Ricky Quintana has been covering distance running in the State and across the nation for a long time now. Most folks know that he's been the announcer at the State Cross Country Meet for the past few years at Little Everglades Ranch in Dade City, but Ricky's coverage has been vast and varied. He's written articles, interviewed numerous runners, polled our cross country teams in the fall and organized several of the most respected distance events in Gainesville over the years.
In short, Ricky is a real workhorse for our sport. It's truly a labor of love that takes a lot of research, time and effort, and for that, we are the lucky recipients of his efforts over and over again.
I recently caught up with Ricky following the high school mile races at the Tom Jones Invite in Gainesville and he was ecstatic about his latest project that he and Scott Peters of Half-Mile Timing are coordinating in conjunction with the Gainesville Sports Commission.
(L) Xavier Carter, Ricardo Quintana (R) Arcadia Invitational 2003
DB: Ricky, you've been a constant supporter, friend and true fan of High School distance running over the years. When did you first start following the sport and how did your interest progress over the years?
I've been accused of being long winded so I'll try and keep it short. I was a decent runner when I was younger and my brother took me to the Florida Track Club (FTC) meetings and races when I was 10 years old. I had the opportunity to watch Dr. Cade speak at one of those meetings. I also ran for the Gator Running Club in Gainesville being coached by Bruce Carpenter( His photo is on the cover of "Once a Runner" ). I just loved it!
I ran for P.K. Yonge and in 1980 as an 8th grader we won the State XC Championships. After graduation I attended UC Davis and also the University of Florida (I didn't compete for Florida though) and then kept running until I started coaching at Miami Springs in 1997. While at Miami Springs I started to write press releases for the faculty just to generate interest. I continued to write press releases and the like at Eastside HS. I eventually retired from coaching but continued to write for organizations such as the National Scholastic Sports Foundation (NSSF) and Dyestat.com.
Dr. Fred Steier helped me with my first job for the NSSF and I just kept getting more and more work. People seemed to like what I wrote and my interviews and I liked doing it. Runners are very open and they don't get the attention that I think they should. It's a great sport with a lot of interesting personalities. I guess I filled a void. Everyone I asked to write for were very receptive and appreciated what I did.
I've been very fortunate to have grown up in a great running community where I've met a lot of great people. It seems like everyone has come through Gainesville at one time or another. Geez, I even knew Coach Braman when he was in college : ) Another icon, Kieth Brantly coached me some in high school. I saw Herbie Wills win the World Junior Trials at the old course across from Santa Fe Community College (SFCC).... I could go on and on.
DB: You've seen some of Florida's best distance runners train and compete over the years. Who are your top 3 favorites and why?
That's tough......I have more than three.
1. Steven Hassen (Ocala Vanguard). I just loved the way he ran. Always a good head on his shoulders and I was close with he and his coach, James Travieso, so I was at most of his big races. The best race was when he took the lead from Chris Solinsky at Nike Indoor Nationals (2003 NIN 8:57.4). I really thought he was going to win! Just a great guy to root for. I still think he can be a tremendous runner if he is able to stay healthy.
2. Billy Convey (Ransom Everglades). Back in 1983, my brother made the State finals so I had a chance to witness Convey's tremendous triple. He won the mile in record time(4:13, I think), then he laced them up for the 800 leg of the mile relay. He needed a 1:53 in that race for the record and he did it! Then, about 20 minutes later, he ran the 2 mile. He needed a fast last quarter for the record and he did it again(9:23 or so). He ran so effortlessly. Just bounced along. He also won his first title when we won our State title. I saw him race Brian Jaeger at the Florida Relays. Billy was always on his game. A great credit to his coach, Geoff Pietsch (and I'm sure if I have any of this wrong, Geoff Pietsch will correct me : )
I saw Billy and Geoff at the State Cross Country Finals this past November. That was awesome! It's been 26 years!
3. Moise Joseph (Miami Central). Probably the most talented runner I have ever seen. He won and he did so effortlessly. I honestly think he never opened his mouth to breathe in high school. What we are seeing now is a glimpse of what I thought he would be. He had tremendous confidence in himself and in Coach Rolle. I just knew he would win all the time and he did so against some great talent. If he would have been more focused on himself rather than on his team, he could have run a lot faster in open races in high school. But that was not the method of operation used by Miami Central teams. They racked up so many titles, I don't blame them.
DB: You've been involved with the State Cross-Country Meet up close and personal in a big way for many years. If you could add any dimension to the State Meet, what would it be?
I think it would be the awards ceremony. When I was in high school, they would have it in an auditorium. Everyone came. It was great to see all the runners receive their awards. I remember Astronaut was the team then and they had a large group of supporters. It was great! Nowadays, everyone seems to want to get out of town.... that saddens me.
The best part of the sport is getting to meet and talk to everyone.
DB: Jerry Harris and yourself were the backbone of the Florida Milers Club and put together some of the most memorable races of the past decade. Do you see fields of that caliber being resurrected anytime soon? What will it take to get the best runners on the same track in the future?
Well, I was fortunate to have Jerry's enthusiasm and support. At the time, I had a lot of contacts with the top runners, their coaches and parents. I spent a lot of time on the phone and getting these runners to commit to running the races. I also traveled more and developed relationships with most. It takes some work, but most runners want to be better and know that comes with great competition.
I'm back getting involved thanks to the Gainesville Sports Commission. We have a good group and if things come to fruition, we'll see more events in Gainesville. I have a family now and being away is hard on them and me. Closer to home, I'll be more willing to help out.
Really, anyone can do it. It's just a matter of getting on the phone and tracking down the runners. I like the fact that the top runners are willing to race each other in state at Bale N Trail, and Flrunners.com. That's great!
DB: Last years inaugural Gainesville Sports Commission indoor track meet was a huge success with over 600 athletes ranging from Youth competitors to Masters. This years meet has been renamed in honor of Florida Track Club founder, Florida Gator's Track and Field coach and our 1980 Olympic Track and Field Teams Head Coach, Jimmy Carnes. What can we expect during the races and events at the O'Connell Center on February 7th?
A lot of great competition. I was going over the entries on Saturday morning and we have some top flight competition across the board.
We have runners from AL, NC, SC, OH, PA, MD,and GA. We have competitors ranging in age from 8 to 72 so far. I just love that we've expanded our interest outside of Florida.
I'm really excited to have Chalonda Goodman come down. She wanted to come back and we are happy to have her.
Octavious Freeman, Kia Jackson, Blake Heriot, Michael Wallace, Matt Mizereck, CJ Lockhart, Oak Ridge's group..... we have great runners coming.
In the younger age groups we have the Miami Gardens Track Club coming. They are loaded! Their team of eleven year olds ran 4:07 for the 4 x 400m this past summer and set a national record.
We'll have a press release coming out soon with updated entries. Our fields can only get stronger and deeper.
I'm just happy we can offer everyone an opportunity to compete from all levels and ages. We had great support last year and we are expecting the running community to embrace this event this and in future years. That's all we can do. Maybe it will spark someone to greater achievements.
DB: In conjunction with Scott Peters, thanks for all your efforts and if last years meet was any indication, this years rendition of the Jimmy Carnes Indoor Meet should feature some top notch competition.
See you Saturday, "At the Races" !