5 Star Conference Championship
By Ralph Epifanio
It’s Never Too Late to be Young Again
If not for the fact that the idea of a “Fountain of Youth” preceded Juan Ponce De Leon by centuries, his legendary search for its rejuvenating waters might almost be believed. Certainly, “John Lion,” as his name might be Anglicized--the lion is plain to see on his family crest—was well into middle age by the time he set forth in search for Benimy (Bimini) in 1513, a place whose waters the natives promised would “wash away the years.” (The Tainos of Puerto Rico, an island that he governed, probably told him that so he would go away.)
Instead, as a result of that voyage, on April 2, 1513, Juan re-discovered the future home of everyone reading this, probably landing at the inlet that now carries his name. (It took a few centuries for the original inhabitants of Mosquito Inlet, Aedes aegypti--one of many types of Florida mosquito--to agree to the name change.) The following week, on April 8th, 1513, De Leon’s navigator discovered something far more important—the Gulf Stream—which was thenceforth used to speed the voyage of Spanish treasure ships in their eastward crossing of the Atlantic. (It also funneled them right into the hands of waiting Buccaneers.)
Of course, most of us have been “encouraged” to believe that St. Augustine is not only the spot where De Leon first landed in Florida, but also the one true location of his “Fountain of Youth,” that thanks to one Luella Day McConnell. Her involvement in this subterfuge, however, is probably the only well-documented “fact” in this entire saga. Nicknamed “Diamond Lil” because of the gem in her front tooth, McConnell was one of America’s earliest female physicians, but left her practice in Chicago for the Yukon at the height of the Klondike Gold Rush. After “making a name there,” she decided to get out of Dawson while the getting was good; she had, ahem, riled up the men-folk some. Diamond Lil traveled to the opposite end of the continent, bought some marsh land, and threw her cash into the “Fountain of Youth” tourist attraction, perhaps also giving rise to the custom of tossing coins in a fountain and making a wish. In other words, she started Florida’s first theme park, out-Disneying Walt by over six decades. How about that?
My Own “Fountain of Youth”
On the day of this track meet, I hoisted my two camera bags, my Islandwide “bag-o-snacks,” my “orthopedic camp chair,” and my GPS, then dragged my sorry, sixty two year old carcass out towards my car. On the way, I heard my wife call after me. “Have fun!” She always says that. Does she know something that I don’t?
That day (and night) I tried, in roughly eight hours of observation, photography, and interviews, to capture the nature and spirit of track among a group of high school students who have known each other as (primarily) “the competition.” They are, and they aren’t. Later on in life, hopefully before it’s too late, they will all learn that age is.
Later that evening, as I peered through my camera lens, it occurred to me that I was witnessing the true “fountain of youth.” From every corner of the track and field, it flowed out as the energy of youth expressed itself in a compulsive, yet self-directed celebration of enthusiasm and purpose.
It is with conviction that I sneak up on an unsuspecting athlete (or track follower) and seal an instant of that short-lived vitality in a digital burst of electromagnetic pulse which we call a photo. I see it as an investment that, when viewed in years to come, will speak volumes of who they once were, but can never be again. In victory, there is that “forever” quality which will outlast their physical strength and endurance. And even in failure, there was that moment immediately afterwards, when they think, “I can, and will do better next time.” It’s all in the images.
“Youth is wasted on the young,” is an oversimplification. Underappreciated perhaps, or inadequately invested, but never wasted. Looking back, I can say that with certainty. I believe that I never wasted a moment of mine. (Proof of this resides in my arthritic joints, which now carry a reminder of every step of the 100,000 miles I ran on fields, courts, parks, and roads, from one end of the country to the other.)
For these hopeful youth, the time will come, soon enough, when there will be no more PRs. But for now, there’s Xavier Atkins’ limitless potential, Ray Troy’s boundless passion for a miniature flying saucer, Kadeem Williams’ million megawatt smile, Megan Tse’s hope for continued success at the highest possible level, Keneth Piniero’s machine-like rhythm (and right on his heels is his “orange shadow, following him into the sunset), Brianna Young’s perfect timing, Erin Graham’s bittersweet milestone, the friendly rivalry of two former teammates, Tarryn Cornejo’s “Miracle on Air,” and the rather sudden emergence of Ryan Patton as the conference’s best 800 runner....plus an observation that has settled “underfoot.”
Defined by Time…
Certainly no matter how fast you run, no athlete can completely stop the hands of time. However, a trio of East Volusia sprinters have slowed it down. In the 100 meter final, freshman Xavier Atkins of Spruce Creek (10.45), sophomore Charles Nelson of Seabreeze (10.58), and junior James Clark of New Smyrna Beach (10.61) all eclipsed the six year old meet record—10.75—of DeLand’s legendary sprinter, and New Orleans Saints defensive back, Johnny Patrick.
Atkins, who swept the 100-200-400 in the 5 Star Freshman/Sophomore Meet three days earlier (which was scored as timed heats), was wisely limited to the two shorter sprints, perhaps due to an extra set of preliminaries in the longer 400. One result was that he knocked off close to half a second in the shorter event, and set a new personal best of 10.45 seconds. He had enough left in the 200 (he ran 21.79) to hold back a determined Clark (22.20) to win his fifth—counting the F/S meet—Conference title of the week. In his first year of high school track, Atkins is just getting started.
Charles Nelson, a teammate of Atkins on the Daytona Beach Supersonics—an AAU Club—is finding his greatest success in the jumps. He set a Conference Meet record in the long jump (23’2”), and also won the triple jump with a 45’2-1/4” effort. That was only his second TJ in competition—the previous 44’2” jump won the F/S Meet—and better by a foot.
“I thought I’d try it,” Charles said of the triple jump, “and I succeeded in it. I finished first, and so I’ll just keep doing it. If I keep working on it in practice, I think I can make it to the state meet. We’ll see how I do.”
Nelson did not run the 4 X 1, an event which he helped Seabreeze win in the F/S meet.
“Our first and second legs were not eligible to run, so we started two new people, who had never done it. It didn’t turn out too well.”
They couldn’t quite execute their first official baton exchange, and their race fell to the track with a “Ping!” (Coaches hate that sound.)
...and Distance
“I started off as a runner,” the big man explained. “I was running about a 52.9 400 my sophomore year. Then Coach (Paul) Wright recruited me to do the discus. He saw how big I was, and saw me running…at least that’s what he always told me.”
Certainly, Troy Ray’s coach meant that in the positive. While a sophomore, Ray ran a 24.80 in the 200 (at the March 23, 2010 Mainland Invitational), a 52.98 400 (third at the May 6, 2010 AAU District Qualifier), and a 2:17.12 800 (placing fifth at that same AAU meet in Kissmmee).
“But I love doing the discus. I look forward to practice every day. I never played a sport”—and basketball and football were among them—“like that.”
Troy’s best throw, 155’ 3-1/2”, won the February 22, 2012 Spruce Creek Developmental Meet. Although shy of this, 141’7-1/2”—thrown from the same circle—was his winning toss, making him the 2012 5 Star Conference Champion.
“One thing that has honestly helped me a lot is teaching the younger guys. Because of the OJT program, I get out fourth period. So Coach Wright works with me first, then when the other guys come out, we coach them together.
“I’ll watch their footwork; where their feet land, and how they’re supposed to land. Also, how to keep the discus back, while keeping your hand flat, and not hesitate, but throw in one fluid motion. And you have to practice, practice, practice….I wouldn’t mind coaching in high school or college some day, but first I have to take my own throwing career where it’s going to go. I’ve only been doing it for a year and a half.”
One college he is looking at is Bethune-Cookman.
“They have an accounting degree—I want to be a CPA—and a good track program, but I’m keeping my options open. Regardless of where I go, or if I go to college, I know I’ll throw the discus. It’s my passion.”
One thing that is not an option, is time spent with a special person whom Troy calls “my pride and joy; Kathy Moree, who is my fraternal grandmother. All of my success is devoted to her.” Another important person is a lifelong friend and mentor from his Oak Hill Elementary School days, Mr. Schaltz, his K-5 gym teacher.
“He cuts out, and brings me, every article from every newspaper that I’m mentioned in.”
This time you need only click on PRINT, Mr. Schaltz.
Friday Night Lights
Flagler-Palm Coast’s Kadeem Williams is more than familiar with that dance called the 110 hurdles. This year alone, he has performed it seven times. And, although he managed to win it twice—lowering his season’s best to 15.17—neither was against Spruce Creek’s Terry McMillon. Head to head, McMillon won at Deltona on March 16 (15.26 to Kadeem’s 15.56), and earlier at East Coast Classic on February 24th (15.26 to Kadeem’s 16.03). Even as far back as the 2011 5 Star Conference Meet, McMillon’s 15.56, still beat Kadeem (16.03). So, to beat McMillon, one thing was clear; Williams had to beat 15.26. And to do that, he asked the advice of his coach, Jarius Cooper.
“Mostly, what Coach Cooper has been telling me is to give it my all in my first eight steps, and then everything will fall into place. I just have to worry about my own yard (lane).”
Cooper, of all people, should know. In 2007, his senior year at FPC, he not only set the 5 Star Championship 110 record (13.85), but later in the season won the 4A FHSAA state finals with a 13.97. Upon graduation, he went on to star at the University of Florida.
“I was actually running against Coach Cooper yesterday. He’s still tough. If I can beat Cooper in the 110 hurdles, I can easily win the states.”
This night, Kadeem ran 15.18, and Terry 15.33. Kadeem’s smile tells it all.
And then there’s the 300, where Kadeem has been, well, unbeatable. Competing in it seven times so far this season, he has won it seven times. Prior to this meet, his best was a 39.76 in the season opening East Coast Classic. A continuation of that streak hinged on the 5 Star final.
“The 300 has always been my best. It’s just a state of mind. If I can keep going, by the 150 or 200, then it’s mine.”
This time, his mind ran a 39.59, and his legs couldn’t help but follow. Next came Kadeem’s megawatt smile, which lit up the Spruce Creek track for the second time that night.
By comparison, no two athletes could be champions in the same event, and more physically different, than Kadeem, and female 100 hurdle winner, Megan Tse. While Williams is tall and wiry, Tse is compact and powerful. This difference, in an event where height is a definite advantage, may be a cause of some past inconsistencies.
“I’m mostly consistent,” she confided in me, “but I’ve had a few bad meets. You have to have the capacity to move past them. I love the hurdles, and I want to get better at it because I want to run in college. I do want to get a shot at a D-1 school. I have already qualified for D-2, but I want to get a D-1 scholarship.”
Few athletes work harder than Tse. A simple exercise in examining her dedication to team spirit is to peruse the list of events she has competed in. While most athletes have several, she has nine. Translation: she’ll compete in whatever Spruce Creek needs to win.
“I’m trying to work on other events, and get more variety. This summer, I’m going to work on the pole vault. Coach Mallory”—the SC pole vault coach—“suggested it. He can help me because he has that ‘Defying Gravity’ program, which teaches people the pole vaulting technique.”
In the meantime, Megan is one of the best at what she does. In 2011, she won three individual titles in the Five Star Freshman/Sophomore Meet, the 100 (12.61), 100 hurdles (16.22), and the 300 hurdles (48.94). That year, in the conference meet, she finished first in the 100 hurdles (16.17), second in the 100 (12.92), and third in the 300 hurdles (49.04).
This time around, she split the 100/300 hurdles, winning the 100 in 16.17, and although she finished second to teammate Jade McCrary in the 300 (46.66, a conference meet record), she did so in her season’s best time, 47.93. (Tse’s overall best is 47.71). Halfway to States, rest assured that there’s more to come.
“I wish to be remembered as the 5’2” girl who three stepped and made it to college track because I never gave up.”
The Best Keep Coming Back
Two names that, like Tse, are synonymous with “never giving up,” are Deltona’s Brianna Young and DeLand’s Erin Graham.
From the very start of her first year of track in 2010, Brianna, you might say, hit the ground running. In that year’s Five Star Freshman/Sophomore meet, she won the 100 in 13.17, and finished second in the 200 (28.10). A year later, she reversed that, being second only to Tse in the 100 (12.79), but bouncing back to win the 200 (26.35).
After finishing third in the 2010 Five Star Conference 100 (13.33), she won the 200 in 26.94. In 2011 (12.62 and 26.32) and now again in 2012 (12.62 and 26.29), she won both. Add an occasional 4 X 1, and it’s no wonder that she gets in a little rest when she can. (That’s a smiling Brianna “reclining” in lane 4, which can be seen in the “Overflow” folder.)
Asked to reflect on the most significant of her ample successes, Brianna replies “I think it has to be the friendships that I’ve made, and (my relationship with) the coaches who know how to push you, and build your character. My freshman year,”—she had just come over from soccer—“I was a little oblivious to track, probably because it was my first year. But success always makes things better.”
We hope that can also be said of DeLand’s Erin Graham. She, too, was a fast starter. In her freshman year, 2010, she won both the Freshmen/Sophomore and 5 Star Conference titles in the long jump (14’4” and 15’11”, respectively). The next year, she finished second in the F/S long jump (16’7”), but won the triple jump (33’4-1/2”), and won both conference titles, with 16’6-1/2” and 33’5-1/2”.
2012 was shaping up to be a breakout season, and in this meet, her best long jump (18’ 3-1/2”) broke--by a quarter of an inch--Scottesha Miller’s Conference Championship record (18’ 3-1/4”). Unfortunately, that might not be the only thing she broke, as she had to withdraw from further competition due to a wrist injury. It was an unfortunate turn of events, as she had a personal best of 35’10” in the triple jump (at the March 25, 2012 Deltona Invitational), which might have stood up well in the final standings of the second event she was listed for. As it turned out, Rachel Wofford (Spruce Creek) won with an equally impressive 35’4-1/2” attempt.
Mister(s) Consistency
Keneth Pineiro—no surprise here—did it again! If it weren’t for the fact that he did not win either the Freshmen/Sophomore or 5 Star Conference cross country titles in the fall of his freshman year (2010-11), we might have to seriously consider that he is not human. He’s won everything since: the 2011 F/S 1600 and 3200 (4:37.14 and 10:13.24); the 2011 5 Star 1600 and 3200 (4:25.27 and 10:02.07); the 2011 F/S and 5 Star Cross Country titles (17:04 and 16:22.50); the 2012 F/S 1600 and 3200 (4:30.91 and 9:46.34); and the 2012 5 Star 1600 and 3200 (4:25.41 and 9:50.97)…not to mention various and sundry local—and elsewhere--invitational meets.
“(Tonight) I honestly hoped for one of them to take the lead and be the pace setter, so that I could follow,” he said in a show of humility, “but that didn’t happen. They definitely pushed me,” he suggested, rather magnanimously. “I kept expecting them to come up and challenge me, that’s why I kept pushing it.”
Keneth’s most serious challenger this season has been Spruce Creek’s Kyler Kathman. No stranger to Pineiro’s blistering pace, both of Kathman’s track PRs--4:30.70 in the 1600 at this meet, and his 9:52.60 at the March 16th Deltona Invitational, came hot on Pineiro’s heels. (Kyler finished second in each.) Even Kathman’s 5K best in cross country—16:28.43 at the October 15, 2011 Terrier Classic—was the result of chasing his cross-county rival.
Kyler is having a banner senior year, and he feels that rest had a lot to do with it.
“I took off four months,” he told me after the meet, “and didn’t run at all. I think that really helped how I am running now.”
The Pineiro/Kathman rivalry suggests yet another Green vs. Orange duel, this one occurring when an “orange” didn’t fall far from its original team “tree.”
In their freshman year at DeLand High School Stefan Guire and Desmond Robb could count on each other to make practice interesting. Now that Robb is running for neighboring Orange City, they have to wait for meets to resume their former relationship, but the result is the same: an all-out race, from start to finish. In this one, Robb (50.04) finished ahead of Guire (50.44).
Stefan: “Friendly competition.”
Desmond: “Good thing we don’t play with guns.”
Stefan: “Friendly competition.”
Desmond: “Last year, it was me trying to catch him.
Stefan: “And the beginning of this year.”
Desmond: “What do you think is different?”
Stefan: “Cross country…and we’re getting older.”
Desmond: “But you’ve got height on me.”
Ralph: “Although you are no longer teammates, do you each have an effect on how the other trains?”
Desmond: “When I’m running by myself, I’m wondering what he’s doing.”
Stefan: “He definitely makes me work harder.”
Ralph: “Are you in the same district?”
Stefan: “Same district.”
Ralph: “Will your plans for running that race be any different than they were for this one?”
Stefan: “Beat him.”
Desmond: “Beat him.”
Ralph: “Do you think that the rivalry will endure past high school?”
Stefan: “Unless we go to colleges far away from each other.”
The School of Opportunity
When the pole vault competition “concluded,” DeLand’s Tarryn Cornejo and Spruce Creek’s Kristen Gaines were tied at 9’0”. But of course, the NFHSA rule book has lots to say about ties. To whit:
When there is a tie at any height or distance in the finals of a jumping event…If…it concerns first place, the competitors tying shall make one more attempt at the height at which they failed. If no decision is reached, the bar shall be lowered in increments of…3 inches in the pole vault. If two or more of the tying contestants cleared the height, the bar shall be raised by intervals of…3 inches in the pole vault. Each competitor shall attempt one trial at each height until a winner is determined. (Rule 7, Section 3, Article 2b, 4a)
There’s more, of course, but memory never serves as well as having a rule book on hand. Thus, they went up, then down, until Tarynn, perhaps too tired to be anxious, nailed a 9’3”, and won.
“Yeah, I was nervous,” she admitted. “I just had to breathe deeply. Later in the (final) jumps, I was able to relax more when I saw the bar at the same height.”
And, of course, there’s the “X” factor.
“I got a new pole, and I’ve been practicing with it in Melbourne, at Pole Vault City. I think it helped a lot.
“When I started the season, I used five different poles; 130, then 140. Then I vaulted with a 120 at practice. So I ordered a new pole closer to my weight, a 125. It was better in practice, so I transferred it to the meet.”
One can view the golden stick, held tightly in Tarryn’s grip, in the “Overflow” folder. Rumor has it that, after the season, it will go straight to e-Bay….Only kidding. The Cornejos plan to house it in a 4” X 14’ custom-made, plexiglass showcase.
The Last Hurrah
Spruce Creek coaches have already counted their graduating seniors: 47. Perhaps leading the list of those who will be missed:
High jumper—among her six different events—Allison Lampert has competed for three years at Creek, and won at least one conference title in each. She won the Freshman/Sophomore HJ in 2010 (4’0”), and the Conference HJ in 2010 (5’0”), 2011 (5’2”), 2012 (4’10”). She leaves with a high school best of 5’6”, her winning height at the 4A District 2 Meet on April 20, 2011.
Distance runner Jocelin Adona leaves with three conference titles on her resume. She won the 3200 in 2010 (11:53.73), and both the 1600 (5:32.90) and 3200 (12:08.08) this year.
“(Tonight) my goal was to run the best I could, because it will most likely be the last time I run the mile in high school,” she said. “But I knew if someone passed me, it would most likely be someone from my own team. That wouldn’t have bothered me. We all practice together.”
No words were truer said. In the mile, it was indeed a Creek runner, senior Zoe Volenec (5:40.19), in second. In the two mile, junior Alycia Loriz was second (12:19.15) and freshman Sydney Volenec—Zoe’s sister—was third (12:38.77).
In her four years, Tori Ehrhardt has run the 100, 200, 100 hurdles, 300 hurdles, 400, 800, and 1600, proving competitive in every single one. She leaves with three conference titles, the 2010 400 Meter Championship (1:02.50), the 2011 800 Meter Championship (2:26.61), and the 2012 800 Meter Championship (2:21.38). That most recent time, a lasting tribute to her efforts for the team, was .45 seconds under that of 2008 Creek graduate—and “golden girl”--Brooke Nebel, who held the former 5 Star Meet record.
Also leaving with a meet record is Jade McCrary, who ends her career by winning her second 5 Star Conference 300 hurdles title in 46.66, setting aside Brittney Gibson’s 2005 time of 47.26. (Jade won her first in 2011, winning in 47.72.)
And last, but not least, is Ryan Patton, who, like Ehrhardt, ran seven different events for SC. He saved his best for the end, winning the 800 in 1:58.62, missing the listed record, a 1:58 by Jerry Reckart in 1999, by a little over half a second.
“I didn’t do cross country this year, but started doing conditioning in early February,” he said after the meet. “I started out with just the 400, then tried the 800. I started practicing with the 800 runners, and it kind of came together.”
What a way to go out!
Incidentally, if the reader feels that the loss of so many athletes portends the imminent demise of Spruce Creek’s track program, remember that their Boys and Girls scored 251 and 246 points, respectively, at this year’s Freshmen/Sophomore Meet. Fear the Hawk.
Team Scoring
Spruce Creek punctuated their unprecedented conquest of Volusia and Flagler Counties three days earlier, the Boys scoring 225 points and the Girls 291 in earning their latest titles. Flagler-Palm Coast was second (126 and 99.5 points, respectively).
A Reflection of Time Gone By
As an uncontrollable mass of humanity--collectively known as the Spruce Creek Track and Field team—spilled onto the field in celebration, I realized that here is a vital element of life that I vaguely remember; a supercharged, unpredictable, perhaps compulsive need to do something fun that, while once abundant in me too, was unfolding in spontaneous celebration, just out of reach. If only there was a way to bottle it.
Footnotes: Every single time I write about this particular conference, my fingers pause, just over the keyboard, because what I am about to enter as a heading makes no sense whatsoever. At one point in time, maybe way back in the last century, “5 Star Conference” adequately described the components of this area’s primary competitors. However, with ten teams in this year’s results, it no longer does. So, what to do? We could go on admiring the king’s wardrobe, or we could speak up, and say, “Hey King, you’re dressed inappropriately!” Personally, I think it’s time to pick a new name. We could do a $20,000 study—which is generally the first step to changing anything in Volusia County—or we could do it on the cheap. Let’s say we have a contest to rename the “Conference That Time Forgot?” (That name is suggestion #1.) Or how about the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference)…naw, I’d probably get into trouble with the NCAA and lose my eligibility to write about Stetson…. I know, “The University Conference!” (Only kidding.) “The News-Journal Area Conference?” But that would include Matanzas, which at 12.37 miles away is closer to FPC than any 5 Star member school. Unfortunately, that second Palm Coast school competes in the St. Johns River Conference, against St. Augustine and Jacksonville teams. Basically, I’m stumped. (No, that’s not a suggestion.) However, here is one: Subscribe to flrunners.com, log on, click on “comments” and send in your thoughts. What could you possibly lose, beyond a few bucks and your anonymity? On the other hand, you could earn the eternal gratitude of the few people who actually pay attention to being nomenclature…ly (what word am I looking for?) correct, myself included.