Track rats

I'll be heading over to the Reggie Lewis Center again this afternoon for a Bay State meet. I was just there last night for a track workout. I'll be there again on Saturday for the Boston Indoor Games. Sunday is the McIntyre Elite Relays.

Last Sunday I spent much of the day at the Harvard track for the Greater Boston Track Club meet. I know a bunch of people running Saturday at the Terrier Classic at BU -- maybe I should drop in to watch them.

In basketball, they are called "gym rats," those kids who are always hanging around the gym, shooting hoops or watching games. They never seem to leave. They spend more time at the gym than at their own houses. By this time of the winter, I feel like a track rat. I spend so much time at Reggie that i should have my mail delivered there. I've become such a familiar face to the staff that they no longer bother swiping my card, but just wave me in.

Whether it's watching a meet, running a race, or doing yet another interval workout, my life seems to revolve around my trips to and from the indoor track. I feel i could use a change of pace, but what's a runner to do in the middle of winter? I can't very well run 400s outdoors at night in this weather. Plus everyone else is at the track, and the camaraderie is one of the things that gets us through the hardships of the season.

I've come to appreciate the different mood of Reggie on different nights. Once the high school meets clear out, the adults take over. Tuesday night is a circus, with dozens of groups careening around the track in what seems like a non-stop orgy of anaerobic excess. Wednesday night is quietly efficient, with the BAA runners swiftly circling the track with effortless speed. Thursday is busier, but not crazy like Tuesday. The GBTC folks are there, along with several colleges. Everybody knows everybody. Somehow the distance runners and sprinters manage to share the six lanes of blue tartan without mishap.

After running, you would think we would want to get out of there as fast as possible, but no, we linger. We talk about races run and races to come. We talk about who looks good and who's injured. We reminisce. If they didn't turn the lights out, we might never leave.

NNHS Alumni Results - 1/20/07

These alumni were in action on Saturday:

At the Razorback Invite in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Chris Barnicle took another step back to fitness after suffering first low iron, and then mono this fall. Chris ran 4:17.44 for the mile, a time well off his best, but another chance to regain strength in real races.

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At the Tufts Indoor Invitational, Thomas Foote (Amherst) finished 10th in the 500, a new event for him, I believe, running 1:11.69.

In the same meet, Doug Brecher (Bates) dropped down to the 1000, and ran 2:48.03.

The All-State Meet Should Not be a Team Championship

It doesn't make sense to me that Indoor Track, alone among MIAA sports, holds both statewide divisional team competitions and an "all-state" team competition that combines all the divisions. Other MIAA sports do one of the following:

1. Hold statewide team championships by division (Baseball, Basketball, Cross-Country, Field Hockey, Football, Golf, Hockey, Lacrosse, Soccer, Softball, Swimming and Diving, Tennis, Volleyball, Wrestling)

2. For sports with smaller numbers, hold regional meets (all divisions) followed by a single statewide team championship (Alpine Skiing, Nordic Skiing, Gymnastics)

(Outdoor track doesn't really fit in either category, since it holds regional divisional Meets, followed by a single statewide competition. As with indoor track, I like the all-state meet format for individuals, but not for teams. The problem is that if you eliminated the team competition from the all-state meet in outdoor track, you would be left with NO statewide team championships, so outdoor track can stay the way it is.)

However, it makes NO sense to me to hold a statewide team championship for Division I, and then the next week hold an All-State team championship for all divisions. Here are six reasons why I think it's a flawed idea:

1. It dilutes the meaning of the State Division Championships. Other sports don't create this dilution; why does indoor track?

2. The division championship is a truer test of team strength. While the division championships are truly team competitions, the All-State meet tends to be dominated by a much smaller number of outstanding individuals. Indeed, it is quite possible for a "team" to win the All-State meet with one or two athletes.

3. It values the same performances differently. What I mean is, the exact same performance (time, distance, height) will typically earn a different score in the divisional meet than in the all-state meet. Theoretically two teams could perform IDENTICALLY in the two meets, but Team A wins the first meet, and Team B wins the second.

4. It creates a conflict between competing as an individual and competing as a team. The divisional meet is the perfect meet to focus on team performance; the all-state meet is the perfect meet to focus on individual performance. But because there is a team competition at all-state, athletes are competing in multiple events for team points (perhaps weakening their chances in individual events), or competing in events that are not their best. Coaches and athletes make decisions about which events to run in the divisional meets based on maximizing team points. For example, a natural two-miler runs in the mile to have more time to recover for the 4x800 relay. One of the best high jumpers in the state fails to qualify because after doubling in the 600, he misses three times at a height he could clear easily were his legs not completely dead from his race.

I acknowledge that these conflicts might occur anyway, but the chase for team points makes them more frequent. Of course, since the State Division championships serve as qualifier for the All-State championships, once committed to an event, the athlete is locked in. So if the 4x800 team fails to advance, the two-miler who entered the mile to have more time to recover for the relay, can't switch but must stay in the mile.

5. For all the but the very deepest teams, the all-state meet involves a tiny fraction of the actual team. For example, last year at the Indoor All-State Meet, Brookline won with six athletes scoring. Xaverian, third, scored 20 points in three events with five athletes. Minnechaug, fourth, scored 18 points in two events with four athletes. (Newton was an exception, scoring 21 points with 9 athletes.) In the girls meet, I'm not sure how many athletes scored for Acton-Boxboro, but the second-place team, Wachusett scored 22 points in two events with four athletes. Newton South tied for third with 20 points, using five athletes. Medford also had twenty points with only one athlete (Aranxta King)!

6. And finally, the result is often an anti-climax. At the conclusion of last year's all-state meet, the few remaining members of the Brookline team seemed bemused that they had won. They had not realized that their team had been in contention. When the trophies were presented, there were only a handful of people left in the Reggie Lewis Center.

So let's keep the meet, but change the focus. Make it a championship for the individual athletes, not the teams.

Happy Birthday, Kip Keino!

Kipchoge ("Kip") Keino turns 66 today. For those of you too young to remember, there was a time when Kenya was not known for producing world class middle distance runners. Kip Keino was one of the first Kenyans to win at the highest levels, and his success has inspired Kenyan runners ever since.

As a 24-year-old, Keino went to the Summer Olympics in Tokyo and finished 5th in the 5000m and missed the final of the 1500m. The next year he broke out, setting world records at both 3000m and 5000m. He won the mile and 3-mile at the 1966 Commonwealth Games. In the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, he contested three events: the 10,000m, the 5000m, and the 1500m. He dropped out of the 10,000 after suffering severe gastrointestinal pain, which was caused by a gall bladder infection (diagnosed after the games). In the 5000m, he finished second, narrowly missing the gold. Then, in his sixth race of the games, he beat the unbeatable Jim Ryun of the U.S. in the 1500m by rocketing into the lead early, running the first 800m in 1:55.3. His victory -- the first ever gold medal for an African athlete in the 1500m -- inspired a generation of young African runners. Four years later in Munich, he won Olympic Gold again in the 3000m steeplechase and silver in the 1500m.

Since retiring from running, Keino has spent much of his energy on humanitarian causes. He runs a charitable organization in Western Kenya for orphans. According to Wikipedia he is also president of the Kenyan Olympic Committee, and in 1996 was inducted into the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame.

MSTCA Div I STate Relays Results

They won three events (Sprint medley, Distance medley, Shot Put), finished 2nd AND 5th in the 4x50 hurdle relay, and scored in three other events, but in the end the Newton North girls were one point short against Lincoln-Sudbury, which won the Div I State Relays yesterday with 49 points.

Coach Joe Tranchita was pleased with the outstanding effort of the team, especially the underclassmen who handled the pressure of the meet with poise.

In the winning sprint medley, Jess Barton opened a big lead with a 2:21 opening 800, and the team never trailed. Barton handed off to Arie Sanchez (28.2 200), who held the lead for Kat Chiong (28.0 200), before Emma Kornetsky sealed the win with a 61.2 final 400. In the winning distance medley, Carolyn Ranti took the lead from the gun and pulled away from the field with a 3:51 opening 1200. Emma Kornetsky (62) and Kat Chiong (2:27) extended the lead to 50 meters, before Kat handed off to Barton, who was never challenged. In the shot put, Tracy Isman threw over 32 feet for the first time this year, and Lily Brown and Morgan Faer were just under 30 feet as the team recorded an aggregate distance of 93-1 for a convincing win.

Meanwhile, the boys got a second in the 4x200, a fourth in the 4x400 (after the winning team was disqualified for a uniform violation), and sixth in the high jump to score 13 points and tie for 10th place. The Tigers' best hope for a gold medal might have been the shot put, but after three fouls, Marvin Chan didn't have a legal throw and the team was given "No distance."

Newton North Girls Results

Girls 4x50 Yard Relay
5 Newton North H.S. 'A' 25.84 9 2
13 Newton North H.S. 'B' 26.73 7

Girls 4x200 Meter Relay
36 Newton North H.S. 'A' 2:03.43 1
39 Newton North H.S. 'B' 2:06.98 1

Girls 4x400 Meter Relay
12 Newton North H.S. 'A' 4:23.29 3

Girls 4x800 Meter Relay
8 Newton North H.S. 'A' 10:24.54

Girls 1600 Sprint Medley
1 Newton North H.S. 'A' 4:19.21 4 10

Girls Distance Medley
1 Newton North H.S. 'A' 12:32.54 10

Girls 4x50 Yard Shuttle Hurdle
2 Newton North H.S. 'A' 30.26 5 8
5 Newton North H.S. 'B' 32.39 3 2

Girls High Jump
3 Newton North, Girls Newton No. 4.32m 14-02.00 6

Girls Long Jump
8 Newton North, Girls Newton No. 12.95m 42-06.00

Girls Shot Put
1 Newton North, Girls Newton No. 28.37m 93-01.00 10

Team Scores:

1) LINCOLN-SUDBURY REG. H.S. 49
2) NEWTON NORTH H.S. 48
3) ACTON-BOXBORO REG. H.S. 28
3) NEWTON SOUTH H.S. 28
5) NEW BEDFORD H.S. 26
6) ANDOVER HS 24
6) BRIDGEWATER-RAYNHAM R.H.S 24
8) WEYMOUTH H.S. 19
9) ATTLEBORO H.S. 18
10) WACHUSETT REG.-HOLDEN 11
11) LOWELL H.S. 6
11) HAVERHILL H.S. 6
11) QUINCY/NO. QUINCY COOP 6
14) LEXINGTON H.S. 5
14) METHUEN H.S. 5
16) BROCKTON H.S. 4
17) AMHERST REG. H.S. 1
17) CHELMSFORD H.S. 1
17) SOMERVILLE H.S. 1


Newton North Boys Results

Boys 4x50 Yard Relay
36 Newton North H.S. 'A' 25.19 10

Boys 4x200 Meter Relay
2 Newton North H.S. 'A' 1:35.41 9 8

Boys 4x400 Meter Relay
4 Newton North H.S. 'A' 3:33.55 6 4

Boys 4x800 Meter Relay
12 Newton North H.S. 'A' 8:42.53

Boys Distance Medley
16 Newton North H.S. 'A' 11:19.71

Boys 4x50 Yard Shuttle Hurdle
13 Newton North H.S. 'A' 30.01 4

Boys High Jump
6 Newton North, Boys Newton No. J5.10m 16-08.75 1

Boys Long Jump
-- Newton North, Boys Newton No. ND

Boys Shot Put
-- Newton North, Boys Newton No. ND

Team Scores:

1) ST. JOHN'S PREP-DANVERS 46
2) BROCKTON H.S. 40
3) XAVERIAN BROS H.S-.WESTWOO 26
4) ST. JOHN'S H.S.-SHREWSBRY 25
5) BOSTON COLLEGE H.S.-DORCH 22
6) LINCOLN-SUDBURY REG. H.S. 20
7) NEW BEDFORD H.S. 17
8) NEWTON SOUTH H.S. 15
9) ATTLEBORO H.S. 14
10) NEWTON NORTH H.S. 13
10) HAVERHILL H.S. 13
12) LEXINGTON H.S. 12
13) FRAMINGHAM H.S. 10
13) ANDOVER HS 10
15) WEYMOUTH H.S. 7
16) BROOKLINE H.S. 6
16) CHELMSFORD H.S. 6
18) LOWELL H.S. 3
19) METHUEN H.S. 2
19) REVERE H.S. 2
21) SOMERVILLE H.S. 1

NNHS Alumni Indoor Results - 1/13/07

I'll update this entry as results are posted.

At the Arkansas Invitational on Friday, Chris Barnicle ran his first track race in over nine months, leading off for the Arkansas distance medley relay team. Chris, who battled anemia and then mono this fall, felt a little rusty on his way to a 3:05 for 1200 meters, but is glad to be back in action. He also points out that this was the first time he has ever led a college race!

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Also on Friday, Noah Jampol competed at the Gotham Invite at the Armory in NYC. In the 1000, Jampol ran 2:38.14 to finish second in his heat. Later, he ran a 4:30 1600 split for the Johns Hopkins DMR team, which ran 10:53 to finish 12th.

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Amherst College sophomore Thomas Foote (NNHS Class of 2005) ran 1:27.82 in the 600m at the Tufts Invitational on Saturday. Two other Bay Staters now teammates at U Lowell ran the 1000: Rex Radloff (Dedham Class of 2005) finished 3rd in 2:37.45 and Matias Carrasco (Brookline Class of 2006) finished 9th in 2:39.34.

Tufts Invite Men's Results

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Doug Brecher ran his first indoor race of the year, running 9:35.44 for 3K at a tri-meet in Lewiston between Bates, MIT, and Coast Guard.

Bay State Meet results - 1/11/07

Both Newton North teams won easily over Braintree at yesterday's Bay State Meet #4. The boys won 58-28, while the girls overwhelmed the Wamps 66-20.

There were some very impressive performances. among them:

Arie Sanchez jumped 14-7.25 to win the event. With Vicki Marone and Laryssa Manigat both over 14', North's long jump relay looks good for Sunday. On the boy's side, Gordon Forbes (20-2.75) won the long jump, going over 20' for the first time this winter. North's Ivan Kostadinov was second at 19-1.75, and Sam Arsenault showed he's not just a vertical leaper, as he jumped 18-8.25.

Carolyn Ranti started fast in the 1000, and never slowed down, winning by nearly half a lap and recording the state's fifth fastest time this year at 3:08.28. The North boys put four runners under 3:00, led by Peter Sun (PR 2:47.83).

Tracy Isman threw the shot 31-3.75, as North's shot put team continues to look strong for the State Relays.

Kat Chiong and Emma Kornetsky went 1-2 in the 600, running 1:43.47 and 1:43.90, respectively. In the 2-mile, Adina Hemley-Bronstein (12:19.98) PR'd by nearly half a minute, and Franca Godenzi (12:25.36) set her second PR in four days, this one by 11 seconds, as the two finished 3rd and 4th overall.

Seb Putzys won a tactical race against Kyle Higgins in the mile, running 4:40.86. Alex Gurvitz dropped down from the 2-mile and ran a nice debut at 5:01. There's no doubt he can run 6-8 seconds faster, as he was barely tired after finishing with a 71 last 400.

Avery Mitchell led all runners in the 300, running 36.74.


Bay State Standings

There were two close meets among the boys teams that came down to the 4x400 relay: Weymouth prevailed over Framingham, 47-39, and Walpole dispatched Natick 46-40. With the fourth of five intra-division meets complete, here are the latest BSL standings:

Carey Division - Boys

Newton North 4-0
Brookline 3-1
Weymouth 3-1
Framingham 2-2
Braintree 0-4
Needham 0-4

Carey Division - Girls

Newton North 4-0
Brookline 3-1
Weymouth 3-1
Braintree 1-3
Framingham 1-3
Needham 0-4

Herget Division - Boys

Milton 4-0
Wellesley 3-1
Dedham 2-2
Walpole 2-2
Natick 1-3
Norwood 0-4

Herget Division - Girls

Wellesley 4-0
Natick 3-1
Milton 2-2
Walpole 2-2
Dedham 1-3
Norwood 0-4

MSTCA "Top 50" Lists

Beginning in the 2005-2006 indoor track season, the Mass. State Track Coaches Association (MSTCA) began maintaining lists of the top 50 performances in each indoor event. This season, the MSTCA has been trying to update these lists approximately once a week. You can find the latest list at the following link:

MSTCA Top 50 Performance Lists - Jan 8, 2007

Browsing the lists is fun, especially as the season heads towards the bigger meets. Here are a few observations based on the latest update.

Too bad some big meets are not included

It's too bad that results from some big meets (Brown Invite, Dartmouth Relays, Hispanic Games) are not yet included. Of course, Newton North fans will know that were those meets in the mix, Jess Barton would have the state's leading time in the mile at 5:07.35 (from Brown). Her 5:00 from BU wouldn't count, since it wasn't set in a sanctioned HS meet.

Lincoln-Sudbury Girls Own the 600!

Dana Jamieson of L-S has the fastest time in the state at 1:35.70, nearly 2.5 seconds faster than last year's state runner-up Meg Looney. What's really impressive is that Jessica Griffin and Molly Binder, also of L-S, have the 3rd and 4th fastest times in the state, at 1:38.70 and 1:38.80. Not surprisingly, the L-S girls have by far the fastest 4x400 relay time so far this year.

Bromfield Girls Own the 2-Mile!

Emily Jones has that outrageous 10:38 sitting there, forty seconds faster than anyone else. Then her teammates Liz Lee and Eliza Ives have the third and fastest marks at 11:19 and 11:27. If Bromfield were to go, say 1-3-5 in the 2-mile at states, and then finish, say 2nd in the 4x800 relay, that would be 26 points. Maybe good enough to finish in the top two?

Amirault has range

Mark Amirault, the defending indoor mile champion and outdoor 2-Mile champion currently has the second-best mark in three separate events: 600, 1-Mile, and 2-Mile, and fourth in the 1000! That's remarkable on its own merits, but I think it also indicates that he's just toying with us so far, and will soon run some times that put him on top -- in the 1M and 2M anyway. In all of these events, it seems that no one has recorded a really fast time. Well, that's not quite true. Kevin Gill ran a 4:18 mile at the Hispanic Games last weekend, but the time is not on the list yet.

Watch out for St. John's Prep

The Prep is back. After a couple of years of non-factordom, St. John's Prep is a contendah again. I know everyone will talk about Lexington, Xaverian, Brockton, St. John's of Shrewsbury, and they are right to note those teams. They are probably better, but the Prep has some athletes, and will score some points, perhaps more in the class meet than in the all-state. Here's a quick rundown:

Matt Sullivan - #1 ranked in the 55 hurdles
Chris Langston - #6 performer in the 55 hurdles
John Quezada - #7 performer in the 300
Tim Prior - #3 ranked in the 600 (three runners at 1:28 or better)
Mike Masse - #9 ranked in the 1000 (but FOUR runners at 2:44 or better)
Zack Lankow = #8 ranked in the 2-Mile

In other words, points in the hurdles, and very solid 4x400 and 4x800 relay teams. An outside chance at some points in the 600 and 1000, and even in some events I didn't mention, such as the HJ.

Well, the refrain is the same for all teams at this point in the season. Let's see how they improve. But for the time being, having the performance list offers plenty of fuel for speculation.

January, Finally

This morning, ten days into the new year, it finally felt like January.

I woke up and could tell immediately what season it was. Gone was the thick, moist air circulating up from the Gulf of Mexico. Gone were the Chinook-like winds holding winter at bay. The sky was clear and cold, and not a wisp of cloud anywhere to trap heat. About time, I thought, as I pulled on my winter gloves and ambled off for my morning run.

I try not to let the weather affect my running much, but I admit it affects my mood. I like the weather to follow predictable patterns, with reliable and understandable ups and downs. I always become nervous when the weather starts acting too friendly, when a month goes by with nothing but sunny days, for example, or when winter itself seems to have gone on vacation. I like there to be a balance in things meteorological. I like to experience foul weather a little at a time, not all at once.

But the mildest December on record serves to remind me that the weather always ignores what I want, even when it serves up what I might have hoped for. All-in-all, I would have preferred a little adversity over the last several weeks. It would have put me solidly in the mood for watching people run fast around tiny little tracks. But who can run fast indoors when it's 60 degrees outdoors? Is it my imagination or has the weather left everyone a little sluggish? Maybe we need cold, crisp air outside to get fast times inside.

I do have the feeling that just as we haven't yet seen real winter, we haven't seen real speed on the boards. There's no question there's a lot of talent waiting to burst forth, but for whatever reason -- maybe it's still to early -- there have been few dazzling performances, especially above 600m.

That all could change -- could change as dramatically as the weather -- with January's State Relays and State Coaches meets coming up. This will also be the month we start seeing collegians running fast, as they seek to get NCAA qualifying times.

We may or may not be experiencing global warming, but I refuse to believe in global slowing.

Dartmouth Relays/Auerbach Frosh-Soph Results

A number of Newton North athletes headed up to Hanover, NH, on Friday to compete in the Dartmouth Relays. On Sunday, many of the same athletes were back on the Reggie Lewis Track competing in the Auerbach Freshman/Sophomore Meet. It made for a long weekend, the first of several over the next few weeks.

Dartmouth - Barton, SMR Place 3rd

On Friday night, North's sprint medley relay team finished 3rd with time of 4:24.88. North's distance medley ran 13:50.72 and finished 16th.

On Saturday, individuals competed. In the field events, North's trio of thirty-foot shot putters finished fifth, seventh, and eight in the unseeded section, as follows:

5 Isman, Tracy 9.32m 30-07.00
7 Brown, Lily 9.20m 30-02.25
8 Faer, Morgan 9.13m 29-11.50

(In the boys shot put, David Smith made the trip to Dartmouth and finished 6th with a throw of 52-2.5.)

In the long jump, Arie Sanchez and Laryssa Manigat went beyond 14' and Alex Blenis wasn't far behind in the unseeded section:

6 Sanchez, Arie 14-04.00
7 Manigat, Laryssa 14-02.25
10 Blenis, Alex 13-06.00

Sarah Berkland cleared 4-8 in the HJ. In the 55 hurdles, Vicki Marone ran 9.94 for the fastest North time of the day, with Morgan Faer (10.26), and Michelle Kaufman (10.51) trailing.

In the 55 dash, Latifah Smalls led North with an 8.24. Arie Sanchez ran 8.47 and Kristie Grimes-Mallard ran 8.96. Sally Leung ran 1:52.69 in the 600, while Sam Gluck ran 2:44.18 in the 800.

In the seeded mile, Jess Barton finished third, running 5:07.36, which is, I believe, the best time in a sanctioned meet by a MA girl this winter.

Auerbach - Kornetsky Wins 600, Arsenault 2nd in HJ

Only a sophomore, Emma Kornetsky seems like a veteran. On Sunday, she won the 600m in 1:44.10 and anchored the 4x400 relay (Jaya Tripathi, Sam Gluck, Carolyn Ranti, Kornetsky) to a 10th-place finish with a 63-second split. Jaya also ran the 600, recording a 1:53.79.

Other medalists included Michelle Kaufman in the 55 hurdles, who ran a PR 9.36 (3rd fastest runner of the day) in the semi-finals and then after an interminable delay, came back to run 9.58 for 5th place in the finals. Also running well, Paris Mongo ran 10.12 to place 12th in the semis. Carolyn Ranti finished 4th in the mile run, with a PR 5:29.24. Adina Hemley-Bronstein was 13th in 5:47.61.

In the 1000, Nora Barnicle just missed a medal, placing 7th in 3:15.02, while Sam Gluck ran 3:27.49. In the 2-mile, Franca Godenzi ran 12:36.56, and Susannah Gleason ran 12:44.40, as the pair finished 11th and 15th overall. Arie Sanchez ran 7.93 in the her first heat, and 7.98 in her semi of the 55 (12th best). Latifah Smalls ran 8.31 in her heat. Sanchez also long-jumped 13-7.75, placing 10th.

The boys team sent only a few athletes to the Auerbach meet, but got a medal-winning performance from Sam Arsenault, who placed 2nd in the high jump with a seasons-best 6-1. Other North runners included Ethan Goldman, who ran 10.17 in his heat, and 9.97 in his semi of the 55 hurdles, Alon Soran who ran 40.94 in the 300, Greg Cohan who PR'd in the 1000 with a 2:58.62, and Jake Gleason, who continued his steady improvement in the 2-mile, running 11:23.76 for 28th (6th fastest freshman!).

This week, North is in action against Braintree on Thursday, Jan. 11, and then runs at the Div. I State Relays on Sunday, Jan 14.

Bay State Meet Results - 1/04/07

As expected, Newton dominated both sides of their meet with Needham on Thursday. Overall, it seemed that times on the track were a bit sluggish for many, either the result of the layoff from racing over the last two weeks, or simply the runners taking it easy in preparation for this weekend's bigger meets at Dartmouth and at the Frosh/Soph meet.

Although track times seemed slow, the field events produced some outstanding performances for North athletes. In the girls shot put, Newton took the top two and three of the top four places. Lily Brown won the event with a throw of 31-11.5, and Tracy Isman took second, throwing 30-11.75. Morgan Faer finished 4th with a throw of 30-1. The shot put ring must have been on fire, because the North boys were equally impressive, as David Smith, Marvin Chan, and Steve Long took three of the top four places. Smith won (52-2.25), while Chan (47-4) and Long (45-1.5) threw personal bests. The emergence of Steve Long gives North a formidable team heading into the State Div I relays a week from Sunday.

Gordon Forbes won the boys long jump with seasons-best 19-7.75, as he approaches his 20'-plus form of a year ago. In the boys high jump, Sam Arsenault tied for third with a leap of 5-11. In the girls long jump, Arie Sanchez got off a leap of 14-7.75 to take second overall.

Ok, on to the track events.

In the mile, Carolyn Ranti led Natick's Becca White for seven-plus laps, but couldn't match White's acceleration in the final 150 meters, finishing second in 5:33.19. In the 1000, Jess Barton ran as slowly as she could for four laps (2:44, her two mile pace), and then as fast as she could for the last lap (33), winning easily in 3:17.30. Sam Gluck (3:25.95) ran a solid race to take second. Sally Leung led a North sweep in the 600 (1:52.59), while freshman Jen Liu took second in the 300 (48.73), as North rested Kat Chiong and Emma Kornetsky for the Dartmouth Relays. In the 2-mile, North's trio of Adina Hemley-Bronstein, Susannah Gleason, and Franca Godenzi ran together the whole way. Franca decided to fall during her first-ever indoor 2-mile, but seemed to suffer no lasting ill affects. Let's hope it doesn't affect her enjoyment of the event. (Trivia: what other Newton North standout fell in his/her first indoor deuce? - answer below.)

Michelle Kaufman won the hurdles in 9.77, and Arie Sanchez won the 55 in 7.97, with Kaufman second in 8.01.

In the boys events, Alex Ribner celebrated his first-ever sub-5:00 mile, running 4:58.76 to take first against Needham, and fourth in his heat. Sophomore Greg Cohen ran a very solid 5:03.75 for third. Seb Putzys led the 1000 from wire-to-wire, and had the fastest time of the day from any school, running 2:44.03. Alex Lee won the 600 in 1:33.33, with Gabe Feinberg taking third in 1:35.30. One of the most impressive races of the day belonged to Avery Mitchell who scorched the 300 in a PR(?) 36.65, the fastest time of the day in any race. Adam Bao ran 39.04 to take second. In the two-mile, Alex Gurvitz returned to form following a hamstring injury, running 10:58.49 to place second.

In the sprints, Ryan McCarthey (8.97) led a North sweep in the hurdles, and Gordon Forbes (6.89) won his second event in the 55 for another North sweep. North finished the day by winning the 4x400 relay.

[Answer: Chris Barnicle fell in his first indoor 2-mile.]

Momentum

There is momentum in training. When workouts are going well, they build on each other. Things that were hard earlier in the season become routine; interval sessions that were mentally taxing at the start of the indoor campaign become standard weekly fare. If all goes according to plan, we'll all get stronger and faster, carrying our training momentum into bigger and bigger races.

But woe to any of us if we over-reach and pull a hamstring muscle, or suffer a stress fracture as we churn out those fast reps on unforgiving tracks. When once we lose momentum in our training, it can start a downward spiral. There's nothing worse than the lack of confidence brought about when workouts get harder and times get slower, whether due to injury, illness, or other unplanned time off.

The holidays are over now, and dual meets have begun again. We will soon see who has been training over the break and who has been eating too many Christmas cookies.

We are also now into the middle part of the indoor season. For the Newton North girls, that means the two biggest weekends of the year are imminent: this weekend, in which the team divides its athletes between the Dartmouth Relays in NH and the Auerbach FR/SO meet in MA, and next weekend, which is the State Class A Relays (January 14th). Coach Joe Tranchita always emphasizes the State Relays as the true team championship meet, and the squad will hope to be in top form then.

In the college scene, kids are heading back to their schools and are looking forward to serious meets later this month. For many of them, the winter break is considerably longer than it is for high school kids, and it has taken a great deal of discipline to keep their training momentum while away from their teams.

And for runners who are out of college, the emphasis is likely to be on establishing a different kind of training momentum. As a runner in our group last night said, there are only 15 weeks until the Boston Marathon. For anyone thinking that far ahead, this is the time to be building up serious mileage and extending those long runs to 20+ miles.

Whether your focus is on dual meets, relays, invitational meets, or the Boston Marathon, I wish you the best of luck with your preparations. Keep that momentum!

Spirit of the Marathon

On Thursday, January 24th, movie theaters around the U.S. will hold a one-night screening of "Spirit of the Marathon," a full-length documentary that follows six runners preparing for and competing in the Chicago Marathon.

The runners vary in talent and experience, and include an elite male athlete hoping to win, and a first-timer hoping to finish. You can read about the movie and see a trailer at the movie's web site:

Spirit of the Marathon Web Site

Some quotes from the trailer:

"People talk about the 'runner's high'... the only runner's high I've really felt is when I stop running."

To find a theater and buy tickets:

Spirit of the Marathon - Find a theater

Four Old Guys

At the BU meet, I was watching the seeded heat of the 4x1600 relay with Noah and Dan, and while they watched the top teams battle for the lead, my attention was focused instead on the team plugging away in fifth. It was four old guys from the Whirlaway Racing Team, and they were just about to be lapped, early in the third leg. I wanted Noah to watch their third runner, Craig Fram, because I knew he would run a good, hard leg, regardless of how far behind his team was. I also wanted Noah to pay attention to Fram and these other old guys, because they had something no one else in the race had: a world record.

Yes, it was five years ago, February 9 2002, when Mike Cooney (4:27.3), Paul Hammond (4:27.3), Doug Martyn (4:22.8), and Fram (4:26.8) set a world age group (40+) record 17:44.35 for the 4 x 1600m relay on this same track. I wanted Noah to realize how good they were -- their times a bit slower, but still impressive. On Saturday, five years older, their splits were 4:41 (Cooney), 4:45 (Hammond), 4:38 (Fram), and 4:32 (Martyn). So who are these guys?

Mike Cooney is originally from Brockton, and although he is very good-natured, he is also Brockton-tough. He regulary beats me at almost every distance, including the mile, where he excels. Last year, Mike started dabbling in his old favorite event, the 400m, and ran 57 seconds.

Paul Hammond runs every distance well, and in his forties has run under 2:30 for the marathon and under 4:30 for the mile. Several years ago he was inducted into the Maine Hall of Fame. Here is a link if you want to read Paul's biography.


Doug Martyn is Paul's brother in law. Unlike Paul, Doug realized his talent a little later in life, but has been making up for lost time, especially in the mile event, where there are few better. Doug has won the Boston Indoor Games Masters Mile twice, and on Dec 23rd of this year, ran 4:30 for the mile at age 46.

Craig Fram is simply one of the best runners in the world in his age group. Two years ago, he set the world M45 indoor best for 3000m, running 8:35.70 at Harvard's Gordon track. That's the equivalent of a 9:14 two-mile, better than all but the very best young runners can manage. He is even tougher on the roads, especially at distances of 10k and up. This fall, a couple of weeks after turning 48, Craig ran 53:27 (5:21/mile pace) for a hilly 10-miles at the NE championships. He has won more New England road racing titles than I can count. On Saturday, he ran a "warmup" 3000m in 9:08 prior to his 4:38 relay split. Unbelievable.

So on this, the first day of the new year, when we are used to ushering the old guys out the door and welcoming the fresh-faced kid in, take a moment to admire four old guys who aren't ready to be ushered anywhere yet.



(L toR) Craig Fram, Mike Cooney, Doug Martyn and Paul Hammond.

BU Mini-Meet: 12/30/06

Several NNHS students, alumni, and coaches (or former coaches) were in attendance at the third and final BU Mini-meet, and there were some impressive times in the middle distances.

NNHS performance of the week once again goes to North senior Jess Barton, who ran a huge PR of 5:00.27 for the mile, and then doubled back in the 800m an hour and a half later, running 2:24.34.

Seb Putzys also doubled, although it was more of a spur-of-the-moment decision. After running the mile in 4:40.95, Seb and the boys went out for a 25-minute cooldown run. When he got back and realized the 800 hadn't started yet, Seb signed himself up and proceeded to dominate his heat, running 2:06.18 with a devastating last lap kick.

The mile was definitely the event for seeing NNHS and Bay State runners and alumni. North alum Tom Davis ran in the fast heat and ran 4:26 after having taken several weeks off from training earlier this season. (Meet results have Tom at 4:38 something, but that is incorrect). Tom would later run a 1600 leg in the 4x1600 relay.

Noah Jampol won his heat of the mile in 4:34.27, beating his former coach, yours truly (4:40.24), and two former teammates, Putzys and Dan Chebot (4:57.03). Noah ran comfortably in second place until just under two laps to go and then exploded into the lead, running his last 400 in 65 seconds. Another alum, John Blouin, now running for the GBTC ran 4:46.73.

Other Bay Staters includes two of Brookline's top runners who haven't been seen in league meets yet this season. Elliot Lehane ran 4:33.65, while Mike Burnstein ventured onto the track for the first time since spraining his ankle (?) several weeks ago, and ran a very creditable 4:51.16.

In the sprints, North alum Dave Cahill (GBTC) won his heat of the 400 in 51.26, and then anchored the GBTC 4 x 400 relay team.

BU Mini-Meet Results

Billy Mills Kicks 'Em All Down

On a long run recently, one of my friends mentioned that he had been watching videos of Olympic races from the 1960's and 1970's on YouTube. He commented that it was incredibly valuable to watch these old races for examples of successful and unsuccessful tactics. He gave as an example the Munich 10,000 meters, in which just about everything happens. I said I thought there were certain races that every distance runner should know by heart.

The 1964 Olympic 10,000 meter final is one of those races. In fact, it is considered one of the greatest upsets of all time. If you have never seen this race, skip to the end of this entry and click on the link to watch it now. If you have seen it before, I hope you won't mind if I set the stage for you one more time...

Billy Mills was raised in poverty on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. In school, he discovered a talent for distance running and attended the University of Kansas on a track scholarship. After graduation in 1961, Mills became a Marine, rising to the rank of lieutenant. In 1963 he returned to training, and in 1964 qualified for the 1964 U.S. Olympic team in the 10000m by finishing 2nd. When he toed the line for the Olympic final, he had never broken 29 minutes for the 10K distance.

Ron Clarke, the world record holder (28:15), was the heavy favorite, along with defending champion Pyotr Bolotnikov of the Soviet Union, and Murray Halberg of New Zealand, who had won the 5000m in 1960. Mills was a virtual unknown. His time in the preliminaries had been a minute slower than Clarke's.

Amazingly, Mills was still with Clarke and Mohammed Gammoudi of Tunisia at the beginning of the final lap. On the penultimate turn, as the trio tried to work around lapped runners, Gammoudi pushed between Mills and Clarke, knocking Mills off his stride and almost out to lane three. Down the backstretch, it looks for all the world as though Gammoudi is going to win. Around the last turn, Clarke tries to mount a challenge, but as they weave their way through slower runners it becomes evident that Clarke doesn't have enough of a sprint to overtake the Tunisian. And then there is Mills, sprinting like a locomotive...

I could watch this again and again. One of the best parts is to hear the announcers go completely nuts when they realize what has happened.

Billy Mills Kicks 'em All Down

The Interview: Mike Bower

Mike Bower is a Phys. Ed. teacher at Newton North and Assistant Coach in three sports (Football, Indoor Track, and Outdoor Track). In the early 90's, Mike threw the shot for Newton North, and later Phillips Andover. After he graduated from college, he re-connected with the team as a coach, and has been coaching discus and shot put for the Tigers for almost ten years. In that time, he has compiled a remarkable record of success developing throwers. Two of his athletes have won state championships in the shot put (Mat Frankel in 2004 and David Smith in 2006) and two others have won the State Coaches meet (David Bell and Kevin Chan). Bower has also succeeded in creating a program in which young throwers learn the sport from the juniors and seniors. Visit a Newton North practice and you'll find a phalanx of shot putters working together to improve.

We caught up with Coach Bower at Newton North, where several throwers had shown up on the day after Christmas to heave 8-lb shots some 40 feet across the indoor gym against two wooden barriers that seemed unequal to the task of containing the throws.


Mike, How long have you been coaching in the Newton North program?

I started coaching in 1997. I wasn’t doing anything else seriously at the time. I was home from college working at a whole bunch of part-time jobs trying to figure out what to do. Coach Blackburn called me up and said, I’ve got 11 shot putters down here and I don’t know what to do. I’ve got so many, I need someone to help out. So I came down, and after that first day, that was it. I was in.

You had been a competitive shot putter yourself, right?

I was competitive when I was in high school. At Newton North, I threw 48-6 or 48-10, somewhere around there, and that placed me third in the State Coaches meet. I won the Suburban League championship that year. Then I spent a prep year at Andover, where I threw 49-10, so I never cracked 50’ when I was in high school. One of my goals is to have a lot of my guys throw farther than I did in high school. I want them to beat everything I did.

Did you compete after high school?

No, I played football for four years at Hobart. They didn’t have a track program.

How long before you started working at the school as a teacher?

Being a track coach, and then a football coach slowly got me into the school system and got me thinking about teaching. I worked as an aide at Newton South for a bit, and then in 2000, I became a Phys. Ed. Teacher at North.

How do you get so many throwers in the NN program?

Being a football coach helps a lot. A lot of kids, a lot of freshmen, are looking for a winter sport after football, and they don’t know what to do. They don’t want to play basketball anymore or wrestle, and we have a no-cut policy, so it’s anybody who wants to join can join. But, a lot of my guys come from football…

Other coaches help me out as well. If Giusti [Tom Giusti, Asst. Football Coach and Asst. Athletic Director] sees a kid who he thinks could do well, he’ll send him to me.

You’ve had two state champions, Mat Frankel and David Smith. Who else in your program has done well at the state level?

Well, Mat won in 2004, and then went on to win the New England championship, where he broke 60 feet. Smitty won last year. Dave Bell won the State Coaches meet and was a top five shot putter in the state. Kevin Chan also won the State Coaches meet. Those two were also part of a team that won the State Relay championship.

Are any of those guys still throwing in college?

Dave Bell is throwing at Rhode Island. Kevin Chan is throwing at Bentley, where he recently set the school record. Mat Frankel is throwing at Brown.

David Smith was recently accepted into Yale, and he’s planning on throwing the shot for them. That means Frankel and Smith will be throwing against each other in the Ivy League meets.

I know what a runner does off-season to prepare for a competitive season, but what does a shot putter do? I know a lot of these guys do football, but what about the rest of the time?

Off-season, it’s basically just getting back into the weight room and working on those core lifts that give you a lot of strength and a lot of power for throwing. Also, it’s really important to stay competitive… with anything, so they’re keeping their bodies in shape. These guys love to play basketball. Of course the two sports are nothing alike, but they’re alike in being competitive, and these guys love to beat each other. They push each other really well.

When you see a shot putter as a freshman throwing, say, 30’, how much do you expect that 30’ thrower to improve in four years, and where does that improvement come from?


The improvement comes from the dedication and work. One of the things that a young thrower has to realize is that this is a very difficult sport – it’s not an easy thing to do. It takes an immense amount of focus and concentration, and coordination that goes into one explosive movement, and that’s a hard thing to do. But if the kid is committed to working through and understanding what he’s doing, it’s going to reflect in that kid working out more, lifting more…that’s the real thing, the commitment to keep doing it every single day, It’s great practice for developing in focus and concentration. It’s a very meditative activity. Kids understand that, they know it’s hard, they know it’s tough, but when they get it, when they get a really good throw, they get really excited because they know all that hard work has paid off.

But, it’s hard to know what a kid is going to throw. One of the most important things is to make sure the kid is understanding the technique, and when he gets it, or gets a little part of it right, to compliment him on it, and make it fun for him. Then his focus becomes that much greater.

I notice, and I think a lot of people notice, that you really have a program here; it’s not just about one great thrower. It says a lot that you can get eight or nine guys here on the day after Christmas, all working hard, all having a good time… well, that says a lot for your program.

(laughs) Yeah, it’s a little fraternity these guys have here…even during the football season, guys were talking about throwing the shot…

That’s got to be unusual!

It’s a different atmosphere than football. It’s intense, but it’s a lot more relaxing at the same time. These guys like it. They understand the differences, but they also understand the similarities. They like the energy here. It’s hanging out, it’s having fun together. It’s about friendships.

It’s good, too, because a lot of these older guys tell the younger guys “Come on up. Throw the shot put!” And so the freshmen get to hang out with the seniors, and it seems like everyone’s on the same level. Of course, the younger guys look at the older guys and they see how they work. A younger guy sees how hard Marvin [Marvin Chan] and Smitty [David Smith] are working and they learn.

What are some of the goals that you and your throwers have for the season? I expect David Smith is aiming for another state championship…


Sure. And I think Marvin Chan’s goal is to be a 50’ shot putter and get points for the team at the state meet. Steve Long is our third guy, and his goal is to qualify for the State Meet, which means throwing 44 feet. We all know he can throw a lot farther than that, but he’s just working hard on technique right now, trying to get it down.

Another goal for the team is to win the Class A Relay Championship. That’s going to be a tough task because there are a lot of good teams. BC High is probably the number one team right now. They won it last year, and they have a lot of their guys coming back.

Is there anyone else we should be watching from this group, someone who’s likely to make a big improvement, either this year or next year?


Well, Steve Long, for one. He’s struggling with his technique right now, as everyone does, but he’s going to pop one of these days. And he knows it, too. Eddie Pang is a freshman, and he’s throwing 30’ right now. And Dan Giovannucci is working his tail off right now. He’ll be a 40’ shot putter soon.

I think a lot of schools would love to have even one 40’ shot putter, but you’re talking about maybe having five!


Well, it’s nice. It’s kind of a goal and a standard to hit 40’ – not just for us, but for everyone in the state, so it’s something that the kids shoot for.

I’m not trying to create controversy, but do you feel that shot put gets enough attention?


I think it does. It gets the attention of our team. You know, if you’re going to be a good track team, you’re going to have to have talent in many different events. Coach Blackburn sees every event as crucially important for the success of our team, so yeah the shot put gets a lot of attention here.

But it’s not one of those events that’s going to get a lot of press. You’re not going to hear too much about it. … but it has gotten the attention of a lot of the kids here at the high school. They know they have the chance to do something special here. Most of these guys are football linemen, so they’re not used to a lot of press anyway (laughs). They like doing the grunt work.

You guys just won a very close meet against Weymouth, and the shot put went 9-0 for you. If you had split that event 5-4, Weymouth would have won. When Coach Blackburn addressed the team the next day, what did he say to you guys?


You know what, I think he just mentioned that it was a good overall effort for the team. He mentioned everybody, throwers, jumpers, runners,… everybody. I think that’s why he’s such a great coach. You know, there were a lot of events that were close, where there was a four-point swing one way or the other. If our high jumper had missed his steps on one jump, we might not have had those points, or if a sprinter false-started, or if one of our guys had fouled in the shot put. The great thing about Coach Blackburn is that he pays attention to all the events. That’s why he’s a Hall-of-Fame coach.

Mike, thanks very much. Good luck the rest of the season.

Thanks!

Team Pentathlon

The MSTCA Team Penthalon will be held tomorrow, Wednesday Dec 27, at the Reggie Lewis Center, starting at 10:00 a.m. Unlike most of the other meets on the scholastic indoor calendar, this one focuses on the field/technical side of indoor track, with the following events contested:

55 Hurdles
High Jump
Shot Put
Long Jump
1000 meters (boys) or 800 meters (girls)

A team consists of five athletes for the five events, where each athlete's performance earns points according to a set of tables. If you are curious, you can find these tables in PDF format at the following link:

IAAF page for combined event scoring

The MSTCA has done a good thing, I think, by moving the Team Pentathlon from the second/third weekend in January to the week after Christmas. Instead of occupying a prime weekend in the middle of the indoor season for an event with a limit of 25 boys and girls teams, the event is now on the calendar at a time when it provides a welcome diversion for those teams that choose to compete.

Historically, the Newton North boys have been one of those teams. The Tigers have dominated the team pentathlon in recent seasons, winning the team plaque four of the last five times years. (They should have won in 2004, too, but Jed Carpenter hurt himself warming up for the high jump, and wasn't able to compete). The 2002 North team holds the record for points scored in the event with 3717.

I don't know whether the boys are going this year or not, but if they do, they could do well with one of the state's best shot putters, and decent talent in all the other events. Likewise, the NN girls, if they choose to compete, should do very well.

For more information, see the following:

Link to Team Pentathlon Entry form and Info

BU Mini-Meet - 12/23/06

Jess Barton recorded an impressive double at the BU Mini-Meet today, running 5:10.63 for the mile, and coming back an hour later to run 2:22.94 for 800m.

David Polgar (BU), running his first race since cross-country season, recorded a time of 4:30.36 for the mile. He compared the race to the action of a powerful vacuum cleaner.

Dave Cahill (GBTC) did the "Alberto Juantorena" double, running the 400 in 52.12, and coming back to run the 800 in 2:06.62.

Also, Brookline alum Matias Carrasco ran a PR 4:26.48 to place 4th in the mile.

Bay State Meet Results - 12/21/06

Wow, great meet!

The Newton North girls prevailed over Weymouth yesterday, 52-34, and the Newton North boys won a close meet over Weymouth, 45-41. Both the Boston Globe and Cool Running had Newton North boys winning 42-35, but that was incorrect: the HJ results were wrong and the 2-mile results were not included.

Regardless, both meets were see-saw battles with first one team stepping up, and then the other.

Newton vs. Weymouth Girls Results

As expected Nicole Pearce moved up to the 1M and ran fast from the gun. Carolyn Ranti shadowed Pearce for a couple of laps and then pulled away. Lurking in third and fourth were Weymouth's Sarah McCarthey and Newton's Adina Hemley-Bronstein. Adina is a fast finisher and, true to form, she passed McCarthey and began gaining on Pearce with 300m to go. On the final lap, Adina moved into second, as both girls accelerated. With less than 100m to go, Nicole re-passed, but Adina had one more gear, and managed to just overtake Pearce at the line. 8-1 Newton. Weymouth would play catch-up for the rest of the meet.

In the 1000, Nora Barnicle set the pace and led Sam Sacchetti and for 900 meters, At that point, Carolyn Connolly moved from third place to first, and won with a smooth kick in 3:15.50, with Barnicle second, and Sacchetti third. With Connolly out of the 600, Emma Kornetsky (1:47.69, despite a stumble at the start) and Sally Leung (1:49.68) had no trouble going 1-2, ahead of Weymouth's Victoria Dinatalie. Weymouth goit revenge in the 300, though, as Lindsey Butler and Samantha Bennett went 1-2 against Kat Chiong (45.08). After four events, the score stood at 20-16, North.

In the high jump, Sarah Berkland jumped 4-9 to take second (Jenn Bell won, and Kerri Flaherty was third for Weymouth). In the shot put, Tracy Isman (30-0.25) threw just one half inch farther than Michelle Bruce to win, with Morgan Faer third in (29-6.5). 29-25, Newton.

The 55 hurdles was Weymouth's last chance to turn the orange tide, but it was not to be, as Michelle Kaufman (9.51), Vicki Marone (9.88), and Morgan Faer (10.04) swept the event and gave North a commanding lead. Kaufman picked up second in the dash (8.23) for another three points, and a 41-31 lead. Newton clinched the meet in the 2-mile, as Jess Barton (11:37.79) ran away from Kristen Mahoney and everyone else, and Susannah Gleason placed 3rd (fourth overall) in 12:41.28. When Kornetsky, Ranti, Barton, and Chiong won the relay (4:22.77), the final score was 52 to 34.

Note: This is an unofficial score that does not agree with the Globe, but I think it's right. You can check for yourself, by following the link below.

Girls Meet Results

Newton vs. Weymouth Boys Results

Seb Putzys (4:41.62) just held off Dan Pope (4:41.89) in the 1M, with Weymouth's Ben Chasen picking up third place. The 1000 went all Weymouth's way, as Mark Jordan (2:52.13) led the Wildcats to a sweep of the top four places. The 600 was a pivotal event for North, as Alex Lee seized the lead from the start and never gave it up, finishing in 1:29.80, just ahead of Chris Briggs and David Itz. Avery Mitchell ran a season-best 37.22 to win the 300, with Hymlaire Lemisere (39.66) taking third, and after the first four events, the score stood at 20-16, Weymouth.

Meanwhile, Sam Arsenault picked up a much-needed 5 points in the high jump, clearing 5-9 in his first meet for the Tigers. At the other end of the fieldhouse, North's throwers (David Smith 52-5.5, Marvin Chan 46-9, and Steve Long 40-0) were sweeping the shot put. 30-24, Newton.

On the infield, Ryan McCarthey ran a huge race in the 55 hurdles. Although Weymouth's Dylan Zukowski won, McCarthey (8.75) outleaned Mike Cristoferi for second, and three more points for the Tigers. In the 55 dash, Gordon Forbes (6.92) won, but Zukowski (Wemouth's man of the meet) edged ahead of Hymlaire Lemisere (7.18) and Troy Peterson (7.19) to take second for Weymouth, breaking up North's hoped-for sweep. That put the score at 39-33 heading into the final two events.

Unfortunately for North, Weymouth took the top two places in the 2-mile, despite a PR 10:45 from Ben Chebot (Alex Gurvitz, had to drop out after a mile with a hamstring injury). That put the score at 41-40, Weymouth, with only the relay remaining. Alex Lee led off and opened up a small lead over Weymouth's Dan Pope. Abasu Watanabe increased the lead, as did Adam Bao, and anchor Avery Mitchell ran un challenged, as North (3:36.9) won by 4.5 seconds.

Boys Meet Results

Newton North vs. Weymouth on Thursday

Newton North Vs Weymouth Girls

Thursday's meet should establish the top girls team in the Carey Division.

In the girls meet, Weymouth will have their hands full, as Newton North doesn't give up easy points in any event. To have a chance, Weymouth has to battle North to a draw in the longer running events, and try to gain in the sprints, high jump, and relay. It will be a tall order.

In the distances, these are the two deepest teams in the league. Each coaching staff must try to decide the most advantageous use of its talent. Figuring out where to use your runners for the 1000, 1M, and 2M is like playing a game of rock-paper-scissors with names like Barton, Mahoney, Pearce, and Ranti instead of hands behind your back. Here are the results from the races last week:

1000: Barton (N), Barnicle (N), Pearce (W)
1M: Ranti (N), Mahoney (W), Sacchetti (W)
2M: McCarthey (W), Hemley-Bronstein (N), Longo (W)

I think it's a given that Jess Barton will win in whatever event she is entered. Last week she ran the 1000. Does she move up to the 1M? Assuming she moves up, does Mahoney move up from the 1M to the 2M? If Mahoney is likely to move up, should Barton move all the way up to the 2M? Or does Weymouth keep Mahoney in the 1M, and move Pearce up to the 2M? Last week, North didn't run Haleigh Smith. If Smith runs, how does that affect the outcome of the different races?

While I have no idea what either team is going to do, I think North has too much depth, and will manage to take 16-18 of the 27 points up for grabs in the three races. If both teams were to run the same lineup and performances as last week, with Smith running and winning the 2M, North would score 18 out of 27 points. Weymouth can't let that happen and expect to win the meet.

There are matchup decisions in the shorter distances as well. Last week Kat Chiong ran the 300. On Saturday, she ran 1:42 in the 600. Where will she run on Thursday? With Emma Kornetsky running sub-1:45 in the 600 on Saturday, Chiong probably stays in the 300 where she gets to take on one or more of Samantha Bennett, Jenn Bell, and Melissa Kimball, while Kornetsky and Sally Leung take on Weymouth's Carolyn Connolly in the 600. Weymouth really needs a good showing in both of these events to have a shot. In the sprints, North's Michelle Kaufman should win the 55 and lead a North sweep in the hurdles.

In the field events, anything can happen. On paper, Newton North has an edge in both the high jump and shot put, but Weymouth's Bell (HJ), and Michelle Bruce (SP) could win and turn the tables on the Tigers. They will have to, because North has the better 4x400 relay team. Basically, Weymouth has to have everything go right in this meet to keep it even. But Weymouth often runs at its best when it competes against North, so it's possible...

Newton North Vs Weymouth Boys

The main reason that Newton hasn't lost a dual meet in nine years is because coach Jim Blackburn doesn't concede a single event, and never takes an opponent for granted. Having said that, Newton and Weymouth are very evenly matched, and the meet should go down to the wire.

Newton's Seb Putzys should get the Tigers off to a good start by winning the mile, no matter who Weymouth enters. But the Wildcats will have a good chance to get the points back in the 1000 with Dan Pope or Craig Myers. Last week, Weymouth showed great depth in the 600, and Newton can't let them sweep. Perhaps Avery Mitchell will move up? The 55 hurdles will go to Weymouth, but the 55 dash is a strength for Newton, and Weymouth will have a hard time avoiding a sweep.

Weymouth should take 1-2 in the high jump, unless Newton's fabled 6-4 jumper makes an appearance. Newton should sweep the shot put, with David Smith and Marvin Chan leading the way as they did last week. That brings us to the 2-mile. The meet could swing on this race, where Weymouth has to find a way to break up Newton's top two. Perhaps Weymouth moves a runner up from the mile?

If it comes down to the relay, it will be close. Newton probably has the edge, because they are always strong in the relay and have the league's best time so far.

So it should be a great meet, and lots of excitement for all the alumni that typically show up for the last meet before Christmas break. Good luck to all the runners, throwers, and jumpers. May the best teams win!

Bay State Meet Preview: Dec 21

Thursday is the second Bay State league meet, featuring these match-ups:

Newton North vs Weymouth
Braintree vs Brookline
Framingham vs Needham
Dedham vs Milton
Walpole vs Norwood
Wellesley vs Natick

Before looking in depth at Newton vs Weymouth (tomorrow), let's review the other meets. First the boys:

Brookline boys should handle Braintree by taking lots of points in events from the 300 up. Braintree junior Kyle Higgins is a fine miler, but Brookline has too much depth in the distance events, and will outscore the Wamps by plenty in the 1K, 1M, and 2M. Braintree dominates the hurdles, and holds its own in the dash and field events, but Brookline wins the relay and the meet by about 20 points.

Framingham won its first meet against Braintree last week and is favored to beat Needham easily. The two teams are fairly evenly matched in the running events from the 600 on up (here's hoping for a duel between Sam Miller and Alex Chmielinski in the 1M), but Framingham obliterates Needham in the short running and field events. Framingham should score over 60.

Dedham vs Milton should be a great meet, featuring two fine athletes in Milton's Eric Wornum (fastest runner in the league) Dedham's Phil Weltman. Both will likely compete in three events -- the 300, the 55, and the High Jump. Milton has a strong advantage in the distance events, but Dedham makes up some of that in the field events and relay. If Dedham can reverse some points in the 600 and 55 hurdles, the meet will be within 10 points.

Walpole has a slight edge over Norwood, but it could be very close. Walpole is much deeper in the events on the oval, but Norwood is much stronger in the hurdles and dash. Also, Walpole needs to find a high jumper. I don't think they can afford to let Norwood sweep there. Thoe shot put and relay bail them out, however, but just barely.

Wellesley vs Natick is a toss-up, in which every event matters. Wellesley relies on its strength in the distance events, with Tom Mayell, Nick Carroll, and freshman phenom Frode Van der Meeren (4:55 mile last week!). Natick will sweep the hurdles, and take big points in the shot put. The critical events for both teams will be the high jump, the 55 dash, and the relay, where the outcome could determine the meet winner.

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Braintree vs. Brookline girls is a study in contrasts. Brookline might well outscore Braintree 32-4 in the events from 600 on up, but might be outscored 21-5 in the 300, dash, and hurdles. Braintree's sophomore Adrienne Lutz is a rising star with a 9.81 hurdle time and a 4-11 high jump. Brookline should prevail in the shot put, survive the high jump, and win the relay to win by about 20.

Needham has some outstanding performers, especially in the running events, and might win the majority of events, but lacks depth. Framingham will take a lot of seconds and thirds, and then sweep the shot put and perhaps the 300. If Needham can fill out its roster, it has a chance, otherwise Framingham wins a close one.

Milton should prove too strong for Dedham, scoring a lot of points in the distances, hurdles, and field events. Milton's Jackie Imhoff has the league's best 55H time (9.38) and high jump (5-1). Dedham counters with Madison Ferrell who has run 44.39 for the 300 and 7.81 for the 55 dash. Still, Milton prevails.

The most lopsided meet of the week is Walpole vs. Norwood. Walpole has good performers in all events and outstanding performers in the 55 dash (Emily Hayes, 7.81), 300 (Mary McEvoy 45.12), and 2-Mile (Olivia Perry, 12:49). Walpole will win everything in sight and cruise to victory.

Natick ran its two best distance runners in the 1000 (Becca White) and 600 (Anya Price) last week. Good for them for working on their speed. This week, I'd expect both runners to move up to their specialties where they will give Wellesley all kinds of problems. I think this meet could be very, very close. Both teams have good depth and no event will yield easy points. I expect it to come down to the relay, where I give Wellesley the edge.

Good luck to all the teams!

Winterfest!

Only two days after their first dual meet, Newton North athletes took to the track again on Saturday for the Winterfest meet at RLC. This year the meet was split into a large-schools meet on Saturday and a small-schools meet on Sunday. From the Bay State league, only Newton North and Wellesley chose to compete.

On the girls side, there were some nice improvements across the board(s).

In the 55H, North had six competitors in the prelims, and two athletes in the finals: Michelle Kaufman ran 9.50 in the prelims, and 9.53 to place 5th in the finals. Morgan Faer ran 9.83 in the prelims, and then improved to 9.71 to place 6th in the finals. In the 55 dash, Arie Sanchez led the Newton North contingent, running 8.14 to place 21st of 84 in the prelims. Latifah Smalls was 24th in 8.21, and Brianna Deanucci was 31st in 8.30.

In the 600, Kat Chiong (1:42.00) and Emma Kornetsky (1:44.47) finished 3rd and 4th, respectively, out of 76 competitors, both improving a couple of seconds from Thursday. Sally Leung (1:50.05) placed 17th, and Jaya Tripathi (1:50.94) ran a 2-second PR to place 20th. Representing the middle distances, Nora Barnicle placed 3rd in the 1000 in a season's best 3:15.04, while Franca Godenzi placed 10th in personal best 3:21.35.

A meet like Winterfest is a good chance to work on the technical aspects of the field events. In the high jump, both Sarah Berkland (5-0, 4th) and Alex Blenis (4-10, 7th) improved from Thursday. In the long jump, Arie Sanchez led North jumpers with a leap of 13-6, followed by Latifah Smalls (11-9.50) and Chantel Aaron (11-0.75). In the shot put, Tracy Isman had the highest finish of the day for North, placing second with a throw of 29-09.25, edging out teammate Morgan Faer (29-07.00, 3rd).

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On the boys side, solid performances from David Smith (50-4.50) and Marvin Chan (47-02) led to a 1-2 sweep of the shot put. Newton North also placed three other athletes in the top half of the field, as Steve Long (40-9) placed 14th, Constantine Kreatsoulas (37-7), was 31st, and Ed Metallides (37-2) was 36th out of 80 competitors.

In the 55 dash, Gordon Forbes ran 6.85 in the heats to post the 3rd fastest qualifying time, and then blasted a 6.76 in the finals to place 2nd. Hymlaire Lamisiere ran 6.97 in the heats to just miss the finals by 1/100th of a second.

In the 1M, Seb Putzys ran within two seconds of his personal best to plave 8th in 4:42.22. Teammate Alex Ribner continued his assault on the five-minute barrier, running 5:03.69. In the 2M, Alex Gurvitz recorded a 4-second improvement from Thursday to place 15th in 10:54.91.

Peter Sun placed 9th in the 1000 in 2:51.68, and Gabe Feinberg placed 35th in the 600 in 1:38.31.


Full Results of Winterfest - Large Schools

Bay State Meet Results - 12/14/06

The carnival is back in town and the Bay State indoor season is off to a rolicking start after last night's meet at the Reggie Lewis Center.

Newton North v. Brookline Boys

The Newton North boys were solid in every event and more than solid in the shot put to defeat Brookline 52-34. Coach Jim Blackburn was convinced that North's nine-year undefeated streak in indoor was over, but the Tigers got unexpected points in the distance events, won the hurdles and swept the 55, swept the SP, and won the 4x400 relay after one of Brookline's runners fell in a collision with a Weymouth runner during the baton exchange.

It's hard to understand Brookline's strategy for deploying their superior talent in the 1M, 1000m, and 2M. Instead of running Robert Gibson (far and away the best distance runner in the league)in the 1M, they put him in the 1000, which he won with ease. Newton took advantage, as Seb Putzys (4:46.79) outsprinted Chris Mercurio and Jerzy Eisenberg-Guyot to grab 5 points in the mile. In hindsight, it seems obvious that Brookline squandered the talents of Mercurio, who would have been a better choice for the 1K, and Jerzy, who would have been a better choice for the 2M.

Here's how the races went:

1M: Putzys (NN), Mercurio (B), Eisenberg-Guyot (B)
1000: Gibson (B), Sun (NN), Grove (B)
2M: Hardiman (B), Gurvitz (NN), Chebot (NN)

With Brookline taking a 15-12 advantage. However, had they deployed their runners more judiciously, it could have easily gone like this:

1M Gibson (B), Putzys (NN), Benjamin (B)
1000: Mercurio (B), Sun (NN), Grove (B)
2M: Eisenberg-Guyot (B), Hardiman (B), Gurvitz (NN)

With Brookline taking a 20-7 advantage -- a ten-point swing!! That would have made the score 42-39 going into the final relay, and since we all have perfect vision in hindsight, why not run Matt Stewart on the first leg and get a big lead and clean exchanges throughout?

In the field events, David Smith had a rare and impressive double, winning the shot put by four feet in 53-3.5 and tying Gordon Forbes for second in the high jump in 5'3". Hmmm, 53-3 and 5-3 -- those numbers seem eerily similar. Also, in the SP, Marvin Chan uncorked a PB 47-3 for second, and Constantinos Kreatsoulas threw 39-11.25 to complete the North sweep.

Other winners for North included Avery Mitchell in the 300 (36.94), Gordon Forbes in the 55 (6.97, with Hymlaire Lemisere and Troy Peterson right behind in 7.04 and 7.10), Ryan McCarthey in the 55 hurdles (9.29), and the 4x400 relay of Adam Bao, Alex Lee, Hymlaire Lemiser, and Abasu Watanabe (3:37.95).

The two-mile witnessed a thrilling race between Hardiman, Alex Gurvitz (10:58.92), and Ben Chebot (11:00.59). It also served as an auspicious debut for freshman Jake Gleason, who started at the back and then passed a dozen runners to finish 16th overall in 11:45.26.

Outstanding performers for other schools included a league record (?) in the high jump for Framingham's Jordan Maddocks, who cleared 6-8, two wins from Milton's Eric Wornum in the 55 (6.71) and 300 (36.58), Brookline's Gibson in the 1000 (2:40.40) and Matt Stewart in the 600 (1:27.18), and Wellesley's Nick Carroll in the 2M (10:50.31).

Results of Boys Events


Newton North v. Brookline Girls

As expected, Newton North dominated Brookline, winning all but one individual event plus the relay, and showing greater overall depth. The tone of the meet was set in the opening event, as Carolyn Ranti (5:37.54) won the mile and recorded the second-fastest time of the day. Freshman Susanna Gleason (6:03.14) ran a blazing last 200 to come from behind to take third, and very nearly second.

In the 1000, Jess Barton ran away from a pack of Bay State all-stars to win in 3:11.28. That was not a surprise. It was somewaht more of a surprise to see Nora Barnicle finish second in 3:18.53, ahead of Brookline's Sabrina Parise, Weymouth's Nicole Pearce, and Natick's Becca White.

In the 600, Emma Kornetsky (1:47.33) overtook Sally Leung (1:48.32) in the final straightaway to lead North to a 1-2 finish, and in the 300, Kat Chiong (44.99) won convincingly.

Sophomore Michelle Kaufman won both sprints, taking the 55 hurdles in 9.98 and coming back to win the 55 dash in 7.83. Sarah Berkland won the high jump in 4-9, and Tracy Isman (30-1) and Lily Brown (29-0.25) went 1-2 in the shot put.

In the two-mile, North's lone competitor, Adina Hemley-Bronstein placed second (13:03.99, seventh overall).

Results of Girls Events

Running Places...

I've always been keen on finding a way to use running as a legitimate form of personal transportation, a way of going places when car, bus, and bike were inconvenient or unavailable.

The fascination with running as transportation started early. I grew up far enough away from schools that it was a long walk, but not so far that a bus was required. Already in elementary school I was experimenting with running home, and was surprised and delighted to find that I could make the trip faster on foot. Of course, I was lucky not to be burdened by a 25-lb backpack. In those days, there wasn't much to take home from school. It was a lighter time in many ways... But I digress.

The other thing about running places that gave me great pleasure was finding shortcuts. I became briefly famous with my classmates by getting off the bus on Lincoln Avenue, waving as the bus drove off, and then racing through several backyards and an alley to emerge at the next bus stop on Dana Avenue thirty seconds before the bus arrived. I had discovered a lifelong passion for combining a love of running with a love of being different.

The thing was, I never made running a regular means of commuting. Perhaps it was because it took too much planning ahead on a daily basis, or perhaps because doing it every day would have spoiled the fun. For whatever reason, I didn't end up running to and from school every day like the Kenyans.

The closest I came to regular running to work was when I lived in Newton Corner and worked in Newton Lower falls, a distance of 5.5 miles. We only had one car then, and there was a bus I could take but it came once an hour. So I often ran to and from work. I look back at my running log for that year and many days are inscribed simply:

a.m. 5.5
p.m. 5.5

Of course, this would not have been possible if the company hadn't had a locker room and shower. It did, and I vowed never to work at a building that DIDN'T have some way to clean myself up after a run.

The details of commuting on foot through the next two decades probably wouldn't be interesting to anyone but me. I worked in East Cambridge for five years (10 miles along the river, and some memorably cold mornings in the winter). The company moved out to Waltham , 4 miles as the crow flies from my house in West Newton but with a really nasty hill and rugged trails that were impassable in the winter. Then I
worked in Newton for three years, two miles from my house. I found that unlike HS, two miles was now far too short for me to commute by running. I biked instead.

Six years ago I started working in Woburn -- 17 miles from my home, the longest commute of my life. There was no easy commute that did not involve a car, but I never gave up the hope of figuring out some way to get there (or get home) while getting in my daily run or at least asserting my independence over the automobile.

I started by making a vast table of all the possibilities: the commuter trains, the crosstown buses, the parts that I could run or bike, the backup plans in case a connection was missed. I estimated the time for each possibility, and eliminated many that were simply not practical or took too long. I experimented. I found that if I took a bike, I could ride halfway, catch a train (taking my bike on the train), and then reverse the process in the evening but without the bike, running the last 8 miles. This worked great except that the bike ended up at my work, so I couldn't repeat the process two days in a row. I tried running the 8 miles to the train in the morning, and then taking all public transportation in the evening. That workedok, but it took too long and I arrived at work too tired to do anything useful for a couple of hours.

So the search for the cleverest commute goes on. The MBTA recently added a few trains to the Lowell Line, and suddenly there are new possibilities for me. So I've been experimenting with running part of the way home first, and then catching one of these new trains to take me in to Boston. In theory, I could do this every day, but that would probably become too commonplace so I'll continue to drive most days.

I'll tell you one thing: when I'm running for a train, I never have any problem with motivation; I never question why I'm running; I never worry about my competition. Now and then, it's a great feeling to be running for the sole purpose of getting home in time for dinner.

NNHS Alumni Indoor Results - 12/09/06

More college indoor results from our far-flung alumni:

Noah Jampol made an impression in his first indoor race for the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays, winning the mile at the Ursinus Invitational in 4:38.72. No word yet on whether he doubled back for one of the relays.

David Slifer (Hartford) competed at the Harvard Invitational in Allston on Saturday, clocking 52.45 for 400 meters. Dave Cahill (Greater Boston Track Club) ran 1:07.25 in the 500 meters, improving a tenth of a second from his time last week at the Northeastern meet.

Harvard Invitational Results

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On Dec 7, Dan Chebot opened his indoor season by placing second in the mile at the RIT Invitational in 4:44.52.

First Indoor Workout

With a long mild autumn to encourage us, and a well-lit, resurfaced outdoor track available nearby, my training partner Terry and I continued to run our weekly interval workouts outdoors until this week. The cold weather that arrived mid-week finally drove us inside, and on Wednesday we did our first indoor workout of the season.

The first time back on the boards is always strange. The springy surface feels almost alive in comparison with the hard, concrete feel of MIT's outdoor track. It feels good on the legs. But it also feels awkward, as though one's stride needs adjusting in some subtle way to take advantage of the resilience and energy return of the track under one's feet. I found myself flailing for a moment or two entering each curve, trying to find a rhythm that didn't squander the "track energy" I felt. The tighter turns also created a minor optical illusion for me, in which I was sure that Terry was accelerating into the first few meters of the turn (when he was in the turn and I was not yet there). When I made the mistake of matching what I imagined was his increase, I would immediately step on his heels. It didn't make things any easier that my stride is a little longer than his anyway.

We were fortunate that the track was more or less empty, with only a few other groups running. that will change in a hurry once the HS meets begin and other clubs begin crowding in all at the same time following the conclusion of that night's meet. Some nights it is definitely a zoo, and avoiding collisions requires constant vigilance.

I know from previous years that within a few weeks, I will have adjusted to the track and it will seem very normal to think of a lap as 200 meters, not 400. It will take me a little bit longer to get used to the indoor air and the dryness. I know I should count my blessings to have such good indoor facilities available. I mean, Having an indoor track at all is a luxury, let alone a banked track which is arguably one of the best facilities in the country.

Having Reggie is also a great temptation to run fast, regardless of whether that is the right workout for one's training. I was pretty stiff on Thursday, a victim of "pace creep" where 400s that were supposed to be at 72 were run in 69-70, and 300s that were supposed to be run in 53-54 were run in 51. Even at my advanced age, speed is addictive and the track at Reggie does nothing to discourage the habit.

Almanac - Dec 7

As someone who doesn't have the freedom to run in the middle of the day when there's some hope of sunshine, I am a little bit obsessed with weather and the seasons. At this time of year especially, I scrutinize sunrise and sunset times and try to squeeze some fair-weather runs into the limited daylight hours.

So today is a milestone of sorts in the progression from Fall to Winter and ultimately Spring. Today, December 7th, the sun will set at 4:11 p.m. in Boston. Never mind abut the seconds -- no one really cares about the seconds. Tomorrow, the sun will also set at 4:11 p.m. It will be the same on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, and then -- next Tuesday, December 11th, the sunset will be one minute later, and the lengthening of the afternoon will have begun. For me, it will be the first step down the long, sometimes bleak corridor of winter.

Many people think that the earliest sunset happens on the shortest day of the year, the solstice, but this is not the case. The earliest sunrise occurs about 12 days before the solstice and the latest sunrise occurs about 12 days after the solstice. That means that the mornings will be getting later for another month!

Still, I'll trade the mornings for the afternoons any day. One of my favorite times of the year is the beginning of February, when sunset occurs after 5:00 p.m. for the first time in three months. Until then, I'll be happy knowing sunset is once again moving in the right direction.

Girls Preview: NNHS vs. Brookline 12/14

Unlike the boys meet against Brookline, the NNHS girls meet against the Warriors does not look like it will be close, based on performances from last year's teams.

The Tigers return just about all of their top athletes (with the exception of hurdler/sprinter/captain Leah Weisman) from last year's undefeated team. With potential winners in every event, it's hard to spot a weakness for other teams to exploit.

Newton should dominate the field events. The Tigers have three high jumpers from last year who cleared 4'10 or better, led by Alex Blenis (5'2"). Likewise in the shot put, Lily Brown, Tracy Isman, and Morgan Faer should sweep the top three places. Assuming everyone returns and is healthy, field events should go 18-0 to Newton.

In the 55 dash last year, Brookline's Tracy Taylor ran well, as did sophomore Asia Benton. However, if she competes in the 55, I'd favor Newton's Michelle Kaufmann for the win. I'll score this 5-4 Newton. In the 55 hurdles, Newton loses Div I State meet scorer Weisman, but returns Vicki Marone and Morgan Faer. Brookline's Anna Mak was about a second slower than Marone las year. I'll score this 8-1 Newton.

I'm just speculating now about how Newton will use it's sprint talent, but assuming that Lily Brown runs the 300 and Kat Chiong and Emma Kornetsky run the 600, I don't see anyone from Brookline in front of them. Brown ran sub 45 in the 300 last year, and although Benton and Steph Seldin ran around 47, I'll guess Newton finds someone fast enough to take third. 6-3 Newton. In the 600, Chiong and Kornetsky would be the favorites over anyone except Sabrina Parise, and assuming she runs the 1000, I'll predict Newton goes 1-2 for an 8-1 advantage. In the 1000, Parise will win against anyone but Jess Barton. Barton will win in whatever distance event she runs. So what will she run? Again, pure speculation, but I'll guess Parise sticks to the 1000 where she will have to contend with Nora Barnicle or perhaps Carolyn Ranti, and Barton runs the mile. Anyway, let's give Parise the win (not a sure thing against Barnicle) and Brookline 5 points in the 1000, with the Tigers taking 2nd and 3rd. Newton then goes no worse than 1-3 in the mile with Barton and Hemley-Bronstein, and then no worse than 1-2 in the 2-mile with Haleigh Smith and Ranti or Franca Godenzi. I score the distances 15-9 for Newton, and that's being generous to Brookline's improved distance crew.

So, if it all happens the way I've diagrammed it (it won't), the score would be 64-17 Newton going into the relay, which Newton should win if it runs anything close to its "A" team (Brown, Kornetsky, Kaufman?, Chiong).

Ok, so all of you with inside information, I'm looking forward to hearing where I've gone wrong tell me where I'm wrong. Who is healthy, who is injured, who is doing cross-country skiing? Inquiring minds want to know.

Boys Preview: NNHS vs. Brookline on 12/14

It seems a shame that the first meet of the indoor season pits two of the top teams in the Bay State League. It's also noteworthy that Brookline and Newton North finished first and second, respectively in the All-State championships last winter, separated by a few hundredths of a second in the 4x400 relay.

Newton North hasn't lost an indoor dual meet for a long, long time, and they will be tough to beat again this year. Their strength figures to be the sprints and shot put. In the 55m dash, they have the top two returners from last year -- Cailean Robinson and Gordon Forbes. Robinson set a school record 6.51 in the semi-final of the NE championships last winter, and went on to finish 2nd in the finals. This duo should place 1-2. Brookline's Michael Bennett ran 6.91 last year, but I wouldn't be surprised if North comes up with a third good sprinter. I'll call this one 8-1 for Newton. In the 55 hurdles, North will miss Brendan Rooney and Nick van Niel, but Ryan McCarthy returns and unless Brookline has an up-and-coming star, I'll give him the win. 5-4 Newton.

I would expect North to use Avery Mitchell in the 300, where he should dominate. I don't know who else will run for North. Brookline has no outstanding returners, so I'll call this 6-3 for Newton. In the 600, the situation is reversed with All-State champion Matt Stewart poised to dominate for Brookline. I'll hazard a guess that Jared Plotkin will run for Newton, and be good enough to take second. Score it 6-3 Brookline.

In the distances, Brookline has tremendous depth, and North will have to claw for points. In the 1000, I'm guessing Brookline will run Chris Mercurio (who will win), and North will counter with Peter Sun (who will take second) and Rojay Wagner. 6-3 Brookline. In the mile, look for Robert Gibson to win easily over Seb Putzys, with Brookline's Eliot Lehane in 3rd. 6-3 Brookline. In the 2-mile, Jerzy Eisenberg-Guyot and Mike Burnstein will take 1-2 easily, with North's Jared Forman and Charles Krasnow battling for third. 8-1 Brookline.

So according to that analysis, the runing events (minus the relay) go to Brookline 34-29.

The field events, and particularly the shot put, will be huge (no pun intended) for Newton, as they have the dominant thrower in the State in David Smith, plus several returners, including Marvin Chan. I'll give North a 9-0 sweep in the shot put. The high jump is always a guessing game, with neither team having a great jumper. Assuming Gordon Forbes wins, I'm guessing Brookline will come up with someone to take second and third. But really, it's anyone's guess. I'll say 5-4 Newton.

Adding it all up, that would make it 43 Newton 38 Brookline, with the five points from the relay to decide whether North wins again, or Brookline earns a 43-43 tie. What a scene that would be!

Anyway, it seems to me that the keys to the meet are the HJ (because of the big potential swing, plus it comes early in the meet), the 55 hurdles, Newton taking care of busines in the SP, and Brookline taking care of business in the distances. And the relay of course.

Now, I've based this all on last year's returners. If someone from either team wants to fill in the gaps with inside information (fast newcomers, overlooked underclassmen, injured stars), please leave a comment.

NNHS/BSC Alumni Indoor Results - 12/2/06

On the first weekend of indoor track meets, a few results of interest to the NNHS/Bay State crowd:

Newton alum and Harvard sophomore Jon Wofsy ran 1:05.36 to win the 500m event in the Harvard v Boston College meet held at Harvard's Gordon Track on Saturday. In the same meet,

Wellesley alumna and BC freshman Brielle Chabot ran 17:40.98 to finish 4th in the women's 5000m.

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In the Husky Winter Carnival held at the Reggie Lewis Center, NNHS alum Dave Cahill (Greater Boston Track Club) ran 1:07.35 to finish 6th overall (out of 36 competitors) in the 500m. Another NNHS alum, Thomas Foote (now a sophomore at Amherst College) ran 2:03.37 in the 800m.

Braintree alum and Assumption College freshman Chris O'Day ran 2:42.22 in the 1000m. Brookline alum and BU sophomore Jason Nardella competed in the 55 hurdles, running 8.15 in his heat, and 7.95 in the final to place 7th.

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At the Wesleyan Invite (Middletown, CT), Hartford sophomore (NNHS class of '05) David Slifer finished 2nd in the 400m with a time of 52.85. Westfield State freshman Charles Beard (Needham class of '06) ran 4:55.12 for the mile. Smitty will be happy to hear that Springfield senior Alex Kampersal (Natick class of '03) won the shot put with a heave of 15.53m (50-11.50).

Moving Indoors

The indoor track season is a week old, but I've been reluctant to move indoors with the rest of the HS running crowd. For one thing, the warm weather has lulled me into a pleasant reverie, in which I think that it's September again. I run in shorts and t-shirt, even late into the November nights, and the last thing I want to think about is breathing the dry, dusty air of the Reggie Lewis center. For another thing, cross-country hasn't really ended. There was the Footlocker Regional meet last Saturday; there is the Nike Team Nationals meet today (you can watch the Webcast at 1:15 p.m. EST), followed by the Footlocker champiopnships Dec. 9th; and, as someone pointed out, the rest of the world (Europe and Kenya, anyway) is just beginning its cross-country season, which won't end until late March.

And finally, with no one to coach but myself, and no important indoor races in my future, I haven't had any reason to worry about preparing anyone for races that take less than 15 minutes to run.

In fact, I thought about writing a long diatribe entitled "The Case Against Indoor Track," explaining why, in my opinion, an intense indoor season is detrimental to the long-term development of distance runners. Maybe I will some day, but not today. Among other things, the first indoor meet of the season at Reggie happens today -- the Northeastern Winter Carnival for collegiate and open athletes. Next Saturday (12/9) there is the Harvard Open, at Harvard's Gordon Track facility. The following week, HS league meets begin, as do the BU development meets, and then the season will be in full swing. Resistance, as they say, is futile.

You might think I have some bleeding-heart liberal objection to running fast, but this is not the case. Actually, I have a hermit's objection to crowding. In fact, my reluctance to move indoors is really only a reluctance to embrace the crowded, harried nature of indoor meets and schedules and races. I see the crowding everywhere: in the tremendous competition for the use of indoor facilities, in the clockwork precision of managing six simultaneous dual meets during Bay State league contests at Reggie, in the calendar, which swells to bursting with opportunities to race, in the races themselves where everyone is packed so tightly in around those sharp turns. Indoor is about crowds.

I know, some people thrive in crowds, and live for the hustle and bustle of it all. I imagine that for them, indoor track is a big party. Well I don't like big parties, I'd rather have a nice quiet conversation with a few close friends. Even at indoor track meets, I prefer to "warm up" out in the cold, by myself or with one or two others, away from the tumult and strife.

Oh well, I'm sure I will get used to it all again. As the season progresses, I'll be as excited as anyone else to see who's running fast, which teams have a shot at the class and state championships, what records will fall. It will be exciting, stimulating. I know that.

But until then, and while I still can, I'll stay outdoors, thank you very much.