My, oh my, what a difference a year makes! Last year, with 23 teams entered, Flagler-Palm Coast just edged Spruce Creek, 89-78, in the boys team race, and the Creek girls won by 19 ½ over Bolles. This year, with less than half that many teams--10 each--Flagler’s boys rolled over the competition (90 more than second place Spruce Creek), and Spruce Creek’s girls won by 54 over Deland.
The downturn in attendance could be due to a number--if not a combination--of effects, not the least being a sharp downturn in financial support from various school districts. It was rumored that at least one out-of-county school had to cancel because of the transportation/entry cost. Also, this meet was a week later than in ’08, and had some stiff competition in the Orlando and Jacksonville areas. (FPC High School is about half way in between.)
One can only hope that the downward economic situation does not add track to its other casualties. We’re already low man on the totem pole when it comes to sports. At this point we need to take an “over my dead body” approach to making meets. Even if we have to carpool our kids to meets, they must be allowed to compete.
Flagler took an original approach to sponsorship of the East Coast Classic, selling numerous small sponsorships, which were acknowledged by signs prominently displayed on the infield right in front of the spectators.
Individual schools should reemphasize the importance of an admission charge to invitationals. And maybe even those media guys who carry off reams of result sheets every Saturday could leave a package of copier paper when they remember. (Yeah, me too.)
Boys Varsity
With scoring at 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1, Flagler used a well-balanced attack, especially deep in the hurdles (1-3-4-6 in the 110s for 24 points; 1-2-4-5-8 in the 300 for 28 points), long sprint (1-2-3-4-7 in the 400 for 31 points) and relays (1-2 in both the 4 X 400 and 4 X 800 for 36 points), and 800 (1-5-8 for 15 points). They also added 16 points each in the 100 and 200, and a first in the 1600 (Brandon Earle in 4:39).
Spruce Creek scored more than half (74) of their total (139) points in the field events. Led by super senior Chris Lickfield, who won both weight events (50’6” in the shot and 167’4”at last sighting of the discus), they scored 12 points in the high jump (4-5-7-8), 14 in the pole vault (1-5), 9 in the triple jump (4-5), 19 in the shot put (1-4-5) and 20 in the discus (1-2-7).
Lickfield is optimistic that he can improve on that 167 by the end of the season.
“Last year I was throwing 140s, 150s in the beginning and I ended up throwing 178. If I am already at 167, hopefully 180s…190s, if I’m lucky.”
He felt that the throwing conditions were optimal for a good throw.
“It wasn’t too hot, it was kind of perfect, actually. It wasn’t too windy. Every time I went up to throw, the wind kind of cooled off, which helped me.”
Chris’s throws, which were, more or less, dead center, weren’t landing in the “zone” that usually gives him the best distance.
“Actually sometimes when I pull up late I’ll take it farther out.”
His next meet, at home on the Spruce Creek track, doesn’t hold as much excitement as his away meets.
“I throw there every day…I liked the State Meet and Tennessee.”
A noticeable tail wind, which affected most track races in one way or another--depending upon whether it was a lap race or run on a straightaway--might have given FPC just enough “hang time” to sail over the hurdles, as they scored no less than eight times (four each) in the two events. They were led by senior Fritz Jean, who won both the 110s and 300s, in 15.1 and 39.91, respectively. Jean, however, was concentrating too much on technique to take notice.
John Little of Eastside (100; 11.01) and Larry Thompson of Deland (200; 22.79) proved to be the only athletes that could stem the tide of FPC sprinters from sweeping the individual events. Little, at least, can’t complain. He even beat the wind that chased him the length of the 100.
Joe Elsakr of Spruce Creek overcame an enthusiastic Anthony Sullivan of Matanzas then held off freshman Joey Castigator (second in 10:28.16) and Marc Akbar of St. Joseph (third in 10:33.87) to win the 3200 in a PR time of 10:13.89. That was an approximately 31 second improvement over his (10:44.81) time in 2008. (Joey probably doesn’t want to remember what Brian Atkinson’s winning time was.)
CJ Lockhart, who won the 800 in 2:01 and anchored the winning 4 X 400 FPC “A” team (3:24.82), fell just short of a perfect day when his FPC 4 X 800 “B” team was trimmed by his school’s “A” team, 8:14.49 to 8:20.96. There’s only so much an athlete can do!
Girls Varsity
The Girls side of the meet featured an opening performance of the farewell track tour of Spruce Creek seniors Amanda Perkins and Brooke Nebel. Between them, Amanda (5:06.79 in the 1600) and Brooke (49.26 in the 300 hurdles), who joined forces on the winning 4 X 400 (4:17.37) and 4 X 800 (10:06.04) relays, helped score 40 points for their winning team.
Individual winners for Spruce Creek also included Kirsten Myers in the high jump (4’8”), Brenna Mathis in the triple jump (33’7 ½”)--she also ran a leg of the winning 4 X 400 team--and Kristian Raingecampbell in the shot put (34’8 ½”), finishing second in the discus (101’10 ½”).
Deland senior Tekiva Gilbert leaped 16’4 ½” to win the long jump, then helped Deland win the 4 X 100 (51.46). Her teammate, sophomore Ashley Perrin, won the discus with a 103’7” toss, then came back to run what was probably the most exciting race of the meet.
Taking the baton in sixth place on the last lap of the 4 X 400, she passed everyone ahead of her except Spruce Creek’s anchor, and finished second (4:26.26). That relay, symbolic of the team race, placed Deland in second place in team scoring.
Contributing to Flagler-Palm Coast’s third place finish in the team standings was Jasmine Moore in the 200 (27.15). Danielle Hagins led an FPC sweep of the 800 in 2:38.66 (Jenna Lynch was second in 2:39.88 and Brooke Landry third in 2:41.39).
For fourth place Matanzas, Torie Bembry won the 100 (13.43), Akeda Marcano led the 400 (1:01.56) and was second in the long jump (15’8 ½”).
Lindsey Enders, a Holy Trinity sophomore was the only (individual) double winner: 11’0” on the pole vault and 15.98 in the 100 meter hurdles. Her teammate, eighth grader Brianna Wahy, won the 3200 in 12:20.