Spruce Creek Invitational - Results and Coverage Index
Photo Album by Ralph Epifanio (over 800 photos)
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Sometimes—just sometimes—track meets remind me of cafeteria duty. This was one of them. There was just too much running (“Wait for the gun, ladies!”), cutting in (“Nicky elbowed me, so I went around him!”), tripping (“Ooooh! Did you see that one in the 100 hurdles?”), misuse of athletic equipment (“Gentlemen, please take the balls out of the infield!”), dishes flying everywhere (Was that another UFO?), and noise so deafening that I couldn’t hear the person next to me (“No, K, K! Kody with a K!) This meet even had food. (“We’ll be taking a 45 minute lunch break now.”) By the time the sun set, my ears were ringing so loud that I was beginning to “hunch”. (Or was that just another bell lap?) At any rate, the last thing I remember was thinking that I had Excedrin headache #4 (by four).
More than a mouthful?
“When we hunger for success, it is human nature to be optimistic. Looking beyond the salad bar should be a strategy reserved for those who choose shorter portions.” (credit to Chef Raphael’s Book of Edible Quotes, Copyright 3/13/2011).
Jovan Davis (Wekiva) must have come into the eat-meet well-near starved, judging from what he stacked on his plate: the long jump, the 110 hurdles, the 300 hurdles, and the 4 X 4. Did he empty his plate? You betcha; clean as a whistle.
Firsts in the 110H (14.22 places him well up there in Dye Stat’s National Rankings), 300H (39.32), and LJ (23’ 1-3/4”) made him three-for-three as an individual.
After winning the LJ, however, he admitted to being a tad disappointed.
“It was a little windy; there was a strong head wind,” he explained. “It wasn’t too much of a distraction—it was like that last week at the Harmony Invitational (Harmony High School, March 5th, where he jumped 22’ 2-1/4”). I had to change my approach, and some of my technique. I brought it back ‘half a toe,’ because I kept going over the board. Once I did that, I was okay.”
There was one jump well beyond the rest, but a bad foot placement on his landing cost him the distance.
“I jumped 24 feet, but they didn’t count it, because my back foot was closer to the board, and it measured 21’3.”
Although he eventually beat the wind with a 23-footer, it was still short of his season’s best 23’ 5-3/4” at a Wekiva Meet earlier in the week, and had him looking forward to another chance.
“Hopefully, next week at Bob Hayes—with more competition—I’ll go further.”
It may have been his last event of the day, however, that was the crème de la crème, so to speak. Running the second leg of his team’s 4 X 4 in a 49-point effort pushed his Wekiva team to a final 3:22.57, the relay team averaging a 50-something across the board, better than the winning time(s) of the open 400. The faster foursome consisted of Johnny Brinson, Jovan, Jacarious Isiom, and Jauqueem Palmer…and I hope my aforementioned hearing condition did not contribute to any misspellings.
(In the open four, which was swept by Boyd Anderson—for 24 points toward their score—Kody Foster [51.17], Barry Higdon [52.19], and Dairell Williams [52.49] went one-two-three. They can be seen together in the Fotogenic Fans section.)
While Williams’ medal count reached the meet limit—and probably portends a trip to the chiropractor if he intends to wear all that hardware—only one distance runner was able to double: Dr. Phillips’ sophomore, Amber Johnson. (Of course, if you add up the distances of all of Jovan’s events, including prelims, it wouldn’t be nearly as far as just one of Amber’s races.)
As a result of winning both the 1500 (4:57.32) and the 3000 (10:57.03), which are both PRs, Amber was arguably the most dominant of the meet’s distance runners. She will readily admit, however, that this particular double is quite new to her.
“That was my first time,” she told me. “I ran 800s and the 4 X 8 last year. I’m (usually) really tired after the 1600.”
Her PR in the metric mile is 5:18.82.
“I ran that last weekend at the Lake Brantley Invitational.”
Being a projected 2013 graduate, however, those times will almost certainly be consumed in laps to come.
“I would like to be sub-5 by the end of the year. That would be really amazing.”
Bridget Blake completed the sweep of Girls’ distance races for Dr. Phillips, winning the 800 in 2:18.25. The sophomore’s “late-season time” temporarily places her sixth on Dye Stat’s National Rankings.
“I ran a 2:18 split in the 4 X 8 earlier,” she said, “but before today my PR was 2:20 (.93, way back on March 24, 2010 at the Metro Freshman/Sophomore Meet). I wouldn’t say that it is my specialty—I’ve run the 1600 and the 3200 as well—but it is my favorite. I’ve always loved the 800. I think it’s like a rush. You have to have a plan. There’s no time to catch up, or correct a mistake. You have to make your move early, and hold your position.”
That position generally being up front, she certainly proved her appetite for distance during this past, 2010, cross country season. Bridget won the Metro West (18:37.40), the 4A District 3 (18:16.51), 4A Region 2 (18:05.77), and the FHSAA 4A (17:52.90) meets in a steady downward progression of times. If that continues in track, her first 800 time—a very respectable time, even late in the season—could similarly spiral downward, and with nearly three years of track left for her, how low it gets is anyone’s guess.
“I just came back (from an injury) from after cross country,” she told me. “I had a stress fracture in my right foot. My coach didn’t think I should start too early, so he gave me the first two meets off.
“It’s great to be back. My teammates were cheering me on. They are some of my best friends, like my family, and my coach (Peter Blount) is awesome.”
The DP Boys also had their share of success--Logan Kruse took third in the 800 (1:59.35), the third of three sub-two minute finishers--but were conspicuous in their absence from the 1500—although the field had fifty-two entrants. But they were back with a vengeance in the 3000. Daniel Millay ran away with it (9:05.22), Josh Boggs was second (9:19.30), Michael Pancotto sixth (9:25.67), and Logan “cruised” along in 10:21.16.
“When I came into the meet, I was focused on the 800,” he explained, “and was trying to PR, but my official time was 2:10 (.50, at the March 14, 2009 Spruce Creek Invitational), from two years ago, so I was in the slow heat. I really was disappointed. (Today) I ran 2:03 (.32). It was fast, but comfortable.
But then came Mr. 3000.
“In the 3000, I said, ‘let’s just do this for the points.’ Josh Boggs and I started to push it and we decided to run for the time.
“I was happy that I had a pretty strong 3200 last week; 9:38 (.27) at the Lake Brantley on a triple (also 4:27.29 in the 1600, and a DP second of 8:10.97 in the 4 X 8). We won as a team (131 points).
“My goal since my sophomore year has been to win a team State Championship. In the past two years, we’ve come up short in cross country. And then, the football team too. Our football team was ranked #1 and (was) undefeated all year, but lost to Miami Central (6A; 42-27 on December 18, 2010).
“Our shot putter (La Quentin Smith), triple jumper (Chris Curtis), and sprinters all felt the loss, so we’re really motivated to try to get it for all the seniors. Our school hasn’t won a male state championship in, like, six years.”
La Quentin threw 50’ 10 ½” to beat the only other member of the 50 footer Club, Trinity Catholic’s Jeremiah Gates (50’ 8-1/2”). Gates came back to win the discus with his 138’ 5”.
Chris Curtis’s 45’ 2-1/2” winning triple jump was nearly a foot further than that of the next best, Boyd Anderson’s Gary Louima (44’ 3”).
How does one get to be the best?
“Determination…and more practice than anyone else,” began Curtis. “Hard work.”
Unlike the LJ, it is a complicated event.
“Look, there’s speed first. Keeping my hamstrings parallel to the ground. Keeping my knees up. Hop, skip and jump. That’s all I think about.”
That’s it?
“Balance. I work on bounding; a lot of bounding on grass.”
Okay, I’ve got it.
“My landing. I just make sure that I get my arms in the air, with my knees bent, and ‘sit’ while in the air. I let my speed carry me through.”
And the result?
“My best jump was last week at Lake Brantley; 47’ ¼”. It was a great jump.”
And currently Florida’s season best. Another great jump, this one straight up, was by Jared Watkins.
Watkins, the Dr. Phillips pole vaulter mentioned by Millay, had the event won at 13-0, and decided to go seven inches more in his final three attempts.
“I already had a 13’3” (a PR first at Lake Brantley on March 5th, 2011), and 13’6” is the DP school record, from back in 1998. So I went for 13’7”,” he explained. “The wind wasn’t up yet. I was just worrying about jumping like I could…like I have in practice. I do like to jump (more) in competition because it makes me go higher.”
Another part of the formula for success is pole selection, as explained by Bill Cashman, Jared’s coach on the Longwood AAU Thin Air Vault Club. Cashman, who has taken Jared under his wing, is a track and football coach at Lyman High School. Among the other athletes he coaches are Alex Kazinski (3A State Champion for Wiregrass, 14’0”, on May 7, 2010) and Erica Sergeant (a sophomore at Lake Mary High School, who jumped an 11’2” PR at the March 5, 2011 Lake Brantley Invitational).
“The way we look at it, the different poles are the ‘tool box’,” explained Cashman. “You use the one that is appropriate for the job you’re doing. You choose the pole that is right for how high you go, and how it rotates.”
“I weigh 145,” Jared interjected. “The higher the weight (listed on the pole) over my weight, the stiffer and more roll it will give me up top. This is a 14’ pole, and is rated for 160 pounds.”
“We switched poles during the meet. He ‘crushed’ the first one we used; over-rotated and went past the standards,” continued Cashman. “We just got it back. We had it stolen at the state meet; it was Kazinski’s.
“It’s more about the pole’s speed, and this is a great pole. But before you switch poles, you have to see how much you go beyond vertical; whether it is soft or stiff, in other words has more or less bend. Jared’s doing a great job with it. He also had to adjust his hands for control.”
With every meet, Jared hopes to raise the bar, both on his best vault and his personal aspirations.
“I want to clear at least 15’ this year, and hopefully get a scholarship so I can jump in college. Most likely I will major in chemical engineering.”
Lofty goals.
Lofty, indeed
Perhaps Nick Palermo’s goals are heavily seasoned with optimism, but don’t tell him that. I caught up to him after his stunning victory in the 1500, which he ran in 4:08 (three seconds off his 4:05.13 PR, set on August 1, 2009, as a member of the 2009 Junior Olympic team, in Des Moines, Iowa.)
“I have two races left,” he said between breaths. “The 800 and the 4 X 4. My coach said, ‘Give what you’ve got the first two races, and run the 4 X 4 for fun.’
“I wanted to draft the first 800 meters, and then take the lead myself and see what I could do. I was thinking it would be faster, looking at the (seed) times coming in, but it was definitely not fast enough.”
That was a similar problem in the 800, but it resulted in a different conclusion.
“I just wanted to stay with the #2 guy—Palermo—he had a good time (coming in),” began Lake Weir’s Isaiah Smith. “I got bumped coming across the first lap…pushed out. I stumbled, and came back. (After that) I tried to stay relaxed. At the end, I was missing a little something, a little speed in my kick.”
If so, it was difficult to detect. Once Smith made his move on the back stretch of the last lap, he seemed to accelerate beyond reach of Palermo, who finished second in 1:58.91, and the rest of the field. Isaiah’s time was 1:57.96, and DP’s Logan Kruse (3rd) was the last to finish on the contented side of two. No less than three runners finished right on the fence: SC’s Andrew Carpenter in 2:00.24, Deland’s DJ Patton in 2:00.83, and Oviedo’s Brandon Fetter in 2:00.88. It was that close.
Excuse me, but may I cut in?
With athletes, wearing the more familiar of team colors, lined up for the preliminaries, hardly anyone noticed a few more orange-and-black uniforms than usual—the same colors as the Spruce Creek army--among them. However, as the heats/section for each event was completed, and the finals qualifiers were being announced over the PA, “Boyd Anderson” was called 44 times. It was somewhere within that time span that the same questions were asked, over and over: “Boyd Anderson? Where are they from?”
“Lauderdale Lakes; about three, three and a half hours from here,” explained Asst. Girls Track Coach Damion Thomas. He works with his wife, Girls Head Coach Dushane Thomas. “We wanted to do a meet this weekend, but there wasn’t one down south that caught our interest. We wanted to run an individual meet, not a relay meet. Also, we were shooting for a different environment, outside of Broward County. We saw that this was the biggest meet in this area. The last time we went out of South Florida for an invitational meet was five years ago: the Bob Hayes, in Jacksonville.”
As is usual among track teams, the more successful ones are the most willing to travel long distances in order to compete.
“We won the Broward County Championships (BC Athletic Association) three years in a row. On the Girls side, we were the four-time 4A District 11 (2007-2010; 152, 247, 246, and 236 points, respectively) and 4A Region 3 (2007-2010; tied with 76, 118, 134 and 151 points, respectively) champions. We’ve been FHSAA State Runner-up two times in the last four years.”
(Note: It would seem that Boyd Anderson has found itself “trapped” in the middle of the Miami Northwestern-Miami Southridge joust for 4A Girls Track Supremacy. In 2010, it was MNW 85, MSR 60, and BA 54; in 2009, it was MNW 98, BA 53, MSR 50; in 2008, it was MSR 87.5, BA 62, and MNW 50; and in 2007, it was MNW 104.5, MSR 88, and BA 48. No wonder Boyd Anderson desired a road trip.)
“We also wanted to see what Wekiva had, because they were one of the top Girls teams in the Orlando area.
“They—our team—have worked so hard. We did pre-season in the fall, then track conditioning, so today they got a chance to show what they had. It does pay off. We spend money (when we go) out of town—the bus and hotel—but it was well worth it.
“They were very excited to get out of our area. It was business first; not a vacation. It was kind of good getting competition—knowing it is kind of tough—without knowing who they are. Also, (participating in) a meet with preliminaries and finals will allow their bodies to get accustomed to our more serious meets--County, Districts, and Regionals.”
Coach Thomas closed with an unsolicited endorsement of flrunners.
“Jason, you’re doing an excellent job. There is so much information (on your website) that it is a great resource for coaches and athletes… such a good site that I look forward to renewing it every year.”
(Hey Jason, now can I have that food allowance that you promised me back in aught eight?)
Wekiva springs for “fast ca$h”
The Wekiva Boys team came away from the Spruce Creek ATM with a (six-fingered) handful of tens in the speed events. Besides Jovan Davis (three individual firsts), the team also had twin wins in the sprint relays: first a 42.66 win in the 4 X 1, and then the blistering 3:22.57 in a thrilling, meet-closing, team-winning, climactic 4 X 4; a .42 second margin of victory over Colonial. Durio Sanders, who ran second leg in the 4 X 1, was also first in the high jump, although he technically “tied” with three others at 6’ 2”, he got a ten, and the next three split their places—2nd through 4th--and the 20 points, for 6.33 each.
The Wekiva girls, who actually scored three more points than their male counterparts, did so in a less ceremonious manner. Only Kiara Sykes (15.38 in the 100H) and Niaja Griffith (18’ 5-3/4” in the LJ) could claim firsts. (Griffith also placed second in the TJ with 35’ 11-3/4”, and Sykes fifth in the 300 with 48.75.) The team scored only twice each in first through third places; however they scored 13 more times in fourth through eighth place, for a total of 103 points in a tenacious team effort.
Team Scores
The team total for the Wekiva Boys was an even 100 points. Dr. Phillips was second by a fourth (5 points), and Boyd Anderson Boys third with 83. 21 Boys teams scored.
Now the Boyd Girls (isn’t that the name of an entertainer?), that’s a different story altogether. Amassing a total of 134 points (eight firsts, three seconds, three thirds, and a lot of loose change besides), they sprinted past Wekiva, Spruce Creek (88) and the rest of the 18 teams that scored before heading back south.
Footnotes
All humor aside… well, maybe off to one side; it was a pleasure dining at Café Creek. It isn’t often that a lowly sportswriter gets feted (feeded?) at a meet…even though one of the coaches kept trying to collect two bucks from me for a bottled water! (I assumed she was kidding.) And then there was a helpful “running commentary” by a grown-up who, no doubt, was influenced by the Wizard of Oz sometime during his childhood. Running the clock on the football scoreboard, allowing spectators to become personally involved in each race, was a brilliant idea that should be done at all track meets. And lastly, I appreciate the thoughtfulness of putting diapers on the SC Hawks (were those wild ospreys, or hawks) that continually flew hither and thither. How did you guys do that?
Lastly, I leave you with a quote by Deland’s Coach Jim Lowenstein, who lies awake nights thinking of ways to get his name in my stories: “Florida is the only place where you run track wearing SPF 50 and thermals in the same meet.” True enough.