board, this official was vague. "We'll have to see about that. It's not as simple as transferring information from one place to another. The first thing is, we'd have to verify that all these records are accurate. We'd also have to add the girls records, of course. I'm not sure the city wants another override just to pay for a luxury like that."
I finally got a chance to talk to Coach Blackburn himself, who was philosophical about all the controversy swirling around a project he had intended as a simple gift to his team: "It's probably time for the old board to go. I was looking up at it the other day and realized that some kids' names are up there two or three times. That's not right. If one kid ends up with several records, that means other kids have been deprived of the opportunity. We should try to spread the records around a little."
One thing seems clear: board or no board, current team member are eager for the season to begin so they can start going after actual records. Who would doubt the Tigers as we begin April? Fools, that's who.
The board, which Coach Blackburn built in his garage six years ago, graces the wall of the SOA (Simulated Outdoor Area) in the old Newton North. Before and after every indoor practice, members of the boys team stare at the board and imagine having their names up there, recorded in bright orange paint by Coach Blackburn's still steady hand. In fact, the affection for the old board is so great that when team captains heard that a new "official" record board was planned for the new school, they wrote letters to the School Committee and local papers protesting the decision and asking that the old board be installed in the new facility.
On the one hand, it's easy to sympathize with the athletes, since the old record board obviously has sentimental meaning for them. But some say it's time for the old board to go. As one former athlete (who preferred to remain anonymous) said, "It would be cool to have an actual, you know, real record board. I think some of the times up there are suspect, anyway. I mean, there are no FAT times up there, and there isn't even an outdoor mile time listed... it just says 'Chris Barnicle' and no time... what's up with that?"
A spokesperson for the school building committee denied that there was any plan to move the old board, and dismissed the idea of keeping it as a "prank" by graduating seniors who had nothing better to do with the last two months of their high school careers. When asked about a new board, this official was vague. "We'll have to see about that. It's not as simple as transferring information from one place to another. The first thing is, we'd have to verify that all these records are accurate. We'd also have to add the girls records, of course. I'm not sure the city wants another override just to pay for a luxury like that."
I finally got a chance to talk to Coach Blackburn himself, who was philosophical about all the controversy swirling around a project he had intended as a simple gift to his team: "It's probably time for the old board to go. I was looking up at it the other day and realized that some kids' names are up there two or three times. That's not right. If one kid ends up with several records, that means other kids have been deprived of the opportunity. We should try to spread the records around a little."
One thing seems clear: board or no board, current team member are eager for the season to begin so they can start going after actual records. Who would doubt the Tigers as we begin April? Fools, that's who.
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