10 years after ...

 

Top photo is from New Year's Eve, 2014 -- me in the middle, John McKee to the left, Neil Grencer to the right.

Bottom photo is from New Year's Eve, 2024 -- me in the middle, Dave O to the left, Neil Grencer to the right.

So much has changed in the past decade. Going for a morning run on the last day of the year has not.

See you in 2025!

How was your year?

Note: This was originally posted earlier on my Substack running column, petecolaizzo.substack.com -- please consider subscribing (to it) at the very economical price of $30/year (less than 25 cents per post!)

How was your year?
 
It was an innocuous question, uttered out of the blue by a friend as we were walking and talking indoors last week on a bitterly cold morning.
 
How was your year?
 
I was flummoxed, at a loss for words, which is rare for someone like me who talks and talks and talks (verbally or through the written word).
 
How was your year?
 
Context matters. Before my friend showed up, I had been walking by myself, the same 135-meter indoor track laps that I traverse over and over and over again during the cold-weather months. While there, I’m usually listening to audiobooks. Or, in this case, thinking. Usually about everything surrounding the academic calendar year, of which we are smack dab in the middle. Fall 2024 semester just concluded, busy Spring 2025 semester beckons.
 
That’s where my mind was at, thoughts swirling endlessly, before my walking buddy showed up. And then, the question …
 
How was your year?
 
Now you see, the context threw me off. My year? Whatchu mean, man! We’re right in the middle of my year! What year? Ask me in May, or maybe June!
 
Of course, by now, you realize what a dolt I can be sometimes. There’s less than one week left in the calendar year 2024. So, the end-of-year question, and the introspective thoughts that go with that question, they are everywhere.
 
How was your year?
 
In running, for those that keep track of mileage, the end of the year can be a time to celebrate literal milestones. I know a runner -- a serious, hard-core marathoner -- who just topped 4,000 miles of running for 2024. For those keeping score at home, that’s an average of more than 80 miles per week for an entire calendar year – that’s a lot of mileage!
 
My walking friend keeps track of his steps on an app. He’s constantly “getting steps” whenever and wherever he can throughout the day. The “10,000-steps-a-day” thing that you hear about all the time? He exceeds that total, most days, by 12 noon. And then, he keeps going.
 
Two popular apps – Strava and Spotify – provide year-end summaries called “wrapped.” It’s pretty neat to have an app summarize things for you – you know, while you’re busy actually DOING them! In Strava’s case, it’s your activity logs – run, walk, hike, cycle, etc. In Spotify’s case, it’s your listening habits – tells you what songs and what artists you listen to the most, month by month.
 
So here, in the last week of December, “how was your year?” thoughts can be pervasive. Recapping 2024, looking ahead to 2025. In truly thinking about it? I think I’m at a stage of life where … I don’t really think about it. I take each day and each week as it comes. “Be present” and “stay in the moment” are two popular phrases shared among busy and stressed-out college students, and I try to live by both.
 
And on that note, as I write this, our entire family is under one roof. That’s a rare occurrence these days, at this stage of their lives. They all surprised me by finding their way under this very same roof to be here for my 60^th birthday back in the late summer.
 
How was your year?
 
On that late-summer weekend, and today, I’d say pretty good! As for the other 350-something days? Replace the word “year” with “day” and ask me, and I’m sure I’ll have an answer ready for you. Broaden it out to the entire calendar of days under a four-digit number representing the year? Well then, you’ll lose me.
 
How was your year?

Two million page views!

Being a Numbers Guy, it’s really neat to see that this blog is at the 2,000,000 page-view mark. I remember being told by a team member when it hit the 1,000,000 mark (not sure when, not sure if I did a post about it!) but here we are now at 2 million. Who knows if this blog (or I!) will be around to eclipse the 3 million mark, but this is pretty cool. Thanks for the continued clicks!

2025, a sneak peek

As we close out the Fall 2024 semester, we eagerly anticipate the Spring 2025 semester – which could very well be the final semester in which we do NOT have an on-campus track facility for practice. This is another way of saying, our days of driving vans to track practice(s) are numbered. For someone who has been driving vans to practices and meets for the better part of 40 years (1982-1986 as an athlete, 1991-present as a coach), that is a hard concept to grasp. I think I’ll get used to it!
 
In anticipation of our spring semester, here is the (remainder of our) indoor track schedule. Mostly similar meets, some new meets, and definitely a different look to our meet entries (fewer distance runners and more non-distance runners entered in most meets as we transition to a more complete track program – also exciting!).
 
Friday, January 10: St. Thomas Aquinas College meet at Ocean Breeze – during intersession
Friday, January 17: NYC Gotham Cup at Ocean Breeze – during intersession
Friday/Saturday, January 24-25: Dr. Sander Scorcher at Armory
Friday/Saturday, January 31-February 1: Terrier Invitational at Boston University

Friday, February 7: Fastrack National at Ocean Breeze
Friday/Saturday, February 14-15: Valentine Invitational at Boston University
Saturday/Sunday, February 22-23: MAAC Championships at the Armory
Friday, February 28: Last Chance at Ocean Breeze

Saturday/Sunday, March 8-9: IC4A/ECAC at Boston University

Marist University (coming soon)

 By now, I would assume most of you have heard that Marist College will be officially Marist University, with the change happening with a big celebration in late January (I'm too lazy to look up the Actual Date). This was announced on Wednesday to much excitement and enthusiasm. So. What does this MEAN? A lot. And not a lot. 

For context? Many other MAAC schools have changed status from College to University -- most recently, Manhattan and Iona. But within the past decade (or so) also Canisius and St. Peter's. In fact! By my count? The only two MAAC schools that remain "College" are Siena and Merrimack. In almost all cases, the Universities were once Colleges. So? It's definitely a TREND. 

While there are many "reasons" for this change (and please, don't ask me! I'm just the idiot holding the stopwatch over here), one of the primary ones (in my mind) is the global perception. In other countries, higher education means "going to university" while college connotes secondary education (more like, you know, high school). Now that we have a branch campus in Florence, Italy, and we have been expanding our international footprint, the change makes sense. 

In terms of "designation"? It goes by state, and in New York, the only "requirement" is having a certain number of post-graduate degree programs. We have met or exceeded that threshold for a long time. So it's not like we just "qualified" for university status recently.

A few other thoughts: 

--This won't affect enrollment. We're not looking to grow enrollment. University status does not mean we will have a student body like Penn State. The MAAC schools that are now universities are no bigger than they were as colleges, or if there was growth it was "normal" growth (if that makes sense).

--We won't have new athletics logos. Nothing changes there. In my case, this means my "Marist flannels" don't need to be updated (phew).

--Athletic funding (scholarships) won't increase because we are a university. I've been asked that a LOT.

--If you are an alum, your diploma/degree remains valid as "Marist College" = you won't need a new one that says Marist University. 

--This has nothing to do with the track construction. Which, by the way! Is going REALLY REALLY well and it's EXTREMELY EXCITING. 

--A lot of students (while mostly giggling?) have brought up that we will be MU -- you know, like Monsters University from Monsters Inc. This should surprise no one who knows me well but ... I don't get this reference at all. I've never seen Monsters Inc., or any of their spinoff movies, etc. Or, more accurately, it may well have been playing on our TV set when our kids were younger and I may well have started watching the movie, only to drift, uninterested, into an inappropriate nap.

You see? You don't get this sort of incisive analysis just anywhere, do you!

So yeah. There you go. Marist College will become Marist University. (I guess that's) Neat!?!?

Fastrack Season Opener: Women's results

UPDATED with official FAT times

Fastrack Season Opener
Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex
Friday, December 6, 2024
Women’s results
60-meter dash
15-Alexandra Samperi 8.06
31-Makenzy Nielsen 8.29
35-Alyssa Dapont 8.39
43-Kiana Pathirana 8.53
44-Nicole Wang 8.72
200-meter dash
35-Alyssa Dapont 27.52
39-Makenzy Nielson 27.56
46-Madison LaCreta 28.00
400-meter dash
3-Isabella Milojevic 59.63
4-Julia Kropo 1:01.01
7-Stephania Granados 1:01.70
10-Kate Beebe 1:02.48
12-Julie Cristinzio 1:03.36
500-meter dash
12-Nina Florio 1:23.51
800-meter run
2-Kayla Hawkins 2:21.41
3-Grace Fletcher 2:21.76
4-Julianna Mirabile 2:24.59
10-Mackenzie Schubert 2:32.74
Mile
18-Sydney Driscoll-Gannon 5:28.47
60-meter hurdles
8-Madison LaCreta 9.46
16-Talia Augusto 10.70
1,600-meter relay
4-Marist A 4:07.88
5-Marist B 4:10.34
Long jump
4-Alexandra Samperi 5.43 (17 feet, 9.75 inches)
24-Nicole Wang 4.68m (15 feet, 4.25 inches)
Triple jump
7-Kiana Pathirana 10.76m (35 feet, 3.5 inches)
 
 

Fastrack Season Opener: Men's results = Easton school record in 400m!!!

UPDATED WITH OFFICIAL FAT times

Fastrack Season Opener
Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex
Friday, December 6, 2024
Men’s results
60-meter dash
22-Amari Mathis 7.07
34-Maxwell Sylver 7.15
200-meter dash
12-Amari Mathis 22.38
23-Maxwell Sylver 23.09
43-Ramsey Heredia 23.42
51-Simon Advento 23.65
78-William Carroll 24.78
400-meter dash
2-Easton Eberwein 49.06 * school record!
3-Ryan Trocolar 49.98
24-Weston LaBrecque 52.45
500-meter dash
2-Miracle Okoli 1:07.74
11-Christopher Lynch 1:11.51
800-meter run
7-Joseph Logan 1:59.86
9-Marcel Stewart 2:00.29
21-Josiah Sierra 2:10.06
24-Jacob Anderson 2:11.46
Mile run
8-Sean Wilson 4:29.42
5,000-run
3-Matthew Ferreri 15:33.47
4-Kevin Cannon 15:41.90
6-Justin Schwartz 15:52.39
60-meter hurdles
10-Christopher Lynch 8.95
1,600-meter relay
3-Marist A 3:22.28
11-Marist B 3:30.39
Pole vault
7-Noah Brown 3.95 meters (12 feet, 11.5 inches)
12-Daniel Vargas 3.65 meters (11, 11.75)
Long jump
8-Simeon Washington 6.62 (21 feet, 8.75 inches)
18-Ramsey Heredia 6.24 (20 feet, 5.75 inches)

Fastrack Season Opener: Time schedule

Fastrack Season Opener

Friday, December 6, 2024

Ocean Breeze, Staten Island, NY

Time schedule

Women then men, all running events

Track

1p: 60 hurdle trials

1:16p: Mile

1:55p: 60 hurdle final

2p: 60 dash trials (invite, then open)

2:40p: 500

3:05p: 400

3:40p: 800

4:14p: 200

4:50p: 3,000

5:25p: 4x800 relay

5:45p: 4x400 relay

6:15p: 5,000

Field

1p: men's and women's LJ (TJ to follow)

1p: women's pole vault (men to follow)

1p: women's shot, men's shot (weight throw to follow)

1p: women's high jump (men to follow)

Track construction has begun!

 

It's getting real, folks! Construction on the new North Field track and turf facility has begun in earnest, meaning that putting our feet on the track at some point in the summer of 2025 is getting closer (and closer) to reality. Neat!

Liftsmas

 This morning was the final men's XC/distance lift of the semester with our energtic new strength and conditioning coach, Ben Fleet. Because of this, he decided (with my mild protestations) to play "holiday music" during the lift. This was met with (mostly) glee from team members. Hey. Listen. If music choices in the weight room were directed by the Old Grump in charge of the program? No one (except, maybe, Neel) would be thrilled by this. Throughout the entire semester, there was Great Energy in the weight room and we look forward to carrying that through to 2025. Merry Fitness!