In different parts of the country, at this time of year the sport of track and field, by necessity, goes by several different names. Depending upon where you reside, and perhaps also depending upon the severity of the weather, it may be described as “indoor track,” “winter track,” or “conditioning.” (In Canada it is called skating, skiing, and ice hockey.) Winter, in Florida, as we all know, is absolutely perfect for track and field; subsequently we have an identification problem. In or out? The Embry Riddle people—who no doubt could have gotten the use of a nice cozy airplane hangar if they had so chosen—decided to turn meets inside, out.
Running away from home.
Further complicating what should be simple—run when it is cool out--the public school system in Florida, mystifyingly unaware that their winters offer the best running weather in the world, do not offer a running sport between the cross country and track seasons. More’s the pity; they call its replacement “conditioning.” Certainly a more imaginative individual should have conjured up a more suitable name, such as Short Track, Interval Track, or Track Light.
Runners, jumpers, and throwers, of course, know a good thing when they feel it, and on the morning of January 22nd, the ERAU track looked like a big glazed donut covered with ants. After having now witnessed what was probably the most heterogeneous of all track meets—its participants ranged in age from middle school to geriatric; its level of ability between running prodigy to semi-professional—I decided that it was nothing short of “distant running.”
Take, for example, Kari Grippo. According to an expert source which I consulted—Mr. Mapquest--the 14 year old and her parents traveled approximately three hours (and 170 miles); all the way from New Port Richey. Yet the running phenom still had the energy, and a strong motivation, to add one more quality mile before lunch. One explanation for her unbridled enthusiasm is that she is still quite young, as distance (or middle distance) runners go.
“I ran for Hudson Middle School last year,” she told me. “They didn’t have cross country, just track.”
Kari’s middle school times--from 2010--are among the best in the state. Last year she won both the 800 (2:30.60) and 1600 (5:33.80) at the West Pasco MS Championship on April 20th, has a 5:04.37 PR in the 1500 (6th at the flrunners.com MS Championship on May 8th), and finished the November 27th Footlocker South Regional 5K in 19:12. This year, she is a freshman at Gulf High School, and was looking forward to picking up where she left off. Unfortunately, she found the FHSAA bylaws more confusing than Aeronautical Engineering.
“I was accused of being recruited, so I was deemed ineligible,” she explained. Unable to run for her current high school, “I am doing meets like this: open meets, college, AAU….I’ll be doing junior Olympics this year, too.”
FHSAA’s loss, their gain.
Her unofficial PR for the event she entered at the ERAU Meet--the mile--is 5:13.
“It was against other members of my school team. That was at Gulf High School. I’m still allowed to practice,” she added, “so my Dad (Scott Grippo) and Dean Lofton (Gulf HS) are coaching me. We’re just starting; we haven’t even had tryouts. Today was like a preseason preview to see where I’m at.”
Where she’s at, is waay ahead of schedule. In a race featuring at least three high school upper classmen, six collegiate runners, and a college graduate, she not only led most of the way, but successfully held off a dramatic kick by Northside Christian junior, Katelyn Greenleaf (“Mustang Elite”). (See photos in the Middle Distance folder under Islandwide Runner.) Grippo’s time in the wind-buffeted mile was 5:28.15.
Perhaps not traveling quite as far—although 100 miles is not exactly around the corner from ERAU’s campus on Clyde Morris Blvd.—was Jose Perez, a junior at Haines City High School.
“I’m here for the experience,” he told me afterwards. “I’ve never been to this meet. Last year I couldn’t do it because of soccer, but I dropped it because I was better at running. I’m devoting more time to it now.”
Considering his current PRs, set as a sophomore in 2010, that may prove to be a wise move. In track his best 800 is a 2:10.70 (at the East Polk County Championships on March 27); his fastest 1600 a 4:36.01 (3A Region 2 Meet on April 29). In cross country, he is a member of the exclusive “HS-15 club”; a 15:59.32 second place finish at the 3A Region 2 Meet on November 13th.
“(Today) I ran the 800 (11th of 23 in 2:14.21) and 1600 (4th of 18 in 4:40.72). That 2:14 was slow, but it’s pretty windy, and I was stuck behind the pack. Still, it’s a good beginning, and a way to look at the rest of the season, get in some practice.”
Yet another athlete who had come a long way—three hours and 200 miles—was Royal Palm Beach High School senior Jillian Collins. The success of her journey, however, will eventually be measured, not by miles traveled, but in seconds lost.
“My PR for the 800 is 2:13.84, which I ran in the 4A State Meet (May 2, 2008), my freshman year,” she recalled.
“Last year (her junior year), I ran 2:15 (.62; Golden South Classic on May 29, 2010). During my sophomore year, I broke my leg in two places--my tibia and fibula,—completely in half. I had two metal rods put in, and was told I’d never run again. They took them out after states, but I had that mental thing…that I could still feel them, even though I couldn’t.
“This year will be my redemption, to show that I still have what I did my freshman year, and to get my scholarship. I want to win the States. I’ve had two fourth place finishes; freshman year, and last year (2:17.94 at the FHSAA 4A Championships on May 8, 2010).
“The plan is to train harder than I have the last three years, and occupy the top spot on the podium at the County and State Meets.”
If there’s a first step towards that podium, she took it by winning the ERAU 800 in 2:33.86. Her competition, two high school girls and eight college women, tried to intercede; however, how do you stop an athlete who was willing to travel three hours in order to run for less than three minutes?
Going the distance.
Few athletes in the State of Florida have the track presence of Sammy Vazquez. His times, and long list of honors and victories, have made him a legend, all the way back to his prep days at Flagler-Palm Coast High School. This, his final year as a college athlete, will either be his last chance to add to that fame, or just enough time to explore the rarified air on the next level. When will it be time to get serious?
“It starts now. Today, I wanted to have a good workout.”
His “workout” included an 8:57.77 second place finish in the 3000 (won by ERAU teammate Evans Kirwa, in 8:42.77), a first place finish in the mile (4:33.36), and a second in the 1000 (2:42.75). Oh, and he had enough left to contribute to ERAU’s second place finish in the 4 X 4. Not a bad day on the track; however, his gaze is directed much further down the road.
“My expectations are to do well at Nationals. It’s always for the Nationals. I’m hoping to hit a 4:04 in the mile around the Indoor Nationals, and challenge my 1500 PR (3:46.09) in the Outdoor Nationals. But I’d also like to get a (running) contract, so I can compete over the summer.”
Kirwa, who is a junior, was a double winner. Besides his first in the 3000, he “breezed” through a 15:15.59 5K.
“That 5K, I was just trying to get the distance in. Every day I try to get at least seven miles in. I knew that the wind was going to slow me down, but on the back stretch (where he had a tail wind) I was gapping, trying to pick it up, doing like a 33. The other half (into the wind), I was slower, maybe a 35. So I was doing a 68, rather than 65 the whole way.”
Like Kirwa, fifth year senior Juline Brice (Weber) emerged from the wind as a double winner. She won the 3000 (in a 10:34.78 PR), then came back to win the 1000 (3:19.35).
“I was just trying to go as fast as I could, because I want to qualify for the Indoor Nationals. The wind was blowing about 20 miles per hour, especially at the end coming in to the finish.”
Ave Maria’s Taylor Peliska used the strong tail wind on the back stretch to pass an undoubtedly fatigued Sam Vazquez—it was his third race in less than two hours--to win in his very first 1000.
“You can really cruise on the back stretch,” he explained. “Vazquez was working the lead in the first 600. I caught him with about 300 to go. I knew the last 100 would hurt real bad, because of the wind.”
In NOAA terms, the wind might have been described as “fresh,” but so was Taylor’s outlook.
“In high school, I never ran the open 800. In the 4 X 800, I ran about 1:58. I was much better in the mile (4:21.59 first place finish in the May 5, 2009 FHSAA 1A Championships). I do like the 1000. I like the middle distance speed in the 1K.”
Because of the large number and rapid order of events, Embry Riddle Mechanical Engineering major Mallory Jackson may have felt as if he was doing intervals. The junior middle distance runner ran both the 600 (finishing second in 1:25.27), and the 800 (winning in 2:03.49), both within two hours. (In addition to being the anchor in ERAU’s second place 4X4 team, which posted a 3:23.42 time.) Good numbers, but after the second race, he put his accomplishments into perspective.
“That first race(s), you’re out of the swing of things and haven’t gotten back into your groove yet. So it’s hardest at the beginning. It evens out in the middle of the season, then picks up and gets harder again at the end.”
Jackson’s best in the 600 (1:22.27 at the February 20, 2010 Embry Riddle Last Chance Meet) and 800 (1:53.24 on May 8, 2010 FSU Twilight Invitational) bear that out. After his win, he compared the longer (outdoor) 400 meter track with its shorter indoor version.
“I think it’s a lot harder indoors; a lot more turns.”
Run like the wind.
No need for an official track anemometer this afternoon. In fact, the times were all “wind-dissuaded. Ironically, in reviewing the official “Daily Weather Summary for January 22, 2011,” the breeze was non-existent before and after the meet, but blew the strongest during the meet, and almost due west (directly into the sprinters faces). So the athletes spent most of their time, ahem, breaking wind.
“The wind was kicking my butt,” admitted Lakewood senior Kala Funderbunk. “This is my first year of ‘indoor’ or winter meets. I’m just trying to get my name out there.”
Although her winning time of 59.29 is certainly not shabby—head wind or not--with a 56.38 PR for the 400, which she accomplished at the June 5th, 2010 AAU District Qualifier in Tampa, her name is far from unknown. If that isn’t convincing enough, take a moment to digest these numbers: 5.0 for the high jump; 25.32 for 200; 2:20.28 for the 800, and 13:12.20 for 3000. A heptathlete in the making?
The men’s 400 was won by Florida Memorial’s Dredame Carter in 50.20.
“It’s early in the season, so I didn’t expect much,” he confided. “I wanted to see what I have to work on. I was in control (of the race) in the first 200, but after that someone came up behind me. I tried to finish strong, and ‘dip’ at the end,” he said, while leaning forward. “My goals are, indoor, to reach 47 by mid season, and maybe 46 by the end.”
His 46.66, which he ran while attending a junior college in Kansas, is a strong vote in his favor.
Unlike that of any other race in track, success in the 60 is probably built more upon instinct than training.
“You have to have a really good reaction,” said Westport High School senior, Shedrick Washington. “It’s such a short race; you have to get a good start. If you have a really good drive force in the first 20-30 meters, you should have a good top-end speed after 50.”
A surprisingly knowledgeable analysis of track’s quickest race, in light of his limited experience in the event.
“This is only my second time. The first time I ran a 6.93 at the Oak Hill Summer Series.
Washington is convinced that there is room for improvement.
“I really didn’t have a great start then; I believe I could have done better,” he demurred after his 7.21 win.
Shareese Woods, a graduate of UNC-Charlotte, is currently unattached and trying to regain the steps she took to lower her 60 meter time of 7.44 while there.
“I hadn’t run the 60 since 2007, before I graduated.”
7.86, into the teeth of the wind isn’t that far off….
….a place not unfamiliar to hurdler Ron Ash: “My coach entered me at the last minute,” he explained.
The entry deadline was January 18th, allowing coaches ERAU coaches Rosolino and Hopfe to formulate heat and lane assignments, but Ash missed it and was assigned to the second heat of the 60 meter hurdles. The more competitive first heat was won by Bethune-Cookman’s Eric Cray in 8.47. Ash won the second, quite easily, in 8.50.
Ash, a former All American at the University of Oklahoma, has competed for team USA. This past July 9th, he lowered his 110 time to 12.98 while competing at the NCAC Meet in Miramar. He claims a personal best of 7.55 in the 60 meter hurdles.
“I wanted to go in before (the cutoff), but we were assigned other things, like the Penn Relays next week. But I wanted to see how I’d run, so he entered me at the last minute.”
It could be a breakout year for Ronnie, as the Ormond Beach resident explained.
“A big year is coming up with the Worlds, so in terms of a contract with Nike, I wanted to come out looking good.”
“Looking good” is a term that aptly describes female hurdler Crystal Bardge. The senior ERAU Communications major won both the 60 hurdles (9.14) and the 200 (26.65), and finished third in the 60.
“(These meets) are definitely a stepping stone for the outdoor season. Coming out here with the other athletes…it’s a big deal. It’s kind of like step two of our conditioning season, a middle block that bridges conditioning and the outdoor season. It makes it easier to win later on, in the outdoor season.”
Footnotes: Embry Riddle has two more winter meets on their schedule: The last Chance Meet, February 18-19, and the Embry Riddle Spikes Classic, March 18-19. For information and a schedule, contact Head Coach Mike Rosolino at (386) 323-5008, or e-Mail him at Michael.rosolino@erau.edu.