The Seminole Athletic Conference
Freshman/Sophomore Championships
By Ralph Epifanio
April 4, 2012
Trackside, 2012 M.E.*
In a little over a week, Lake Brantley would play host to three days of SAC Championship competition. Little wonder that it would be in such demand. Its athletic complex is a modern, well-maintained, state of the art facility, with a small army of support staff, including highly responsive coaches and trainers. Unlike most of the meets which I’ve attended this year, here water—a simple, yet vital need for athletes performing in Florida’s climate—is plentiful and easily located. In addition to the centrally located, battery-powered hydration system that can accommodate an entire heat of runners simultaneously, roving “water wagons” (golf carts with water and cups-a-plenty) are in constant motion around the track, even traveling to the distant shot and discus area.
But the gem in this setting is the track itself: an emerald and orange--and Patriotic red, white, and blue—tribute to the palette of man’s mind. The surface of this oasitic infield is like a giant, green mattress just calling out to the weary, “Come ye, and rest on me.” I, too, heard that verdant siren’s call, but I decided that the eventuality of my attempt at regaining verticality might forever traumatize these young people. (“Oh my, the poor man has fallen and can’t get up!”)
The track, horizontal jump-ways, and high jump leapways are made of that reprocessed bouncy tire stuff that feels sooooo good when you walk on it in bare feet…not that I tried. But watching how fast the runners went by, I could just imagine it. (Maybe after everyone leaves.)
The best part was something directly from a “field of dreams” that might not immediately be recognized by those who have spent their summers running bare-handed. In one small corner of the track--that is, the first turn--is a “snapshot” of an Americana that has long passed into obscurity, replaced during that “dark age of cookie cutter stadiums,” (circa 1960s-70s)—a plague of cement doughnuts--when that unique flavor of American sports was replaced by conformity and an obsession with symmetry. When men’s names like Baker, Briggs, Comiskey, Crosley, Ebbets, Forbes, Griffiths, Shibe, and Connie Mack gave way to products and slogans. (I can’t even bring myself to name one of these late-20th century monuments to bad taste!) But there are still two left: Fenway Park in the American League, and Wrigley Field in the National League.
Yes, sports fans, I’m talking about baseball, but in a much broader sense, individual identity. As you enter the gate of Lake Brantley’s Tom Story Field, you are stepping forward and back at the same time (which I tend to do a lot anyway). There at the far end of the track is a hand-painted wooden fence that is straight from another era, one that makes old men like new again, albeit in spirit only. There are many tracks in America, but few like this. (The University of Oregon’s Hayward Field, built in 1919, is still--in part—another classic stadium, but here too tradition is fighting a losing battle.)
I wonder, if I brought my old glove on the 12th, could someone toss me a “can of corn” so that I might go back, waaaay back, and snag one in front of the wooden fence?
*Part 1; look for part 2 next week
First something old, now something new…
…well, figuratively speaking. While still young, any of these kids are “old pros” in their specialty. Take freshman Mikaela Martin, for example.
“I’ve been running since the summer after sixth grade,” she told me. “I competed for the Central Florida Gliders. My favorite events are the long jump and the 100 hurdles, but I’d really like to do the heptathlon, because it has all the events.” (100 hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200, long jump, javelin and 800) “I haven’t competed in it yet, but I’ve done the pentathlon.”
On this same track, Mikaela scored 2629 points--finishing second--at the June, 2011 USATF National Junior Olympics, Region 4 Meet.
“I’ll be old enough—15--to do the heptathlon this summer.”
And after that, maybe the decathlon. (Her FLR athlete page already lists 13 events for the young star.) Considering her current award inventory, she will eventually need a very large trophy case. In this meet she won three individual events—100 hurdles, 300 hurdles, and the long jump—in two new personal bests—15.42 and 46.4, respectively, in the two hurdles—plus a share in Lake Mary’s 4 X 1 win (50.85) and team trophy.
And then there’s her male counterpart, ninth grader Raheem Powell, of Seminole. He won the same three events—the 110 hurdles in 16.07, the 300 hurdles in 42.02, the long jump in 21’4”—but added the triple jump (43’2”). His new personal bests were in the two hurdles and long jump. (His best triple jump, 45’ 5”, came on March 28th.)
Running as a sophomore, Antonio Johnson (Lake Mary) is a little further along than the aforementioned; however, he hasn’t missed a step since starting. At the 2011 SAC Freshman/Sophomore Meet last year, he won the 100 (11.5), and finished second in both the 200 (23.16) and the long jump (19’3”). This year, he aced the sprints (11.30 in the 100 and 23.03 in the 200).
“I prefer the 200, because you have more time to build up speed,” he said, candidly. “If you don’t get out of the blocks fast, nine times out of ten you won’t have time to win the 100. Right now, I’m just coming off an injury, but we’ll see if everything is fine.”
Paris McGee, a sophomore, repeated as a double winner. (She won in 2011, with a 13.08 100 and a 26.93 200.) This time the Lake Brantley sprinter won the 100 in 12.59, and the 200 in 26.04. With that double double, it might seem easy for her, but…
“Every meet gets harder, because I’m in faster heats,” she explained. “Today was a little easier. Because there were no preliminaries, it wasn’t as tiring. Plus, it gave me a chance to run against people my own age, instead of them being older.”
Carly Jaskulski (Hagerty) was the sole sprinter with one win; the 400.
“It takes me awhile to get faster (pick up speed); I get faster at the end of my races,” she said after finishing first in a personal best time of 1:02.45. “It’s a little better event for me than the 200. Plus, I’ve always felt that I had stamina.”
Carly ran track in middle school--sixth and seventh grade--skipped eighth grade, then returned in ninth.
“I missed it, so I came back.”
In the SAC Conference Meet, she hopes to lower her time to about 60, then come back and do it again in the 4 X 4.
…Then something longer, and longer still
Although a number of runners entered more than one distant event, not one was able to score a double win, testimony to the depth of the competition. The closest anyone got was Winter Springs eighth-grader, Lynsey Kelly, who PR’d in winning the 800 (2:31.30), but her second “best,” was, well, second best (5:40.57).
“I’m good at long distance,” she explained. “That’s why I run these events. I have more endurance than most girls, because I play soccer too, so I can keep up my pace.”
Unlike a lot of the competitors, she’s new to running.
“It’s my first year of running track. In regular meets, I run the 1600, the 4 X 4, and the 4 X 8. Here, it’s been better to run against kids my own age, instead of kids much older than me. Although I like to run against them, because they push me, I like this more. They’re equally talented, but the same age.”
Although Lake Brantley’s Max Robinson is listed as a freshman, he has been running for three or four years with the Central Florida Gliders. With that experience, and his coach’s help, he was able to formulate a definite race plan.
“In the first lap, I tried to stay behind the first runner and run a 67. In the second lap, I tried to keep the leaders within at least 20 meters. In the third lap, I took off, and ran it my fastest, making sure that I could open up a decent gap over everyone else. In the fourth, I tried not to let anyone catch me, with the gap I had, and finish strong.”
Max’s 4:40.94 beat his previous best, a 4:55.63 on February 13, 2012, by 15 seconds.
In third, behind Robinson, was Matt Gargiulo, of Hagerty. The sophomore seemed to have fully recovered from that previous race, where he ran 4:48.43 (third place), in time to set his own pace in the 800.
“Coming in as #1, I didn’t know who would be the competition,” he said after finishing. “So I ran my own race, and got as good a 400 split as I could; I think it was 62 or 63. For the second lap, I tried to keep my lead, and widen it as much as I could.”
It was apparent, from the way he controlled the pace, that he was ready for the winning time that he ran; 2:05.25.
“We’ve been working on my speed a lot, and especially my form. I think I was prepared for this race. For the conference meet, I’m going to work as hard as I can, and with more competition, I hope to do even better.”
Lyman runner Cameron McCutcheon set a blistering pace in the 3200, gradually wearing everyone else down. His distance background includes AAU cross country, where they run 4K (2.48 miles), plus a year at Lyman.
“I heard about Coach Fred Fink while I was in middle school, that he was a really great coach, and I thought that I could learn from that experience.
“I wasn’t really the fastest kid. I think I ran the first (cross country) meet my freshman year in 18:14 (18:13.94 at the September 11, 2010 Hagerty Invitational). I ran 10:39 and 4:59 in spring track.
“Sophomore year, over the summer, I began to pick up the mileage, eating right, and listening to my body.”
This past fall, he ran consistently in the 16s, with a 16:34.65 best at the October 15, 2011, Holy Trinity Fall Classic.
“I feel that cross country is my strongest event, but coming to track it’s the 3200. I ran 10:16 at FSU last week, and feel that next week—at the conference championship--I’ll have a lot of competition. I’ll ride on them and try to outkick them in the end.”
Certainly, with his third place finish here last year (10:59.93), and his improvement this year (first in 10:33.26)—his PR not withstanding—he could be a serious threat to break into the top three, and perhaps go higher.
Throwing it out there.
Sometimes, the big kids have all the fun. Take shot putter Paul Collins. He threw that bright, shiny ball—luckily nowhere near my favorite fence—42’ 2-1/2”, a solid three and a half feet past his previous best, erasing any residual disappointment from that last year’s third place finish at this meet (35’11”), or his second place at the 2011 conference meet (38’8”).
“This meet was kind of toned down,” he said. “It felt better with less people. It gives me more confidence and sharpens me for the conference.”
And if they’re big and athletic, it gets even better. Alec Henkhaus, aka “the hurler,” threw his spring special, a new PR, 117’9 ½”. (As quarterback for Lake Brantley, he has a different “fall special.”)
“I like the discus better than the shot,” he admitted, “’cause I feel it requires more technique than strength, and I like working on technique.”
The greater the challenge, the more Alec likes it.
“Next, I go over to the track and run the 110 hurdles (but not in this meet), come back and do the shot (8th with a 34’ 4” throw), then do the 300 (fourth in 46.26). If I do it right, like at Spruce Creek last week, I am able to do all four.”
In other words, he picks the hardest events.
“Well, yeah,” he smiled. “But running is more important to me. I’ll be going into football soon. Spring football starts May 1st.”
Alec’s Lake Mary teammate Cydney Bowman, won the girls’discus (91’6”), but also the shot (30’9-1/2”). Neither were near her best, 105’ 6” and 31’ 6”, but she was happy.
“I did it all through middle school—The First Academy, in Orlando—but did not do it freshman year. I started again sophomore year, here. Coach “Chief” Daniels asked me to try it. I got a lot of support from the coaching staff. They help you a lot. Coach Paul and Chief are a lot of fun to work with during practice. They work you hard; definitely push you.”
But which event does she like best?
“Shot put or discus? Probably…that’s a tough question. As I get better, first with one, then the other, it kind of switches off. It’s hard to tell.”
We end with freshman Ken Williams, who kind of sums the meet up with these words:
“I think this meet is important because it shows you how you’ll measure up when you’re a junior or senior, and it’s good to run against competition in your own grade.”
Ken, in case you’re wondering, was a middle-of-the-pack runner, whose best was sixth in the 200, which won his heat.
“The 200 is not too long, not too short. I decided to run it because I could do my best in it.”
Sage advice from someone so young, so I decided to take it and end this at (2,)200 words; not too long, not too short.
Team Champions
For the boys, Lyman (146) slipped by Seminole (140), followed by host Lake Brantley (115). Lake Mary won the Girls’ Championship, with twice the points of either Hagerty (94), or Lake Brantley (91).