Cedarville University Yellow Jackets

May 6, 2014

Well, we've ended another track season. This outdoor season was a wild one with a canceled meet, some rearranged ones, some interesting bus rides, and of course some PR’s and memories.

At our last meet we enjoyed some competition from the Big 10 conference. We also got to share the track with some USA team members only hours after LoLo Jones and company raced the night before. After some solid performances, we will send a few of our team to another meet this week so that they can move up in the NCAA DII rankings. While we wish them the best of luck, I know I am very glad to be recovering in my own non-dorm bed.

So this week, the majority of us will be resting or readying for next season. I've already got some homework from Coach Phil, and I'm looking forward to next season with my fellow Jackets. I'm the meantime, thanks for reading! :)



May 1, 2014

This week’s meet at Miami University marks the last meet for some of us. Others will advance to a meet in Indiana, and still others will move on to a meet that puts them closer to NCAA DII nationals at the end of the month. But whether our athletes have finished their season or will continue to compete, we all owe a huge thanks to our trainers.

Obviously, as athletes, we understand that repetitive motion causes wear and tear on our bodies. So whether you throw, jump, sprint, run, or vault, you have probably walked - or limped - into the trainers at some time or another. As one of the trainers mentioned today, they love to see us but don’t want to see us: they don’t mind helping us heal but don’t want us to be hurt. Even though some of us visit more frequently than others and have earned our way onto the VIP or very injured person’s list, I would hazard that the majority of the team owes a debt of gratitude to our happy and patient trainers who help align our hips, e-stim whatever is sore, stretch our tight muscles, ultrasound our knots, or scrape our scar tissue and so much more.

And whether your healthy, injured, or VIP status, it’s either finals week or graduation! We’ll miss our seniors dearly - especially those that are captains - but we hope to carry on your legacy of hard work until we graduate, or at least until we finish this finals week.


April 22, 2014

It seems like just yesterday we started our season, but now we're on the other side of the G-MAC and Easter break and almost to the end of the 2014 outdoor season. This weekend was probably - okay definitely - the most fun meet of my career; unfortunately, I can only give first-hand reports of the throws and second-hand information about the other events. So here goes!

First, throwers started at 10:30 a.m. with shot put. Jo Sharp made a guest appearance in the first flight in an effort to pick up a few points. Megan Glandon, Anna Pomento, and I competed in the second flight and stuck around for finals. Eventually, Anna took first; I placed fourth; and Megan grabbed fifth. We also found out that Coach Jason Scott's significantly pregnant wife beat him at tennis the day before, which was great.

Next, Jo, Megan, and I moved on to the hammer throw where we were able to achieve a goal of ours - to take first through third in that event. We swept the hammer in dramatic style thanks to Megan Glandon. After Jo battled against the competitor who eventually became the fourth place thrower, I settled comfortably in first, passing Megan by a few inches with one throw left for each of us. The last thrower of the flight, she dug deep on her final throw and not only regained first but also qualified for NCC’s with a PR of over 127! And with that the three of us swept the hammer.

Following hammer, we went to disc where Megan PR’ed again and missed qualifying for NCC’s by a measly few feet. Anna ended up in first, I took third, and Jo grabbed seventh for our second sweep of the day.

Finally, three tired throwers made it to javelin where we met Laura, who had just valiantly finished the 400 meter hurdles. Jo made another guest appearance to pick up points as Megan Glandon was supposed to do as well. Instead of grabbing seventh or even sixth as anticipated, Megan took third with a massive PR that was only a few feet of the NCC qualifier. At the end of the day, Laura was fourth, and I snuck into first and my last throw. To put in perspective how busy the throwers were that day, my last throw actually ended the meet, which is why I have no idea what happened to the non-throwers.

There were several other event champions and many contributed to our 238-point effort. Abby Bonnevie won the pole vault and Laura Farleman won the high jump. Melanie Redfield won the steeple, and Jasmin Banachowski, Lauren Callahan, Christina Gall, and Vivianna Hein won the 4 x 400 relay. At the end of the day, we took second place, but our boys team ended up G-MAC champions.

This Saturday, we have another meet at Miami University of Ohio, where we hope to reach those elusive qualifiers or move ourselves up in our flights or heats, as the case may be. The end of the year is almost here, and as the coaches always tell us, it’s time for those big PR’s. :)


April 16, 2014

This past week the Yellow Jackets enjoyed Cincinnati sunshine at Coach Phil Scott’s alma mater, the University of Cincinnati. As the Lady Jackets competed over the course of two days, they earned eleventh place out of fifteen. While we enjoyed the sunshine, we’re also looking forward to this week’s Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Championship on our home track.

But before I get ahead of myself, here are a few highlights from this week. Melanie Redfield and Nicole Waterude ran sub- twelve and took fifth and sixth places respectively. With a pole vaulter as the third leg, the Cedarville 4x100 A team - Christina Gall, Brielle Pitney, Abby Bonnevie, and Beth Jones - took eighth place. Bethie Jones also went to finals in the triple jump and ended the event in eighth place. Since I am a thrower, I know that Jo Sharp had a long awaited PR in the discus and that Megan Glandon added a few feet to her hammer PR as well. Unfortunately, this weekend I left my water bottle at the hammer cage - which was in a field two miles away from the campus and accessible only by shuttle - so there were some casualties.

This week, we are looking forward to the G-MAC, and here’s why. On the track side, Brielle Pitney is currently ranked fourth in the 200 and 400. Laura Farleman sits in seventh for the 200, Michaela Nelson is holding third in the 400. Laura Farleman, Lauren Callahan, Hailey Bredeson, and Jasmin Banachowski have the second, third, sixth, and seventh seeds in the 800. Hailey Bresdon also currently sits fifth in the 1500 while Bethany Norman and Jasmin Banachowski are ranked fourth and seventh. In the 5K, Cedarville holds the second, sixth, and seventh spots thanks to Alex Archambault, Rachel Groh, and Kathryn Sill. Christina Gall and Laura Farleman are ranked fourth and fifth in the 100 hurdles, and Christina is sitting in first (by five seconds!) in the 400 hurdles. Our very own Melanie Redfield and Nicole Waterude currently sit at first and second in the 3000 steeple. Finally, our 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 teams are ranked second in both events. On the field side, Laura Farleman is ranked first in the high jump, and Abby Bonnevie is set at first in the pole vault. Bethie Jones holds second in both long and triple. Anna Pomento sits in first for both shot put and discus, Megan Glandon sits at fourth in shot, third in disc, and first in hammer. Jo Sharp holds the fourth place seed in dDiscus. I sit third in shot, second in disc and hammer. Finally, Laura and I are ranked second and first in the javelin.

Now, obviously, these are just rankings not guarantees. However, since we are planning to worship a God of miracles on Easter this Sunday, I don’t think it’s too much to ask for a win at the G-MAC at home. Also, the throwers have set a goal of scoring 100 points between the five of them (that is including the moonlighting multi-Laura Farleman), so we’ll see how that pans out.

Until then, enjoy the sunshine and the days off!


April 8, 2014

Fair warning - this week's blog concerns the throwers primarily. For those of you still interested, I'll explain that because of the meet set up, the throwers compete almost separately from the non-throwers. I do have some hear-say to communicate, but I also can talk about our baby throwers Adam Foster and Jordan Adams (even if they aren't Lady Throwers).

The throwers began competing last Friday at the Miami (OH) Invitational. Normally, we look forward to leaving campus because we tend to experience better weather the instant we escape Cedarville's borders. However, this week, we left sixty degrees and sunshine for a cloudy fifty degrees with thirty mile per hour winds that made it feel like thirty. But we survived because Friday we threw hammer, which isn't exactly bothered by the wind. In the spirit of healthy competition, Megan and I leapfrogged our throws and both PR’ed, but she ultimately beat me by .19 centimeters like the beast that she is. When it came time for the boys to throw, both freshmen PR’ed, in part because they had never thrown hammer before but also because their hard work is paying off. All three gentlemen throwers made finals, and we even had the pleasure of watching Beau throw his hammer and glove simultaneously.

The next day, after juggling busses around, we went back to Miami for the remaining events. Over the course of the day, we saw Anna Pomento take seventh and eighth in shot put and disc. Jo Sharp threw a PR in the disc, and Adam and Jordan both PR’ed in shot put and discus and made finals again. Together, they contributed 17 points to the boys' second place score in their outdoor debut. Beau also took seventh in the discus. Unfortunately, the throwers paid a high price for their accomplishments - not only did they suffer from windburn on Friday, but they also got their first sunburns of the season on Saturday.

But wait - there's more! Highlights from the non-throwers include, but are not limited to, the following accomplishments:

Christina took fourth in 100 meter and the 400 meter hurdles.

Bethie took sixth and second in the long and later the triple jump.

Part-time throwers Laura and Jor-el also grabbed sixth and fourth in the javelin.

I also heard that Andre Klaassen broke eleven in the 100, which had been a long term goal of his.

That's all I have until we compete at the All-Ohio Championships this weekend. Sorry, non-throwers, that I didn't do you justice. But thanks for bearing with me another week!


April 2, 2014

I once heard that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. Unfortunately, that statement did not ring true last Friday, a sad day for many excited trackies who learned they would not be competing on Saturday in the Yellow Jacket Open. Although our coaches wisely decided to cancel the home opener, a few athletes were able to compete at the Cincinnati meet despite the poor conditions. Although there were several 10k athletes who competed Friday and Saturday, I think it’s important to note Laura Farleman’s success this past weekend.

As most everyone knows, the conditions over the weekend were less than tropical. Not only was it raining, but it was cold. Despite the adverse circumstances, however, our fearless multi-Laura successfully PR’ed in multiple events and even came close to her overall points PR. Given the circumstances, this obviously was not an easy feat. In an email he sent after the meet, Coach Phil Scott described the events of the day:

"Hello Folks: For you that do not know Laura Got THIRD at the U.C. Heptathlon in very cold, wet, miserable conditions over last two days. She scored 4,107 - her 2nd best score ever. With a NEW PR. In 100 meter hurdles 15.56. She would have won but for the fact the official called her best javelin flat because it would not stick in 8" of MUD. Anyway it was a honor for me to be there along with Val. To witness such a great performance in lousy, cold, wet, terrible, disgusting conditions for a track and field meet."

As Coach Phil noted, not only did Laura perform at a high level, but Val went along in the cold, wet conditions to cheer on her teammate. While Laura still might not be warm from her competition, hearing about athletes overcoming adversity and encouraging each other warms my heart.

This week, we will be traveling to - Lord willing - our actual first outdoor meet at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio on Friday and Saturday. Personally, I am excited to see our baby throwers Adam Foster and Jordan Adams compete, but I’m also excited to see what the rest of the team can do. Since, I’ve already heard rumors of practice PR’s from throwers, sprinters, jumpers, and runners alike, I look forward to reporting great stories next week about how Cedarville’s Yellow Jackets made their coaches proud and their competitors tremble through their Christ-like attitudes and amazing performances.


March 27, 2014

It’s a crisp afternoon in March. The sleepy sun starts to settle below the tree line as the wind finally subsides, at least momentarily. Throwers spent the day following a rolling schedule, planning for things to fall behind. A quiet evening follows reflective students returning to their dorms. They have worn down their bodies and minds in foreign ways. No, these throwers have not finished a track meet; these throwers return from a run.

After two weeks of intense preparation for our outdoor meet, my fellow Lady Thrower Jo Sharp and I needed a change of pace. We don’t claim to be fast runners - we don’t really claim to be runners at all. But we love exercise in all its forms: cross fit, swimming, lifting, biking, and even running occasionally. On Sunday, we both felt an insatiable desire to impersonate our swift teammates and ventured out of the weight room onto the trails.

Running with Jo, I remember countless runs with my best friend Shannon who is now a marine. On distance days we shared inadequacies and profound revelations. Whether we talked about blueberries, bears, or the Bible, Shannon and I could chatter for hours as we traversed - albeit not necessarily quickly or quietly - the Maine wilderness. Since Shannon has taken on a different kind of training, I’ve had to find a new running mate. On Sunday, that was Jo.

Without waxing eloquent, let me share Jo's wisdom as we look toward our first meet Saturday. I’ll admit it, my so-called brilliant ideas often begin as complaints. Sunday, I shared with Jo my concerns for Saturday. Ever since I began my track & field career, I’ve found that the closer I get to a meet, the worse I become at my events. My best friend Kayla assures me it’s my own fault - I get inside my own head. And I certainly have in the last two weeks. In a roundabout way, I asked Jo a question I think all athletes struggle to consider: what happens if I fail?

Jo answered me simply. She pointed out that it’s easy to succeed; it’s difficult to fail. What is important is not whether you succeed or fail but rather how you do so. Her work theology for the self-proclaimed mediocre was simple: take responsibility; try again tomorrow; and prove your character. You actually have to experience weakness to appreciate success. She didn't preach it at me, but I think there is a redemptive picture in there somewhere.

So beginning our short outdoor season, we look to achieve greatness through mediocrity, defining success not as triumph but as perseverance. Of course we hope to PR, break records, and reach nationals, but at the end of the day, we hope to follow the throwers' code: to do our best and compensate for the rest.


March 4, 2014

For some of the Cedarville Jackets, spring break didn’t begin with an all-night drive, a visit to the beach, or even a plane ride to a warm destination: instead, about twenty of us visited Anderson University for our last indoor track meet of the season. And a wonderful meet it was. Not only did we not have to leave until ten in the morning (as opposed to six or seven for most meets), but we also had several PRs.

As is usually the case, the Lady Jackets put on quite a show. Christiana Gall and Brielle Pitney took third and seventh in the women’s 200 and managed to take first and fifth in the 400 later in the evening. Christina also took second in the 60 meter hurdles with a nice PR according to Coach Phil. Another duo - Lauren Callahan and Hailey Bredeson - took third and seventh in the 800 meter run, and Hailey also took fifth in the mile. Competing as a regular ole athlete instead of a multi, Laura Farleman took third in the high jump. Another jumper, the ever-lovable Beth Jones, grabbed second in the long jump. Finally, Megan Glandon made finals in both the weight and the shot put, coming in ninth both times, and co-thrower Jo Sharp got to meet up with her lovely parents (whom we got to meet). Honorable mentions on the boys’ side include Andre Klaassen who broke a school record and took fifth in the 60 and fourth in the 200; Phillip Dannelly who took fourth in the 800; Tyler Greenwood who grabbed sixth in the 3000; and Forrest Thayer who PRed in the 3000 (and whose race Megan Glandon and I got to time while we yelled his splits).

With the Anderson meet over, we will send a few people to NCAA II Nationals, but most of us will prepare for the most wonderful time of the year - outdoor season. So happy spring break on behalf of the Jackets! We have all this break to train hard and then a few more before we have our first home meet. Until then, find some warmth and enjoy the restful time:)


February 26, 2014

This week’s blog comes courtesy of Starbucks coffee. As usual, I find myself with other throwers reminiscing about the meet this weekend. After spending two days traveling to and from Olivet Nazarene in Illinois for the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Championships, we are recovering with some caffeine and homework, sincerely missing those wicked sweet water fountains in Olivet’s gym. Beside the great facilities though, we also enjoyed some team bonding this week over the 4 x 400 relay and our mens’ fourth place achievement.

As much as I love outdoor track & field, nothing compares to the energy of the 4 x 400 relay indoors. Of course, the 4 x 4 is still a tremendous feat on a 400-meter track, but inside on a 200 or 300-meter track, the experience becomes exponentially more intense. Logically, the intensity happens because, well, the noise is stuck in the building just like the athletes, but on a smaller track, the athletes also pass the spectators more often. Whether or not this is a by-product of acoustics or architecture, even the throwers love a good 4 x 400 relay. At the end of the day (and the meet) both our men’s and women’s teams worked hard during their relays, and it’s a pleasure to watch them in perhaps the most exciting five minutes of the meet. It’s also a pleasure not to be running the relay. It’s also entertaining to watch the DMR, but since only Friday I discovered what a DMR (distance medley relay) is - a 1200, a 400, an 800, and a 1600 - I still do not feel qualified to comment on it just yet.

Even with great competition from teams like Azusa Pacific and Indiana Wesleyan, our men managed to sneak into the top four. Thanks to some stellar performances by the long-distance runners and probably the Chipotle we enjoyed for lunch the day before, they nabbed a lovely plaque and earned a few seconds on the podium. Like the men, the women had some stellar performances, but I have not had quite enough coffee to remember them specifically. However, I do remember that Laura Farleman came in first in her multi-events and Christina Gall made finals in the hurdles, so congratulations to them!

Even with spring break rapidly approaching, some of us still have one more indoor meet at Anderson in Indiana. For others, this week’s performance was their final indoor effort, meaning they are an entire meet closer to training for outdoor. Those of us traveling to Indiana will also spend our first day of spring break throwing, sprinting, jumping, running, or vaulting our hearts out before we head either home or to some hopefully tropical destination. Personally, I will begin the week traveling in the opposite direction of my lovely home: the ice planet of Hoth good ‘ole Maine. Even though I am looking forward to seeing my wonderful family and friends and partaking in some Dunkin’s, I can’t wait to compete with my Lady Throwers and the rest of my teammates on Saturday come better or worse.


February 19, 2014

We’re another meet down and only one meet away from NCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association) Nationals and spring break is almost upon us. However, this past week the team traveled to Indiana University for a DI meet. Since I already talked about the meet that never ended, it’s probably appropriate to talk about the meet we could never reach.

It seemed straight forward enough: head north on OH-72 for ten miles then merge on to I-70 W toward Indianapolis for the next hundred or so miles. Unfortunately, a car crash caused a massive pile up on the freeway, delaying the team for what seemed like forever. Eventually we made it to the meet even though some people missed their events because of the delay (Sorry, Christina and Abby and anyone else!). However, because of the delay, we learned a few important things about our track and field teammates.

1. The bus bathroom fits exactly seven - yes, seven - track and field athletes.

2. Jor-El Sanchez can climb trees best when he is wearing his ninja costume.

3. Coach Phil is addicted to brake fluid, but he can stop any time (one of his better jokes).

Even though it was a long trip, the team competed well. Anna Pomento PR’ed again in the shot put (meaning she broke her school record). Corey Caldwell stayed positive even though he warmed up for one of his races by running from the bus to the starting line. And the men’s 4 x 400 team - Tucker Rhodes, Jor-El Sanchez, David Yoder, and Matthew Bird - had a stellar performance in their race as well with an especially exciting finish by Tucker. Reluctant to take any of the credit for himself, Tucker made a wise comment after his race summing up his work theology. Like many athletes, he worships through competition and tries to remain humble, which he explained by saying "Christ gave us the heart and determination to run hard for each other, our team, and Christ Himself." Since he put it so nicely, I thought I’d share the thought with everyone.

This week we are looking forward to NCCAA Nationals, a two-day event in Joliet, Illinois. From there we look toward one (for some of us two) more meets until outdoor, and some new gear we tried on this week. But until the snow melts, indoor it is.


February 12, 2014

Frequently when I read sports articles, I see the word "trounced." Meaning "to defeat heavily in a contest, to crush or overwhelm," it isn’t a word that comes up often in normal conversation. However, after this weekend’s meet, I think the Lady Jackets have earned the right to use it more often. At the end of the evening, Cedarville outscored the second place competitor by 99.5 points, scoring 172 points to win the meet.

Although there were probably more PRs than I am able to mention, here is a look at exactly how many teammates it takes to rack up 172 points.

Points from the track:

+ Christina Gall, Brielle Pitney, and Valerie Kirk took first, fourth, and sixth in the 200 meter dash for a total of 20 points.

+ Brielle also grabbed 8 more points in the 400 meter dash.

+ The Lady Jackets killed it in the 800 meter run: Olivia Esbenshade, Hailey Bresdon, and Lauren Callahan took first, third, and fifth respectively for 20 points total.

+ In the mile run, Jasmin Banachowski and Nicole Waterude grabbed third and fifth, earning 13 points, bringing the total to 61 (beating the fourth place team by 1 point).

+ Not to be outdone, some more distance girls destroyed the 3000 meter run. For a total of 24 points, Alex Archambault, Kristen Laaman, Rachel Groh, Melanie Redfield, Mary Kearney, and Katherine Sill grabbed second and third as well as fifth through eighth spots. After their stellar performance, the team’s score was 85, more than 10 points greater than the second-place team’s score.

+ In the 5000 meter run, Elisa Cherry brought us 6 more points.

+ In the 55 meter hurdles, Valerie Kirk and Christina Gall combined their second and fifth placing efforts to grab 12 more points.

+ In the 4 x 400, Cedarville ‘A’ Team - Valerie Kirk, Christina Gall, Lauren Callahan, Brielle Pitney - took first for 10 points.

+ And after the distance medley, Cedarville had a total of 123 points, thanks to another 10 point contribution from Cedarville ‘A’ Team featuring Jasmin Banachowski, Olivia Esbenshade, Hailey Bredeson, Nicole Waterude.

Points from the field:

+ Abbie Bonnevie brought 10 more points, earning first in the pole vault.

+ Beth Jones grabbed third in the long jump and fourth in the triple jump for 11 points cumulatively, bringing the team’s total to 144 points.

+ In the shot put, Anna Pomento and Megan Glandon added 12 points taking first and seventh.

+ Megan Glandon, Jo Sharp, and I added 6 more points taking sixth, seventh, and eighth in the weight throw.

+ And last but not least, Laura Farleman added 10 more points, winning the pentathlon and bringing the team’s total to 172 hard-earned points.

At the end of 17 events, it took 22 people to accumulate all 172 points, and I’d say those 172 points definitely qualify as a trouncing. Not included here are all the people who PRed but didn’t place or those who PRed without placing or who qualified for NCCAA’s or NCAA’s (or some combination of these) but those people also contributed to the team’s effort. Coming off this victory, we look forward to our next meet at Indiana Hoosier Hills which happens to be on Valentine’s Day, and what’s more romantic than a track meet? Everything - the answer is everything.


February 5, 2014

This week of training before our home meet has been quite exciting. We saw Coach Bolender participate in an over-the-back medicine ball toss completion, and we watched some wicked flexible ladies and gentlemen limbo under high jump standards. For my event group - unofficially known as the Lady Throwerz - the week of training meant spending lots of time in the weight room. Looking back over the course of this year, we have enjoyed seeing improvement in our muscle mass and form; however, what we most enjoy is reminiscing about our failures.

This episode of remembrance began as we gathered over stir-fry, bagels, and peanut butter. Jo turned to me laughing hysterically and said, "Hey, remember when you totally ate it on the back extension machine?" Of course I had not forgotten the fateful day before, when I was just trying to do my back extensions but didn’t quite secure my feet. I tried to pick up a ten pound weight, but it proved a worthy adversary, pulling me almost totally over the apparatus…almost. Laughing and very much confused in a sort-of-handstand, I had to wait for Jo to rescue me from my metal antagonist. I am not sure how many of the people on the other side of the glass wall saw me, but I know at least a few did - and that’s a few more than I would like.

However, we don’t always talk about our weight room failures. After talking and laughing about my most recent failure, I remembered encouraging words from my teammate and roommate, Megan Glandon. I recalled one morning last semester when we were lifting after our six-thirty workout. It was the third week on the weight sheet, meaning that it was the hardest week with the heaviest weights. I was tired; I was sore; I was sleepy; but we all were. I struggled through two of four sets of bench press, dutifully increasing the weight every time. Megan was spotting me, and I definitely needed her help that morning; I could hardly do the first set. Rep after rep I struggled, until about halfway through the third set when I hit a wall. I pushed, but the bar kept falling closer and closer to my chest. I knew I couldn’t do it, not on my own anyway. But then Megan said something that I’ll never forget as long as I live: "ARE YAH KIDDIN’ ME?!?" Needless to say, Megan is not a morning person, and I definitely was not kidding.

While it might seem pretty obvious that I am not the smoothest person in the weight room, what might be less obvious is the little known phenomenon that occurs every time Jo, Megan, and I step into the weight room together. Alone, each of us has strengths and weaknesses. Jo puts together a mean Crossfit workout for our Crossfit Saturdays, and as previously stated, Megan has the spiritual gift of encouragement. Put the three of us together and we cannot do simple addition, especially in multiples of thirty-five and forty-five. We know the bar starts at forty-five pounds, but after that we can’t ever seem to lift what we actually want to or even think we are lifting. Our inability to do math in the weight room is exactly what led us to accidentally squat fifty pounds more than we had planned one day last semester. We started at a conservative weight. As the official scribe, I looked at our weight sheet and said, "Add ten pounds." While I meant, add ten pounds total, they heard "add ten pounds to both sides." It wasn’t until the final set - which felt more than suspiciously heavy - that we realized our monumental error, and that we could squat much more than we thought previously.

But those failures are all in the past now (and make great memories), and we plan to put the weight room time to good use at the home meet on Friday. The Lady Throwerz aren’t the only ones who have worked hard, and Friday is a great opportunity to PR.

After a week off, we are ready to have a stupendous meet; and as Coach Bolender discovered this week, "stupendous" means "to cause amazement or wonder."


January 29, 2014

"This is the meet that never ends. It just goes on and on my friends. Some people started competing not knowing what it was, and they'll continue competing forever just because..."

Truly, the Youngstown State Invitational was the meet that never ended. I checked Wikipedia, but I couldn’t find an official longest indoor track meet record, so I am going to assume that the meet was in fact, the longest indoor track meet ever. It certainly felt like the longest day ever.

For some of us, arriving, competing, and returning became a twenty-five hour event. Some people managed to grab some Prs - some by thirty seconds or more and some by six inches - but everybody showed resilience and adaptability despite the conditions. While the long day might not have brought out the best performances in every athlete, it did bring out the best in everyone.

Even though the meet took - by all definitions - a wicked long time, at every event people cheered on their teammates. There were sprinters at the women’s weight throw, runners at the vault, jumpers at the sprints, and throwers at the track, too.

While I enjoyed the all of camaraderie throughout the meet, the midnight relays deserve special mention because of the true adversity they faced. Because events on the track fell behind schedule, some runners sacrificed full stomachs in the name of postponed competition. Some runners stopped eating at two but had to watch the rest of us devour pizza, pasta, and salads around eight. Other runners had time to eat, but pushed their bodies to the breaking point, staying awake three or more hours past their bedtimes. Despite starvation and sleep deprivation, these athletes remained positive and performed well.

As much as I love camaraderie and a good night run, my favorite part of the track meet was watching a long-distance runner finish his 4 x 400 sprint, keep running (which is a feat in itself after a 400), and immediately start eating pizza. Including the ten meters off the track to the pizza, his 410-meter split probably took fifty seconds. While those exact details may or may not be true, we all know how ravenous we all are after a meet, especially when it is 12:41 a.m.

Now that we remember what it’s like to compete after a long break (and we probably won’t be forgetting that competition any time soon), we can look forward to February 7 when we have our home meet. Not only will we have home-track advantage, but we also will have the advantage of this week’s hard work. Even with extreme cold, athletes of all shapes and sizes have packed the gym, persevering toward their individual and team goals.

My final thoughts come from my beloved Nanny who - in the true Pentecostal spirit - often texts me Bible verses for encouragement. This week, she sent me Philippians 4:19, "God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (emphasis added).

So whether you need some extra recovery during a hard week of training, a piece of pizza after your 4 x 400 relay, or your track meet to just finally end, God has abundant riches and power and will give you exactly what you need.


January 23, 2014

As a track athlete, sometimes I think I speak a different language. I talk too much about maxes, WODs, reps, flights, PRs, stim, and KT tape. As a thrower from the far away land of North Berwick, Maine, I know there are too many times when my fellow throwers gently rebuke me, saying, "This is one of those times when you just need to stop talking because you make no sense." But since I’m a Technical and Professional Communications major, I love words more than your average bear, and I hope to at least make some sense when it comes to the sport I love (even if it rarely loves me back). But enough about me! Let’s talk about something we all understand and all relate to: RICE.

Rest: We can finally taper for our upcoming meet! Even though we had our debut meet in December - with some stellar performances I might add - we have our first meet of 2014 at Youngstown State this Friday. There will be great competition there, meaning we will have great opportunities to shine.

Ice: I checked the forecast for the meet, and we are anticipating a balmy twenty degrees. Luckily, it’s indoor season. Beyond the obvious, I don’t know what I’d do without a wonderful athletic training staff to take care of me and keep me healthy, and I’m sure everyone else appreciates them as well.

Compression: When I think of compression I think of two things: trying to fit as many people with as many things on the smallest bus possible for three or four hours and trying to fit as much food into my stomach as possible (I am a thrower, after all). Either way, I’m looking forward to cramming a team’s worth of PRs into our day Friday.

And finally…

Elevation: With all this focus on our physical bodies in hours of practice and competition, it's important not to elevate the wrong ideas over the important ones. I struggle with this daily, and I need to think more like the 1996 Algerian Olyimpian Noureddine Morceli who said, "I believe in God. He is the secret of my success. He gives people talent." So whether you run, jump, throw, or sprint, remember why you can at all.Well, fellow track enthusiasts, those are my thoughts for now, sorry they are only loosely organized. As I close, I’ll just leave you with simple, encouraging words from Coach Phil Scott: keep the faith!

(And if you have exactly 1:44 to spare after reading this post, check out Coach Phil’s championship victory on YouTube! Just look up "Phil Scott track champion"!)


Ruth Towne is a sophomore thrower from North Berwick, Maine. She is in her second season with the Lady Jackets and is a Dean's List student majoring in technical and professional communications.