Think back for a moment to Saturday, April 6 with the fresh dump of rain, sleet, snow, and slush. These weather conditions might not make you think about track and field season, however thanks to the wonderful folks at University of Superior in Wisconsin, our athletes were able to run in conditions of 60 degrees and sunny! This was our first meet of the season, our indoor conference meet, and we appreciated that is was indoors.
This year we have over 40 seventh through 12th graders out for Cook County Track and Field. On this particular day with church events, the senior theater trip and other conflicts we were able to only bring 23 athletes to Superior. Most were our younger and newer members so it was nice to be able to get them acquainted with the three-ring circus of track and field.
For first timers all of the different events can feel quite overwhelming. Most of the athletes were in three different events. There is no time schedule to follow, events just roll. This means that you have to pay attention to what events are happening so you don’t miss your own event. Oh, did I mention there are both running and field events happening at the same time?
With the sounds of starting guns, blocks being set from which to get a fast start, and the shot put plopping on the Mondo field it felt—despite the weather outside— like spring had sprung and track and field season had begun. With this being the first meet of the season there were many memorable comments and questions from our athletes. Here are a few from our runners before the start of and during the event.
“I am so nervous I think I might throw up.”
“Will I look funny?”
“Where are my shorts?”
“Should I have my uniform on?”
“I feel like I worked hard, I am so tired, did I do well?”
“Wait, does 3rd call or 1st call come first?”
“That wasn’t so bad.”
“Four laps didn’t feel as long as I thought it would.”
Despite the chaos, the events were well-orchestrated and the students found themselves in the groove. My favorite part was to see how proud they were when they finished an event feeling a little bit better than they thought they would.
As this was the first meet officials don’t keep track of team scores. This is more of an opportunity to see where the kids are. Here are some of the highlights of the performances: . Field Events – This was the first time that any of our athletes had a chance to throw in a venue other than the band room or the gym. Our throwers did quite well. Noah Warren threw 29’11”, Danielle Hanson had a nice throw with 23’4”, Alicia Smith had a strong one with 25’ and Jessica Berg-Collman started the season off with 31’ placing 3rd over all. Will Lamb was our only jumper for the day, and he jumped the triple jump with 26’5”, which was fairly close to his personal best! . Sprinting – We had two 55-meter hurdlers on the girls’ side. Rachel Todd, who is attending St. Scholastica and is able to run for us, ran 10.82 seconds, just out of placing in the top six. Meadow Adams had a nice first run after running in the 4×800 with a time of 11.22 seconds. Our top boy sprinter for the day was Luke Fenwick running the 60-yard dash in 7.47 seconds. He was followed by Levi Axtell with 7.85 seconds, and Noah Warren with 8.06 seconds. The girls run the 55-meter dash and we had many new runners learn the value and importance of a great, fast start in such a short race. The other true sprinting event of the day was the 200-meter dash. Representing the boys were Noah Warren (27 sec), Roman Schnobrich (29 sec), and Will Lamb (31.2 sec). For the girls – Libby Zafft (31.9 sec), Wellesley Howard-Larsen (35.5 sec), and Alicia Smith (43.4 sec). . Relays – The first relay of the day is the 4×800 where each individual runs a half of a mile. The girls’ team (Maya McHugh, Meadow Adams, Alyssa Martinson, and Rose Ingebrigtsen) ran 12:27 placing them 4th overall. The boys’ team (Levi Axtell, Rusty Day, Will Seaton, and Joey Chmelik) came in 6th with a time of 10:17.
As the relays become shorter the hand offs become more and more important. During the past few weeks of practice we have been working on these hand offs and it is always exciting to watch the technique during a race. Most of the hand offs by the Vikings were smooth and fast! Nice job, runners!
The girls’ 4×200 team (Meadow Adams, Jessica Berg- Collman, Rachel Todd, and Molly Thomas) ran 2:10 and placed 6th. The boys’ 4×200 team (Noah Warren, Will Lamb, Roman Schnobrich, and Luke Fenwick) had some really great baton exchanges and ran a 1:57.
The last event was the 4×400 where each individual runs a quarter of a mile. Our ladies (Maya McHugh, Alyssa Martinson, Rachel Todd, and Molly Thomas) took 3rd place right behind Esko with a time of 5:01. This is going to be a group of ladies to keep your eyes on through the season! Our boys (Rusty Day, Will Seaton, August Carpenter, and Joey Chmelik) took a respectable 6th place with a time of 4:43. . Mid-Distance – These are events that some would categorize as a sprint and some would categorize as a distance event. They include the 400m and the 800m. While there were no placers in these events there were many proud faces as the runners crossed the finish line as they worked so hard and many made personal goals or were running similar time to the end of last season.
Molly Thomas won her heat in the 400m with a time of 69.1. She crossed with a big smile and a large lead! Other 400 runners included Marin Hay and Brenna Hay both running 84.9 seconds, Danielle Hanson with 88 seconds, and Julia Larsen with 98 seconds. On the boys’ side were Levi Axtell and Luke Fenwick with a 63 second 400m, August Carpenter and Roman Schnobrich both running 68, and Finn Garry running a 78 second 400m. 800m runners included Alyssa Martinson (3:02), Marin Hay (3:39), Danielle Hanson (3:40), Will Seaton (2:41), August Carpenter (2:47), Will Lamb (2:51), and Finn Garry (2:55). . Distance – The only distance event for the day was the mile. Rusty Day ran a personal best by over 20 seconds with a time of 6:07; Joey Chmelik ran a great time and just missed placing with a time of 5:35. Maya McHugh was our top finisher for the girls and just missed finishing in the top 6 with a time of 6:16 followed by her teammate Rose Ingebrigtsen (8:27).
Our next meet will hopefully take place on Tuesday, April 23 at Two Harbors High School. Events will begin at 4 p.m. We will be hoping for 60 degrees and sunny!
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