Another Weekend of Track - March 21
by Jana Stolting, March 21, 2009This weekend, area runners once again made the trek one time zone west to Panama City. The North Florida Relays attracted athletes from both the Big Bend and surrounding areas, making for a day of fun in the sun for all.
Godby dominated the boys’ field, besting the second place team (Bay) by 74.5 points, a remarkable accomplishment. The Cougar men were led by a first place 4x800m relay team (8:24.04), a first place finish in the 100m dash (Lavorrie Johnson with an 11.27), a second place 4x100m relay team (43.60), a first place 4x400m relay team (3:27.44), a first place high jump by Chris St. Hilaire (5-10.00), a first place long jump by Lavorrie Johnson (22-07.50), a second place triple jump by Jamar Cull (42-06.00), and one-two sweeps in both the discus and the shot put (Devin Screen and Denzel Bonner in the discus, throwing 145-05.50 and 141-09 respectively, and John Coleman and Denzel Bonner in the shot put, throwing 45-05.00 and 45-03.00 respectively).
Not wanting to get shown up by their male teammates, the Godby women achieved second place overall, impressive considering last year’s 1A state champion team, Port St. Joe, was the only team ahead of them. They were led by a third place finish in the 300m hurdles by Quaniqua Hall (50.28), a third place performance in the pole vault (Briona Shuler with a vault of 7-06.00), and first place performances in both the discus (111-02) and shot put (42-00.00) by Michelle Edwards.
The men and women of Maclay finished tenth and ninth respectively. Performances of note from the Marauders include a third place boys’ 4x800m relay team (8:31.85), a first place girls’ distance medley team (12:52.98, a meet and school record), and a third place boys’ distance medley team (12:00.17).
Those of you who are in-the-know about area tracksters are probably scratching your heads right now, wondering where Chiles was this week. Have no fear, the Timberwolves did indeed represent Tallahassee in competition, and did so quite adeptly, or so I hear, at the Thomas County Central Invitational, just up the road in Georgia. Unfortunately, Gowan’s legions of competitors must have run so fast that the timing equipment could not even catch their splits, for the results of the meet seem to be M.I.A. I cannot tell you exact performances, but I do have it from a high authority that sophomore sensation, Lily Williams ran a 5:08 in the 1600m. It seems the Williams girls will undoubtedly follow in their mother’s (incredibly fast) footsteps and become part of the next generation of great American distance runners. After all, little sister, Cece Williams, ran a 5:17 1600m just this past Friday… and she is only in seventh grade! The future certainly looks bright for Timberwolf distance running.
The immediate future also looks bright for area athletes, as this coming Friday will mark the beginning of the highly anticipated FSU Relays. With runners from across the state flocking to Mike Long Track for two days of lactic acid fun, it is sure to be a weekend for the record books. I would encourage all those who are interested to come out and support your local high school and college harriers, vaulters, jumpers, and throwers. For more information, visit http://seminoles.cstv.com/sports/c-track/fsu-c-track-body.html.
The Stoltz Report
Female Triathlete of the Year – Ann Bowman
The definition of Triathlete of the Year from the Gulf Winds website is (an individual) “active in the club, whose love of triathlon is demonstrated not only in competition but also in commitment, service and inspiration.”Something I didn’t know about this...
Male Triathlete of the Year – Charlie Johnson
It is my honor tonight to present the award for Gulf Winds Track Club Male Triathlete of the Year. This triathlete has been competing in triathlons for just over two years. He worked hard and had a very successful rookie season in 2009. Picking up where...
Cleveland-Caldwell Advancement of the Sport Award – Lisa Unger
The voice on the other end was a bit tentative. I have applied for a job that would be a nice promotion for me. Would you be ok if I used you as a reference? What an easy request to say “yes” to. While I did not know a thing about what this person’s...
Race Director(s) of the Year Award – Jackie and Jerry McDaniel
One admirable trait about this club of ours is the opportunity it presents to make friends and develop those friendships far beyond just running and racing together. Sometimes we even socialize together! And sometimes when we socialize we might even...
Youth Volunteers of the Year Awards Alexandra Wallace and Samantha Corbin
As I look into the audience tonight I see many faces of people who have given their time as volunteers. These folks get up early on Saturday mornings whether it’s hot, cold, raining, or worse. They come out to help us, the runners, enjoy a quality...
Volunteer of the Year Award – Robin Borschel and TJ Cutchins
“To a person deemed representative of those club members who contribute hours of time assisting in club activities and who often go unrecognized by the club at large.”This year’s Volunteer of the Year Award winners are two very soft spoken, private people;...
Community Award 2010 – Chuck Goodheart and Jimbo Herring
As my good friend Dana Stetson is credited with saying “It’s not a matter of if, but when.” Dana, of course, was referencing taking a fall on the trail. How about “interfacing on a website”? This refers to the first person running on a single track trail...
Hall of Fame – Mary Jean Yon
We have just recognized the work, performances and community achievements of some very remarkable club members and community leaders. Now, we will add a new member to the Gulf Winds Track Club Hall of Fame. This membership recognizes one who has taken on...
Hall of Fame – Tim Unger
I’d like to begin by telling you where I met this year’s Hall of Fame inductee. It was behind Maclay School, about 10 meters from the finish line at the Breakfast on the Track mile in the year 2000.Oh, I knew who he was, and that he had been a good high...
Female Triathlete of the Year: Jennifer Kilinski
The Gulf Winds Triathlete of the Year Award, presented since 1999, is given to a triathlete who is active in the club, whose love of triathlon is demonstrated not only in competition, but also in commitment, service and inspiration. This year’s female...