A new breeze in the coaching community

As referenced in this morning's post, here is a photo of some Forever Foxes who are now coaching the high school ranks. Mark Valentino (Roslyn), Kelley Gould (your FDR Presidents!), Nick Hughes (Albertus Magnus). At Ocean Breeze. Stopwatches and clipboards in hand. Nicely done!

Hall of a neat tradition

For the second year in a row, during the week between Christmas and New Year's, my youngest son James and I made a pilgrimage to Cooperstown for a visit to the Baseball Hall of Fame. We love it there, and James has become a student of baseball history (geez, wonder where THAT came from?). It was a cold and snowy day up in Cooperstown -- perfect to spend indoors looking at plaques and displays about baseball. OK!

The holidays

As is usually the case, the posts have been infrequent during this time of year. Not much to report from a team standpoint, and we have been busy with family and holiday activities. Santa was good to me this year. The theme: Making the old coach’s life easier. In fact, that seems to be the trend in electronics gifts this year, right? Anyway! Heidi splurged and got me a remote car starter, something I have avoided getting for myself out of guilt. I already love it. Another gift, one that is sure to save me a lot of money throughout the year: a Keurig coffee machine. The basic model. That’s all I need. My stops at Stewart’s (small coffee = $1.30) will be far less frequent now. That’s OK!

In other news! Talk about worlds colliding: I just got a text from Tino, who is down at Ocean Breeze today coaching his high school team. Who did he run into? Hughes, also coaching his high school team. Former teammates and friends, Forever Foxes, joining the expanding list of former Foxes who now coach their own teams. And oh yeah: A skinny senior captain from FDR’s track team will also be at the meet. Pretty neat. 

This swim parent's right at home

For years, I internally sneered at them. Them. Crowded in sweaty masses on aluminum bleachers outside my office. Huddled around power outlets to keep their various devices charged and ready. Folding chairs of various complexity, splayed out for the long mornings and afternoons at the swim meets. They overtake our beloved racquetball court, made it into a snack bar and a swimwear swap shop. Swim parents! They have inhabited my world in the McCann Recreation Center for the past quarter century or more – countless youth swimmers invading my lockerroom space, back when I was a competitive runner training from McCann, even more countless parents and restless siblings, waiting impatiently on or around those metal bleachers, endlessly, for heat after heat, section after section, age group after age group, to watch their child swim for a minute or less, maybe a bit more if they are older and in a longer event. Club swimming. Swim parents. Them. Sheesh.

Guess what. Oh. You know. You know! I’m one of them now. That’s right. A swim parent. Perhaps I have made reference to this. Maybe not. Here’s the thing! This weekend, my worlds collided head-on, at the Red Fox Aquatic Club Holiday Invitational. Those swim parents -- whose gauntlet I had to run through, bobbing and weaving around the maze of team T-shirts, folding chairs, laptops, iDevices, etc., to get to my office – became my ranks this weekend. Them. Me. It was a surreal feeling, going from the sneer-er to the sneer-ee. Boy. It does get warm up there. Crowded. What event is James in? Natalie’s in event 97? What heat? Is it fast to slow? What lane? Hey. How come that guy is standing there, in my way, when clearly he hasn’t had a kid in a race in the past 10 events? Pete. Dude. Bro! Listen to your inner voice. Listen! You WORK here, man. These are the people who, for years, have baffled you because of their intense fervor. Yeah. Them. Now, I’m one of them. I’m one with the masses, nudging my way to the front to get splits for my children. Sneer no more, my friends. Swim parents are humans too. And, all joking aside, I love it. Love it! It’s warm. It’s inside. It’s my KIDS. And, it’s at Marist, so I can defy the “this area closed” sign and indeed go into my office to drop off my coat and hat and gloves, and maybe get some peace and quiet between event 33 and event 107. Again, before I get flooded with swim parent hate mail from the half-dozen or so followers of this blog: I like being a swim parent. I have a “swim dad” car magnet on my driver’s side door. Long, endless meets with a lot of down time between events of interest. Hey. I’m a track coach. I’m uniquely qualified for this. Especially if there is coffee at the snack bar. 

Convention week: Reflections on three days in Orlando

First of all, in a rare moment of brilliant thinking (OK, maybe I’m overstating this), I was able – with the help of our super travel agent – to switch my original flight home from Saturday morning to Friday night. A stroke of genius foresight, as I beat the nasty weather and watched with smug satisfaction at home as that original Saturday morning flight was, indeed, canceled as predicted. Sometimes, being a weather geek can be useful – although the Saturday morning snowstorm we got here was definitely on the high end of expectations, as it dumped about 6-7 inches on top of our existing snow pack. Yes, it’ll be a White Christmas – and, I predict, a long, cold, snowy, icy winter. If you are believer in regression to the mean, as I am, we are up for some serious payback from last year’s non-winter.

Anyway, here are some final thoughts after three days in Orlando for the USTFCCCA Convention. Apparently, it was a record turnout of coaches, with more than 1,500 of us in attendance. I guess I was one small drip on that record attendance, having been a first-time attendee. Several coaches who go to the convention every year noted to me that I picked a good year to attend. The debates were vigorous and at times contentious, and the legislation was much more important than the usual, run-of-the-mill stuff. I won’t bore you with the details of legislation and what was voted on, but I was pleased with all the outcomes. The various symposiums were definitely worth attending, if only as a healthy exchange of ideas and to pique interest in trying out and expanding on training paradigms. My fellow MAAC coaches and other Northeast coaching friends were pleased to have me there, as they have been lobbying for years to me to attend. Was the trip worth it? Yes. Will I go every year? Probably not. I will let the issues guide my decision; if I feel there are important things that are on the table, I’ll be there. Next year’s convention is in Phoenix. I’ve never been there. So, that’s a possibility. We’ll see. One year at a time. I will say THIS: It’s nice to be home.   

Convention week: Hopkins

First of all: I apologize for this horrendous selfie, complete with my arm sticking out to take the photo. I know. I'm terrible at this. Anyway! There are more than 1,000 coaches here in Orlando this week, but how cool was it to run into and spend a lot of time with Sean Hopkins, a 2005 alum and now a grad assistant at West Virginia. Hopkins is a true student of the sport, so exchanging ideas with him and just hanging out with him has been a blast. He is a loyal Forever Fox, and consistently follows our team. He knows our athletes' PRs and meet performances. After 11 years away from Poughkeepsie, he still follows us. How cool is that?

Convention week: Not there

Yeah. So. I guess it's cold back home? Not here in Orlando. Oh sure. Last night, at the Mondo Dinner outside, some folks were complaining about the cool, stiff breeze -- all 65 degrees of it. Meanwhile! I'm hearing of dangerous wind chills and ominous snow forecasts back home. And this morning, my good pal Ken posted this frosty beard photo on Facebook and tagged me, saying my own frosty beard was missed on the usual Friday morning run from Marist up to College Hill. Yeah. I was NOT THERE, for sure. But, I'll be back soon enough. OK!

Convention week: In the air tonight

For the first time in my coaching career, I am attending our sport governing body’s national convention – the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Convention in Orlando, Florida. The bulk of the convention will be Wednesday through Friday. I am currently on a half-empty Jet Blue flight from Westchester County Airport to Orlando, with a return flight scheduled very early Saturday morning. I am not a frequent flier, but I will give you my opinion: There is no better airline to fly than Jet Blue. The seats are roomy, the flights are generally smooth and on time, and there is on-board Wifi. And, they offer direct flights from relatively small, easy-to-navigate airports to major hubs like Orlando. What’s not to like?

So anyway. It was with great reluctance that I decided to make this trip to the convention. I operate from a feeling of extreme guilt: My job forces me to be away from home and family for many weekends through three seasons, so why should I tack on another few days away from home? I revel in the mundane aspects of life: Going to the deli to get a gallon of milk, transporting my kids to their varying activities, attending their sporting and other events … you get the idea. Jetting off to a convention for a few days has always seemed gratuitous at best. However! For many years, my coaching brethren have urged me to attend. It’s worth it, they said. It’s fun, they said. It’s IMPORTANT, they implored. Finally, I listened, relented and away we go. What spurred me from my usual, home-based inertia into action? Well, this: There is a lot of important, groundbreaking legislation on the table this year, much of which could have a direct impact on our program and our athletes. The only way to vote on this legislation is to attend the convention. Since our interests generally align well with those of our friends and rivals (in many cases, synonymous) in the Northeast region, it’s important to have our collective voices heard and not be drowned out by the Big Fish of our world. And so, I go.

This is a working trip. Other than an occasional early-morning jog or walk, I do not plan to be outside or to go anywhere; I'm not even renting a car! I will be attending sessions, meetings and the like. I will be schmoozing with other coaches. I will not, under ANY circumstances, be taking a side trip to Disney World. No way! I will be avoiding the polar vortex/Arctic blast of the Northeast for a few days, and I will be wearing short-sleeve shirts for the last time in many months. I will post here if there is anything to report, but I suspect the subject matter will be of very narrow interest to those who read this blog. If there is anything worth summarizing, we’ll do it. Otherwise, I’ll do my best to listen, to learn and to cast informed votes on topics of importance to our athletes and our sport. OK!

Forever Foxes in Tallahassee

Very proud to have Marist Running represented at the USATF Club Cross Country Championships, held Saturday morning at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Florida. Katie Messina was the third finisher for the Boston-based Battle Road Track Club, which finished 14^th with 372 points. Katie ran her usual even-paced race and placed 82^nd in 21:49 for the 6km course, an average of 5:52 per mile. A pair of Albany Running Exchange runners completed the race, although ARE did not field complete teams. Christine Coughlin was 160^th overall in 24:00 (6:27 pace). Nick Webster ran 34:37 (5:35 pace) for the 10km pace. As always, we are proud of our Forever Foxes and we are grateful for the pictures that accompany this post. 

Wagner Seahawk Shootout: Men's results and splits

Ever since the sprint medley relay school record was tied -- TIED, to the hundredth! -- a few winters ago, our athletes have been staring longingly at that record, wanting to take it down. It was not an easy record to break -- mostly because the SMR is a rarely run event during the indoor season. Well, today, the men got the job done in a big way, obliterating the previous record by nearly nine (9!) seconds with some excellent splits (see below). Oh yeah. THEY WON THE RACE, TOO. Sprinkle in a few nice PR times, and this was an excellent way to cap off the 2016 calendar year. On to 2017, men!

Wagner Seahawk Shootout

Friday, December 9, 2016

Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex

Staten Island, NY

Men’s results and splits

300-meter dash

12. Tim Johnson 36.26

1,000-meter run

5. Anthony Colasanto 2:36.93

30, 60 (30), 1:31 (31), 2:04 (33), 2:36.93 (32.93)

6. Matthew Hawker 2:37.63

31, 61 (30), 1:32 (31), 2:05 (33), 2:37.63 (32.63)

Mile run

13. Nate Lungarini 4:39.47

34.8, 68.5 (33.7), 1:43.1 (34.6), 2:16.9 (33.8), 2:51.4 (34.5), 3:26.7 (35.3), 4:02.6 (35.9), 4:39.47 (36.87)

14. Eamonn Beers 4:39.74

36.1, 70.9 (34.8), 1:46.6 (35.7), 2:21.2 (34.6), 2:56.0 (34.8), 3:30.2 (34.2), 4:04.1 (33.9), 4:39.74 (35.64)

3,000-meter run

9. Dan Hillman 9:09.05

35, 70 (35), 1:47 (37), 2:22 (35), 2:58 (36)

3:36 (38), 4:13 (37), 4:50 (37), 5:28 (38), 6:04 (36)

6:42 (38), 7:20 (38), 7:58 (38), 8:36 (38), 9:09.05 (33.05)

Kilometer splits: 2:58, 3:06, 3:05.05

10. Connor Levins 9:16.53

36, 72 (36), 1:48 (36), 2:24 (36), 3:01 (37)

3:38 (37), 4:15 (37), 4:52 (37), 5:28 (36), 6:05 (37)

6:44 (39), 7:23 (39), 8:03 (40), 8:42 (39), 9:16.53 (34.53)

Kilometer splits: 3:01, 3:04, 3:11.53

11. Elias Platanias 9:17.99

35, 71 (36), 1:46 (35), 2:21 (35), 2:58 (37)

3:36 (38), 4:13 (37), 4:51 (38), 5:28 (37), 6:05 (37)

6:44 (39), 7:23 (39), 8:02 (39), 8:40 (38), 9:17.99 (37.99)

Kilometer splits: 2:58, 3:07, 3:12.99

Sprint medley relay

1-Marist (Tim Johnson 22.8, Drew Burns 23.6, Brian Henderson 51.5, Zachary Ropes 1:55.9) 3:33.93 *school record, old record 3:42.82 set by Krupka, McCloskey, Frederickson, Vanzetta, 2010, and T. Johnson, Dodge, Taylor, Buttigieg, 2014

1,600-meter relay

9-Marist (Drew Burns 53.1, Brian Henderson 53.2, Nate Lungarini 54.7, Anthony Colasanto 53.7) 3:35.02

Wagner Seahawk Shootout: Women's results

Another week, another record for senior captain Ashley Haynes. This time, it was in the rarely-run 300-meter dash. Ashley won her section and tied Holly Burns' mark, which was set in 2010. On to 2017!

Wagner Seahawk Shootout

Friday, December 9, 2016

Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex

Staten Island, NY

Women’s results and splits

300-meter dash

16. Ashley Haynes 42.56 *ties school record, Holly Burns, 2010

600-meter run

12. Jenn Horner 1:44.75

32.4, 67.2 (34.8), 1:44.75 (37.55)

Wagner Seahawk Shootout: Old men by the sea

Thanks to Marty McGowan for sharing this photo of an old coach doing some old coaching during the mile run on Friday afternoon at Ocean Breeze. Speaking of OLD: Our most loyal alum, Marty spent a few hours with us -- cheering on the guys, telling stories of the old days and generally being our most loyal alum. There are many reasons why we are grateful for the opening of Ocean Breeze -- none more than the proximity to Marty's house. Nicely done!

Wagner Seahawk Shootout: Updated time schedule

An updated time schedule for Friday's meet was emailed today. Here it is (note: field events are not listed since we do not have any athletes in those events):

2 p.m.: 60-meter hurdles (final on time)
2:25 p.m.: 60-meter dash (final on time)
2:55 p.m.: Mile run
3:45 p.m.: 300-meter dash
4:25 p.m.: 1,000-meter run
4:45 p.m.: SMR (200-200-400-800)
5:05 p.m.: 800-meter alumni race
5:15 p.m.: 600-meter dash
5:50 p.m.: 3,000-meter run
6:30 p.m.: 4x400 relay

Wagner Seahawk Shootout: What's next

Our final competition of the 2016 calendar year is another indoor meet at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex on Staten Island -- the Wagner Seahawk Shootout on Friday. We added a second December meet with the idea of giving athletes an additional competition before the semester break. Well, given that Friday is the last day of classes before finals, most of our student-athletes cannot miss class and/or are swamped with end-of-semester academic responsibilities. As a result? We will have a very small group of athletes traveling to the meet. How small? Between 10 and 15 athletes ... total. Which is fine with us, we'll have some fun with it and then start focusing on the 2017 calendar year. Here is an order of events for Friday's meet, which starts at 2 p.m.

60-meter hurdles (final on time)
60-meter dash (final on time
Mile run
300-meter dash
1,000-meter run
SMR (200-200-400-800)
800-meter alumni race
600-meter dash
3,000-meter run
4x400 relay

You'll note some rarely run events for indoor college meets -- the 300, 600 and SMR. Hope to see you there. OK!

The dash between the dates

He was a friend, a mentor and a role model. No one did more for local road running and road racing than Pete Sanfilippo, who passed away at age 84 on Saturday morning, just hours before he was set to direct the 37^th annual Knights of Columbus Holiday Run in his beloved hometown of Wappingers Falls. I’ve known Pete for more than 30 years. His handshake was firm, his staccato way of talking left you no doubt about his passion for everything in his life -- especially his directing road races. The man was loyal and loving to his family, his Knights of Columbus brothers, the Mid-Hudson Road Runners Club (he was a “founding father”), his church and the village in which he lived his entire life. If the dash between the dates is indicative of the time you have on this earth, Pete maximized his 84 years. His was a truly great American life. There will never be another guy like him. Anyone who has run, or will run, a MHRRC race owes a debt of gratitude for the man in the Dodgers cap who was at hundreds and hundreds of finish lines through the years – including our very own Red Fox Trot 5km. Rest in peace, Pete. Long may you run. 

The student part of student-athletes

On Sunday night, as I was trying to get to the bottom of where a prospective student-athlete was with our current student-athletes, I was texting the men and this group selfie from Spencer revealed a hard-working study group of fine young student-athletes. Emphasis on student. Nicely done.

Metro Holiday Opener: Men's results and splits

Freshman Zach Ropes starts college career with a victory in the 800-meter run

Metro Holiday Season Opener

Friday, December 2, 2016

Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex

Staten Island, NY

Men’s results and splits

200-meter dash

4. Tim Johnson 22.64

10. Joe Cafaro 23.07

27. Josh Hindle 24.56

27. Santosh Krishnan 24.56

29. Justin Muccio 24.64

800-meter run

1-Zach Ropes 1:57.60

3. Brian Henderson 1:59.03

6. Nate Lungarini 2:02.20

7. Anthony Colasanto 2:02.47

10. Sami Ellougani 2:03.91

Mile run

15. Omar Perez 4:43.90

34.7, 67.9 (33.2), 1:40.9 (33.0), 2:15.5 (34.6), 3:28.9 (37.3), 4:06.3 (37.4), 4:43.90 (36.90)

18. Eamonn Beers 4:44.62

36.9, 71.2 (34.3), 1:46.9 (35.7), 2:23.0 (36.1), 2:58.7 (35.7), 3:34.7 (36.0), 4:10.7 (36.0), 4:44.62 (32.92)

3,000-meter run

6. Dan Hillman 9:08.73

33, 68 (35), 1:46 (38), 2:23 (37), 2:59 (36)

3:35 (36), 4:11 (36), 4:47 (36), 5:23 (36), 6:01 (38)

6:38 (37), 7:17 (39), 7:55 (38), 8:34 (39), 9:08.73 (34.73)

Kilometer splits: 2:59, 3:02, 3:07.73

10. Connor Levins 9:28.56

33, 69 (36), 1:47 (38), 2:24 (37), 2:59 (35)

3:37 (38), 4:14 (37), 4:52 (38), 5:30 (38), 6:09 (39)

6:50 (41), 7:30 (40), 8:11 (41), 8:49 (38), 9:28.56 (39.56)

Kilometer splits: 2:59, 3:10, 3:19.56

1,600-meter relay

4. Marist A (Josh Siegel 51.7, Zach Ropes 52.2, Nate Lungarini 53.5, Tim Johnson 52.9) 3:30.25

6. Marist B (Joe Cafaro 52.8, Sean Patterson 54.2, Santosh Krishnan 55.1, Justin Muccio 53.6) 3:36.21

3,200-meter relay

3. Marist (Drew Burns 1:59.8, Tanner Senius 2:03.3, Brian Henderson 2:05.4, Matthew Hawker 2:07.0) 8:15.80

Metro Holiday Opener: Women's results and splits

Metro Holiday Season Opener

Friday, December 2, 2016

Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex

Staten Island, NY

Women’s results and splits

60-meter dash

4. Ashley Haynes 7.92 *school record, old record 7.95 by Danielle Asaro in 2015

15. Lauren Adams 8.30

21. Abby Smith 8.48

200-meter dash

8. Ashley Haynes 26.16

12. Danisha Craig 26.49

20. Olivia Gage 27.46

21. Lauren Adams 27.55

28. Ericka Stewart 28.49

33. Emma Schweitzer 29.40

500-meter dash

10. Olivia Jaquith 1:21.20

800-meter run

3. Molly Weeks 2:27.93

35, 72 (37), 1:50 (38), 2:27.93 (37.93)

6. Jenn Horner 2:30.16

37, 71 (37), 1:50 (39), 2:30.16 (40.16)

11. Lauren Traina 2:42.37

36, 75 (39), 1:57 (42), 2:42.37 (45.37)

Mile run

10. Alyssa Hurlbut 5:27.88

40.8, 79.4 (38.5), 2:40.2 (40.9), 3:20.9 (40.7), 4:02.5 (41.6), 4:44.9 (42.4), 5:27.88 (42.98)

3,000-meter run

3. Nicki Nesi 10:18.65

37, 79 (42), 2:00 (41), 2:42 (42), 3:23 (41)

4:04 (41), 4:45 (41), 5:27 (42), 6:09 (42), 6:51 (42)

7:32 (41), 8:14 (42), 8:57 (43), 9:38 (41), 10:18.65 (40.65)

Kilometer splits: 3:23, 3:28, 3:27.65

4. Annie Gould 10:56.16

39, 81 (42), 2:04 (43), 2:47 (43), 3:30 (43)

4:13 (43), 4:57 (44), 5:41 (44), 6:25 (44), 7:10 (45)

7:55 (45), 8:40 (45), 9:27 (47), 10:12 (45), 10:56.16 (44.16)

Kilometer splits: 3:30, 3:40, 3:46.16

1,600-meter relay

6. Marist A (Danisha Craig 59.6, Debbie Boerke 62.5, Jenn Horner 62.9, Molly Weeks 62.1) 4:07.09

10. Marist B (Ericka Stewart 64.3, Olivia Jaquith 61.3, Emma Schweitzer 66.1, Abby Smith 66.2) 4:18.14

Metro Holiday Opener: School record for Ashley Haynes!

Ashley Haynes had a fast start to her senior year -- literally! In the first event of the first meet of the season, Ashley darted out of the blocks and sprinted to a time of 7.93 seconds in the trials of the 60-meter dash. This time eclipsed the school-record mark of 7.95 seconds set by Danielle Asaro two years ago. Then, in the finals, Ashley bolted from the blocks again, led for much of the race and wound up fourth overall in the finals with a time of 7.92 seconds, which knocked another 0.01 off her newly minted school record. And then! In the 200-meter dash, she placed eighth overall in a personal-record time of 26.16 seconds. Fast times for our super senior captain. Nicely done, Ash!

Metro Holiday Opener: Time schedule

Metro Holiday Opener
Ocean Breeze
Order of Events and Time Schedule
3 p.m.: 60-meter dash trials
3:25 p.m.: 60-meter hurdle trials
3:45 p.m.: Mile final
4 p.m.: 60 hurdle final
4:12 p.m.: 60 dash final
4:20 p.m.: 400 dash
4:45 p.m.: 500 dash
5 p.m.: 800 run
5:20 p.m.: 1,000 run
5:30 p.m.: 200 dash
6 p.m.: 3,000 run
6:30 p.m.: 4x800 relay
6:55 p.m.: DMR
7:15 p.m.: 4x400 relay

Hope to see you there.