After running in the NE 12K Championship yesterday morning in Bedford NH, I hopped into my car and drove approximately 60 miles to Natick High School, arriving at around 11:30, only to find a deserted track where there should have been a league meet going on. Oops. I guess I didn't get the memo that the meet had been canceled.
I was a little surprised, to say the least, that the meet wasn't taking place. The race in New Hampshire had gone off without a hitch, and no one complained about the weather -- actually most runners I talked to admitted that the conditions were perfect for a road race. It was warmer than it seemed at first, and other than a few periods of heavier rain, it was mostly just mist. At Natick, with nothing better to do, I walked around the "all-weather" track and didn't see any sign of puddles.
Well, I could understand that the field events might be more of a challenge, and potentially dangerous, so perhaps it made sense to cancel the meet. It was a shame, though, because I knew that the deadline for obtaining qualifying marks for the Class Meets was this weekend, and I knew there would be some kids who wouldn't get a chance to get those marks. Anyway, what could I do? So I drove home and spent the afternoon doing chores around the house instead of cheering on runners.
Imagine my surprise when checking results last night to see that the Newton North girls, at least, participated in a full slate of events (including jumping and throwing events) at the South Shore Principals Meet in Norwell. The Tigers dominated the meet and won the team title easily, scoring more than twice as many points as the runner-up team. So was the weather any worse in Natick than in Norwell? Why was the Bay State league meet canceled when other meets (including the MVC league meet) went off without a hitch? Having a) run a race myself in the morning when the rain was heaviest, and b) visited the very track where the meet was to have taken place, I'm confused. Not only that, the Red Sox managed to play two games yesterday! I think if the weather is good enough for baseball, it's good enough for track and field.
Among the many strong performances yesterday, a few stand out. The Tigers won all of the distance events as Emma Kornetsky (2:22.96), Carolyn Ranti (5:18.48), and Jess Barton (11:56.52) swept the 800, 1M, and 2M, respectively. In the 1M, North had four of the top eight finishers, as Adina Hemley-Bronstein (5:34.48) and Camilla Jackson (5:45.64) ran PRs.
Michelle Kaufman ran an outstanding time of 16.30 in the high hurdles, leading North to four of the top seven spots.
North went 1-2-4 in the long jump, as Laryssa Manigat (15-10.5) won the event, with Kaufman (15-9.75) second and Ari Sanchez (15-08.50) fourth.
Sarah Berkland won the high jump at 4-11.
The Tigers also won the 4x100 and 4x800 relays, finished second in the 4x400, and took a host of other places. See the link below for complete results.
Results of South Shore Principals Meet
May 20, 2007
May 18, 2007
League Meet Preview
It looks like a cold, rainy weekend for the Bay State League meet, scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, May 19th at Natick High School.
It's unfortunate that the weather threatens to dampen the competition, since otherwise this could be one of the best league meets I've ever seen. There are, potentially, some fine match-ups with some of the state's best athletes. I ami n favor of having the meet on a Saturday, rather than on a weekday afternoon -- it makes it feel like an elite meet, which it is.
Unlike indoor where everyone sees everyone else for two solid months, the league meet can be a revelation. For example, this will be the first time this spring that Newton North athletes see Dedham, Milton, Norwood, Walpole, and Wellesley.
As always, no one knows exactly who is running what, but let's take a look at events that have the potential to produce great battles.
Girls Distance Events
I'm hoping that we'll see a race in the 800m between Carolyn Ranti and Braintree's Amy Caldwell. Ranti has had an absolutely breakout season, and clocked 2:15.9 at the Weston Invitational two weeks ago. Caldwell, a soccer superstar has recorded superlative times at every distance from 200m on up, including a 2:17 800m. There are other talented runners in the league (including Weymouth's Carolyn Connolly, who has a 2:22 to her credit, but I think those top two are at another level right now.
If Jess Barton runs the mile, she's clearly the favorite, although it wouldn't be too surprising to see Caldwell take another shot at Barton, as the two were separated by only tenths of a second in North's meet against Braintree. Natick's Rebecca White ran 5:13 recently, and would certainly make a race out of it.
More likely White runs the 2M, and I think she is ready to run a great time -- under 11:10. Her teammate Anya Price has run under 11:20 indoors, but hasn't yet shown the same form outdoors. Could this be the day? Walpole's Olivia Perry and Weymouth's Kristen Mahoney are also solid 2-Milers and could be in the mix.
Boys Distance Events
A month and a half ago, I would have said this would be a romp for the talented distance crew from Brookline, but we've seen the emergence of several strong challengers in recent weeks. I think state indoor 1M champ Robert Gibson is close to unbeatable in the 1M or 2M, whichever he chooses to run (most likely the 1M... or even the 800), but Wellesley's Tom Mayell has run 4:24, NN's Seb Putzys has run 4:27, and Braintree's Kyle Higgins has run 4:31. Solid talent in the league this year!
In the 800, there's Matt Stewart (if he runs the 800, not the 400) and Braintree's Kieran (?) Stack, who ran 1:59 at the State Coaches meet last week.
There are plenty of solid runners in the 2-Mile, which might be the deepest in years. Assuming Gibson is in the 1M, Brookline still has David Wilson, Mike Burnstein, and Jerzy Eisenberg-Guyot, then there's Higgins (if not in the 1M), Weymouth's Craig Myers and Wellesley's Will Volkman -- all having run or capable of running under 10:00.
Boys Sprints
There is a wealth of talent in the boys 100, 110H, 200, and 400 this year. Milton's eric Wornum is an all-state threat in the 200, but could drop down to the 100 where he would face North's Cailean Robinson and Brookline's Michael Bennett. Dedham's Phil Weltman is a strong contender in the 200. In the high hurdles, the league has three excellent hurdles in Braintree's Nate Starling, Brookline's Joel Parent, and North's Gordon Forbes. Avery Mitchell is a on a roll in the 400, although if Stewart runs, it will be a heck of a race.
Girls Sprints
I have a blind spot for the the 100 and 200, although I have been told that Brookline's freshman Amhodi Weerisinghe (?) is very good in both events. Johnson (Framingham), and Hull (Braintree) own the league bests. in the high and low hurdles, Wellesley's Lucy (?) Laffitte is the best. Michelle Kaufman and Morgan Faer will finalists, as will Braintree's Adrienne Lutz. The race to watch might be the girls 400, where Emma Kornetsky and Sam (?) Bennett will stage a rematch of their epic race from the Newton-Weymouth meet, which was decided by an eyelash.
Boys Field events
Will it be the David Smith show, or will Dedham's Dan Withrow spoil the party? It seems unlikely that anyone will top Smith in the shot put, but Withrow holds the edge in the discus -- so far, with Smith and Marvin Chan in contention.
In the HJ, it's good to see state indoor champ Framingham's Jordan Maddocks recovering from a leg injury that has hampered him for a few weeks. if he is healthy, he is the favorie, with his teammate Aaron Everett very much in contention. In the long jump, Weymouth's James Endres is the favorite. I believe he also has the league's best throw in the Javelin. In the TJ, I wonder if North's Adam Bao or Ivan Kostadinov could win? I'm not very familiar with the marks from the rest of the league, but Phil Weltman has also leaped 42' so he must be considered one of the favorites.
Girls Field Events
I'm really starting to show my ignorance, but I know that Kaufman has an excellent chance in the long jump against Laffitte. Wellesley's Muschetta has a league leading 34-5 in the TJ. Milton's Driscol has a 94' throw in the Jav (but watch out for Barton!). Hester Breen and Lily Brown could go 1-2 in the discus. Walpole's Bethony has thrown 33' in the shot put, but Brown is right behind, depending on whcih event she chooses to do.
Relays
The boys 4x100 will be a great race between Newton, Milton, and Wellesley, although I think Newton will take it.
I expect Brookline to win the boys 4x400, although Wellesley is very strong, and one should never count out North.
In the girls 4x100, Wellesley and Weymouth are very good.
In the girls 4x400, Wellesley, Weymouth, North, Brookline... there are a lot of good teams!
It's unfortunate that the weather threatens to dampen the competition, since otherwise this could be one of the best league meets I've ever seen. There are, potentially, some fine match-ups with some of the state's best athletes. I ami n favor of having the meet on a Saturday, rather than on a weekday afternoon -- it makes it feel like an elite meet, which it is.
Unlike indoor where everyone sees everyone else for two solid months, the league meet can be a revelation. For example, this will be the first time this spring that Newton North athletes see Dedham, Milton, Norwood, Walpole, and Wellesley.
As always, no one knows exactly who is running what, but let's take a look at events that have the potential to produce great battles.
Girls Distance Events
I'm hoping that we'll see a race in the 800m between Carolyn Ranti and Braintree's Amy Caldwell. Ranti has had an absolutely breakout season, and clocked 2:15.9 at the Weston Invitational two weeks ago. Caldwell, a soccer superstar has recorded superlative times at every distance from 200m on up, including a 2:17 800m. There are other talented runners in the league (including Weymouth's Carolyn Connolly, who has a 2:22 to her credit, but I think those top two are at another level right now.
If Jess Barton runs the mile, she's clearly the favorite, although it wouldn't be too surprising to see Caldwell take another shot at Barton, as the two were separated by only tenths of a second in North's meet against Braintree. Natick's Rebecca White ran 5:13 recently, and would certainly make a race out of it.
More likely White runs the 2M, and I think she is ready to run a great time -- under 11:10. Her teammate Anya Price has run under 11:20 indoors, but hasn't yet shown the same form outdoors. Could this be the day? Walpole's Olivia Perry and Weymouth's Kristen Mahoney are also solid 2-Milers and could be in the mix.
Boys Distance Events
A month and a half ago, I would have said this would be a romp for the talented distance crew from Brookline, but we've seen the emergence of several strong challengers in recent weeks. I think state indoor 1M champ Robert Gibson is close to unbeatable in the 1M or 2M, whichever he chooses to run (most likely the 1M... or even the 800), but Wellesley's Tom Mayell has run 4:24, NN's Seb Putzys has run 4:27, and Braintree's Kyle Higgins has run 4:31. Solid talent in the league this year!
In the 800, there's Matt Stewart (if he runs the 800, not the 400) and Braintree's Kieran (?) Stack, who ran 1:59 at the State Coaches meet last week.
There are plenty of solid runners in the 2-Mile, which might be the deepest in years. Assuming Gibson is in the 1M, Brookline still has David Wilson, Mike Burnstein, and Jerzy Eisenberg-Guyot, then there's Higgins (if not in the 1M), Weymouth's Craig Myers and Wellesley's Will Volkman -- all having run or capable of running under 10:00.
Boys Sprints
There is a wealth of talent in the boys 100, 110H, 200, and 400 this year. Milton's eric Wornum is an all-state threat in the 200, but could drop down to the 100 where he would face North's Cailean Robinson and Brookline's Michael Bennett. Dedham's Phil Weltman is a strong contender in the 200. In the high hurdles, the league has three excellent hurdles in Braintree's Nate Starling, Brookline's Joel Parent, and North's Gordon Forbes. Avery Mitchell is a on a roll in the 400, although if Stewart runs, it will be a heck of a race.
Girls Sprints
I have a blind spot for the the 100 and 200, although I have been told that Brookline's freshman Amhodi Weerisinghe (?) is very good in both events. Johnson (Framingham), and Hull (Braintree) own the league bests. in the high and low hurdles, Wellesley's Lucy (?) Laffitte is the best. Michelle Kaufman and Morgan Faer will finalists, as will Braintree's Adrienne Lutz. The race to watch might be the girls 400, where Emma Kornetsky and Sam (?) Bennett will stage a rematch of their epic race from the Newton-Weymouth meet, which was decided by an eyelash.
Boys Field events
Will it be the David Smith show, or will Dedham's Dan Withrow spoil the party? It seems unlikely that anyone will top Smith in the shot put, but Withrow holds the edge in the discus -- so far, with Smith and Marvin Chan in contention.
In the HJ, it's good to see state indoor champ Framingham's Jordan Maddocks recovering from a leg injury that has hampered him for a few weeks. if he is healthy, he is the favorie, with his teammate Aaron Everett very much in contention. In the long jump, Weymouth's James Endres is the favorite. I believe he also has the league's best throw in the Javelin. In the TJ, I wonder if North's Adam Bao or Ivan Kostadinov could win? I'm not very familiar with the marks from the rest of the league, but Phil Weltman has also leaped 42' so he must be considered one of the favorites.
Girls Field Events
I'm really starting to show my ignorance, but I know that Kaufman has an excellent chance in the long jump against Laffitte. Wellesley's Muschetta has a league leading 34-5 in the TJ. Milton's Driscol has a 94' throw in the Jav (but watch out for Barton!). Hester Breen and Lily Brown could go 1-2 in the discus. Walpole's Bethony has thrown 33' in the shot put, but Brown is right behind, depending on whcih event she chooses to do.
Relays
The boys 4x100 will be a great race between Newton, Milton, and Wellesley, although I think Newton will take it.
I expect Brookline to win the boys 4x400, although Wellesley is very strong, and one should never count out North.
In the girls 4x100, Wellesley and Weymouth are very good.
In the girls 4x400, Wellesley, Weymouth, North, Brookline... there are a lot of good teams!
May 17, 2007
Dan Chebot: 32:45 at ECACs!
NNHS Alum Dan Chebot finished 11th in the 10K at the ECAC meet in Oneonta, NY. Dan's time of 32:45.93 is a 14-second PR in his second attempt at the distance.
Results Page
Perhaps Dan will check in to tell us how the race developed!
Results Page
Perhaps Dan will check in to tell us how the race developed!
The Fastest Man on No Legs
Oscar Pistorius was born without the bones in his lower legs and with other serious defects in his feet. At 11 months old, he had both legs amputated below the knee. Now he is training with the dream of competing in the Beijing Olympics -- in track and field.
According to an article in Tuesday's New York Times, Pistorius, a native of South Africa, recently won gold medals at 100m and 200m at the Paralympic World Cup, and has run 46.34 for 400m, a time that is good enough to make him a candidate to run for his country's 4x400m relay team at Beijing.
But the IAAF, the governing body of international track and field, is faced with the dilemma of trying to determine whether the prosthetics that Pistorius wears attached to his legs constitute an unfair advantage over "able-bodied" sprinters.
My first reaction when I started reading the story was to believe that it would be a mistake to allow such devices, but the more I read, the more i began to question my first reaction. I don't know enough about the science of prosthetics to know whether there might be a technology race to develop better and better (i.e., more efficient) devices for amputees. But I am convinced that Pistorius is a tremendous athlete who works every bit as hard for his success as any other champion. Should he be allowed to compete with prosthetics against runners with normal leg bones and feet? Where is the line that separates normal from abnormal, and when should that line be used to exclude an athlete from competition?
Our first reaction is to assume that the prosthetic constitutes an unfair advantage, but how can one weigh that advantage against the many disadvantages of running without feet and without the muscles of the lower leg. These range from the obvious -- slow starts as Pistorius shifts from a crouch to an upright position -- to the less obvious -- keeping the blades of the prosthetic from twisting in windy conditions. It's easy to think that success is the result of some inherent advantage. How often do we assume that someone who stands above his or her competitors has some inherent advantage. For example, we assume the Kenyans are great distance runners because, well, because they are Kenyans. It is sometimes hard to accept that excellence is the result of work and character.
But what if the best athlete for the job -- the one who works hardest, who perseveres through the ups and downs of training, who rises to the competitive occasion -- just happens to have no lower legs? What then?
Watch a video of Pistorius winning the 200m at the Paralympic World Cup and decide for yourself.
According to an article in Tuesday's New York Times, Pistorius, a native of South Africa, recently won gold medals at 100m and 200m at the Paralympic World Cup, and has run 46.34 for 400m, a time that is good enough to make him a candidate to run for his country's 4x400m relay team at Beijing.
But the IAAF, the governing body of international track and field, is faced with the dilemma of trying to determine whether the prosthetics that Pistorius wears attached to his legs constitute an unfair advantage over "able-bodied" sprinters.
My first reaction when I started reading the story was to believe that it would be a mistake to allow such devices, but the more I read, the more i began to question my first reaction. I don't know enough about the science of prosthetics to know whether there might be a technology race to develop better and better (i.e., more efficient) devices for amputees. But I am convinced that Pistorius is a tremendous athlete who works every bit as hard for his success as any other champion. Should he be allowed to compete with prosthetics against runners with normal leg bones and feet? Where is the line that separates normal from abnormal, and when should that line be used to exclude an athlete from competition?
Our first reaction is to assume that the prosthetic constitutes an unfair advantage, but how can one weigh that advantage against the many disadvantages of running without feet and without the muscles of the lower leg. These range from the obvious -- slow starts as Pistorius shifts from a crouch to an upright position -- to the less obvious -- keeping the blades of the prosthetic from twisting in windy conditions. It's easy to think that success is the result of some inherent advantage. How often do we assume that someone who stands above his or her competitors has some inherent advantage. For example, we assume the Kenyans are great distance runners because, well, because they are Kenyans. It is sometimes hard to accept that excellence is the result of work and character.
But what if the best athlete for the job -- the one who works hardest, who perseveres through the ups and downs of training, who rises to the competitive occasion -- just happens to have no lower legs? What then?
Watch a video of Pistorius winning the 200m at the Paralympic World Cup and decide for yourself.
May 16, 2007
Tiger Fans Bid Track Adieu
The oval at Dickinson Stadium, in Newton, is a lyric little bandbox of a track facility. It is surrounded by the gray concrete steps of the stadium rising up to the unseen Hull Street, above, and by the red brick of the dark, leaky, and prematurely aged Newton North to the West. Surprisingly, the landscape does little to block the wind which inevitably swoops down from West Newton Hill and over the school, and makes the backstraight seem 150 meters long. The track was built in 1972 and is scheduled for demolition in June. It offers, as do most Newton public projects, an example of a fine facility in its time left to decay untended while new, fancier facilities are being contemplated.
Well, enough of that, and sincere apologies to John Updike.
Yesterday, Newton North teams bade farewell to the old track in the usual way, by running, jumping, and throwing better than their rivals. The Tiger girls won all the events against the Needham team and walked away with a 119-17 win. The boys were just about as dominant, as they scored a 114-22 win over the Rockets. There's a good article in the Daily Tribune that gives details
Victory Lap: North teams land BSC titles
By the way, one of the things I'm going to miss is the quirky way that the boys team reports performances to the newspaper, i.e., from memory. As a result, times, distances, and heights sometimes go through a transformation process on their way from the score sheets to the press. Future historians will have to sort it all out.
One highlight of yesterday's meet was seeing senior Alex Polizzotti break 5:00 for the mile for the first time. Polizzotti ran like a man on a mission, pressing the pace on the third lap and then giving it his all in the final lap. It paid off, as he finished third in 4:57.6. Alex will probably get one more chance, as his performance yesterday means he will compete in the league meet Saturday.
For the record, when Kat Chiong took the baton on the anchor leg of the 4x400 relay, she became the final Newton North runner to compete in a varsity race on the old track.
Well, enough of that, and sincere apologies to John Updike.
Yesterday, Newton North teams bade farewell to the old track in the usual way, by running, jumping, and throwing better than their rivals. The Tiger girls won all the events against the Needham team and walked away with a 119-17 win. The boys were just about as dominant, as they scored a 114-22 win over the Rockets. There's a good article in the Daily Tribune that gives details
Victory Lap: North teams land BSC titles
By the way, one of the things I'm going to miss is the quirky way that the boys team reports performances to the newspaper, i.e., from memory. As a result, times, distances, and heights sometimes go through a transformation process on their way from the score sheets to the press. Future historians will have to sort it all out.
One highlight of yesterday's meet was seeing senior Alex Polizzotti break 5:00 for the mile for the first time. Polizzotti ran like a man on a mission, pressing the pace on the third lap and then giving it his all in the final lap. It paid off, as he finished third in 4:57.6. Alex will probably get one more chance, as his performance yesterday means he will compete in the league meet Saturday.
For the record, when Kat Chiong took the baton on the anchor leg of the 4x400 relay, she became the final Newton North runner to compete in a varsity race on the old track.
May 15, 2007
End of an Era?
It has snuck up on us again, the final dual meet of the outdoor track season.
Today Newton North hosts Needham. It will be the final home meet for seniors, which means it will be the final high school meet for many. Of course, for others, there are still big meets to come -- the league meet, the Class meet, and the State meet.
The meet itself -- that is, the competition -- might not be anything special, as Newton looks to be too strong for Needham, but the atmosphere will be festive. Knowing JT, there will be cake or chocolate or something else good to eat at the conclusion.
This will also be the final meet at Dickinson stadium. The facility is crumbling, and the track is disintegrating. By summer, work crews are supposed to break ground on the construction of the new high school. I don't know if runners today will be nostalgic for the track, since it has been obvious for several years that it is in terrible shape. On the other hand, it's very strange to think that Newton North will be without a track of any kind for at least two years! And I've been told that the Newton South track isn't in great shape, either.
It seems that winds of change are blowing. Who knows what other changes are in store?
Today Newton North hosts Needham. It will be the final home meet for seniors, which means it will be the final high school meet for many. Of course, for others, there are still big meets to come -- the league meet, the Class meet, and the State meet.
The meet itself -- that is, the competition -- might not be anything special, as Newton looks to be too strong for Needham, but the atmosphere will be festive. Knowing JT, there will be cake or chocolate or something else good to eat at the conclusion.
This will also be the final meet at Dickinson stadium. The facility is crumbling, and the track is disintegrating. By summer, work crews are supposed to break ground on the construction of the new high school. I don't know if runners today will be nostalgic for the track, since it has been obvious for several years that it is in terrible shape. On the other hand, it's very strange to think that Newton North will be without a track of any kind for at least two years! And I've been told that the Newton South track isn't in great shape, either.
It seems that winds of change are blowing. Who knows what other changes are in store?
May 14, 2007
Robinson (100), Smith (SP) Earn MSTCA Titles
Cailean Robinson won the 100 meters, and helped Newton North win the 4x100 at the MSTCA Coaches Meet at Wilmington on Saturday, while David Smith won the shot put by four and a half feet, throwing an outdoor best of 57-2. Smith was selected the outstanding field event athlete of the meet.
Robinson's time of 11.44 into a headwind placed him 8/100 of a second ahead of Woburn's Mike Pereira.
Newton's 4x400 team (Avery Mitchell, Hymlaire Lamisere, Robinson, and Gordan Forbes) ran 43.09 for a new meet record, just ahead of Lexington (43.25).
Mitchell also ran 49.88 to finish second to Lexington's Meikle Paschal in the 400m.
Forbes placed fourth in the 100 hurdles, running 15.41 in the finals.
Ivan Kostadinov finished seventh in the long jump with a leap of 20-9. Seb Putzys ran a four-second PR to finish seventh in the 1M in 4:27.
Robinson's time of 11.44 into a headwind placed him 8/100 of a second ahead of Woburn's Mike Pereira.
Newton's 4x400 team (Avery Mitchell, Hymlaire Lamisere, Robinson, and Gordan Forbes) ran 43.09 for a new meet record, just ahead of Lexington (43.25).
Mitchell also ran 49.88 to finish second to Lexington's Meikle Paschal in the 400m.
Forbes placed fourth in the 100 hurdles, running 15.41 in the finals.
Ivan Kostadinov finished seventh in the long jump with a leap of 20-9. Seb Putzys ran a four-second PR to finish seventh in the 1M in 4:27.
May 13, 2007
For Martha
Her father was a Presbyterian minister who boasted that he walked a brisk four miles a day, a habit that continued into his mid-eighties. Her mother's talent was music, not athletics, and she taught piano and voice, and preferred to get her exercise by keeping an immaculate house and playing with her two children, Ralph and Martha.
Martha Louise Johnson was always active, always moving, whether running to school or playing stickball with the boys on her street. Her father didn't always approve, and would have preferred Martha to be more proper. He teased her about being a tomboy. His lukewarm support for her athletic interests didn't stop her from going out for school sports. In field hockey she turned out to be pretty good. In her senior year, she was good enough to make the New Jersey All-State field hockey team. She also played basketball ("But it wasn't really basketball, not the way we played it in those days...," she says) and softball. There was no girls track at her high school.
When the time came to think about college, Martha (an excellent student) applied to and attended Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, a prestigious all-women's school. Her father would have preferred something closer to home, something that would prepare her for teaching, if she was so inclined. She surprised him again when, after earning a Bachelor's degree, she went on to graduate school, eventually earning a master's degree in Zoology, fairly rare for a young woman growing up in the 1940's.
After graduating from Mount Holyoke, Martha married Paul, a man she had met on a trip to Maine several summers earlier. Paul loved the outdoors, loved to sail, and played the piano quite well. He had played in the USO during the war. Together, they settled in Amherst, Massachusetts.
In 1951, their first child, Robin, was born. Two years later Karen was born. Then Timothy, and then two more boys. As the mother of five young kids, Martha didn't have the time to pursue her own athletic interests, but she loved to watch her children play, and she played with them when she could.
Both girls loved sports, and Martha would spend time tossing them softballs in the backyard. Both girls would play sports in high school. One of them would be a field hockey all-star, following after her mom.
All of her sons liked playing backyard games, but her fourth child was crazy about sports. As soon as he was old enough, he started playing t-ball, and then little league. He played basketball, too, and flag football. There was no youth soccer for young kids in those days, but he would have played that, too, if he could have. Martha's fourth child wasn't especially fast, but he never seemed to stop moving. When he was ten years old, Martha found him running around and around the house. He claimed he had measured the distance with his father's yard stick and he had figured out it was 16 laps around the house to make a mile, so he was running the mile.
If Martha had been like a lot of parents, she would have laughed at him and made him feel silly and foolish for tiring himself out by running in circles, but she had an intuition about things, and he seemed to be enjoying himself, so she simply let him keep running -- and had cold juice for him when he finished.
In Jr. High School, and then high school, her son ran track in the spring and cross-country in the fall. In the winter, he played basketball (there was no indoor track). He started running all over the place -- on weekends, he would sometimes disappear for an hour or more, returning with stories of all the places he had been. Sometimes he would ask her to drive with him along the same route where he had just run, to measure it. None of her other kids had ever done anything like this, but he was so serious about it, so she went along. In fact, she did a lot more than go along. As he got older, she listened to him talk about his meets, about his times, about the places he had run, about what the coach had had the kids do that day, about how many miles he wanted to run that summer. Sometimes when they were driving home from some place, he would ask to be dropped off so he could run the rest of the way home. She never told him he was crazy or foolish, never made him stay in the car if he wanted to go on foot. She was always there to give him a ride, but never insisted on it. She was happy to have this window onto her son's world.
And so it went. When he was in high school, she would attend his meets, standing around with the other parents watching their kids run. Sometimes they would joke with each other... "What are we doing here?" and she always knew the answer, "If it's important to our kids, then it's important to me!" One day, she was walking and she saw her son jogging with some other boys. For a moment, she wasn't sure what to do. Her son was shy, and she guessed that her son wouldn't want to be seen talking with his mother in front of the other boys, but she was surprised and touched when he jogged up, smiled, and yelled out "Hi, Mom!" She loved to tell that story.
One thing Martha never could or would do was judge her son's efforts. No matter how her son ran, whether the time was fast or slow, she always said the same thing: "Wow, that's really good! Good for you!" At times like these, her son would grow impatient with her, and say, that no it was NOT very good, and he should have run faster. But she never learned to be critical, and continued to give him complete, unconditional encouragement. It took him a long time, but eventually, he learned to accept it.
After high school, her son stopped running for several years, at least competitively. He went to college, graduated, got a job, got married, and then, all of a sudden started running again. In his mid-twenties, and about to start a family of his own, it somehow came back into his life, and it was a gift to be able to enjoy again what had brought so much happiness as a kid. And when he would call to tell her that he had finished a marathon in this or that time, that he had won some race (or failed to win), that he had struggled or suffered in some event that seemed very important at the time, she would still say the same things she had always said: "Wow. That's awfully fast. Good for you!"
One day, Martha got a call from her son. He had won an important race, and he said that as soon as he had finished, he had been overwhelmed with a desire to share the victory and the experience with her and with Paul. He said he couldn't have done it without them, and that he just wanted her to know how much her support had meant to him over all these years, and how much it still meant to him. He said...
"...Thank you, Mom, for letting me run around the house, for standing out in the rain at my meets, for driving me all over the county to measure my runs, for supporting me in a hundred ways that I didn't notice at the time but I understand now that I have kids of my own, and for believing that if it was important to me and if it made me happy, then it was important to you, too."
Thank you, Martha. It was great to talk to you today.
Martha Louise Johnson was always active, always moving, whether running to school or playing stickball with the boys on her street. Her father didn't always approve, and would have preferred Martha to be more proper. He teased her about being a tomboy. His lukewarm support for her athletic interests didn't stop her from going out for school sports. In field hockey she turned out to be pretty good. In her senior year, she was good enough to make the New Jersey All-State field hockey team. She also played basketball ("But it wasn't really basketball, not the way we played it in those days...," she says) and softball. There was no girls track at her high school.
When the time came to think about college, Martha (an excellent student) applied to and attended Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, a prestigious all-women's school. Her father would have preferred something closer to home, something that would prepare her for teaching, if she was so inclined. She surprised him again when, after earning a Bachelor's degree, she went on to graduate school, eventually earning a master's degree in Zoology, fairly rare for a young woman growing up in the 1940's.
After graduating from Mount Holyoke, Martha married Paul, a man she had met on a trip to Maine several summers earlier. Paul loved the outdoors, loved to sail, and played the piano quite well. He had played in the USO during the war. Together, they settled in Amherst, Massachusetts.
In 1951, their first child, Robin, was born. Two years later Karen was born. Then Timothy, and then two more boys. As the mother of five young kids, Martha didn't have the time to pursue her own athletic interests, but she loved to watch her children play, and she played with them when she could.
Both girls loved sports, and Martha would spend time tossing them softballs in the backyard. Both girls would play sports in high school. One of them would be a field hockey all-star, following after her mom.
All of her sons liked playing backyard games, but her fourth child was crazy about sports. As soon as he was old enough, he started playing t-ball, and then little league. He played basketball, too, and flag football. There was no youth soccer for young kids in those days, but he would have played that, too, if he could have. Martha's fourth child wasn't especially fast, but he never seemed to stop moving. When he was ten years old, Martha found him running around and around the house. He claimed he had measured the distance with his father's yard stick and he had figured out it was 16 laps around the house to make a mile, so he was running the mile.
If Martha had been like a lot of parents, she would have laughed at him and made him feel silly and foolish for tiring himself out by running in circles, but she had an intuition about things, and he seemed to be enjoying himself, so she simply let him keep running -- and had cold juice for him when he finished.
In Jr. High School, and then high school, her son ran track in the spring and cross-country in the fall. In the winter, he played basketball (there was no indoor track). He started running all over the place -- on weekends, he would sometimes disappear for an hour or more, returning with stories of all the places he had been. Sometimes he would ask her to drive with him along the same route where he had just run, to measure it. None of her other kids had ever done anything like this, but he was so serious about it, so she went along. In fact, she did a lot more than go along. As he got older, she listened to him talk about his meets, about his times, about the places he had run, about what the coach had had the kids do that day, about how many miles he wanted to run that summer. Sometimes when they were driving home from some place, he would ask to be dropped off so he could run the rest of the way home. She never told him he was crazy or foolish, never made him stay in the car if he wanted to go on foot. She was always there to give him a ride, but never insisted on it. She was happy to have this window onto her son's world.
And so it went. When he was in high school, she would attend his meets, standing around with the other parents watching their kids run. Sometimes they would joke with each other... "What are we doing here?" and she always knew the answer, "If it's important to our kids, then it's important to me!" One day, she was walking and she saw her son jogging with some other boys. For a moment, she wasn't sure what to do. Her son was shy, and she guessed that her son wouldn't want to be seen talking with his mother in front of the other boys, but she was surprised and touched when he jogged up, smiled, and yelled out "Hi, Mom!" She loved to tell that story.
One thing Martha never could or would do was judge her son's efforts. No matter how her son ran, whether the time was fast or slow, she always said the same thing: "Wow, that's really good! Good for you!" At times like these, her son would grow impatient with her, and say, that no it was NOT very good, and he should have run faster. But she never learned to be critical, and continued to give him complete, unconditional encouragement. It took him a long time, but eventually, he learned to accept it.
After high school, her son stopped running for several years, at least competitively. He went to college, graduated, got a job, got married, and then, all of a sudden started running again. In his mid-twenties, and about to start a family of his own, it somehow came back into his life, and it was a gift to be able to enjoy again what had brought so much happiness as a kid. And when he would call to tell her that he had finished a marathon in this or that time, that he had won some race (or failed to win), that he had struggled or suffered in some event that seemed very important at the time, she would still say the same things she had always said: "Wow. That's awfully fast. Good for you!"
One day, Martha got a call from her son. He had won an important race, and he said that as soon as he had finished, he had been overwhelmed with a desire to share the victory and the experience with her and with Paul. He said he couldn't have done it without them, and that he just wanted her to know how much her support had meant to him over all these years, and how much it still meant to him. He said...
"...Thank you, Mom, for letting me run around the house, for standing out in the rain at my meets, for driving me all over the county to measure my runs, for supporting me in a hundred ways that I didn't notice at the time but I understand now that I have kids of my own, and for believing that if it was important to me and if it made me happy, then it was important to you, too."
Thank you, Martha. It was great to talk to you today.
May 12, 2007
Barton Wins Steeplechase at Hartford Public Meet
Senior Jess Barton, fresh off her scintillating 2M at the Weston Invitational, won the Women's 2000m steeplechase at the prestigious Hartford Public School Invitational on Saturday. Barton's time of 6:57.44 was nearly 11 seconds ahead of second place.
Jess is not a newcomer to the hurdles and water barrier; last summer she won the 2000m SC at the 2006 Junior Olympics outdoor championships.
Jess is not a newcomer to the hurdles and water barrier; last summer she won the 2000m SC at the 2006 Junior Olympics outdoor championships.
May 10, 2007
Weekend Preview: State Coaches Meets, Hartford, College Meets
There's a lot of track and field happening this weekend, so without further ado, here's a preview:
Mass State Coaches Meet (Boys: Wilmington HS; Girls: Plymouth South HS Saturday) - This is a great showcase meet, focusing on individual, rather than team competition. After a month of dual meets, you often see terrific performances at the State Coaches meet. I believe the Newton North girls are not attending. I would expect the boys to be out in force.
Hartford Public Meet (New Britain, CT, Saturday) - It was at this meet in 2004 that Chris Barnicle ran 8:50 for the 2M, defeating Victor Gras for the first time and leading five runners under 9:00. This year might not produce times quite that fast, but will once again feature a matchup of the best Mass. two-milers, including Ryan Collins, Keith Gill, Mark Amirault, and Robert Gibson. On the girls side, Newton North's Jess Barton is entered in the 2000m steeplechase.
Men's start lists (PDF)
Women's start lists (PDF)
Andover Invitational (Andover HS - Saturday) - This is a more team-oriented meet for teams that aren't keen on splitting up the boys and girls for separate trips to the State Coaches meets. I believe Newton South is attending the Andover meet.
NEIAAA (College) Championships (Dartmouth College, Hanover NH, all weekend) - Some of the NNHS alumni that we follow will be competing this weekend at the All-New England meet at Dartmouth, including Simone Weisman and Doug Brecher.
ECACs and other College Conference Championships (various, all weekend) - A number of conferences are having their championship meets this weekend. This includes the SEC championships, where Chris Barnicle is seeded fourth in the 5000m (to be run Sunday).
Mass State Coaches Meet (Boys: Wilmington HS; Girls: Plymouth South HS Saturday) - This is a great showcase meet, focusing on individual, rather than team competition. After a month of dual meets, you often see terrific performances at the State Coaches meet. I believe the Newton North girls are not attending. I would expect the boys to be out in force.
Hartford Public Meet (New Britain, CT, Saturday) - It was at this meet in 2004 that Chris Barnicle ran 8:50 for the 2M, defeating Victor Gras for the first time and leading five runners under 9:00. This year might not produce times quite that fast, but will once again feature a matchup of the best Mass. two-milers, including Ryan Collins, Keith Gill, Mark Amirault, and Robert Gibson. On the girls side, Newton North's Jess Barton is entered in the 2000m steeplechase.
Men's start lists (PDF)
Women's start lists (PDF)
Andover Invitational (Andover HS - Saturday) - This is a more team-oriented meet for teams that aren't keen on splitting up the boys and girls for separate trips to the State Coaches meets. I believe Newton South is attending the Andover meet.
NEIAAA (College) Championships (Dartmouth College, Hanover NH, all weekend) - Some of the NNHS alumni that we follow will be competing this weekend at the All-New England meet at Dartmouth, including Simone Weisman and Doug Brecher.
ECACs and other College Conference Championships (various, all weekend) - A number of conferences are having their championship meets this weekend. This includes the SEC championships, where Chris Barnicle is seeded fourth in the 5000m (to be run Sunday).
You're Not Eating Right!
While I do not normally try to sound like your mother, it is almost Mother's Day, so today I want to help out mothers everywhere and write about why you should be eating a more healthy diet.
I write as a convert. It has taken me a long time to really see the connection between what I eat and how I run. And even now, I still make "training mistakes" that involve not eating (or drinking) enough, not eating at the right time, not eating the right stuff.
Of course, I wouldn't be noticing any of these sins on a day-to-day basis except that I have this crazy thing I do called training. Let me refresh your memory about training: training is adaptation to stress. It has three parts: you perform some moderately stressful task; you recover; you improve. There are basically two training errors: 1) too much stress (not enough recovery), which leads to injury or staleness and diminished performance; 2) too little stress/too much rest, which provides insufficient stimulus for adaptation to occur. Training is nothing more than figuring out how to provide an appropriate stress and getting the balance of stress and recovery right. So simple.
And yet, we always seem to mess it up. One way we do this is by taking insufficient care to provide fuel for performance and recovery. Either we try to get by on less than we need, or we fail to replace what we use.
Do any of the following scenarios sound familiar?
You skip your breakfast or lunch (or get by on snacks). When I am coaching, one of the most frustrating experiences is to watch someone struggle through a run or a workout and then find out they have eaten anything all day, or they had an apple at breakfast. I'm not talking about anorexia, which deserves its own more serious essay. I'm talking about being too busy or too distracted to eat well when it will do you the most good, and when it will help set up your day to do everything you need to do, including train at a high level.
You don't re-hydrate or eat until hours after a hard run or race, and then you eat junk. I understand that it's normal not to feel hungry after a gut-wrenching effort on the track or in an XC race. But you've got to know, to anticipate, that within a couple of hours your body is going to need hydration and carbohydrate replacement. Failure to plan for it and get a good meal in, means you'll be dragging for the next couple of days. I learned the right habits after years of watching my training partner Terry, who ALWAYS has a bottle of electrolyte/carbohydrate replacement drink with him after every workout and long run. I don't think it's an accident that he recovers very quickly from hard efforts and has proven extraordinarily durable over the years.
You eat too much white stuff. I know there's some trendy diet these days in which you avoid white things: white sugar, white flour, white bread, potatoes, etc. I don't know anything about that diet, and I'm not a big fan of diets anyway, but I do know that the craving for quick calories in the form of sugar and fat leads to a quick-fix mentality about food. But quick-fix approaches end up being bad habits. I think the result is wildly fluctuating sugar and energy levels, which, again, negatively impact training.
You don't get enough sleep. Ok, this isn't about food, but it's part of the same pattern as not eating right. The athletes I coach have heard me say this a thousand times: sleep is the most underrated part of training. Sleep is recovery. Sleep is where physiological changes occur that consolidate fitness gains. Lack of sleep kills otherwise useful training.
So, wise up. Eat breakfast. Eat lunch. Eat dinner. Replace fluids and carbs within two hours after hard runs. Get a good night's sleep. Get faster, stronger, healthier.
Happy Mother's Day.
I write as a convert. It has taken me a long time to really see the connection between what I eat and how I run. And even now, I still make "training mistakes" that involve not eating (or drinking) enough, not eating at the right time, not eating the right stuff.
Of course, I wouldn't be noticing any of these sins on a day-to-day basis except that I have this crazy thing I do called training. Let me refresh your memory about training: training is adaptation to stress. It has three parts: you perform some moderately stressful task; you recover; you improve. There are basically two training errors: 1) too much stress (not enough recovery), which leads to injury or staleness and diminished performance; 2) too little stress/too much rest, which provides insufficient stimulus for adaptation to occur. Training is nothing more than figuring out how to provide an appropriate stress and getting the balance of stress and recovery right. So simple.
And yet, we always seem to mess it up. One way we do this is by taking insufficient care to provide fuel for performance and recovery. Either we try to get by on less than we need, or we fail to replace what we use.
Do any of the following scenarios sound familiar?
You skip your breakfast or lunch (or get by on snacks). When I am coaching, one of the most frustrating experiences is to watch someone struggle through a run or a workout and then find out they have eaten anything all day, or they had an apple at breakfast. I'm not talking about anorexia, which deserves its own more serious essay. I'm talking about being too busy or too distracted to eat well when it will do you the most good, and when it will help set up your day to do everything you need to do, including train at a high level.
You don't re-hydrate or eat until hours after a hard run or race, and then you eat junk. I understand that it's normal not to feel hungry after a gut-wrenching effort on the track or in an XC race. But you've got to know, to anticipate, that within a couple of hours your body is going to need hydration and carbohydrate replacement. Failure to plan for it and get a good meal in, means you'll be dragging for the next couple of days. I learned the right habits after years of watching my training partner Terry, who ALWAYS has a bottle of electrolyte/carbohydrate replacement drink with him after every workout and long run. I don't think it's an accident that he recovers very quickly from hard efforts and has proven extraordinarily durable over the years.
You eat too much white stuff. I know there's some trendy diet these days in which you avoid white things: white sugar, white flour, white bread, potatoes, etc. I don't know anything about that diet, and I'm not a big fan of diets anyway, but I do know that the craving for quick calories in the form of sugar and fat leads to a quick-fix mentality about food. But quick-fix approaches end up being bad habits. I think the result is wildly fluctuating sugar and energy levels, which, again, negatively impact training.
You don't get enough sleep. Ok, this isn't about food, but it's part of the same pattern as not eating right. The athletes I coach have heard me say this a thousand times: sleep is the most underrated part of training. Sleep is recovery. Sleep is where physiological changes occur that consolidate fitness gains. Lack of sleep kills otherwise useful training.
So, wise up. Eat breakfast. Eat lunch. Eat dinner. Replace fluids and carbs within two hours after hard runs. Get a good night's sleep. Get faster, stronger, healthier.
Happy Mother's Day.
May 09, 2007
Versatility key as Tigers Swamp Wamps
New England Patriots Coach Bill Belichek always says he likes football players with versatility. I am starting to feel the same way about track athletes, especially after Tuesday's wins over Braintree.
The Newton North girls were facing a very strong and talented Braintree team, that, like the Tigers, hadn't lost a meet. On the track and in the jumps, the meet was just about even, but Newton swept all three throwing events and won the meet 83-53. A big part of North's success must be credited to the versatility of athletes such as Lily Brown, Jess Barton, and Morgan Faer. Each one of these runners is also a thrower: Brown excels at the shot put and the 200, both of which she won against Braintree; Barton won both the mile and the javelin; Faer won the high hurdles, and placed third in both the discus and javelin. With the win the versatile Newton North girls ran (and jumped and threw) their record to 6-0, and all but clinched an undefeated season and their 16th Bay State league title in 18 years.
Here's a link to coverage of the meet in the Daily News Tribune.
The boys also won, but I don't have any results yet.
Newton North runs their final dual meet against Needham next Tuesday at home.
The Newton North girls were facing a very strong and talented Braintree team, that, like the Tigers, hadn't lost a meet. On the track and in the jumps, the meet was just about even, but Newton swept all three throwing events and won the meet 83-53. A big part of North's success must be credited to the versatility of athletes such as Lily Brown, Jess Barton, and Morgan Faer. Each one of these runners is also a thrower: Brown excels at the shot put and the 200, both of which she won against Braintree; Barton won both the mile and the javelin; Faer won the high hurdles, and placed third in both the discus and javelin. With the win the versatile Newton North girls ran (and jumped and threw) their record to 6-0, and all but clinched an undefeated season and their 16th Bay State league title in 18 years.
Here's a link to coverage of the meet in the Daily News Tribune.
The boys also won, but I don't have any results yet.
Newton North runs their final dual meet against Needham next Tuesday at home.
May 08, 2007
New Age-Group Records
Results from the 1500m at the Duke Twilight Meet on May 6th, 2007:
Five of the first six finishers are college students, and the other, Matt Kerr (a former NCAA steeplechase champion), is 31. The seventh finisher, John Hinton, is 45 years old, and that time of 3:56.39, the equivalent of a 4:16 mile, is a new world record for the M45-49 age group.
At the same meet, Joan Nesbit Mabe ran 4:43.21 in the women's 1500 to set a new American W45-49 record for the distance. (Joan writes about the race on her runningland blog).
Hinton's new world record is vulnerable! This weekend, the University of Oregon will be hosting the "Fountain of Youth" masters mile event at the Oregon Relays. In the field are two M45's who could challenge Hinton's WR: Tony Young (who ran 4:06 at age 40, and has a recent 4:20 mile to his credit), and Pete McGill, who has a seed time of 4:18 (converted from a recent 1500m time).
The race will be Saturday, May 12th. Check out race info here.
(My best time as an M45? 4:33.32, thank you for asking!)
Event 24 Men 1500 Meter Run
===============================================================
NCAA REG: R 3:47.80
Name Year School Finals
===============================================================
1 Matt Kerr Unattached 3:49.93
2 Tamas Kovacs High Point 3:50.11
3 Jamie McCarthy Coastal Carolina 3:50.94
4 Doug Currie Coastal Carolina 3:52.52
5 Travis Wray Lynchburg 3:53.30
6 Douglas Noreen Davidson 3:55.01
7 John Hinton Carrboro AC 3:56.39
...
Five of the first six finishers are college students, and the other, Matt Kerr (a former NCAA steeplechase champion), is 31. The seventh finisher, John Hinton, is 45 years old, and that time of 3:56.39, the equivalent of a 4:16 mile, is a new world record for the M45-49 age group.
At the same meet, Joan Nesbit Mabe ran 4:43.21 in the women's 1500 to set a new American W45-49 record for the distance. (Joan writes about the race on her runningland blog).
Hinton's new world record is vulnerable! This weekend, the University of Oregon will be hosting the "Fountain of Youth" masters mile event at the Oregon Relays. In the field are two M45's who could challenge Hinton's WR: Tony Young (who ran 4:06 at age 40, and has a recent 4:20 mile to his credit), and Pete McGill, who has a seed time of 4:18 (converted from a recent 1500m time).
The race will be Saturday, May 12th. Check out race info here.
(My best time as an M45? 4:33.32, thank you for asking!)
May 07, 2007
Rough Spots
I raced on Sunday at the USATF-NE 5K Road Race championships, one of seven "Grand Prix" events that form a championship series for the association's open and age-group teams.
I've always maintained that every race is an opportunity to learn something, or at least be reminded of something. I've certainly run a lot of 5Ks in my life, and almost all of them faster than what I ran Sunday, but this race gave me a really good lesson on a favorite subject: surviving rough spots.
After several years at a different venue, the 5K moved to Westford this year. The race started on an uphill, climbed very gradually for about 600 meters, flattened out for a while, and then started a long steady downhill that carried us well past the mile mark. From about 1.2M to 2.4M, the course was rolling, losing a bit more elevation than it gained, perhaps. At about 2.4M , we made a sharp turn and encountered a long uphill that took us up to Westford Town Center, and a 400m flat stretch to the finish. Jogging the course before the race, that hill near the end looked pretty nasty.
We were packed in very tightly at the start, and when the gun went off, it was all any of us could do to remain on our feet. I tried to settle in to an appropriate pace, but felt jostled out of any regular rhythm. I also felt sluggish. I had been hoping that I would feel energized by the excitement of the start, but instead I felt very lethargic, and my running seemed mechanical. I saw a lot of other runners with whom I was hoping to compete well ahead of me and pulling away.
When we hit the downhill, my stride started feeling a little bit more fluid. I tried not to push, but rather let the hill help me with my turnover. I passed 1M at 5:22, and although I was still lagging the runners with whom I should have been competing, it seemed that they were no longer pulling away.
The second mile was strange, as I tried to maintain the momentum from the downhill without pushing too hard too early. I felt that my mood shifted from one moment to the next. For a few hundred meters I would feel strong and competitive, and then I would suddenly start feeling weak and uncertain whether I could maintain the pace. At about the 1.8M mark -- for no apparent reason -- I went through a real rough spot. I can't tell you why at that moment I started having thoughts of dropping out of the race, why some insecurity in my mind started whispering to me "...you don't have to do this..." I wasn't running too badly, in fact, I was catching people, but there it was: the sudden temptation to ease off and avoid the effort that would be involved in running hard to the finish.
Not bravely, but stubbornly, I kept running.
And then, as quickly as it had come, it was gone. I looked down the road and saw someone I wanted to beat, and got a jolt of competitive adrenaline. I passed the 2M mark in 10:42 and began preparing myself for the hill ahead. When I hit the bottom of the hill, I tried to keep my stride short and quick, and keep my eyes focused about 10-15 meters ahead, rather than letting them look to the top of the climb. In reality, I was running more slowly up the hill, but I felt faster. I passed my "target", and set off after another runner who was laboring. I passed him, too. I was working very hard to maintain my pace, but now the hill was flattening, and I knew it wouldn't be so bad once we hit the flat. I caught another group of three runners, and we all ran hard the last few hundred meters. Two of them beat me, and one of them didn't. My time at the finish: 16:54.
It has been said that in almost every race there is a moment of doubt, a moment in which you make the decision whether to run hard or not. Once the decision is made, the temptation to quit rarely comes back. I have found that to be true, and I have also learned not to panic when the rough spots come, as they often do, with quite a long way to go to the finish. My race on Sunday was a good lesson, and I'm glad I didn't give in to the momentary mental and physical discomforts and stop chasing my end goal.
I've always maintained that every race is an opportunity to learn something, or at least be reminded of something. I've certainly run a lot of 5Ks in my life, and almost all of them faster than what I ran Sunday, but this race gave me a really good lesson on a favorite subject: surviving rough spots.
After several years at a different venue, the 5K moved to Westford this year. The race started on an uphill, climbed very gradually for about 600 meters, flattened out for a while, and then started a long steady downhill that carried us well past the mile mark. From about 1.2M to 2.4M, the course was rolling, losing a bit more elevation than it gained, perhaps. At about 2.4M , we made a sharp turn and encountered a long uphill that took us up to Westford Town Center, and a 400m flat stretch to the finish. Jogging the course before the race, that hill near the end looked pretty nasty.
We were packed in very tightly at the start, and when the gun went off, it was all any of us could do to remain on our feet. I tried to settle in to an appropriate pace, but felt jostled out of any regular rhythm. I also felt sluggish. I had been hoping that I would feel energized by the excitement of the start, but instead I felt very lethargic, and my running seemed mechanical. I saw a lot of other runners with whom I was hoping to compete well ahead of me and pulling away.
When we hit the downhill, my stride started feeling a little bit more fluid. I tried not to push, but rather let the hill help me with my turnover. I passed 1M at 5:22, and although I was still lagging the runners with whom I should have been competing, it seemed that they were no longer pulling away.
The second mile was strange, as I tried to maintain the momentum from the downhill without pushing too hard too early. I felt that my mood shifted from one moment to the next. For a few hundred meters I would feel strong and competitive, and then I would suddenly start feeling weak and uncertain whether I could maintain the pace. At about the 1.8M mark -- for no apparent reason -- I went through a real rough spot. I can't tell you why at that moment I started having thoughts of dropping out of the race, why some insecurity in my mind started whispering to me "...you don't have to do this..." I wasn't running too badly, in fact, I was catching people, but there it was: the sudden temptation to ease off and avoid the effort that would be involved in running hard to the finish.
Not bravely, but stubbornly, I kept running.
And then, as quickly as it had come, it was gone. I looked down the road and saw someone I wanted to beat, and got a jolt of competitive adrenaline. I passed the 2M mark in 10:42 and began preparing myself for the hill ahead. When I hit the bottom of the hill, I tried to keep my stride short and quick, and keep my eyes focused about 10-15 meters ahead, rather than letting them look to the top of the climb. In reality, I was running more slowly up the hill, but I felt faster. I passed my "target", and set off after another runner who was laboring. I passed him, too. I was working very hard to maintain my pace, but now the hill was flattening, and I knew it wouldn't be so bad once we hit the flat. I caught another group of three runners, and we all ran hard the last few hundred meters. Two of them beat me, and one of them didn't. My time at the finish: 16:54.
It has been said that in almost every race there is a moment of doubt, a moment in which you make the decision whether to run hard or not. Once the decision is made, the temptation to quit rarely comes back. I have found that to be true, and I have also learned not to panic when the rough spots come, as they often do, with quite a long way to go to the finish. My race on Sunday was a good lesson, and I'm glad I didn't give in to the momentary mental and physical discomforts and stop chasing my end goal.
May 06, 2007
NNHS Alumni Results - May 6, 2007
David Polgar was back in a familiar role at the America East conference meet, running the lead-off leg in the 4x800 relay for Boston University. David led off a lot of great relay races for Newton North, and did it again for BU, as the Terriers won the race by 7 seconds with a meet record 7:38.81.
At the New England championships, Stephanie O'Brien finished 2ind in the 800m with a time of 2:17.4 (apparently hand-timed). Simone Weisman ran the 400m and finished 11th in 61.27.
Competing at the Centennial Conference championships at Haverford College Sunday, Noah Jampol ran 4:12.37 for the 1500.
At the New England championships, Stephanie O'Brien finished 2ind in the 800m with a time of 2:17.4 (apparently hand-timed). Simone Weisman ran the 400m and finished 11th in 61.27.
Competing at the Centennial Conference championships at Haverford College Sunday, Noah Jampol ran 4:12.37 for the 1500.
May 05, 2007
Ranti 2:14! Barton 10:37!! at Weston Invite
It was simply hard to believe what I was seeing. Not once, but twice.
First, in the 800 meeters, I watched Newton North's Carolyn Ranti negotiate a 67-second first lap, trailing Lincoln-Sudbury's Dana Jamieson and Molly Binder ans Chelmsford's Sarah Shanahan. At the start of the 2nd lap, Jamieson and Binder accelerated. Ranti matched their acceleration but still trailed, running faster than she ever had in an 800. But she did not fade, in fact, in the final 100 meters, she caught and passed Binder, and she was running down Jamieson. In case you weren't paying close attention, let me repeat that, she caught and passed Binder (the All-State champion at 1000m), and she was running down Jamieson (A 57-second 400m runner). Jamieson won, in 2:14.13, and Carolyn flashed across the line less than a second later in 2:14.97. It was a PR by more than 5 seconds.
I was still buzzing from that race, when they started the seeded heat of the girls two mile. I was pretty sure that nothing would top that 800, but the 2M did top it. The race featured four great runners -- Jess Barton, Bridget Dahlberg, Emily Jones, and Colleen Wetherbee -- who had never before all run in the same race. Each one of these girls is a MULTIPLE all-state champion. The race started slowly, with Barton taking the early lead through a pedestrian first lap of 82 seconds ("only" 10:56 pace). Shortly thereafter, Emily Jones took over the lead and the pace began to drop as Jones started reeling off 80-second laps. She hit the mile in 5:26 and the pack of four was still intact, but just barely. Dahlberg was in second, with Barton right behind, and Wetherbee struggling to maintain the ever-quickening pace. At that point, Jones put the hammer down, running her next two laps in 78.9 and 76.5. Wetherbee was gone, swallowed up into the night. Dahlberg fought briefly, and then cracked and gave up the chase. With 800m to go, only Barton still had a chance to catch the breakaway, but she was now 20-30 meters back, and Jones was flying. On Lap 7, the gap widened more, then stabilized. Finally, it seemed, the pace was catching up with Jones -- had it taken a greater toll on Jess? Apparently not. As she began her final circuit beneath the lights, she found another gear and began the desperate process of reeling in the runner ahead. Although she had been running quite fast, she was suddenly running as though possessed. Down the backstretch she accelerated, around the final turn and into the final straight, energizing the crowd as her sprint cut seconds out of Jones' lead.
But the gap was too great and Jones held on. With a last lap of about 76, she had run a personal best of 10:34.78, the fifth fastest 2M in the country for HS girls this season. Jess finished close behind, running 10:37.11, a personal best by 20 seconds. Dahlberg finished third in 10:52, a fine time and her first time under 11 minutes.
Even more amazing than the results were the splits, in particular, Jess's splits. After her first mile in 5:27, she ran the second mile in 5:10, her final 800 in 2:34, and her final lap in 73.7. It was a remarkable performance and an unforgettable race.
Although Ranti and Barton ran spectacular races, there were other great performances at the meet.
David Smith continued his dominance of the shot put, winning and setting a meet record with a throw of 55-5.5. Marvin Chan was 4th with throw of 48-5.5, while Marcus Chang threw 39-6.25. Smith, Chan, and Chang teamed up again in the discus, with Smith throwing 140-6 for 4th, Chan throwing 130-3 for 6th, and Chang throwing 123 for 8th.
(Watch a video of Smith's winning throw on YouTube)
Gordon Forbes won the high hurdles in a personal best 15.38, and is beginning to look like a potential contender at the Class A meet. Avery Mitchell led for most of the 400 meters, but was nipped at the line by Nick Coluntuono. Mitchell still recorded a season's best 49.90.
(Watch Avery's race in the 400m on YouTube)
Gabe Feinberg ran 44.76 in the 300 hurdles, and Dan Hamilton ran 10:30.51 in the 2M.
In the girls 400, Emaa Kornetsky (60.76) was second, Lily Brown (61.91) was sixth, and freshman Ariana Tabatabaie (64.25) was 18th in a field of 24. In the girls high hurdles, Michelle Kaufman placed 7th in 16.74, and Morgan Faer placed 9th in 17.05. Sophomore Nevart Varadian ran the 300 hurdles, finishing 9th in 51.78. Latifah Smalls ran 14.09 in the 100.
In the girls mile, Nora Barnicle ran 5:39.42, with Elena Hemler at 5:59.86, and Kate Hutchinson at 6:01.62.
In the field events, Hester Breen recorded a PR 114-8 in the discus to finish second, while Morgan Faer threw 95-7 to take 6th. In the shot put, Tracy Isman (30-10.5) finished 4th, with Bonny Guang (28-0.75) 12th.
Sarah Berkland tied for 5th in the HJ, clearing 4-10, and placed 12th in the triple jump with a leap of 32-1.75. Michelle Kaufman (15-4), Sky Lewis (15-0.5), and Laryssa Manigat (14-10) placed 9th, 13th, and 15th in the long jump.
The girls competed in all three relays. The 4x100 team placed 9th in 53.50; the 4x400 team placed 7th in 4:31.74; and the 4x800 team ran an outdoor season's best 9:50.99 to place 2nd.
Weston Invite - Complete Boys Results
Weston Invite - Complete Girls Results
First, in the 800 meeters, I watched Newton North's Carolyn Ranti negotiate a 67-second first lap, trailing Lincoln-Sudbury's Dana Jamieson and Molly Binder ans Chelmsford's Sarah Shanahan. At the start of the 2nd lap, Jamieson and Binder accelerated. Ranti matched their acceleration but still trailed, running faster than she ever had in an 800. But she did not fade, in fact, in the final 100 meters, she caught and passed Binder, and she was running down Jamieson. In case you weren't paying close attention, let me repeat that, she caught and passed Binder (the All-State champion at 1000m), and she was running down Jamieson (A 57-second 400m runner). Jamieson won, in 2:14.13, and Carolyn flashed across the line less than a second later in 2:14.97. It was a PR by more than 5 seconds.
I was still buzzing from that race, when they started the seeded heat of the girls two mile. I was pretty sure that nothing would top that 800, but the 2M did top it. The race featured four great runners -- Jess Barton, Bridget Dahlberg, Emily Jones, and Colleen Wetherbee -- who had never before all run in the same race. Each one of these girls is a MULTIPLE all-state champion. The race started slowly, with Barton taking the early lead through a pedestrian first lap of 82 seconds ("only" 10:56 pace). Shortly thereafter, Emily Jones took over the lead and the pace began to drop as Jones started reeling off 80-second laps. She hit the mile in 5:26 and the pack of four was still intact, but just barely. Dahlberg was in second, with Barton right behind, and Wetherbee struggling to maintain the ever-quickening pace. At that point, Jones put the hammer down, running her next two laps in 78.9 and 76.5. Wetherbee was gone, swallowed up into the night. Dahlberg fought briefly, and then cracked and gave up the chase. With 800m to go, only Barton still had a chance to catch the breakaway, but she was now 20-30 meters back, and Jones was flying. On Lap 7, the gap widened more, then stabilized. Finally, it seemed, the pace was catching up with Jones -- had it taken a greater toll on Jess? Apparently not. As she began her final circuit beneath the lights, she found another gear and began the desperate process of reeling in the runner ahead. Although she had been running quite fast, she was suddenly running as though possessed. Down the backstretch she accelerated, around the final turn and into the final straight, energizing the crowd as her sprint cut seconds out of Jones' lead.
But the gap was too great and Jones held on. With a last lap of about 76, she had run a personal best of 10:34.78, the fifth fastest 2M in the country for HS girls this season. Jess finished close behind, running 10:37.11, a personal best by 20 seconds. Dahlberg finished third in 10:52, a fine time and her first time under 11 minutes.
Even more amazing than the results were the splits, in particular, Jess's splits. After her first mile in 5:27, she ran the second mile in 5:10, her final 800 in 2:34, and her final lap in 73.7. It was a remarkable performance and an unforgettable race.
Although Ranti and Barton ran spectacular races, there were other great performances at the meet.
David Smith continued his dominance of the shot put, winning and setting a meet record with a throw of 55-5.5. Marvin Chan was 4th with throw of 48-5.5, while Marcus Chang threw 39-6.25. Smith, Chan, and Chang teamed up again in the discus, with Smith throwing 140-6 for 4th, Chan throwing 130-3 for 6th, and Chang throwing 123 for 8th.
(Watch a video of Smith's winning throw on YouTube)
Gordon Forbes won the high hurdles in a personal best 15.38, and is beginning to look like a potential contender at the Class A meet. Avery Mitchell led for most of the 400 meters, but was nipped at the line by Nick Coluntuono. Mitchell still recorded a season's best 49.90.
(Watch Avery's race in the 400m on YouTube)
Gabe Feinberg ran 44.76 in the 300 hurdles, and Dan Hamilton ran 10:30.51 in the 2M.
In the girls 400, Emaa Kornetsky (60.76) was second, Lily Brown (61.91) was sixth, and freshman Ariana Tabatabaie (64.25) was 18th in a field of 24. In the girls high hurdles, Michelle Kaufman placed 7th in 16.74, and Morgan Faer placed 9th in 17.05. Sophomore Nevart Varadian ran the 300 hurdles, finishing 9th in 51.78. Latifah Smalls ran 14.09 in the 100.
In the girls mile, Nora Barnicle ran 5:39.42, with Elena Hemler at 5:59.86, and Kate Hutchinson at 6:01.62.
In the field events, Hester Breen recorded a PR 114-8 in the discus to finish second, while Morgan Faer threw 95-7 to take 6th. In the shot put, Tracy Isman (30-10.5) finished 4th, with Bonny Guang (28-0.75) 12th.
Sarah Berkland tied for 5th in the HJ, clearing 4-10, and placed 12th in the triple jump with a leap of 32-1.75. Michelle Kaufman (15-4), Sky Lewis (15-0.5), and Laryssa Manigat (14-10) placed 9th, 13th, and 15th in the long jump.
The girls competed in all three relays. The 4x100 team placed 9th in 53.50; the 4x400 team placed 7th in 4:31.74; and the 4x800 team ran an outdoor season's best 9:50.99 to place 2nd.
Weston Invite - Complete Boys Results
Weston Invite - Complete Girls Results
NNHS Alumni Results: May 4-5, 2007
Doug Brecher (Bates) and Pat Pierce (Bowdoin) competed in the 10000m at the Div III New England Championships (held at Springfield College). Doug won this battle, finishing 9th overall in 33:06.65, coming within a second of his PR. Pat placed 12th in 34:06.78.
At the NYSCC State Championships, Dan Chebot (Rochester) also ran the 10000m, finishing fifth in a personal best 32:59.50, a time which qualifies him for the ECAC championships.
At the NYSCC State Championships, Dan Chebot (Rochester) also ran the 10000m, finishing fifth in a personal best 32:59.50, a time which qualifies him for the ECAC championships.
Have a Rotten Day
Last Thursday night I jogged over to Fresh Pond for a short tempo run with my long-time training partner, Terry McNatt. Terry and I typically run track workouts on Tuesday, and on Thursday we do something a little less intense -- a tempo run at threshold pace, or sometime a short workout on the hills of Comm Ave in Newton.
It was a beautiful evening on Thursday. Flowers were blooming along the borders of the path and around the public waterworks there. The trees had new young leaves that rocked in the wind and made a rustling sound I haven't heard for six months. After what seemed like months of cold and rain, it was great to be out in shorts and t-shirt, feeling fast and light. At least, it was great until we started our run.
The problem was that every other citizen in the greater Cambridge Metropolitan area was also at Fresh Pond that night, and each one had brought his or her three tennis-ball chasing golden retrievers, and they all had the same idea of enjoying strolling around the Pond talking on their cell phones. (The owners, not the dogs.)
Where were all these people last month, I wondered. Where were all the dogs all winter? Had they been indoors all this time, and only let out yesterday for the romp of all romps? I tried not to begrudge them access to the whole width of the Fresh Pond path, as I tried to slip by them quietly while running at 5:50 pace and breathing hard. They had every bit as much right to be there as I did, probably more, since theoretically a runner takes up a lot more space than a walker. No, I didn't mind the traffic, but -- and here is the amazing thing -- I started thinking with nostalgia about those happy evenings several weeks earlier when Terry and I would meet at The Pond under the shelter of a building entrance, and set off into the rain with the whole path to ourselves.
There's something very satisfying about being out training in weather that keeps most people indoors. It can be tough to motivate yourself, but once underway, it's not so bad, and the heat from running keeps you warm. With few pedestrians to dodge, few dsitractions of any kind, the run becomes very focused and pure.
The warm weather has changed all that. A month ago there was no problem with joggers, and the very few dog walkers were a welcome sight, isolated islands of humanity with whom to exchange a nod or a wave. Now, it's summertime and the living is easy. Dogs are jumping and the human density on the running paths is high.
It's the same on the Charles, on Comm Ave., even on the local high school tracks, whose inner lanes fill with good people from all walks (I use the term intentionally) of life from 6 to 9 p.m. every night.
It turns out that finding a place to run fast is a heck of a lot easier when the weather is rotten and forbidding than when it is lovely and inviting. As much as we runners complain about winter in New England, and Spring in New England,... and even Fall in New England, we have it pretty easy compared with running along the Esplanade on a warm summer's evening. I really hate to admit it, especially after this spring, but rotten days for everything else are actually pretty good days for training. And nice days are a distraction.
Even as I type these words, I hear the sounds of my neighbors talking to friends they have invited over for a cookout. I hear the laughter, the easy conversation, the clink of bottles... I smell food. It seems so inviting, and I have to rouse myself and remember that I have an appointment with a certain 7-mile course.
If only it were 40 degrees and raining!
It was a beautiful evening on Thursday. Flowers were blooming along the borders of the path and around the public waterworks there. The trees had new young leaves that rocked in the wind and made a rustling sound I haven't heard for six months. After what seemed like months of cold and rain, it was great to be out in shorts and t-shirt, feeling fast and light. At least, it was great until we started our run.
The problem was that every other citizen in the greater Cambridge Metropolitan area was also at Fresh Pond that night, and each one had brought his or her three tennis-ball chasing golden retrievers, and they all had the same idea of enjoying strolling around the Pond talking on their cell phones. (The owners, not the dogs.)
Where were all these people last month, I wondered. Where were all the dogs all winter? Had they been indoors all this time, and only let out yesterday for the romp of all romps? I tried not to begrudge them access to the whole width of the Fresh Pond path, as I tried to slip by them quietly while running at 5:50 pace and breathing hard. They had every bit as much right to be there as I did, probably more, since theoretically a runner takes up a lot more space than a walker. No, I didn't mind the traffic, but -- and here is the amazing thing -- I started thinking with nostalgia about those happy evenings several weeks earlier when Terry and I would meet at The Pond under the shelter of a building entrance, and set off into the rain with the whole path to ourselves.
There's something very satisfying about being out training in weather that keeps most people indoors. It can be tough to motivate yourself, but once underway, it's not so bad, and the heat from running keeps you warm. With few pedestrians to dodge, few dsitractions of any kind, the run becomes very focused and pure.
The warm weather has changed all that. A month ago there was no problem with joggers, and the very few dog walkers were a welcome sight, isolated islands of humanity with whom to exchange a nod or a wave. Now, it's summertime and the living is easy. Dogs are jumping and the human density on the running paths is high.
It's the same on the Charles, on Comm Ave., even on the local high school tracks, whose inner lanes fill with good people from all walks (I use the term intentionally) of life from 6 to 9 p.m. every night.
It turns out that finding a place to run fast is a heck of a lot easier when the weather is rotten and forbidding than when it is lovely and inviting. As much as we runners complain about winter in New England, and Spring in New England,... and even Fall in New England, we have it pretty easy compared with running along the Esplanade on a warm summer's evening. I really hate to admit it, especially after this spring, but rotten days for everything else are actually pretty good days for training. And nice days are a distraction.
Even as I type these words, I hear the sounds of my neighbors talking to friends they have invited over for a cookout. I hear the laughter, the easy conversation, the clink of bottles... I smell food. It seems so inviting, and I have to rouse myself and remember that I have an appointment with a certain 7-mile course.
If only it were 40 degrees and raining!
May 04, 2007
Weekend Preview: Weston Invitational
It looks like good weather for the Weston Invitational, scheduled for Saturday afternoon/evening at Weston H.S. There's a lot of buzz about the girls 2-Mile field, which will bring together three runners who have run under 11:00, and two others who are quite capable of doing it. The five in alphabetical order (with their credentials):
Jess Barton, SR Newton North - 2005 outdoor all-state 1M champ; two-time Div I all-state XC champ; 2006 indoor Div I 2M champ (10:57).
Bridget Dahlberg, SO Newton South - two-time indoor all-state champ for 1M (PR: 4:52); has fastest outdoor 2M so far this year (11:02)
Emily Jones, SO Bromfield - defending outdoor all-state 2M champ; defending XC state champ; 2006 footlocker XC finalist; fastest 2M PR in the field (10:37)
Rebekah McKay, SR Whitinsville Christian - Winner 2007 State Coaches indoor meet; 2nd to Wetherbee at 2007 indoor Div II meet; PR of 11:04
Colleen Wetherbee, SR Dennis-Yarmouth - 2006 outdoor 1M champ (PR: 4:51); 2007 indoor 2M champ (PR: 10:45)
Should be memorable... but the girls 2M isn't the only race to watch at Weston!
The girls 200M should be very competitive with Andover's Mellissa Knapp (25.8), Cambridge's Sarah Trotman (25.9), and indoor all-state 300M champ Stoneham's Christina Izzicupo (26.2) heading the field.
In the girls 400m, three girls are seeded under 60 seconds, led by Andover's Colleen Shannon, and Newton North's Emma Kornetsky is seeded fifth at 60.4. Kormetsky ran a blazing 60.3 anchor leg in the 4x400 relay on Tuesday against Weymouth and could dip under 60 for the first time at Weston.
The boys 400m is going to be a great race, as North's Avery Mitchell takes on a very strong field that includes New Bedford's Mike Jones and Lincoln-Sudbury's Nick Coluntuono. Brookline's Tobias Blattler is also seeded in the top six and might surprise the field.
The girls 800 features two of the top runners from the state-champion Lincoln-Sudbury team, Dana Jamieson and Molly Binder, both seeded at 2:15. Into the mix throw Newton South's Diana Braver and Newton North's Carolyn Ranti, as well as Marian's Christi Gallagher and we could see five runners under 2:20. Yikes!
The boys mile is also stacked, as defending 2006 outdoor all-state champ, Brockton's Kevin Gill, heads a field that includes 10 runners seeded at 4:30 or below, including all-state 1000m champ, Westwood's Jeff Moriarty.
In the boys 110 hurdles, North's Gordon Forbes takes on Framingham's Jordan Maddocks. In the girls hurdles, Michelle Kaufman and Morgan Faer get to run against state 55M hurdle champ, Lauren Barner of New Bedford.
The girls 4x800 relay could be a tremendous race, bringng together four ofthe state's best teams in Lincoln-Sudbury, Chelmsofrd, Newton South, and Newton North. But that's only IF the teams are running at full strength. It's still a bit early in the season, and if the weather is cold, there might be some scratches.
All-in-all, a very high quality meet with the potential for some unforgettable races.
Jess Barton, SR Newton North - 2005 outdoor all-state 1M champ; two-time Div I all-state XC champ; 2006 indoor Div I 2M champ (10:57).
Bridget Dahlberg, SO Newton South - two-time indoor all-state champ for 1M (PR: 4:52); has fastest outdoor 2M so far this year (11:02)
Emily Jones, SO Bromfield - defending outdoor all-state 2M champ; defending XC state champ; 2006 footlocker XC finalist; fastest 2M PR in the field (10:37)
Rebekah McKay, SR Whitinsville Christian - Winner 2007 State Coaches indoor meet; 2nd to Wetherbee at 2007 indoor Div II meet; PR of 11:04
Colleen Wetherbee, SR Dennis-Yarmouth - 2006 outdoor 1M champ (PR: 4:51); 2007 indoor 2M champ (PR: 10:45)
Should be memorable... but the girls 2M isn't the only race to watch at Weston!
The girls 200M should be very competitive with Andover's Mellissa Knapp (25.8), Cambridge's Sarah Trotman (25.9), and indoor all-state 300M champ Stoneham's Christina Izzicupo (26.2) heading the field.
In the girls 400m, three girls are seeded under 60 seconds, led by Andover's Colleen Shannon, and Newton North's Emma Kornetsky is seeded fifth at 60.4. Kormetsky ran a blazing 60.3 anchor leg in the 4x400 relay on Tuesday against Weymouth and could dip under 60 for the first time at Weston.
The boys 400m is going to be a great race, as North's Avery Mitchell takes on a very strong field that includes New Bedford's Mike Jones and Lincoln-Sudbury's Nick Coluntuono. Brookline's Tobias Blattler is also seeded in the top six and might surprise the field.
The girls 800 features two of the top runners from the state-champion Lincoln-Sudbury team, Dana Jamieson and Molly Binder, both seeded at 2:15. Into the mix throw Newton South's Diana Braver and Newton North's Carolyn Ranti, as well as Marian's Christi Gallagher and we could see five runners under 2:20. Yikes!
The boys mile is also stacked, as defending 2006 outdoor all-state champ, Brockton's Kevin Gill, heads a field that includes 10 runners seeded at 4:30 or below, including all-state 1000m champ, Westwood's Jeff Moriarty.
In the boys 110 hurdles, North's Gordon Forbes takes on Framingham's Jordan Maddocks. In the girls hurdles, Michelle Kaufman and Morgan Faer get to run against state 55M hurdle champ, Lauren Barner of New Bedford.
The girls 4x800 relay could be a tremendous race, bringng together four ofthe state's best teams in Lincoln-Sudbury, Chelmsofrd, Newton South, and Newton North. But that's only IF the teams are running at full strength. It's still a bit early in the season, and if the weather is cold, there might be some scratches.
All-in-all, a very high quality meet with the potential for some unforgettable races.
May 02, 2007
Uniform Rules
I had one of those puzzling experiences at the meet on Tuesday.
I have to preface this by saying that I was at the meet as an official, not as a coach. I used to coach for Newton North (and might do so again), but on this particular day, I had been very careful to avoid wearing any Newton school colors, or anything else that would call into question my role. After watching the finish of the boys mile, I was busying myself by reading out times for the stragglers. One of those stragglers was Andrey Tenne, who was on his way to running about a 6:45 for the mile. I had noticed Andrey at the start of the race, standing in the second row. Andrey, as usual, wasn't sporting a thread of school-issued clothing. He was wearing some long pair of basketball shorts and his usual shirt. Andrey has Asberger's syndrome, and is very particular about what he wears. Newton North coaches long ago gave up trying to get Andrey to wear anything other than his own shirt and shorts (and sometimes jacket and pants).
So while I was waiting for Andrey to reach the finish line, the head official came over to me and started berating me for Andrey's presence in the race. Mo was there and can confirm that the official was really ticked off and lectured me for 20-30 seconds on the importance of the uniform rule, and the importance of meeting minimum standards, etc. He also claimed that he hadn't seen Andrey at the start of the race, and was questioning whether he had even started with the others.
It was one of those moments when there was so much to say, that I ended up not saying a word. I wanted to explain about Andrey, but then I remembered that I wasn't even a Newton North coach and so it wasn't my responsibility or place to be on the receiving end of the head official's diatribe. I also felt particularly annoyed by the official's suggestion that Andrey hadn't actually started at the correct time or run the correct distance. You can say a lot about Andrey, but he is always there at the start and he always runs four laps. Mo was greatly amused by my befuddlement, as I stammered to get any words out.
Interestingly, later in the meet, another Newton North runner ran the 800 with non school-issued shorts. He asked the head official whether it was ok, and the official said "yes," and allowed him to run. Later on, that same runner changed his shorts for the relay.
I found myself thinking about this again today, and wondering about uniforms, and the uniform rule. I know that every coach spends a lot of time worrying about the uniform rule, and emphasizing the importance of following it. Almost every big meet begins with a pronouncement by the head officials that "The Uniform Rule Will Be Strictly Enforced." I guess there would be chaos if there wasn't a uniform rule, but I also think that the REAL issue is a little deeper, a little subtler.
I credit Peter Martin with the idea that the real issue is to impress upon the athletes that the uniform is the manifestation of belonging to the team. Ideally, that uniform should feel special, and should inspire not only a desire to wear it, but a desire to live up to it. I think we, as coaches, parents, officials, etc., can help make that the case, by focusing not so much on the "strict enforcement" side of the issue, although that side will never completely go away, but more on the team-building and team support that leads to a regard for the symbols of that team, including the uniform.
I guess what I'm saying is, that if you want your team members to feel special wearing the uniform, you start by making them -- including those who run 6:46 miles -- feel special about being on the team.
I have to preface this by saying that I was at the meet as an official, not as a coach. I used to coach for Newton North (and might do so again), but on this particular day, I had been very careful to avoid wearing any Newton school colors, or anything else that would call into question my role. After watching the finish of the boys mile, I was busying myself by reading out times for the stragglers. One of those stragglers was Andrey Tenne, who was on his way to running about a 6:45 for the mile. I had noticed Andrey at the start of the race, standing in the second row. Andrey, as usual, wasn't sporting a thread of school-issued clothing. He was wearing some long pair of basketball shorts and his usual shirt. Andrey has Asberger's syndrome, and is very particular about what he wears. Newton North coaches long ago gave up trying to get Andrey to wear anything other than his own shirt and shorts (and sometimes jacket and pants).
So while I was waiting for Andrey to reach the finish line, the head official came over to me and started berating me for Andrey's presence in the race. Mo was there and can confirm that the official was really ticked off and lectured me for 20-30 seconds on the importance of the uniform rule, and the importance of meeting minimum standards, etc. He also claimed that he hadn't seen Andrey at the start of the race, and was questioning whether he had even started with the others.
It was one of those moments when there was so much to say, that I ended up not saying a word. I wanted to explain about Andrey, but then I remembered that I wasn't even a Newton North coach and so it wasn't my responsibility or place to be on the receiving end of the head official's diatribe. I also felt particularly annoyed by the official's suggestion that Andrey hadn't actually started at the correct time or run the correct distance. You can say a lot about Andrey, but he is always there at the start and he always runs four laps. Mo was greatly amused by my befuddlement, as I stammered to get any words out.
Interestingly, later in the meet, another Newton North runner ran the 800 with non school-issued shorts. He asked the head official whether it was ok, and the official said "yes," and allowed him to run. Later on, that same runner changed his shorts for the relay.
I found myself thinking about this again today, and wondering about uniforms, and the uniform rule. I know that every coach spends a lot of time worrying about the uniform rule, and emphasizing the importance of following it. Almost every big meet begins with a pronouncement by the head officials that "The Uniform Rule Will Be Strictly Enforced." I guess there would be chaos if there wasn't a uniform rule, but I also think that the REAL issue is a little deeper, a little subtler.
I credit Peter Martin with the idea that the real issue is to impress upon the athletes that the uniform is the manifestation of belonging to the team. Ideally, that uniform should feel special, and should inspire not only a desire to wear it, but a desire to live up to it. I think we, as coaches, parents, officials, etc., can help make that the case, by focusing not so much on the "strict enforcement" side of the issue, although that side will never completely go away, but more on the team-building and team support that leads to a regard for the symbols of that team, including the uniform.
I guess what I'm saying is, that if you want your team members to feel special wearing the uniform, you start by making them -- including those who run 6:46 miles -- feel special about being on the team.
Fast Times at Weymouth High
A fast track at a new facility. A pleasant spring evening with little wind. A well-run meet with an enthusiastic crowd. A terrific opponent. I think this is what every runner, jumper, and thrower dreams about, and it was all on display at Weymouth High yesterday as Newton faced its toughest competition of the season. Both meets were close, but Newton came out on top, as the boys won 78 to 58 and the girls won with an almost identical score of 79 to 57
Girls Meet Highlights
As the winning runner crossed the line in the 4x400 relay, the crowd was going crazy and wild celebrations were breaking out on the infield. Indeed, anyone would have thought that Weymouth had won the meet, and in a way they had: all evening long they had stepped up to the challenge of the Newton North team and improved on their personal bests. Some of the races went to North by agonizingly close margins (200, 400), and others went to Weymouth (800, 4x100). In the final event, the Wildcat grils ran 10 seconds (!) faster than they had three days ago at the State Relays to win the race and set a school record of 4:09. Boy, it doesn't get much better.
If Newton hadn't also stepped up its game, the Tigers would have been in trouble, but they got outstanding performances from Michelle Kaufman (winning the 100, 300H, and LJ), Lily Brown (winning the SP in 32-10 and the 200), along with wins from Sarah Berkland (HJ), Morgan Faer (100H), Carolyn Ranti (1M), Jess Barton (2M), and a photo-finish win from Emma Kornetsky in the 400. The Tigers also swept the discus, which was huge, and picked up numerous seconds and thirds in close battles. That depth enabled Newton to overcome losing both relays (rare!)
I'm sure I'm forgetting some other outstanding performers, but it just seemed that every event was hotly contested, and every athlete was performing at a different level.
Boys Meet Highlights
This Newton North team is explosive, with perhaps its best sprint crew ever and certainly one of the best group of throwers. The Tigers built up a big lead in the sprints, shot put, and discus, and withstood Weymouth's depth in the middle distances and the efforts of James Endres to win its second big meet in as many weeks.
Newton North won the first six events on the track, as Gordon Forbes won the 110 hurdles (15.8) to start the meet, and then Cailean Robinson won the 100 (11.1), Seb Putzys the mile (4:34.0), and Avery Mitchell the 400 (50.0!). The Tigers won the 4x400 relay, and then Sam Arsenault used his trademark finishing kick to come from behind in the 300 hurdles. Weymouth took 1-2 in the 800, and then Mitchell and Robinson responded by going 1-2 in the 200. Dan Hamilton ran a PR 10:26 in the 2M for second place.
In the field events, Sam Arsenault won the HJ (6'2") and the throwers, led by David Smith swept the shot and discus.
Girls Meet Highlights
As the winning runner crossed the line in the 4x400 relay, the crowd was going crazy and wild celebrations were breaking out on the infield. Indeed, anyone would have thought that Weymouth had won the meet, and in a way they had: all evening long they had stepped up to the challenge of the Newton North team and improved on their personal bests. Some of the races went to North by agonizingly close margins (200, 400), and others went to Weymouth (800, 4x100). In the final event, the Wildcat grils ran 10 seconds (!) faster than they had three days ago at the State Relays to win the race and set a school record of 4:09. Boy, it doesn't get much better.
If Newton hadn't also stepped up its game, the Tigers would have been in trouble, but they got outstanding performances from Michelle Kaufman (winning the 100, 300H, and LJ), Lily Brown (winning the SP in 32-10 and the 200), along with wins from Sarah Berkland (HJ), Morgan Faer (100H), Carolyn Ranti (1M), Jess Barton (2M), and a photo-finish win from Emma Kornetsky in the 400. The Tigers also swept the discus, which was huge, and picked up numerous seconds and thirds in close battles. That depth enabled Newton to overcome losing both relays (rare!)
I'm sure I'm forgetting some other outstanding performers, but it just seemed that every event was hotly contested, and every athlete was performing at a different level.
Boys Meet Highlights
This Newton North team is explosive, with perhaps its best sprint crew ever and certainly one of the best group of throwers. The Tigers built up a big lead in the sprints, shot put, and discus, and withstood Weymouth's depth in the middle distances and the efforts of James Endres to win its second big meet in as many weeks.
Newton North won the first six events on the track, as Gordon Forbes won the 110 hurdles (15.8) to start the meet, and then Cailean Robinson won the 100 (11.1), Seb Putzys the mile (4:34.0), and Avery Mitchell the 400 (50.0!). The Tigers won the 4x400 relay, and then Sam Arsenault used his trademark finishing kick to come from behind in the 300 hurdles. Weymouth took 1-2 in the 800, and then Mitchell and Robinson responded by going 1-2 in the 200. Dan Hamilton ran a PR 10:26 in the 2M for second place.
In the field events, Sam Arsenault won the HJ (6'2") and the throwers, led by David Smith swept the shot and discus.
April 30, 2007
Newton North vs. Weymouth Preview
Fresh off outstanding performances at the State Class A Relays on Saturday, the Newton North Tigers travel to Weymouth on Tuesday for what promises to be a very close, very competitive meet for both the girls and the boys.
Girls Preview
Like the Newton North girls, the Weymouth girls are undefeated so far in dual meets, and have strong performers in almost all events. They are one of the few teams (Wellesley and Natick come to mind as the others) that match up fairly well in the middle distance events, and they have excellent strength in the sprint and field events.
According to posted performances in the league to date, the Weymouth girls have the best shot putter (Michelle Bruce at 33') and best 4x400 relay team (4:19). Their 4x100 team beat Newton North by a half second at the State Relays, running 52.96, and they also placed with their 4x200 team. In other words, they have some good sprinters!
However, Newton North has really come into its own over the last week, and it's hard to see Weymouth amassing enough points to topple the Tigers, although anything can happen. in the sprints, Newton should stay even with Weymouth in the 100, 100H, 200, 300H, and 400. I'd give a slight edge to Newton for those events. In the middle distances, Ranti and Barton will win two of the events, and North will pick up some additional points with their depth, so they get a slight edge there as well. In the horizontal jumps, the discus, and the javelin, Newton looks stronger. I think Bruce will win the shot put, and Weymouth will take six points in the high jump.
The only area where Weymouth has an advantage is the relays, and that would be a huge swing to win both! Although Weymouth has the edge for the 4x100, I think Newton North will somehow find the runners to win the 4x400 (If they run Brown, Chiong, Ranti, Kornetsky, I think they post a time under 4:15).
It should be a barn burner!
Boys Preview
Another close meet. All I can say is that if James Endres could compete in seven events, I'd have to pick Weymouth! Unfortunately for the Wildcats, he is limited to four. I'll take a shot in the dark and say he wins the Long Jump, Javelin, and 300 hurdles, and scores somewhere else as well.
Newton looks good in the 100 (Robinson) 200 (Mitchell), 400 (Mitchell), and mile (Putzys). Newton should get some points in the 800 and 2 Mile, and take no worse than 2nd in the 110 hurdles, and 2nd and 3rd in the long hurdles. I think the two teams will split the relays, with Newton winning the 4x100 and Weymouth winning the 4x400.
On balance, I think Newton is stronger in the field events, as they showed against Brookline. Although Endres will win the LJ, Newton should limit the damage by taking 2nd and 3rd. Assuming he doesn't triple jump, Newton could go 1-2 there. The shot put belongs to Newton, and the discus is also a big strength for them. Endres will win the Jav, and Weymouth could win the high jump as well, although that's not a given.
Does Weymouth have a shot? Absolutely! It doesn't take much to swing the balance of a meet when you have good performers in most of the events. The meet gets underway at 5:00 in Weymouth and should be great!
Girls Preview
Like the Newton North girls, the Weymouth girls are undefeated so far in dual meets, and have strong performers in almost all events. They are one of the few teams (Wellesley and Natick come to mind as the others) that match up fairly well in the middle distance events, and they have excellent strength in the sprint and field events.
According to posted performances in the league to date, the Weymouth girls have the best shot putter (Michelle Bruce at 33') and best 4x400 relay team (4:19). Their 4x100 team beat Newton North by a half second at the State Relays, running 52.96, and they also placed with their 4x200 team. In other words, they have some good sprinters!
However, Newton North has really come into its own over the last week, and it's hard to see Weymouth amassing enough points to topple the Tigers, although anything can happen. in the sprints, Newton should stay even with Weymouth in the 100, 100H, 200, 300H, and 400. I'd give a slight edge to Newton for those events. In the middle distances, Ranti and Barton will win two of the events, and North will pick up some additional points with their depth, so they get a slight edge there as well. In the horizontal jumps, the discus, and the javelin, Newton looks stronger. I think Bruce will win the shot put, and Weymouth will take six points in the high jump.
The only area where Weymouth has an advantage is the relays, and that would be a huge swing to win both! Although Weymouth has the edge for the 4x100, I think Newton North will somehow find the runners to win the 4x400 (If they run Brown, Chiong, Ranti, Kornetsky, I think they post a time under 4:15).
It should be a barn burner!
Boys Preview
Another close meet. All I can say is that if James Endres could compete in seven events, I'd have to pick Weymouth! Unfortunately for the Wildcats, he is limited to four. I'll take a shot in the dark and say he wins the Long Jump, Javelin, and 300 hurdles, and scores somewhere else as well.
Newton looks good in the 100 (Robinson) 200 (Mitchell), 400 (Mitchell), and mile (Putzys). Newton should get some points in the 800 and 2 Mile, and take no worse than 2nd in the 110 hurdles, and 2nd and 3rd in the long hurdles. I think the two teams will split the relays, with Newton winning the 4x100 and Weymouth winning the 4x400.
On balance, I think Newton is stronger in the field events, as they showed against Brookline. Although Endres will win the LJ, Newton should limit the damage by taking 2nd and 3rd. Assuming he doesn't triple jump, Newton could go 1-2 there. The shot put belongs to Newton, and the discus is also a big strength for them. Endres will win the Jav, and Weymouth could win the high jump as well, although that's not a given.
Does Weymouth have a shot? Absolutely! It doesn't take much to swing the balance of a meet when you have good performers in most of the events. The meet gets underway at 5:00 in Weymouth and should be great!
April 29, 2007
NNHS Alumni Results: April 28, 2007
Several NN alumni competed in the NESCAC championships at Middlebury College on Saturday.
Stephanie O'Brien finished 5th in the 800m with a time of 2:17.59, and then anchored the Wesleyan 4x400 team to a 6th-place finish.
Middlebury's Simone Weisman placed 9th in the 400m in 1:01.26, and then ran the lead-off leg for the MIddlebury 4x400 team, which finished 2nd.
Anna Schindler ran 19:07.95 in the 5000m.
In the men's 5000m, Doug Brecher ran 15:58.39.
At the Rochester Invitational, Dan Chebot competed in the 1500m, running 4:22.36.
Stephanie O'Brien finished 5th in the 800m with a time of 2:17.59, and then anchored the Wesleyan 4x400 team to a 6th-place finish.
Middlebury's Simone Weisman placed 9th in the 400m in 1:01.26, and then ran the lead-off leg for the MIddlebury 4x400 team, which finished 2nd.
Anna Schindler ran 19:07.95 in the 5000m.
In the men's 5000m, Doug Brecher ran 15:58.39.
At the Rochester Invitational, Dan Chebot competed in the 1500m, running 4:22.36.
NN Girls Edge LS for State Class A Relays Title
In the end, only an inch separated the top two teams.
Fortunately for the Newton North girls, that one additional inch of combined distance in the long jump relay placed them first, just ahead of Newton South, and gave the Tigers 10 points in the event and 52 total, one point better than the Lincoln-Sudbury girls.
Although winning the state relays title is not unusual for Joe Tranchita's teams, the manner of victory was a little strange for the North squad. For one thing, they didn't score a point in the 4x100, 4x200, 4x400, or 4x800 events. They did, however, score 30 points on the track, winning the Distance Medley by a huge margin, finishing 2nd in the Sprint Medley, and taking 3rds in the hurdle relay and 4x1600.
But the meet was decided in the field events. In addition to winning the long jump, Newton took 2nd in the discus relay (behind an all-class record performance by Lowell), and 4th in the triple jump. The North girls were hoping to pick up more points in the shot put, but fell just short, finishing seventh. Luckily, those points didn't matter, and the Tigers took away the first-place plaque.
Results of all NN girls teams:
Fortunately for the Newton North girls, that one additional inch of combined distance in the long jump relay placed them first, just ahead of Newton South, and gave the Tigers 10 points in the event and 52 total, one point better than the Lincoln-Sudbury girls.
Although winning the state relays title is not unusual for Joe Tranchita's teams, the manner of victory was a little strange for the North squad. For one thing, they didn't score a point in the 4x100, 4x200, 4x400, or 4x800 events. They did, however, score 30 points on the track, winning the Distance Medley by a huge margin, finishing 2nd in the Sprint Medley, and taking 3rds in the hurdle relay and 4x1600.
But the meet was decided in the field events. In addition to winning the long jump, Newton took 2nd in the discus relay (behind an all-class record performance by Lowell), and 4th in the triple jump. The North girls were hoping to pick up more points in the shot put, but fell just short, finishing seventh. Luckily, those points didn't matter, and the Tigers took away the first-place plaque.
Results of all NN girls teams:
Girls 4x100 Meter Relay
10 Newton North H.S. 'A' 53.38 2
Girls 4x110 Meter Relay HH
3 Newton North H.S. 'A' 1:09.18 1 6
15 Newton North H.S. 'B' 1:19.25 4
Girls 4x200 Meter Relay
32 Newton North H.S. 'A' 2:06.08 7
Girls 4x400 Meter Relay
8 Newton North H.S. 'A' 4:21.93 3
Girls 4x800 Meter Relay
7 Newton North H.S. 'A' 10:30.02
15 Newton North H.S. 'B' 10:59.67
Girls 4x1600 Meter Relay
3 Newton North H.S. 'A' 22:08.41 6
Girls 1600 Sprint Medley
2 Newton North H.S. 'A' 4:17.93 1 8
Girls Distance Medley
1 Newton North H.S. 'A' 12:45.23 10
Girls Long Jump
1 68 Newton North, Girl Newton No. 14.37m 47-01.75 10
Girls Triple Jump
4 68 Newton North, Girl Newton No. 29.35m 96-03.50 4
Girls Shot Put
7 68 Newton North, Girl Newton No. 25.85m 84-09.75
Girls Discus Throw
2 68 Newton North, Girl Newton No. 88.20m 289-04 8
Girls Javelin Throw
11 68 Newton North, Girl Newton No. 66.62m 218-07
NN Boys 2nd at State Relays; 4x200 Team Sets School Record
Newton North's boys set a school record of 1:30.61 in winning the 4x200, and won two other events on their way to a runner-up finish at the State Class A Relays in Andover yesterday.
The Tigers showed balance as they won a sprint event (4x200), a jumping event (long jump), and a throwing event (shot put), while taking two 2nd place finishes (4x100, discus), and a 4th (sprint medley).
Results of all NN teams:
The Tigers showed balance as they won a sprint event (4x200), a jumping event (long jump), and a throwing event (shot put), while taking two 2nd place finishes (4x100, discus), and a 4th (sprint medley).
Results of all NN teams:
Boys 4x100 Meter Relay
2 Newton North H.S. 'A' 44.22 1 8
Boys 4x200 Meter Relay
1 Newton North H.S. 'A' 1:30.61 1 10
2 St. John's Prep-Danvers 'A' 1:31.35 1 8
Boys 4x1600 Meter Relay
16 Newton North H.S. 'A' 20:03.94
Boys 1600 Sprint Medley
4 Newton North H.S. 'A' 3:39.75 1 4
Boys Distance Medley
7 Newton North H.S. 'A' 11:20.90
Boys Long Jump
1 67 Newton North, Boys Newton No. 18.96m 62-02.50 10
Boys Triple Jump
7 67 Newton North, Boys Newton No. 35.64m 116-11.25
Boys Shot Put
1 67 Newton North, Boys Newton No. 44.92m 147-04.50 10
Boys Discus Throw
2 67 Newton North, Boys Newton No. 116.26m 381-05 8
Boys Javelin Throw
17 67 Newton North, Boys Newton No. 104.16m 341-09
April 28, 2007
Brookline 6th at Penn Relays DMR
Brookline (Matthew Stewart, Michael Bennett, Anthony Baker, Robert Gibson) finished 6th in the Boys Distance Medley Championship of America on Friday night with a time of 10:16.88. According to a Mike Burnstein (via DyeStat), splits were:
1200: Matt Stewart 3:06.8 (2nd place!!)
400: Michael Bennett 52.2
800: Toby Blattier 2:01.5
1600: Robert Gibson 4:16.4
In 7th place was Xaverian (Dan Higgins, Taylor Fitzgerald, Andrew MacIsaac, Mark Amirault) with a time of 10:23.72.
Note: The race was originally scheduled for 5:35, but there were rain and lightning delays earlier in the day, and events were going off two hours later than scheduled. I'm guessing that Brookline probably didn't get on the road for the 5+ hour drive back until late Friday evening. That will make it tough to have much energy for the State Relays today!
Added: Newton North's David Smith finished 17th in the shot put Friday with a toss of 51-9,
1200: Matt Stewart 3:06.8 (2nd place!!)
400: Michael Bennett 52.2
800: Toby Blattier 2:01.5
1600: Robert Gibson 4:16.4
In 7th place was Xaverian (Dan Higgins, Taylor Fitzgerald, Andrew MacIsaac, Mark Amirault) with a time of 10:23.72.
Note: The race was originally scheduled for 5:35, but there were rain and lightning delays earlier in the day, and events were going off two hours later than scheduled. I'm guessing that Brookline probably didn't get on the road for the 5+ hour drive back until late Friday evening. That will make it tough to have much energy for the State Relays today!
Added: Newton North's David Smith finished 17th in the shot put Friday with a toss of 51-9,
April 27, 2007
Barnicle 5th in Penn Relays 5K
Arkansas sophomore Chris Barnicle lopped more than 5 seconds off his personal best, finsihing 5th in the College Championship 5000m at the Penn Relays on Thursday night. Barnicle's time was 14:02.19 (4:31 per mile), and improves his NCAA Regional qualifying time.
More details and quotes at Arkansas' Hog Wired web site.
April 26, 2007
Penn Relays
Thursday is the first full day of competition at the 113th Penn Relay Carnival (a.k.a., "The Penn Relays"), held at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
According to the official meet website, "...this year there will be more than 22,000 entries, about half of whom will be high schoolers, and the three-day attendance is likely to top 100,000 for the third year in a row. Saturday attendance has averaged 45,000 for the last six years, and makes the meet the best attended track event in the United States each year, and one of the best attended in the world... more athletes have run at the Penn Relays than at any single meet in the world. More spectators have watched the meet than any in the world except the Olympics and World Championships..."
For Massachusetts H.S. teams, the Penn Relays often conflicts with the MIAA State Relays, which are frequently held on the same weekend, not to mention dual meets before and after. Even so, each year several Mass. schools travel to Philadelphia to participate in this unforgettable meet. Some schools try to double, running an event at Penn on Thursday or Friday and returning for the State Relays on Saturday.
That's what Newton North did in 2005, with four athletes running (and winning) the H.S. Championship of America Distance medley at Penn on Friday, and then returning to run multiple events at the State Relays on Saturday.
As far as i know, only one Newton North athlete is making the trip to Penn this year: David Smith is seeded 11th in the shot put, which is scheduled to go off at 2:30 p.m. Friday afternoon.
Also from Mass., Brookline (seeded at 10:24) and Xaverian (seeded at 10:20) are sending boys teams to compete in the Distance Medley. Good luck to both teams, but especially to Brookline. Wouldn't it be amazing to see the Bay State take another title? State indoor champions Lexington H.S. has a team entered in the boys 4x400 relay. Lincoln-Sudbury is sending a girls team to compete in the 4x800, which is especially tough because it involves a qualifying round on Thursday just to make it to the finals on Friday. Notre Dame Academy (Hingham) is entered in the girls 4x400 and 4x100. Easthampton also has a team in the girls 4x100.
And of course there is the collegiate and open competition. I've been trying to find out whether any NN alumni are entered in collegiate events, but haven't confirmed any so far. perhaps my readers can help out...
According to the official meet website, "...this year there will be more than 22,000 entries, about half of whom will be high schoolers, and the three-day attendance is likely to top 100,000 for the third year in a row. Saturday attendance has averaged 45,000 for the last six years, and makes the meet the best attended track event in the United States each year, and one of the best attended in the world... more athletes have run at the Penn Relays than at any single meet in the world. More spectators have watched the meet than any in the world except the Olympics and World Championships..."
For Massachusetts H.S. teams, the Penn Relays often conflicts with the MIAA State Relays, which are frequently held on the same weekend, not to mention dual meets before and after. Even so, each year several Mass. schools travel to Philadelphia to participate in this unforgettable meet. Some schools try to double, running an event at Penn on Thursday or Friday and returning for the State Relays on Saturday.
That's what Newton North did in 2005, with four athletes running (and winning) the H.S. Championship of America Distance medley at Penn on Friday, and then returning to run multiple events at the State Relays on Saturday.
As far as i know, only one Newton North athlete is making the trip to Penn this year: David Smith is seeded 11th in the shot put, which is scheduled to go off at 2:30 p.m. Friday afternoon.
Also from Mass., Brookline (seeded at 10:24) and Xaverian (seeded at 10:20) are sending boys teams to compete in the Distance Medley. Good luck to both teams, but especially to Brookline. Wouldn't it be amazing to see the Bay State take another title? State indoor champions Lexington H.S. has a team entered in the boys 4x400 relay. Lincoln-Sudbury is sending a girls team to compete in the 4x800, which is especially tough because it involves a qualifying round on Thursday just to make it to the finals on Friday. Notre Dame Academy (Hingham) is entered in the girls 4x400 and 4x100. Easthampton also has a team in the girls 4x100.
And of course there is the collegiate and open competition. I've been trying to find out whether any NN alumni are entered in collegiate events, but haven't confirmed any so far. perhaps my readers can help out...
April 25, 2007
NN Boys Prevail 77-59 in Epic Meet Against Brookline; Girls Win Convincingly
The concrete steps of Dickinson Stadium are crumbling into rubble. The surface of the throwback 440-yard track is worn and pockmarked. Even the finish line is faded to the point of being almost invisible until runners are right on top of it. In a few months, the old facility at Newton North will be torn up to clear space for a new high school. But for one more day, at least, the track was in its glory, hosting a terrific track meet between the Brookline and Newton North boys teams.
Boys Meet
Although the Warriors were stronger on the track, and dominant in the distance events, clutch wins by Cailean Robinson (100), Avery Mitchell (400, 200), and Sam Arsenault (300H), kept things close, giving North's throwers and jumpers the opportunity to put the meet away, sweeping the shot put (without David Smith!), discus, triple jump, and long jump.
The long jump might have been the key event of the meet, as Ivan Kostadinov (20-9), Gordon Forbes 20-6, and Adam Bao, 20-4 swept the top three places against potential event winner Michael Bennett.
The meet had started well for Brookline. Sophomore Joel Parent ran to a dramatic come-from-behind victory in the 110 hurdles over Gordon Forbes, staking Brookline to an early lead. However, in the very next event, Robinson edged Bennett in the 100, and Hymlaire Lamisere nabbed 3rd for the Tigers. It was an early indication that both teams would battle for every place in every event.
In the 1M, Seb Putzys survived a frantic sprint over the last lap to take second to All-State champion Robert Gibson, and ahead of Brookline standouts Eliot Lehane and David Wilson. In the 400, Avery Mitchell ran 50.5 to edge Matt Stewart in one of the best events of the meet. North then won the 4x100 relay, and Sam Arsenault pulled out a victory in the 300 hurdles after trailing for the first 290 meters of the race. As expected, Brookline took the top places in the 800, with Stewart doubling back, but Peter Sun managed to take third after a tooth-and-nail final stretch battle with Brookline's Ryan Hardiman. The 200 followed, and the meet was still in the balance, but Mitchell ran what was perhaps the performance of the day, stopping the watch at 22.3, a season's best for the Newton senior.
Brookline's Mike Burnstein (10:08) and Jerzy Eisenberg-Guyot (10:16) dominated the 2-mile, but when the results of the triple jump came in showing that Newton had swept the top three places, the meet was over. It was fortunate for North, as Brookline's 4x400 team was outstanding and won by 150 meters. nevertheless, the final tally was 77-59, Newton.
Congratulations to both teams, and to all the athletes of both schools who made this such an exciting meet!
Girls Meet
The girls meet didn't quite live up to the level of drama that characterized the boys meet. Brookline was missing one of their top sprints/jumps performers, and the Tigers looked like a team that was returning to full health for the first time.
In the very first event, Haleigh Smith (who missed all of indoor with a stress fracture), followed the pace of teammate Franca Godenzi for 7 and a half laps before kicking by for the win, with Godenzi taking second. Morgan Faer won the high hurdles, and Michelle Kaufman won the 100 in a close race, and North was in business.
Adina Hemley-Bronstein won the mile with a great last lap kick, with Nora Barnicle taking second. Newton won the 4x100 relay, Kat Chiong and Emma Kornetsky went 1-2 in the 400, Kaufman came back to win the 300 hurdles, and then Carolyn Ranti turned in perhaps the outstanding running performance of the day, winning the 800 in 2:21.3, defeating multiple state champion Jess Barton and Brookline league all-star Sabrina Parise in the process.
(Barton, it must be mentioned, still took home a victory, winning the javelin with a toss of 82-9'!)
The Tigers looked good on the track, but it was in the field events where their improvement really showed, as they swept the long jump, triple jump, discus, and shotput.
Both teams now look forward to competing at the State Relays Saturday in Andover.
You can also read coverage of the Brookline meet in the Daily News Tribune.
Boys Meet
Although the Warriors were stronger on the track, and dominant in the distance events, clutch wins by Cailean Robinson (100), Avery Mitchell (400, 200), and Sam Arsenault (300H), kept things close, giving North's throwers and jumpers the opportunity to put the meet away, sweeping the shot put (without David Smith!), discus, triple jump, and long jump.
The long jump might have been the key event of the meet, as Ivan Kostadinov (20-9), Gordon Forbes 20-6, and Adam Bao, 20-4 swept the top three places against potential event winner Michael Bennett.
The meet had started well for Brookline. Sophomore Joel Parent ran to a dramatic come-from-behind victory in the 110 hurdles over Gordon Forbes, staking Brookline to an early lead. However, in the very next event, Robinson edged Bennett in the 100, and Hymlaire Lamisere nabbed 3rd for the Tigers. It was an early indication that both teams would battle for every place in every event.
In the 1M, Seb Putzys survived a frantic sprint over the last lap to take second to All-State champion Robert Gibson, and ahead of Brookline standouts Eliot Lehane and David Wilson. In the 400, Avery Mitchell ran 50.5 to edge Matt Stewart in one of the best events of the meet. North then won the 4x100 relay, and Sam Arsenault pulled out a victory in the 300 hurdles after trailing for the first 290 meters of the race. As expected, Brookline took the top places in the 800, with Stewart doubling back, but Peter Sun managed to take third after a tooth-and-nail final stretch battle with Brookline's Ryan Hardiman. The 200 followed, and the meet was still in the balance, but Mitchell ran what was perhaps the performance of the day, stopping the watch at 22.3, a season's best for the Newton senior.
Brookline's Mike Burnstein (10:08) and Jerzy Eisenberg-Guyot (10:16) dominated the 2-mile, but when the results of the triple jump came in showing that Newton had swept the top three places, the meet was over. It was fortunate for North, as Brookline's 4x400 team was outstanding and won by 150 meters. nevertheless, the final tally was 77-59, Newton.
Congratulations to both teams, and to all the athletes of both schools who made this such an exciting meet!
Girls Meet
The girls meet didn't quite live up to the level of drama that characterized the boys meet. Brookline was missing one of their top sprints/jumps performers, and the Tigers looked like a team that was returning to full health for the first time.
In the very first event, Haleigh Smith (who missed all of indoor with a stress fracture), followed the pace of teammate Franca Godenzi for 7 and a half laps before kicking by for the win, with Godenzi taking second. Morgan Faer won the high hurdles, and Michelle Kaufman won the 100 in a close race, and North was in business.
Adina Hemley-Bronstein won the mile with a great last lap kick, with Nora Barnicle taking second. Newton won the 4x100 relay, Kat Chiong and Emma Kornetsky went 1-2 in the 400, Kaufman came back to win the 300 hurdles, and then Carolyn Ranti turned in perhaps the outstanding running performance of the day, winning the 800 in 2:21.3, defeating multiple state champion Jess Barton and Brookline league all-star Sabrina Parise in the process.
(Barton, it must be mentioned, still took home a victory, winning the javelin with a toss of 82-9'!)
The Tigers looked good on the track, but it was in the field events where their improvement really showed, as they swept the long jump, triple jump, discus, and shotput.
Both teams now look forward to competing at the State Relays Saturday in Andover.
You can also read coverage of the Brookline meet in the Daily News Tribune.
April 24, 2007
In Memoriam: Parry O'Brien
David Smith once accused me of not paying enough attention to the "field" part of "Track and Field." Well, I want to write a few words about Parry O'Brien, who passed away Saturday at the age of 75.
Parry O'Brien was a great athlete who became fascinated with the physics of the shot put, and invented the technique of facing the back of the circle, and then rotating through 180 degrees before releasing the shot. He won Olympic gold medals in the shot put in 1952 and 1956, a silver medal in 1960, and placed 4th in 1964. He set world records 17 times, and even after other surpassed his marks, he continued to improve, setting his personal best in the shot in 1966 at the age of 34. According to HickSports.com, he still holds the world record for the longest combined left-handed and right-handed shot put (106 feet, 10.5 inches, achieved with a right-handed put of 61-0.75 and a left-handed put of 45-9.5 inches).
He even made the cover of Time Magazine, a rare feat for any track and field athlete, let alone a shot putter!
According to some of the many obituaries, he loved competition. He died of a heart attack while competing in a masters swim meet. One of his friends talks about how this much-decorated olympic medalist would happily stand in line for several minutes earlier in the meet to collect a fifth-place medal from a swimming event.
Perhaps the most inspiring thing about Parry O'Brien was that he started out average. As a 19-year-old freshman at USC, before he revolutionized the event, his best in the shot put was less than 55 feet. The next year he would win Olympic gold. In 1954, two days after Roger Bannister became the first man to break 4:00 for the mile, O'Brien became the first man to put over 60 feet.
He took 150 practice puts a day and said, "I don’t quit until my hands bleed, and that’s the God’s truth."
Parry O'Brien: January 19, 1932 - April 21, 2007
April 23, 2007
Newton North vs. Brookline Boys Track Preview
This Tuesday, April 24th, the Newton North boys will try to defend their dual meet win streak (eight years and counting) against a very good Brookline team. It looks like the weather will be good, and the competition is going to be very intense. Here's my take on how the two teams stack up, and who has the advantage in the clash of the titans:
Sprints
The meet starts with the 110 hurdles and Brookline's Joel Parent looks like the favorite, having run 15.8 in last week's meet against Wellesley. I expect Newton to take 2nd and 3rd. 5-4 Brookline.
In the 100 there is a fine match-up between Brookline's Michael Bennett and North's Cailean Robinson (and Hymlaire Lamisere). I think Robinson wins by an eyelash, with Bennett 2nd, Hymlaire 3rd. 6-3 Newton.
Bennett comes back in the 200, but there he'll have to contend with North's Avery Mitchell. Unfortunatley for North, although I think Mitchell could win if fresh, he'll be coming back from what promises to be a brutal 400 against Matt Stewart, so I'll give the edge to Bennett. 5-4 Brookline.
In the 300 hurdles, Brookline sophomore Ian Sandler will be tough to beat, having run 42.9 last week against Wellesley. Still, Sam Arsenault continues to improve and I'll give him the edge in this one. 6-3 Newton.
In the 4x100, Newton should win, as Bennett will be doing all individual events. 5-0 Newton.
Jumps
In the long jump, it's a great match-up between Bennett, Gordon Forbes and Adam Bao. I'm going to give the nod to Bennett here, but give Newton 2nd and 3rd. 5-4 Brookline.
Brookline's Alex Lipincott will battle Sam Arsenault in the high jump, and I think Sam will have too many other events distracting him. I give Brookline the edge here. 6-3. Brookline.
In the triple jump, Parent has jumped over 35' this season, but I think there's a homefield advantage for the Newton North boys on their funky runways. I'll give this one to Bao, and call it 5-4 Newton.
Middle Distance
This is the area where Brookline can really press its advantage. I expect the Warriors to put Robert Gibson and Eliot Lehane in the mile. Gibson is the defending state indoor champion with a PR of 4:18 and he won't lose. Lehane has run 4:29, and will be tough for currently undefeated Seb Putzys to beat. I'm afraid this goes to Brookline 8-1.
In the 400, it's going to be a great race between Avery Mitchell and Matt Stewart, or with Tobias Blatter, if Brookline chooses to run Stewart in the 800. I'm going to show my hometown bias here and say that Mitchell pulls out the win, running 50.0, but Brookline takes a solid 2nd and 3rd. 5-4 Newton.
In the 800, I don't see Newton being able to compete. Brookline will sweep, with Blattier or Stewart, Chris Mercurio, and Adam Sege the likely executioners. 9-0 Brookline.
Despite the efforts of Dan Hamilton, I think Brookline will own the 2-mile with Jerzy Eisenberg-Guyot and Mike Burnstein (both sub 10:00 2-milers), and new addition David Wilson (sub 17:00 for 5K in XC). Ryan Hardiman is no slouch either and could make it a four-way sweep.
Throws
Here's Newton's chance to make up for the points lost in the distance races. North has an excellent chance to sweep the shot put, with All-State and New England champion David Smith leading the way. 9-0 newton.
In the discus, it's Smith again, with Marvin Chan taking second. 8-1 Newton.
Unfortunately for Newton, Bennett turns out to be an excellent javelin thrower as well as a sprinter, and has chucked the spear over 140' this year. I'll give him the win, and give Newton 2nd and 3rd. 5-4 Brookline.
4x400 Relay
If all my predictions are correct (and I'm sure they will NOT be), that adds up to 67-64 Brookline going into the final relay. Unfortunately for North, Brookline has an excellent 4x400 relay with Stewart, Blattier, Gibson, and Sandler. North won't have Mitchell (since he'll run the 200 and 400), and no longer has indoor standouts Alex lee and Abasu Watanabe. If it does indeed come down to the relay, I have to give the nod to Brookline.
In any case, it should be a great meet!
Sprints
The meet starts with the 110 hurdles and Brookline's Joel Parent looks like the favorite, having run 15.8 in last week's meet against Wellesley. I expect Newton to take 2nd and 3rd. 5-4 Brookline.
In the 100 there is a fine match-up between Brookline's Michael Bennett and North's Cailean Robinson (and Hymlaire Lamisere). I think Robinson wins by an eyelash, with Bennett 2nd, Hymlaire 3rd. 6-3 Newton.
Bennett comes back in the 200, but there he'll have to contend with North's Avery Mitchell. Unfortunatley for North, although I think Mitchell could win if fresh, he'll be coming back from what promises to be a brutal 400 against Matt Stewart, so I'll give the edge to Bennett. 5-4 Brookline.
In the 300 hurdles, Brookline sophomore Ian Sandler will be tough to beat, having run 42.9 last week against Wellesley. Still, Sam Arsenault continues to improve and I'll give him the edge in this one. 6-3 Newton.
In the 4x100, Newton should win, as Bennett will be doing all individual events. 5-0 Newton.
Jumps
In the long jump, it's a great match-up between Bennett, Gordon Forbes and Adam Bao. I'm going to give the nod to Bennett here, but give Newton 2nd and 3rd. 5-4 Brookline.
Brookline's Alex Lipincott will battle Sam Arsenault in the high jump, and I think Sam will have too many other events distracting him. I give Brookline the edge here. 6-3. Brookline.
In the triple jump, Parent has jumped over 35' this season, but I think there's a homefield advantage for the Newton North boys on their funky runways. I'll give this one to Bao, and call it 5-4 Newton.
Middle Distance
This is the area where Brookline can really press its advantage. I expect the Warriors to put Robert Gibson and Eliot Lehane in the mile. Gibson is the defending state indoor champion with a PR of 4:18 and he won't lose. Lehane has run 4:29, and will be tough for currently undefeated Seb Putzys to beat. I'm afraid this goes to Brookline 8-1.
In the 400, it's going to be a great race between Avery Mitchell and Matt Stewart, or with Tobias Blatter, if Brookline chooses to run Stewart in the 800. I'm going to show my hometown bias here and say that Mitchell pulls out the win, running 50.0, but Brookline takes a solid 2nd and 3rd. 5-4 Newton.
In the 800, I don't see Newton being able to compete. Brookline will sweep, with Blattier or Stewart, Chris Mercurio, and Adam Sege the likely executioners. 9-0 Brookline.
Despite the efforts of Dan Hamilton, I think Brookline will own the 2-mile with Jerzy Eisenberg-Guyot and Mike Burnstein (both sub 10:00 2-milers), and new addition David Wilson (sub 17:00 for 5K in XC). Ryan Hardiman is no slouch either and could make it a four-way sweep.
Throws
Here's Newton's chance to make up for the points lost in the distance races. North has an excellent chance to sweep the shot put, with All-State and New England champion David Smith leading the way. 9-0 newton.
In the discus, it's Smith again, with Marvin Chan taking second. 8-1 Newton.
Unfortunately for Newton, Bennett turns out to be an excellent javelin thrower as well as a sprinter, and has chucked the spear over 140' this year. I'll give him the win, and give Newton 2nd and 3rd. 5-4 Brookline.
4x400 Relay
If all my predictions are correct (and I'm sure they will NOT be), that adds up to 67-64 Brookline going into the final relay. Unfortunately for North, Brookline has an excellent 4x400 relay with Stewart, Blattier, Gibson, and Sandler. North won't have Mitchell (since he'll run the 200 and 400), and no longer has indoor standouts Alex lee and Abasu Watanabe. If it does indeed come down to the relay, I have to give the nod to Brookline.
In any case, it should be a great meet!
April 21, 2007
NNHS Alumni Results - April 21, 2007
After weeks of rain, snow, sleet, and just generally nasty conditions, the sun came out in the Northeast for a number of college track meets.
(Added 4/23) - Kevin Chan (Bentley) won the discus at the MIT Invitational, held April 21st at MIT's Steinbrenner Stadium with a toss of 136-1. He also placed in the shot put with a throw of 44-9.75. You can read details here:
Chan Finishes First in Discus
At the State of Maine Championships, former NNHS teammates Doug Brecher (now a freshman at Bates) and Pat Pierce (now a junior at Bowdoin) avoided a rematch of their indoor 5000 duel, as Doug ran the 5000 and Pat the 10000. Doug placed fifth in 16:13.48, while Pat placed 4th in the 25-lap event in 33:34.73.
Running in the ACC Championships for Duke, former North standout and MA State 200m champion Dan King placed 5th in the 400m with a time of 47.80. Dan actually ran that same time twice, once in the trials on Friday, and again in the finals today.
At the Little Three Championships (Wesleyan-Williams-Amherst), Wesleyan's Steph O'Brien placed 5th in the 400m running 60.83.
We have a lot of one-lap results this week. At the Dartmouth Invitational, Middlebury sophomore Simone Weisman ran 60.74 to place 6th in the 400m.
Chris Barnicle ran 3:52.22 for 1500 at the John McDonnell Invitational at Arkansas.
Here's a result from earlier in the week that I missed: Dan Chebot competed in the 10000m at the Univ. of Rochester Alumni Classic (he's not an alumni, he's a sophomore, but whatever...), running 33:26.15 for 2nd place.
And another addition: as his comment indicates, Noah Jampol ran a fine race at the Widener Invitational. His time of 4:08.84 for 1500 converts to approximately 4:28 flat for the mile.
(Added 4/23) - Kevin Chan (Bentley) won the discus at the MIT Invitational, held April 21st at MIT's Steinbrenner Stadium with a toss of 136-1. He also placed in the shot put with a throw of 44-9.75. You can read details here:
Chan Finishes First in Discus
At the State of Maine Championships, former NNHS teammates Doug Brecher (now a freshman at Bates) and Pat Pierce (now a junior at Bowdoin) avoided a rematch of their indoor 5000 duel, as Doug ran the 5000 and Pat the 10000. Doug placed fifth in 16:13.48, while Pat placed 4th in the 25-lap event in 33:34.73.
Running in the ACC Championships for Duke, former North standout and MA State 200m champion Dan King placed 5th in the 400m with a time of 47.80. Dan actually ran that same time twice, once in the trials on Friday, and again in the finals today.
At the Little Three Championships (Wesleyan-Williams-Amherst), Wesleyan's Steph O'Brien placed 5th in the 400m running 60.83.
We have a lot of one-lap results this week. At the Dartmouth Invitational, Middlebury sophomore Simone Weisman ran 60.74 to place 6th in the 400m.
Chris Barnicle ran 3:52.22 for 1500 at the John McDonnell Invitational at Arkansas.
Here's a result from earlier in the week that I missed: Dan Chebot competed in the 10000m at the Univ. of Rochester Alumni Classic (he's not an alumni, he's a sophomore, but whatever...), running 33:26.15 for 2nd place.
And another addition: as his comment indicates, Noah Jampol ran a fine race at the Widener Invitational. His time of 4:08.84 for 1500 converts to approximately 4:28 flat for the mile.
April 18, 2007
Rain, but no Tears as North Dispatches Walpole
The Newton North Boys and Girls ran their records to 3-0 with dominating wins over undermanned Walpole teams at rain-drenched, windswept Dickinson Field on Tuesday.
The girls won 107-28, and the boys nearly duplicated that score, winning 106-29, according to reports on Dyestat.
According to Daily News tribune coverage, Lily Brown scored in four events, winning the 200 and shot put and placing second in the 100 and 3rd in the discus to account for 14 points. Michelle Kaufman also won two events (the 100 and 300 hurdles), while placing second in the long jump. Sarah Berkland, Morgan Faer, and Jess Barton scored 8 points apiece with Jess winning the 800 and placing second in javelin (!).
Story in Daily News Tribune
No one seems to know anything about the boys meet except that they got it in, leaving them free to focus all their attention on next week's showdown with Brookline.
The girls won 107-28, and the boys nearly duplicated that score, winning 106-29, according to reports on Dyestat.
According to Daily News tribune coverage, Lily Brown scored in four events, winning the 200 and shot put and placing second in the 100 and 3rd in the discus to account for 14 points. Michelle Kaufman also won two events (the 100 and 300 hurdles), while placing second in the long jump. Sarah Berkland, Morgan Faer, and Jess Barton scored 8 points apiece with Jess winning the 800 and placing second in javelin (!).
Story in Daily News Tribune
No one seems to know anything about the boys meet except that they got it in, leaving them free to focus all their attention on next week's showdown with Brookline.
April 17, 2007
NN vs. Walpole Today
This year, Bay State coaches voted to schedule a dual meet for April vacation. In theory, this avoids the need to schedule two meets in a single week early in the season, and gives more flexibility in rescheduling meets that have been rained out. On the down side, many students are either visiting colleges or away on vacation this week, so teams will be depleted.
We have had two meets so far this season, and the third meet -- the vacation meet -- is scheduled for this morning at 11:00 a.m. against Walpole. There is no indication yet that the meet has been postponed, despite the weather (light rain/mist and temperatures in the high 30's).
It is, of course, miserable weather to try to run fast, especially for the sprinters, jumpers, and throwers, who must find a way to warm up effectively for a few seconds of explosive action. It's hard for the distance runners, too, although yesterday's marathon seemed to prove that distance runners are used to suffering from the elements.
There's no doubt it has been a tough spring so far. We haven't had a really warm day yet, and half the days of April have had rain of some kind. The remnants of the storm that soaked Boston over the weekend will remain another several days, and we might not see the sun until Saturday.
So what will the meets against Walpole be like? Unlike indoor, where all the results were posted and you knew which teams were strong in which events, outdoor is a return to the old days of scouring newspapers and trying to sit through rumors to guess the strength of opposing teams. As I recall, the Walpole girls had some good runners, and one very promising distance runner, Olivia Perry, but we won't know until the meet who is actually competing in outdoor track.
In many ways, it feels as though the season hasn't really started yet. And yet, we are exactly one week away from the Brookline meet, and 11 days away from the State relays meet at Andover ("The true state championship" - Joe Tranchita).
We have had two meets so far this season, and the third meet -- the vacation meet -- is scheduled for this morning at 11:00 a.m. against Walpole. There is no indication yet that the meet has been postponed, despite the weather (light rain/mist and temperatures in the high 30's).
It is, of course, miserable weather to try to run fast, especially for the sprinters, jumpers, and throwers, who must find a way to warm up effectively for a few seconds of explosive action. It's hard for the distance runners, too, although yesterday's marathon seemed to prove that distance runners are used to suffering from the elements.
There's no doubt it has been a tough spring so far. We haven't had a really warm day yet, and half the days of April have had rain of some kind. The remnants of the storm that soaked Boston over the weekend will remain another several days, and we might not see the sun until Saturday.
So what will the meets against Walpole be like? Unlike indoor, where all the results were posted and you knew which teams were strong in which events, outdoor is a return to the old days of scouring newspapers and trying to sit through rumors to guess the strength of opposing teams. As I recall, the Walpole girls had some good runners, and one very promising distance runner, Olivia Perry, but we won't know until the meet who is actually competing in outdoor track.
In many ways, it feels as though the season hasn't really started yet. And yet, we are exactly one week away from the Brookline meet, and 11 days away from the State relays meet at Andover ("The true state championship" - Joe Tranchita).
April 15, 2007
Misc Results from 4/14/2007
Newton North senior Avery Mitchell ran the open 400m at the Northeastern Solomon Classic in Dedham on Saturday, recording a season's best time of 50.90.
Josh Seeherman, making his way back after arthroscopic knee surgery last Fall, finished second in Saturday's Fresh Pond 5 Mile race, with a time of 31:34.
Bates freshman Doug Brecher ran 16:24.74 for 5000m at the MIT Invitational.
At the Georgia Invitational, BU freshman David Polgar ran 1:58.25 for 800m, winning his heat.
Josh Seeherman, making his way back after arthroscopic knee surgery last Fall, finished second in Saturday's Fresh Pond 5 Mile race, with a time of 31:34.
Bates freshman Doug Brecher ran 16:24.74 for 5000m at the MIT Invitational.
At the Georgia Invitational, BU freshman David Polgar ran 1:58.25 for 800m, winning his heat.
April 13, 2007
Barnicle Runs 14:07 at MtSac!
At the Mt Sac Relays in Walnut, CA, today, Chris Barnicle ran a big PR and NCAA Provisional Qualifier for 5000m, placing 6th in 14:07.57.
For results, click on the following link and navigate to Event #219
Mt SAC Results Page
For results, click on the following link and navigate to Event #219
Mt SAC Results Page
Barnicle in the 5000m tonight at Mt. Sac Relays
Tonight at 5:50 Pacific time or thereabouts, Chris Barnicle will toe the line in the Olympic Development 5000m at the Mt. Sac Relays meet. There are 42 runners entered in the event, so there will most likely be at least two heats. Among the other entrants are Arkansas teammates Tyler Hill, James Strang, Scott MacPherson, and Matt Munoz, plus two well-known names from around here: Jordan MacDougal (Liberty) and Mohamed Khadraoui (Iona).
This is a big race for Chris. For over a year, Chris has been struggling to post results that reflect his talent and dedication. Ever since running 24:05 for 8K at Van Cortland Park to qualify for the U.S. Junior World XC team, Chris has mostly had to deal with disappointment. After focusing on the World XC meet, Chris red-shirted his 2006 outdoor track season. He then had to overcome injuries, anemia, a case of mono, and other assorted ailments in the Fall of 2006 that pretty much wiped out his XC season. In indoor track, he ran one decent race late, but it was clear he was still recovering. Now he's healthy, as indicated by his recent 8:13 for 3000 and 3:53 for 1500. He's entered in the event that should be his strength. It should be a great field, with everyone focused on more or less the same goal: running 14:12 to meet the NCAA Provisional qualifying standard.
It's not at all unusual for great HS runners to go through a period of adjustment in college. I think that Chris has gone through that, and has maintained his dedication to training. It would be terrific if this race gives him a chance to see all that hard work pay off.
Back East, it looks like another cold and rainy weekend. Here's hoping that meets aren't cancelled and athletes get a chance to post some spring times.
This is a big race for Chris. For over a year, Chris has been struggling to post results that reflect his talent and dedication. Ever since running 24:05 for 8K at Van Cortland Park to qualify for the U.S. Junior World XC team, Chris has mostly had to deal with disappointment. After focusing on the World XC meet, Chris red-shirted his 2006 outdoor track season. He then had to overcome injuries, anemia, a case of mono, and other assorted ailments in the Fall of 2006 that pretty much wiped out his XC season. In indoor track, he ran one decent race late, but it was clear he was still recovering. Now he's healthy, as indicated by his recent 8:13 for 3000 and 3:53 for 1500. He's entered in the event that should be his strength. It should be a great field, with everyone focused on more or less the same goal: running 14:12 to meet the NCAA Provisional qualifying standard.
It's not at all unusual for great HS runners to go through a period of adjustment in college. I think that Chris has gone through that, and has maintained his dedication to training. It would be terrific if this race gives him a chance to see all that hard work pay off.
Back East, it looks like another cold and rainy weekend. Here's hoping that meets aren't cancelled and athletes get a chance to post some spring times.
April 11, 2007
Results of NN vs Framingham - April 10
Newton North swept Framingham yesterday, with the girls winning just about every event on the track and the boys outscoring the Flyers by about 40 points. I'm sorry I don't have official results, but here's what I remember (or what caught my attention):
Boys
Cailean Robinson is looking much better. I believe he won the 100 in 11.2. Avery Mitchell (23.0) and Robinson (24.0) went 1-2 in the 200. Mitchell won the 400 easily in about 52s. Alex Gurvitz and Peter Sun went 1-2 in the 800, with Gurvitz coming from behind for the win (both in about 2:15). Seb won the mile in about 4:50, but no one else from either team broke 5:00. Where are all the milers? Dan Hamilton learned his lesson from last week's meet and bided his time for six laps before unleashing a big surge to win the 2M in 10:44. I believe NN went 1-2 in the 300 hurdles with Arsenault (?) winning. Newton also won the 4x100, but lost the 4x400 to a good Framingham team. In field events, David Smith won the shot and discus. Indoor state champion Jordan Maddocks won the HJ for Framingham with a leap of 6-4, and ran 15.5 to win the high hurdles (in his first time running the event!). Is he a legitimate shot for two state championships?
Girls
Jess Barton and Adina Hemley-Bronstein went 1-2 in the 2-Mile without much competition. Lily Brown won the 200. Emma Kornetsky won the 400, with Kat Chiong 2nd. Carolyn Ranti won the 800 in 2:24 and continues to look like a State finalist in the middle distance events. Nora Barnicle won the mile rather easily in about 5:50. Morgan Faer won the high hurdles. I think Michelle Kaufman was second in the 300 hurdles, but I'm not sure about that. Newton won both relays easily. I don't have any of the results of the field events.
Next up for Newton will be a vacation-week meet against Walpole, Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. at Newton.
Happy 18th, Jess!
Boys
Cailean Robinson is looking much better. I believe he won the 100 in 11.2. Avery Mitchell (23.0) and Robinson (24.0) went 1-2 in the 200. Mitchell won the 400 easily in about 52s. Alex Gurvitz and Peter Sun went 1-2 in the 800, with Gurvitz coming from behind for the win (both in about 2:15). Seb won the mile in about 4:50, but no one else from either team broke 5:00. Where are all the milers? Dan Hamilton learned his lesson from last week's meet and bided his time for six laps before unleashing a big surge to win the 2M in 10:44. I believe NN went 1-2 in the 300 hurdles with Arsenault (?) winning. Newton also won the 4x100, but lost the 4x400 to a good Framingham team. In field events, David Smith won the shot and discus. Indoor state champion Jordan Maddocks won the HJ for Framingham with a leap of 6-4, and ran 15.5 to win the high hurdles (in his first time running the event!). Is he a legitimate shot for two state championships?
Girls
Jess Barton and Adina Hemley-Bronstein went 1-2 in the 2-Mile without much competition. Lily Brown won the 200. Emma Kornetsky won the 400, with Kat Chiong 2nd. Carolyn Ranti won the 800 in 2:24 and continues to look like a State finalist in the middle distance events. Nora Barnicle won the mile rather easily in about 5:50. Morgan Faer won the high hurdles. I think Michelle Kaufman was second in the 300 hurdles, but I'm not sure about that. Newton won both relays easily. I don't have any of the results of the field events.
Next up for Newton will be a vacation-week meet against Walpole, Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. at Newton.
Happy 18th, Jess!
April 08, 2007
NNHS Alumni Results - April 6-7, 2007
Unseasonably cold temperatures resulted in some meet cancellations this weekend, but here are a few results from Newton North alumni who ran in early season meets:
Simone Weisman (Middlebury) ran 2:24.86 in the 800m yesterday in a quad meet at Springfield College. Simone also ran the second leg for the Middlebury's winning 4x400 relay team.
Dan King (Duke) placed sixth in the 400m in 48.41 at the Duke University Invitational on Saturday.
Chris Barnicle ran 3:53.85 for 1500m in what was likely a tactical race at the Texas Relays. That time is equivalent to approximately 4:12 for a full mile.
Simone Weisman (Middlebury) ran 2:24.86 in the 800m yesterday in a quad meet at Springfield College. Simone also ran the second leg for the Middlebury's winning 4x400 relay team.
Dan King (Duke) placed sixth in the 400m in 48.41 at the Duke University Invitational on Saturday.
Chris Barnicle ran 3:53.85 for 1500m in what was likely a tactical race at the Texas Relays. That time is equivalent to approximately 4:12 for a full mile.
April 06, 2007
Pictures from Newton North vs. Natick
Peter Sun sent the following pictures, taken at the very chilly meet between Newton North and Natick on April 5th. The Tiger boys prevailed unofficial score: 84-52), while the girls edged out the Natick girls 69-67.
Emma Kornetsky - winner of the girls 800.
Seb Putzys ran 4:50 to win the boys mile.
I should also note that Peter won the 800 in about 2:15. I'll try to post more results from the meet soon.
Emma Kornetsky - winner of the girls 800.
Seb Putzys ran 4:50 to win the boys mile.
I should also note that Peter won the 800 in about 2:15. I'll try to post more results from the meet soon.
April 02, 2007
All those who wander...
It's snowy today, but it was beautiful and dry on Sunday.
A couple of times a year, I drive out to Lunenberg to visit my friends John and Sue LaChance and to do a long run with John and some of my other running buddies on the back roads of Lunenberg and Groton, and on the miles of trails along the Nashua River and through the Groton Town Forest. These runs are "adventure" runs, typically lasting two or more hours and involving all kinds of terrain, including genuine river crossings. John has good navigational skills, but he likes to challenge those skills by finding new and interesting trails. When we stop at a trail junction and he says "Hmm... I don't remember THIS place..." well, we might have anywhere from ten minutes to an hour left to run.
John invited a few of us out Sunday to see the course of the Groton 10K (the race will be held on April 29th and will serve as the New England USATF 10K championship), and then to extend our day with another 8-10 miles of trails.
It was a beautiful spring day, with temperatures perfect for a long, meandering run. The trails were unusually dry for so early in the Spring, although there was still snow in spots.
Running through unfamiliar woods...with John...on April 1st... instills a mood of fatalistic calm. One runs without definite expectations of getting anywhere any time soon. The only expectation is to wait for the trail to turn muddy and the terrain to turn precipitous. Will we have to sprint up the side of the steepest hill in town? Will we have to climb under some barbed wire? Will we have to build a makeshift pontoon bridge to cross the river? Pondering these and other possibilities, no one even thinks about pushing the pace. We just trot along as efficiently as possible, avoiding the worst of the puddles and bogs while watching the ground for tree roots and other hazards.
It's hard to find any training books that recommend this particular kind of running, but I find it indispensable. First, it is easy on the joints. Second, it requires constant tiny adjustments to uneven surfaces, teaching the feet to be smart and nimble. Third, you can run a long way when you aren't obsessed with how fast you are going and how much further you have to go. Fourth, nothing beats the camaraderie of running in the woods with your friends.
In the middle of winter, after many weeks of running in the dark on hard asphalt, I pined for the soft trails and the fascination of the woods. It might snow once or twice more this season, but I know that summer is on its way and that means Sunday long runs at the Hale reservation, or at Walden, or along the Battle Road trail, or on carriage roads in Maine.
After an hour and a half, we reach a parking lot and a main road. We stop briefly to make sure everyone has survive, and John gives us a new choice: take the road and be back in fifteen minutes or take trails and be back in "about twenty minutes." None of us hesitates, and we head back into the forest. When we finally arrive at the cars -- thirty minutes later -- no one complains.
A couple of times a year, I drive out to Lunenberg to visit my friends John and Sue LaChance and to do a long run with John and some of my other running buddies on the back roads of Lunenberg and Groton, and on the miles of trails along the Nashua River and through the Groton Town Forest. These runs are "adventure" runs, typically lasting two or more hours and involving all kinds of terrain, including genuine river crossings. John has good navigational skills, but he likes to challenge those skills by finding new and interesting trails. When we stop at a trail junction and he says "Hmm... I don't remember THIS place..." well, we might have anywhere from ten minutes to an hour left to run.
John invited a few of us out Sunday to see the course of the Groton 10K (the race will be held on April 29th and will serve as the New England USATF 10K championship), and then to extend our day with another 8-10 miles of trails.
It was a beautiful spring day, with temperatures perfect for a long, meandering run. The trails were unusually dry for so early in the Spring, although there was still snow in spots.
Running through unfamiliar woods...with John...on April 1st... instills a mood of fatalistic calm. One runs without definite expectations of getting anywhere any time soon. The only expectation is to wait for the trail to turn muddy and the terrain to turn precipitous. Will we have to sprint up the side of the steepest hill in town? Will we have to climb under some barbed wire? Will we have to build a makeshift pontoon bridge to cross the river? Pondering these and other possibilities, no one even thinks about pushing the pace. We just trot along as efficiently as possible, avoiding the worst of the puddles and bogs while watching the ground for tree roots and other hazards.
It's hard to find any training books that recommend this particular kind of running, but I find it indispensable. First, it is easy on the joints. Second, it requires constant tiny adjustments to uneven surfaces, teaching the feet to be smart and nimble. Third, you can run a long way when you aren't obsessed with how fast you are going and how much further you have to go. Fourth, nothing beats the camaraderie of running in the woods with your friends.
In the middle of winter, after many weeks of running in the dark on hard asphalt, I pined for the soft trails and the fascination of the woods. It might snow once or twice more this season, but I know that summer is on its way and that means Sunday long runs at the Hale reservation, or at Walden, or along the Battle Road trail, or on carriage roads in Maine.
After an hour and a half, we reach a parking lot and a main road. We stop briefly to make sure everyone has survive, and John gives us a new choice: take the road and be back in fifteen minutes or take trails and be back in "about twenty minutes." None of us hesitates, and we head back into the forest. When we finally arrive at the cars -- thirty minutes later -- no one complains.
April 01, 2007
NNHS Alumni News - March 31, 2007
Two NNHS alumni competed at the Tufts Snowflake meet in Medford on Saturday.
Doug Brecher ran very well in the 10000 meters, recording a time of 33:05.75 to place 6th in his first attempt at a 10K.
In the 800 (a much more popular event with 66 entrants!), Dave Cahill ran 2:04.37 to place 19th.
NNHS 200m record holder and former MA state champion Dan King ran 21.88, placing third in the 200m at the Univ. of North Carolina Invitatational.
Doug Brecher ran very well in the 10000 meters, recording a time of 33:05.75 to place 6th in his first attempt at a 10K.
In the 800 (a much more popular event with 66 entrants!), Dave Cahill ran 2:04.37 to place 19th.
NNHS 200m record holder and former MA state champion Dan King ran 21.88, placing third in the 200m at the Univ. of North Carolina Invitatational.
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