Though My Lens 2018

I wrote my first “Through My Lens” in 2014 as simply my perspective on the IHSA State Meet. The “lens” thing has to do with the fact that I’m a photographer at track meets. Cueing athletes running at 24 mph tends to slow them down (sprinting is neuro but not cerebral). My coaching happens behind the scenes, not at track meets. My camera is the amazing Canon 7d Mark II. I use one fixed lens, the Canon EF 85 mm 1.8. I shoot on TV mode at a shutter speed of 1/16oo of a second. My camera can take ten pictures per second.

The IHSA state track meet is a three ring circus. You can’t be at every ring at the same time. This year, I did not see anyone compete in the shot put, discus, long jump, or triple jump. I don’t remember the 3200. Someone else may have been witnessed the throws but missed the 4×1. If I don’t discuss the incredible feats of John Meyer, the best shot putter in the history of Illinois, don’t infer disrespect. I was elsewhere paying attention to other things at the circus. I’m just a coach that “feeds the cats” and takes pictures. I’m not Milesplit or Dyestat.

Let’s lead off with my ace. Not bragging here but I took the best picture of the 2018 IHSA State Track Meet. As Bob Dylan quipped in Idiot Wind, “I can’t help it if I’m lucky.”

Andrew O’Keefe

Andrew O’Keefe of Granite City left the pack in the 1600 with over 500 meters to go. The move took incredible courage. The gap between he and the competition was around thirty meters. As he finished, Andrew put up his fist in the air to to celebrate only to have the stealthy Dylan Jacobs come from nowhere and out-lean him at the line. Of course, I immediately posted the instant-classic picture on Twitter and the track & field world pontificated, in unison, about finishing races, not celebrating until it’s over, blah blah blah.

Andrew O’Keefe’s brother, Will O’Keefe, came to Andrew’s defense. My words can’t add anything to this.

“Andrew said he didn’t plan on celebrating or anything like that. He was so excited it just happened, and perhaps it cost him. But even if it did, Andrew said Dylan earned the win fair and square and that he’s ecstatic with second place and his first all-state performance. Congrats to Dylan.”

Will’s next tweet was this:

“You obviously don’t have to take my word for it, but Andrew is one of the humblest, most innocent people I know. His celebration was done out of genuine excitement. He would never rub a victory in anyone’s face.”

Everyone should have a brother like this.

In the blurry background of the classic picture are ten guys who have probably logged ten thousand miles between them. Their names won’t make this article, only the two in the picture. Andrew O’Keefe ran 4:11.68 and won the silver medal. Andrew is only a junior. I will cheer for Andrew next year with everything I got. And, Andrew, if you are reading, when you win next year, celebrate like crazy!

Dylan Jacobs

Yes, Dylan Jacobs is the famous guy that out-leaned Andrew O’Keefe in my now-famous picture. Dylan ran a 59.9 anchor lap to steal the 1600. Coach John O’Malley believes Dylan could have run 4:03 in the right conditions. If Dylan would have run the 1600 fresh, O’Malley believes Jacobs would have challenged the state record of 4:05.17 by Jeff Thode of Conant. Dylan Jacobs won the 2017 Footlocker National Cross Country Championship.

Dylan Jacobs was not motivated by the state 1600 record. Instead, he chose to share a state title with his relay team.

At the prelims, Dylan’s teammates did not run well and forced Dylan to run much harder than planned. Sandburg qualified as the 11th best team for Saturday’s finals. An angry Coach O’Malley threw his stopwatch. “Dylan, those guys didn’t do their job. I’m sorry I put you in that situation. I can’t allow you to be in that position again. I will make the decision for you, but I want to hear from you. How do you feel about me pulling you from the relay tomorrow?” (Epic. Sounds like Bowerman talking to Prefontaine.) Dylan’s reply as he winced getting into an ice bath, “Ahhh … this is cold. I think they’ll be fine tomorrow. These guys will get it done.” (God I love this sport.) Dylan Jacobs chose to give up an opportunity to break the state record in the 1600. Why? Love.

Coach O’Malley pulled Nico Calderon from the prelims of the 1600 (4:20.27 at Sectional) to keep him fresh for the 4×8 finals.

In storybook fashion, Dylan Jacob’s teammates ran like all-stars. Why? Because Dylan believed in them. Love is a the most powerful drug we will ever know.

Dylan’s teammates not only put up a fight, they gave their superstar the lead. Dylan ran an anchor split of 1:51.4. Sandburg ran 7:45.12 (7:55.95 in the prelims). Sandburg won the race by approximately 50 meters.

I’ve never seen a better celebration. With 50 meters to go, Dylan Jacobs pointed his baton at his teammates in the stands. I had a perfect view. The roar gave me chills. With 25 meters to go, Dylan pointed the baton at his three relay teammates on the infield. You don’t plan this stuff. It just happens.

Hanneman

Brendan Hanneman was a short, B-team running back on my 2014 undefeated freshman football team. Brendan participated in our winter strength and speed program that winter running an average 40 time of 5.02 and average 10m fly time of 1.16. When Brendan didn’t run track in the spring, it was no big deal. We had 21 freshmen faster. I didn’t see Brendan again until the winter of his junior year. In a school our size (2,321 students) if you don’t have a kid in class and his locker is not in your hallway, you literally never see them.

As a junior, Brendan reappeared in the winter and showed some legit speed. His 5.02 was now 4.46 ranking him #8 at Plainfield North. His 10 meter fly was 1.05. Brendan never talked much and never acted too excited about anything. In his first track season, as a junior, Brendan showed promise by eventually long jumping 20’8″. He was an under-achiever on the track running 11.64, 23.61, and 58.04 in the 100-200-400. I could never tell if Brendan really cared or not.

As a senior, Brendan was about the same over the winter with average times of 4.41 and 1.05. If someone asked me for our top eight sprinters, Brendan would have been my 8th or 9th pick. To get an idea of Brendan’s place on our team, at our conference indoor meet, Brendan didn’t make the varsity roster. I really thought he might quit, so I literally told him to win the “Open 55”, and he did. 6.80 is not spectacular but it’s pretty damn good for someone who can’t make your varsity roster.

In our first meet at Lane Tech, we ran Brendan on our 4×1 B-team. Brendan turned heads when he beat our lead-off guy on our A-team (11.5 to 11.6). Brendan turned more heads in the 4×4. Running for a prize of twenty pizzas, Brendan ran our anchor leg with more heart and determination than I’d ever seen him show. I think I had tears in my eyes (bad habit of mine during the 4×4) watching him lay it all on the line. Brendan ran a brilliant 360 meters before falling, getting up, and finishing with a limp, somehow splitting 60.3. He was even with 40 meters to go, if he would have lost by five meters, his split would have been 51.3.

So, we put Brendan at lead-off in the 4×1 at Edwardsville, we beat HF, and the rest is history. In the next five weeks, he split 11.2, 11.1, 11.0, 11.1, 11.3, and 11.2. Three of those were run against a strong cross wind. The 11.2 in Brendan’s last race helped us set a new 4×1 3A state record (41.29).

We tried Brendan as lead-off in the 4×2 at the TrackTown City Meet. Brendan ran 22.9 and, once again, he never gave up his spot. His 4×2 splits were 22.9, 23.1, 22.9, 23.1, 22.3, and 22.2. Once again, three of those were into the wind. The 22.2 in Brendan’s last race gave us a chance to win it all, and we did. Our 4×2 won state with a school record time of 1:26.17. I wrote about our 4×2, A Clear Path: How PN went from Good to Bad in the 4×2.

Brendan Hanneman is relatively unknown but someone I will never forget.

What a journey!

Chop Wood, Carry Water

I know Randy Moore from meeting him at the Track Football Consortium. I also know Randy from his terrific Twitter site. Twitter allows us to follow teams we would otherwise never see, never hear about. Randy’s Rockford Christian team was loaded and performed at a high level all year. I was so wrapped up in my own little world after the state meet that when I saw Randy down in the trophy area I asked him, “Did you guys win it?”  He told me no, but they placed second. Randy also told me that a book I had recommended to him at the ITCCCA Clinic was instrumental to their team’s success. You see, Steve Jones, a football coach from Kimberly, WI, (winner of 70 consecutive games), had recommended it to me at TFC-6. Every time we make a ripple, somebody’s gonna feel the wave.

Looking for a book for your athletes? Have them read, Chop Wood, Carry Water by Josh Medcalf. Great for coaches too.

Assassination Attempt

Connor Artman of Illini West (bound for Notre Dame) was the returning Class 1A long jump champion. I had the opportunity to train Connor Artman last summer (Speed Quest- Connor Artman). Connor had a good day in the finals placing second in the long jump, fourth in the triple jump, fourth in the high hurdles, and fifth in the 300 hurdles. On June 9th, Connor long jumped 24’2″, US #8.

The biggest news Connor Artman made did not come from his track exploits. In one of the strangest stories in the history of the IHSA State Meet, Connor Artman was shot twice by a BB gun while showering. The shooter was never identified (shot through the shower curtain).

I’m kind of surprised that it wasn’t a bigger deal. I’m thankful the IHSA did not shut down the entire meet (the incident happened on Thursday night).

RPR

Reflexive Performance Reset (formerly “Be Activated) is taking the world by storm. Multiple Big Ten and NFL football teams are now using it daily. In Illinois, I can’t imagine a track school who hasn’t heard about it. The US “founding father” is Chris Korfist. My sprinters are reset before they run. My guys can’t imagine sprinting without it. They run being “present” with a decluttered brain. They are more relaxed (parasympathetic). They are more durable. And, they are faster.

Brendan Hanneman after the 4×1 told Coach Quinn (Holler), “After getting reset by Chris Korfist, I felt like I was in a trance.” Actually it wasn’t a trance. RPR puts you in a performance state. Ever hear of someone being “in the zone”? Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls it “Flow”. Well, being “in the zone” is a performance state. The athlete is present and focused on the moment. The brain is ready to let it rip because it no longer worries about survival (sympathetic state). Adrenaline is produced in a state of fear, a state of crisis. Adrenaline causes fight, flight, or freeze. The body implodes to protect itself. RPR is a explosive performance enhancer.

Marcellus Moore getting reset by Chris Korfist.

Neuqua, HF, Plainfield North – A Closer Look

1. All three are big schools. NV – 3662 students, HF – 2757 students, PN – 2321 students. It’s crazy that the 2A/3A cut off is 1277, it should be much higher. How does Kaneland compete with Neuqua when they have only 1313 students?
2. All three were well-rounded teams. All three won their conference meet.
3. Indoor facilities: NV – none, HF – 200m track, PN – 178m track
4. Head coaches are classroom teachers: Mike Kennedy (Physics), Nate Beebe (Engineering), Tony Holler (Chemistry)
5. Top-flight second in command: NV – Paul Vandersteen, HF – Rob Assise, PN – Andy Derks
6. NV, HF, and PN have totally bought into Reflexive Performance Reset
7. NV, HF, and PN probably lead the state in visits to the basement of Chris Korfist
8. NV and HF probably lead the state in Track Football Consortium attendance. PN’s Tony Holler is the co-owner of TFC.
9. NV, HF, and PN are all Chicago-area schools. First time this has happened since 2010.
10. All three teams will be in the hunt again next year, NV returns Donovan Turner (and a total of 25.25 returning points); HF returns Josh Bridges (and a total of 16.5 returning points); PN returns Marcellus Moore (and a total of 27.5 returning points).

Bibs, Braces, and Butt Cramps

Marcellus Moore ran 10.81 to win the AAU 14u National Championship in the 100 meters back in August of 2016. I had three goals for Marcellus in 2017. I kept them to myself. 1) have fun  2) stay healthy  3) end the season well. Mission accomplished. The 14-year old freshman in the spring of 2017 ran 10.48, 10.48, and 10.40 in the last three weeks of the season.

After reading Josh Medcalf’s book, I realized that my goals weren’t really goals, they were more of a mission statement. Goals are what you achieve (or don’t achieve) someday. I no longer believe in goals. I believe in having a mission and surrendering to the results. My mission remained the same as last year. I wanted Marcellus Moore to be the happiest and healthiest sprinter in the nation. I also want him to get a little faster every week by minimum dose sprint training combined with prioritized rest. I had the chance to talk to Marcellus every day in my Honors Chemistry class. I told him before the season, “Trees don’t grow all the way to heaven. One of these years, your times may not improve. We must be on a mission and surrender to the results.”

Things went well this year. Was Marcellus happy? Hell yeah! Healthy? Marcellus didn’t miss a race all season (think about that one!). Get faster? How about wind-legal 10.31 in the 100 (new state record) and wind-legal 20.88 in the 200? (I thought 20.88 might be the age-15 world record but Usain Bolt ran 20.58 at the same age.) How about a 3A state record in the 4×1, 41.29? How about a new school record in the 4×2, 1:26.17. Four gold medals for the sophomore!

For those you who observing Marcellus, you may think it looks easy. It’s never easy.

On the way to his first race in the finals, the 4×1, Marcellus was not allowed to check-in at the clerk’s tent because he forgot his competitor’s bib back at the dorm. Thankfully, Marcellus was the fastest guy in Charleston and sprinted to the dorm and back in record time. I was told Marcellus was soaking wet when he returned.

Marcellus running a 9.4 split in the 4×1 may have been the best race of his life, or was it his 10.31 in the 100? Or, was his 19.9 split in the 4×2?

After the 4×1 and before the 100 meters, I saw Marcellus searching the awards area for his spikes. He found them.

The historical moment of Marcellus Moore breaking the state record in the 100 meters (10.31)

After setting the state record record in the 100, Marcellus found me and said (and this is the truth), “I ran so fast my braces broke.” He showed me a quarter-inch wire sticking out of his braces ready to puncture his upper lip. Eastern’s trainers refused to cut the wire, afraid of the wrath of an orthodontist. Eventually, we protected his lip with wax and gum.

Running in his eighth race in two days, the finals of the 200 meters, Marcellus had to hold off the best next-best sprinter in state history, Courtney Lindsey. Marcellus fought through the fatigue but while doing so, he got a butt cramp at the halfway point. Luckily the cramp went way and Marcellus won the race by a couple hundredths of a second.

The performance of Marcellus Moore may never be forgotten by those in attendance. Spectators knew they were witnessing history. But it’s never easy.

The combination of Marcellus’s age, size, and warm, friendly, humble nature makes him a fan favorite and a friend of all track athletes.

Three Steps on the Line

Patton Segraves is one of the calmest, nicest people I know. I coached Patton when he led the Class A 800 Meters from start to finish in 1999. I had forgotten how similar Patton is to Marcellus Moore. You see, some people have the ability to live a humble, quiet, zen life but can also “flip the switch” and become a ferocious competitor. I tell people that Marcellus runs like an assassin. I saw Patton “flip the switch” when his team was disqualified in the 4×2 prelims.

An IHSA official disqualified Belleville West for three steps on the line in the 4×2. Five things exasperated the situation. 1) Earlier, Belleville West failed to make the finals of the 4×1 running 42.332 while Palatine Fremd ran 42.331. Ouch. 2) Three steps on the line is seldom called and when it is, no one hears about it. 3) I had posted clear evidence of a Class 2A sprinter running four consecutive steps on the line earlier in the day, no call. 4) The IHSA is clearly under-staffed to make these calls. Typically one official is given the job of watching all nine runners. More calls are missed than made.

In a Milesplit interview, Patton was ferocious. I thought about trying to calm him down, but then I remembered how I’d be in the same situation (and I’ve been there). I guarantee I would not want anyone trying to calm me down. Patton embodies everything that’s right about our sport. We should all fight for our kids, just like Patton.

Above is clear evidence of Finnegan Schirmer (Finnegan is my new favorite name!) running on the line, winning the 2A prelims with a time of 22.08. Finnegan was on the line with his left AND right foot. I have four pics one-tenth of a second apart. I posted it on Twitter (of course), not to embarrass the kid, but to warn him. Below, Finnegan Schirmer takes no chances in the next day in the finals. Maybe he saw my tweet?

By the way, Finnegan Schirmer looks like a college athlete but is only a sophomore. His time in the finals was 22.06, only 0.08 seconds from winning. Can’t wait to see Finnegan run the next two years.

Fill the Lanes 

Chris Quick has written a proposal for a three-tier qualification system that looks to be a no-brainer. Athletes would still qualify by placing first, second, or meeting a difficult standard. The new idea would be a third tier. In all events, at-large births would be granted to make the total number of qualifiers 36. 36 is the perfect number because four heats of races run in lanes would total 36 (9 lanes x 4 heats). The distances races would be a minimum of three heats of 12.

This year in 3A, the field events averaged 37 qualifiers per event. With the new three-tiered plan, the total number of at-large qualifiers in the six 3A field events would have only been seven.

In the 3A running events, with the exception of the 3200 (43 qualifiers), the other eleven 3A events averaged only 25.7 qualifiers. My favorite race, the 4×1 had four heats with EIGHT OPEN LANES. Fill the lanes! The job would be easy for the IHSA. I could do it in an hour. You simply pick the best eight 4×1 non-qualifying times from the eleven 3A Sectionals.

By qualifying a minimum of 36 in every event, you take a major step in wind-proofing and weather-proofing Sectionals. You’d also take care of those athletes who are sent to a ridiculous star-studded Sectional. The Plainfield South Sectional featured four teams ranked in the top-eight of 3A by Milesplit, two of those teams placed first and third in the state. Despite the quality of the field, a persistent cross wind prevented any extra qualifiers in any event 300 meters or longer. Repeating, zero extra qualifiers in the 300, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 4×1, 4×2, 4×4, and 4×8 AT THE STATE’S BEST SECTIONAL. At-large qualification would solve many of the tragic inequities. My third place hurdler who missed the qualifying standard by 0.01 seconds would have been the first at-large hurdler qualifying for state. My two distance runners who ran 4:20 and 4:22 this year in the 1600 would compare favorably to Logan Hall who won the Class 1A 1600 (4:22.65). Omar and Ethan did not qualify for the state meet. With the new proposal, guys like Omar and Ethan would most-likely not fall through the cracks.

The IHSA is like the USA. California has 66 times more people than Wyoming but both get equal representation in the U.S. Senate. When voting for President, a single vote in Wyoming is worth almost four times as much as a single vote in California due to our messed-up Electoral College. We can’t change the Constitution, we can’t change the Electoral College, and we probably can’t do much about the IHSA. But why can’t we fill the lanes? No one gets hurt. The “36-Rule” would be applied across the board, all classes.

Check this out.

3A represents 389,194 students
2A represents 167, 291 students
1A represents 93,954 students

Number of automatic qualifiers

3A – 22 (11 Sectionals)
2A – 22 (11 Sectionals)
1A – 28 (14 Sectionals)

I don’t want to hear small-school coaches arguing against this. You guys qualified 31 4×8 teams. The fill-the-lanes proposal would give five more teams a birth at the state meet. This proposal doesn’t hurt Class 1A, it helps everyone.

Not to forget my Class A roots, but … The BEST team in Class 1A 4×8 Sectionals (8:15.90) would have been beaten by over 100 meters at the Plainfield South Sectional where only two teams qualified. It’s a crying shame that kids capable of winning Class 1A or Class 2A events can’t qualify for the 3A state meet due to weather, wind, or density of talent.

You don’t like the four heat idea in laned races? Class 1A has four heats in every damn one of them! (and lots of unfilled lanes).

Not to ruin the flow here but Sectionals should allow two “wild card” entries. Crete-Monee had a 23-foot long jumper raking the pit at Sectional.

Class 1A All-Stars – Best Ever?

I spent most of my career as a small school coach. Class 1A represents schools of less than 447 students. I doubt if any of them have an indoor facility. Some don’t have a track. Some are coached by a staff of one or two. Some 1A schools go to a meet in a minibus. My old track coach, Roger Wilcox, once told me that Class A was “JV Track”. It’s easy for the 3A track people to dismiss their small school counterparts. Some big school snobs don’t even pay attention.

If I fielded a team of ten Class 1A athletes, we would have won the 3A state meet without entering any of the relays. The enrollment of each school is in parentheses.

Tate Walcott (Jr) – Colfax Ridgeview (167), Long Jump 24’00.25″ – 2nd place 3A – 8 points
Hunter Woodard (Sr) – Tuscola (298), Shot Put 60’4.5″ – 3rd place 3A – 7 points
Jorden Tedford (Jr) – Warrensburg-Lathum (297), High Jump 6’8″ – 3rd place 3A – 7 points
Peyton Taylor (Sr) – Mt. Pulaski (158), Discus 177’03” – 4th place 3A – 6 points
AJ Christensen (Sr) – Forreston (246), HH 14.37 – 6th place 3A, 300 INT 37.97 – 2nd place 3A, total of 12 points
Easton Bianchi (Sr) – Sterling Newman (246), 100 10.60 – 3rd place 3A, 200 21.73 – 4th place 3A, total of 13 points
Charlie Tshibuaba (Soph) – Rushville (341), 400 49.17 – 4th place 3A – 6 points
Connor Artman (Sr) – Illini West (332), Long Jump 23’3.75″ – 3rd place tie 3A, 300 INT 39.62 – 5th place 3A, total of 13.5 points
Riley Wells (Jr) – Rockford Christian (337), 800 1:53.72 – 3rd place 3A, 7 points
Jacob Bryan (Sr) – Illini West (332), 800 1:54.11 – 4th place 3A – 6 points

These ten athletes would have totaled 85.5 points and won 3A, easily. Track and Field is strong in Illinois!

Two of the 1A all-stars are in this picture. In the lead is AJ Christensen of Forreston and Connor Artman is the guy in lane four hitting the hurdle. 

Marcellus Moore has more track friends than anyone I know. Here he poses with Class 1A sprint champ, Easton Bianchi.

One more thing. In 1996, I had four Class A kids run 8:02 at the state meet. Two were freshmen (Brian Weiss, Patton Segraves), two were sophomores (Antwan Garnett, Clint Simpson). I’ve often asked if any fresh-soph team had ever run faster. Until now, I’ve never heard of one.

Morrison (260 students) ran 8:00.59 to win the Class 1A 4×8. Nick Allen, Nathan Mickley, Keegan Anderson, and Koby Brackmeyer are all sophomores. Damn!

Morrison wasn’t only youthful team in the 1A 4×8. Coach Randy Moore’s Rockford Christian team ran 8:10.76 and finished 5th running three juniors and a freshman. And, their junior superstar, Riley Wells (1:53.72), didn’t run the relay! Rockford Christian will not get to race Morrison next year. They are now 2A.

Rich Central

Rich Central was the top-ranked 4×1 coming into the 2A Prelims (42.08). They had dominated the 4×1 in 2017 with two juniors and two sophomores (42.16). I wanted to make sure I got a picture of their first handoff in the prelims. I decided to do something different. I stood behind the exchange trying to get of photo of 18 guys sharing nine lanes, all at the same time. I wanted a picture of lane ownership, the inside-outside relationship of the first and second runners of the 4×1. Rich Central would have VanHarvey Glance handing off to Demetrius Roebuck.

Bad inside-outside lane ownership everywhere in this picture. Rich Central paid the price. 

Rich Central’s Sean Tyler placed 3rd the following day in the 100m (10.86). VanHarvey Vance won the 200m (21.98). Rich Central had two of the best sprinters in the state and everyone returning from their state champ 4×1 team from 2017. Why weren’t they running 41.50 all year? By the way, Rich Central as a team finished ten points out of first place. Nothing is promised in this sport. It’s never easy.

Hail to the Victors!

I wrote an article called Hail to the Victors several years ago honoring Nick Lundin and his amazing team at Minooka. It’s important to note, I had suffered through the toughest two years of my life, both personally and track-wise. I think it’s important to show respect for those who are doing great things. I think it’s also important to show respect to those going through hard times.

Congrats to Mike Kennedy and his amazing team at Neuqua Valley. When I was being recruited to move from Franklin (TN) to Plainfield North, I was told, “North is the new Neuqua”. Neuqua is that kind of place. Plainfield North’s school district borders Neuqua Valley. NVHS is 4.6 miles to our north. Strangely, we never run in an outdoor meet together until Sectional.

I’m still a little upset that Mike Kennedy chose to move his family from Plainfield North’s district to Naperville back in 2012. Mike’s son, Ryan Kennedy, would have been a pretty special addition to our team. Ryan split 1:56.6 in the 4×8, ran 4:19.48 in the 1600, and 9:21.12 in the 3200.

Milesplit again picked the top three, almost in the correct order, also got six of top ten right.

The state meet obviously went well for Neuqua. Ironically, they won no events.

Neuqua’s team came together at the right time. Mac Mitchell had a Sectional seed of 44’5″ in the triple jump. Mac jumped 46’0.75″ at the state meet, good for 6th place. Ife Oketona had a Sectional seed of 22’4.5″ in the long jump. Ife long jumped 23’8.5″ at the state meet, good for 2nd place. Seldom does this happen. I would have predicted zero points for Neuqua in the horizontal jumps. They scored 12. This is what championship teams do.

How about Neuqua’s 4×4? Before the state meet, Neuqua’s 4×4 had never run a state qualifying time. At Sectional they went 3:27.54 (with the aforementioned terrible crosswind). Neuqua was not expected to place second at Sectional, my team was. We finished a disappointing third and my guys failed to qualify. In the state prelims, Neuqua ran the race of their life, running 3:20.85 (6th overall). In the finals, they ran 3:21.04 and placed 3rd.

(Note – just imagine if it was my team that survived Sectional in the 4×4. Imagine if it was Plainfield North that shocked the world by placing 3rd in the 4×4 state finals. Do the math, Neuqua 52 – 7 = 45 points. Plainfield North 43 + 7 = 50 points. Recalculate team standings. PN 50, HF 48, NV 45. Neuqua did the job, but damn, it could have been us! Hail to the victors!)

From three events (LJ, TJ, 4×4) where zero points were predicted, Neuqua scored 19.

Neuqua’s star hurdler competed despite having the flu. Donovan Turner placed 2nd in the highs (14.20) and 6th in the intermediates (39.80). Turner was the wildcard. If Turner was healthy, he could have been a double winner. With the flu, Donovan Turner was fortunate to score 12. It’s never easy.

Scoring 17 points in the 4×8, 3200, and 1600 surprised no one. Paul Vandersteen’s distance culture is legendary. Four seniors (Tyler Bombacino, Ryan Kennedy, Daniel Winek, and Dakota Getty) ran a solid 7:49.22 for 2nd in the 4×8. Zach Kinne (Jr) ran a superb 3200, 9:03.55, for 2nd. Daniel Winek doubled back in the 1600 and scored one point running 4:17.88.

Myles Gascon was the ninth best in the prelims by running 0.01 seconds better than 10th-best Shawn Showalter of Bolingbrook. Gascon somehow placed 6th in the 100 meter finals for four points.

All of the above added up to 52 and the first state championship (boy’s track) for the city of Naperville.

I love the fact that Mike Kennedy is a Physics teacher. Distance coach, Paul Vandersteen is Neuqua Valley’s science department chair. Vault coach Matt Ragusa teaches Chemistry.

Despite being only 21 years old, Neuqua’s science department has an amazing history of winning state trophies.

Mike Kennedy – Boy’s Track & Field
Paul Vandersteen – Boy’s Cross Country
Erich Mendoza – Boy’s Volleyball
Bart Carbonneau – Boy’s Golf
Jim Johns (retired) – Boy’s Soccer

If I was a principal, I would want a school like this.

Feed the Cats

In the 12-year history of Plainfield North, our 4×1 teams have an average best time of 42.32. That’s the entire history of Plainfield North. In my first year at North (also the first year of varsity track at the school, 2007, still no seniors), we had only three guys run under 4.60 in the 40 in our winter training. We had 29 last winter. As Steve Jones (winner of 70 consecutive football games) said at TFC-7, “Culture is created intentionally or by default”. Or, as Bill Clinton is fond of saying, “If you see a turtle on a fencepost, it didn’t get their by accident.”

In the past five years, we’ve taken the 4×1 to a new level, averaging a best time of 41.79 over those five seasons. (If you average the 3A state champs from the five previous years, the average winning 4×1 time was 41.72.) This year we were undefeated and set the 3A state record running 41.29. No one gave us a chance to beat HF who returned their whole crew after winning state in 2017 with two sophomores and two juniors. We beat HF twice.

Our relay coach over that five-year period was Quinn Holler who got IHSA-certified to coach at age-20. I’ve dreamed of Quinn getting a biology job at North for next year but it wasn’t in the cards. I thought it would be cool to go to work every day with the youngest of my four kids; Quinn as a first-year teacher, me as a dinosaur in my 38th and final year of teaching. Instead, Quinn has signed a letter of intent to teach at another school. He will teach biology and coach football and track. His new school will have lightning bolts on their uniform, just like us. I bet their 4×1 runs well.

New 3A state 4×1 record. Capezio, Hanneman, Coach Quinn, Moore, Registe

Senior Culture

Am I the only guy who thinks high school seniors deserve better?

Plainfield North is a terrific school. Great band, choir, theater, and athletics. Our baseball team won the state championship this year. Our softball team got beat 2-1 in the state championship game. My track team got third. Two other spring sports won conference championships.

We have a nice building with good athletic facilities (except for our tiny gym). I really like our principal and athletic director. Most coaches can’t say that.

Our seniors check out sometime in the fall. They are allowed to take five classes instead of six. They go home at 1:00. They graduate two weeks early and don’t take final exams. Prom. Senior Skip Day. Colleges just look at your first six or seven semesters, who gives a rip about finishing strong?

Senior apathy makes it hard to be a track coach.

That’s not the only problem.

Sometime, somewhere, someone hijacked high school sports. Someone decided high school sports were nothing more than a vehicle to get kids “to the next level”. You play high school sports to win scholarships and compete in college. None of the stuff I’ve talked about in this article has anything to do with college sports. None. Period. You could do away with college sports (not a bad idea) and our state track meet would be just as special. The lessons learned, just as valuable. The emotions, just as high. The effort, just as great. The performances, just as incredible. Playing high school sports to chase a college scholarship is like being a good person to go to heaven. You should be on mission to be the best athlete you can be with or without a cash prize. You should be on a mission to be the best person you can be with or without the promise of heaven, or the threat of hell.

Our school celebrates “signing day” like it’s a holy day. Don’t get me wrong, I help kids with college choice and the recruiting process. I congratulate those who play college sports. I just believe we’ve lost sight of the educational benefits and life lessons that come from high school sports.

Case in point: despite the fact that my track program is at an all-time high, we had four good seniors decide not to run track this year. One ran 4:23 in the 1600 as a junior. I might be wrong, but I think he decided not to run college track, so he thought, why should I run high school track as a senior? One guy high jumped 6’1″ as a junior. 6’2″ was all it took to go to state this year in 3A. Once again, I think our 6’1″ high jumper saw no college future, no college scholarship on the horizon, so why do track as a senior? We had a hurdler who went 15.54 in the highs and 42.74 in the intermediates as a junior. This kid had a legit chance to qualify for state in both hurdle events. If not running college track, retire early! The fourth guy, Joe Stiffend, was a different story. Joe didn’t come out because he didn’t trust his knee (ACL surgery). He eventually came out and ran a great leg on our 4×2 state championship team. However, even with Joe, the fact that he had already signed for football at Nebraska-Kearny, influenced his decision not to come out for track at the start of the season. Why run track in high school if I’m playing football in college?

Track is not just for future college track athletes. High school track can stand alone as an awesome experience.

High school sports make up about one percent of the education budget and is still the best show in town. Don’t buy into the capitalistic bullshit that infects our sports programs.

Motivation Myth

All I ever wanted to do was coach basketball like my dad. I was head basketball coach at Harrisburg High School for eight seasons, 1982-1990. One of the worst moments in my life came in a late-night phone call notifying me I had been fired as head basketball coach. I was 31 with two mortgages, and three kids (Quinn was born three years later). I was stuck in Harrisburg. Strangely, the same school board who unilaterally fired me without the recommendation of the AD, Principal, or Superintendent, had hired me as head track coach five weeks earlier. The AD had begged me to take the track job because no one else wanted it. Harrisburg’s track team had failed to score at Sectional two years earlier.

It took me around 15 years to get over getting fired as basketball coach. I don’t even watch basketball anymore. I’m over it. My first track season, 1990, wasn’t so good. We qualified two guys who failed to make finals. We went home on Friday night.

In 1991, we scored 31 points and won the Class A 3rd place trophy behind Luther South and Cairo. Chad Lakatos placed 2nd in the 400 as a junior.

“Motivation is the fire that starts burning after you manually, painfully, coax it into existence, and it feeds on the satisfaction of seeing yourself make progress. There’s only one recipe for gaining motivation: success.” – Jeff Hayden from The Motivation Myth

Chad and I had no idea we would be forever linked by that trophy 27 years ago. In the next 27 years we, as coaches, won a combined 16 more trophies, eight more for me, eight for Chad (Herrin-3 and Edwardsville-5). Chad’s teams won four state titles, my teams won three. The two of us have never won a trophy in the same year.

I’ve told this story before but it needs to be told over and over. In 2006, Chad and I visited Cahokia legend Leroy Millsap. On that hot and humid Cahokia morning at 6:30 am, Leroy gave away every secret he knew. Chad and I were already good coaches but Coach Millsap gave us some 4×1 pointers that we’ve used ever since. By the way, Chad’s 4×1 teams have averaged a best yearly time of 42.40 since that day in 2006. He was pretty disappointed when I told him that my average time was 42.32. Chad was quick to point out that his first year in Edwardsville was the culprit, running a 44.23. Take out the one bad year, Chad’s average is 42.23. #FeedTheCats

“There’s Only Two Things in Life But I Forget What They Are”

I sometimes use this line from a John Hiatt song, “Buffalo River Home”, at the end of a presentation. It reminds me that none of us have it all figured out. “It seems we’re either hanging on the moonbeam’s coat tails or wishing on stars”. Here’s my latest attempt to figure out the meaning of life.

At the end of the state track meet, several friends offered sincere congrats on our 43-point third place finish. We had a pitched a perfect game. Perfect. I couldn’t talk because I was getting misty-eyed. I didn’t hug Quinn because I knew I’d lose it. The years of suffering that went into that moment will only be known to those on the inside (thank you, Quinn). So I left my people and went to shake the hands of two of my best friends, Rob Assise and Nate Beebe of HF. Both guys had tears streaming. The Homewood-Flossmoor athletes were very emotional as well. The meet was theirs to win. They were a freaky dynamic fantastic track team ranked #1 all year. They placed 2nd in the state. My tears were tears of joy, theirs, tears of sadness. No one knows how much suffering went into that moment. When we went down to pick up our trophy and pose for pictures, I shook the hands of the Neuqua coaches. I saw a few more tears. What’s up with all this crying?

“Fall in love with some activity and do it! Nobody ever figures out what life is all about, and it doesn’t matter.” – Richard Feynman

JFK said, “We don’t do it because it’s easy, we do it because it’s hard.”

Mark Manson in his terrific book, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, wrote this,

“In the long run, completing a marathon makes us happier than eating a chocolate cake. Raising a child makes us happier than beating a video game. Starting a small business with friends while struggling to make ends meet makes us happier than buying a new computer. These activities are stressful, arduous, and often unpleasant. They also require withstanding problem after problem. Yet they are some of the most meaningful moments and joyous things we’ll ever do. They involve pain, struggle, even anger and despair – yet once they’re accomplished, we look back and get all misty-eyed telling our grandkids about them.”

What have I figured out? I’ve realized that I like doing hard things with people I like, suffering, accepting the results, and repeating the process. If my life was a pursuit of happiness, I definitely wouldn’t coach track. Track coaches love the struggle, accept the stress, withstand problem after problem, embrace the pain, and then get all misty-eyed when we tell our stories.

As Freud one said, “One day, in retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful.”

Lets do it all again in 2019.

Through My Lens 2017

Through My Lens 2016

Through My Lens 2015

Through My Lens 2014

Tony Holler
tony.holler@yahoo.com
630-849-8294
pntrack.com
@pntrack