MONDAY MORNING FINISH LINE

May 24, 2021

By Michael Newman

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I love the championship time at the end of Cross Country and Track & Field. I know you all feel the same way. It seemed that championship time came a little earlier sometime this season.

It makes sense. We all missed last year as I have said again and again this spring. That sense of wow hit me two weeks ago at Palatine. I got body slammed at Minooka on Friday night with a flood of electricity from the passion I have for the sport.

There have been a couple of times where I left a meet early. I’ve stood in the rain watching my daughter run (of course) in a cross-country meet. I had a meet earlier this year where it got under 40 degrees and I was shivering so hard I could not hold a camera. I felt terrible leaving, but I learned from last fall that sometimes me comes first when it comes to my health.

I took two different approaches this weekend.

Minooka’s meet on Friday I had been anticipating for over a year since Nick Lundin of Minooka had been setting up a field that could be the best outside of the state meet. When I left Friday night, I felt it was. Thanks to Nick for letting me film this meet. I am still getting chills watching the relay races.

My passion can be obsessive some, ok most, of the time for this sport. I loved fans in the stands again. I would get mad when people got in my shot. I could not understand people leaving early from this meet. Maybe they had a dinner date. Perhaps maybe they were idiots not understanding how big this meet was. I left those feelings on my desk when I got home.

I took a different approach to the meet I would be going to on Saturday. Two weeks prior at one of their meets at Wheaton-Warrenville South, their Girls Coach Rob Harvey suggested that I announce the final meet of the season. Rob told me that he was planning on some super fields in the distance events. I said sure. It would be fun doing it again. I have done several meets but none lately. I do have practice when I shoot videos for all of you.

Here is the passion for you. I looked up at the state leading times. That was it. I prepare for each season doing a ton of research. When I get to a meet, I’m ready to roll. I missed shooting videos of the races. South filmed the meet on their NFHS site. Look for it there. I’ve received a couple of notes asking did I shoot videos? I never answered. Sorry. All I can say is why didn’t you get your butts to that meet?

There were several athletes that I wanted to talk to after the race when I saw the meet program. Harvey said that I should do interviews of some of the winners afterwards. One runner I was hoping to talk to was Josie Bond of Naperville North. I interviewed her when she was in seventh grade after winning a race in Mags Miles. I’ve known her dad, Kenric Bond who was one of the starters in the meet, for a time now. I asked her about that first interview and asked her about her race strategy. My final question was “Your dad was the starter for your race. Have you talked to your Dad to let you jump the gun at the dinner table in a race? I looked at Kenric and he was just covering his eyes. He replied later that was good.

No, Josie did not false start on Saturday night.

The race that rocked on this night was the Boys 1600 Meter Run. After I announced the runners in the field, I told the crowd “I think we should see the winner go under 4:20. I was wrong. Five runners were under that mark.

A key for a good race call is not saying something that is factually incorrect. I have heard that in some of the major big meets. I was doing hand flips and saying to myself “Can you believe this #$%@#$@ race!” Outside I was watching and analyzing and describing. I got excited on the final lap. I let my inner self out.

I also wished I would have done an interview on video with Ivan Westcott the race winner from Yorkville. I did in front of the crowd. His passion for his running hit me hard. I’ll get you at state Ivan. I promise.

I walked 6 miles at that meet. It took me 10 minutes to swing my legs inside of the car and check that. The adrenaline that I felt over that four hours had left me. Rigor mortis set in on my body.

I gained a sense again of this sport. Thank you to the meet staff on Saturday night and asking. The heat was tough early. The gnats that were flying around after the wind died became a nuisance. I wish I could have sung “Take Me Out To The Ballgame”, but Harvey said no.

I also did not say Heats instead of Sections. The H word never came out on this night. I did not happen also the night before at Minooka under the announcing of Roland Hopkins. He brought some excitement into that meet as well.

More About the State Meet

There are some coaches that have contacted me about a few things over the past week. Here are some of the things that I can respond to and give you an answer.

First, only times that have been submitted into Athletic.Net can be used for seed times in the upcoming sectionals. 95% of you are doing a tremendous job in uploading. You should have no problems when your sectional seed times are due late Sunday night. I have seen some invitationals that have partial results. Kraig Garber of the IHSA sent an e-mail to all of you explaining that full and official results need to be uploaded to be used. Get them in sooner than later. You will be dead man walking if you contact me on Saturday or even at Sunday night. I have a ton of national duties or DyeStat that I need to handle.

Second, Garber confirmed to me that in the field events such as the Long Jump, Triple Jump, Shot Put, and Discus will be held in the Sectional Meets and then also at the state meet. The usual three in prelims, three more attempts in the finals are not happening this year. Why? Because we are only competing in sections. There are no prelims. It makes sense.

Third, regarding seeding the distance events at state, sections will be as evenly divided as we can get them with the fastest section going last.  We will place up to 12 in a section for the 800, and there could be more than 12 in the 1600 and 3200 as we will use the international waterfall according to Garber. The sprint events in lane races – top eight or nine in each section with the fastest section going last.

State Meet Teams vs. Individual Meet Teams

There is always the saying that goes through Coaching Circles is that there are teams that excel in invitational meets during the regular season. When it comes to a state meet, the star athletes step t the head of the pack. I remember at one of my first state track meets, Bob McGee was a big influence in helping win the 2A State Championship. He had won the 120y Hurdles, the 100y Dash, and the 330y Hurdles in the meet. McGee had not run a bunch in the Mile relay for his team. He was gassed having run seen races over the two days. Hall of Fame Coach Willie May had him anchor for their team. In a light drizzle on that day in 1979, McGee brought his team from behind to win the state race and secure the state team title.

There again will be the star athletes that carry their team like Brandon Battle of Edwardsville. The sectional meets in the next few weeks should be spectacular. The name of the game for teams that are wanting to be in the state talk is getting their relays to the fastest section at state. In some cases, it may not even matter. We could see a team in an earlier section win the state title in the event. They get their teams in to state and replace the runners for their best four for the section state races.

There will be the strategy that some coaches will have to endure before their entries are due the Sunday before sectional meets. Do I try to get more individuals to Charleston and hope that I have the runners in the relays to get us to state? Remember, only four events in this state meet. Only four races if your kid is on the track.

The past few years we have seen less of the distance doubles especially with the prelims that happen the day before. Now, we could still see more doubles for the athletes to see success like the 4x8 to the 800m or 1600m. Ali Ince of Normal said that she is going to run the 800m and 1600m at state and has been successful with that double in her last two races. The traditional 3200m to 1600m I yearn to see especially in 2A with Drew Rogers of Herscher and Wilson Georges of Limestone going at it in those two events.

Can’t wait to see how teams play this card game. It should be fun to watch.