By Michael Newman

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It’s a quiet Sunday morning. Nadal has taken command of Djokavic at Roland Garros. There is a nice breeze that makes the morning just a little more enjoyable. The notes that I have taken the past few weeks are crying out: “Use me!”

I know it gets tough towards the end of the track season to write a blog. So many things to get done in such little time. With the Illinois High School season complete and heading into a busy post-season, I think I can squeeze in a few things into this blog.

A few things? Ok, maybe more than that.

The IHSA State Meet

Let’s make this perfectly clear about the meets that took place at the end of May in Charleston. It was better than last year to say the least. The one thing that I have to credit IHSA Assistant Executive Director Ron McGraw is when a mistake is made, McGraw will look at a way to make it better the next year. I wish we did not have to rely on the next year philosophy for this meet.

One of the huge problems at last year’s meet was the check in tent. This year it was 100% better. In the announcer’s booth, they had a chart for each day’s competition. Whenever there was a call made for athletes to check in, Matt Piecinski and all of those doing the announcing for this year’s meet would record a time when that announcement was made. There were a few occasions were specific athletes were called. I know Plainfield North Coach Tony Holler in his blog mentioned a final call for 3A champion Cole Henderson to report to the tent immediately. I was on my way back up to the press box from the tent when I heard that call. I am glad there was a little more accountability this season with that.

Thursday of the Boys Prelims we went through a couple of weather delays. After monitoring the Wisconsin State Meet yesterday, we were extremely lucky. They went through a 5 ½ hour delay during the finals when huge storms went through. They were actual storms. Their state meet did not end until 10:30 last evening. A long day to say the least.

The first of the weather delays had a lightning strike that was picked up 6 miles to the north. The skies were sunny. In my mind, I wish there was not that rule. We would have finished the prelims before the second delay hit. Rules are rules. What happened if that storm slid south? Then what? The IHSA was right delaying the meet. When the second delay hit, lightning was visible all around the stadium. No brain call there.

A coach brought this to my attention that Thursday afternoon. There was a call that the meet would continue at 6:20 PM on that Thursday with the 300 Intermediate Hurdles. I went down to get something to drink. I came back up and saw that they were ready to go at 6:10. The next event was the 1600 Meter Run. The moving up of 10 minutes threw those 1600 athletes off. A coach of one of the athletes went to the tent to make his objection clear that his athlete would not have enough time to warm-up. The clerk who listened to the complaint replied, “Well, that’s too bad for you isn’t it?” It is the same clerk that last year celebrated the fact that they finished the meet 2 ½ hours ahead of schedule.

There was improvement in the meet. But when you are dealing with high school KIDS, there needs to be some sensibility when dealing with these issues. In most cases at both meets there were. I have received a few e-mails on issues that the IHSA knows about. I won’t go into each one any further.

One more thing. I like to get to the stadium early the day of finals. I have that peaceful retrospective looking at the field. I read some devotionals calming myself for the day ahead. I looked down on the field and saw Ron McGraw helping EIU personnel bring tables on the infield for the awards. He was helping put up the tents on the infield as well. It was not just directing people to do this. He was hands on. I can relate to that. When I was in management many moons ago, I had the same philosophy. So hats off to Mr. McGraw. I may not agree with everything that he does, but he is one of the engines that keeps the state meet moving.

Davis and Keller

Two athletes that I am excited to watch race in the next few years are Anna Sophia Keller and Jon Davis. The fact that they performed the way that they did in the 3200 in each weekend of the 1A meet is simply amazing. Let’s take Keller, the freshman from St. Anthony HS first. Heading to the starting line of the 1A 3200 at the Girls meet, she had run only three 3200 races in her life. Most of the year, she was doubling in the 1600 / 800. After the mile, I talked to her about that race. From listening to her, she is still learning how to run that race. It showed when she ran out of steam in the last 100 meters. Once she gets a stranglehold on that race, I think we see Kayla Beattie’s state record of 9:56 go down. To run 10:22 only as a freshman makes me believe she will get that record.

The story of Jon Davis is even more fascinating. He HATES the 3200. But Justin Jones, who helps him with his training, suggested that he try that race after the 14:46 that he ran at state cross country. He ran a low keyed 3200 early in the year as a tempo run. His first all-out effort was at the sectional race where he just held on and kicked past Nick Hess for the win. The same held true in the state finals where the conditions were far worse. He still ran in the low 9:20’s. It is hard to see anyone push Davis the next two years. (Perhaps Eric Ponder in the 201-4-2015 season). I know Grant Nykaza wanted to get the state cross country time record for 1A his senior year. We could see Davis do that this fall. When Davis does finally graduate, he could be one of the most decorated small school athletes in the distance races. Only time will tell.

The past week of meets (Festival of Miles)

Illinois athletes shined in two meets this past week. At the Festival of Miles Meet in St. Louis, Patrick Perrier ran the fastest mile for an Illinois athlete this year (4:06.70) in finishing second behind Missouri’s Spencer Haik. Two other Illinois athletes dipped under 4:10 for the full mile. One was expected and one was a surprise. Conant’s Zach Dale has been on the cusp of going under 4:10 all year after running 8:56 at Arcadia. He finished seventh just dipping under that mark (4:09.95).

It was the runner that was ahead of him that had me pleasantly surprised. York’s Matt Plowman moved ahead of Dale in the last 400 to record a sixth place finish and a huge PR (4:09.13). His official 1600 best was at his conference meet when he ran 4:19. His unofficial PR was when he ran 4:12 at the DuPage County Meet when he was disqualified in that race. He learned from that race and it showed in St. Louis on Thursday night. Think of a 1600 final at state next year with Plowman, Dale, Jesse Reiser, and Ryan Clevenger all with chances to run for Jeff Thode’s record.

Mary Blankemeier (Oak Park-River Forest HS) was put in a lower tier Girls mile race. Next year if she chooses to run the meet, she will be in the “elite” race. Blankemeier ran the fastest 1600 / 1 mile by a Girls athlete in Illinois when she won her race in a PR 4:55.58. She would have finished fourth overall in the elite race.

Illinois runners placed 2-3-4 in the Girls 800 at the Festival of Miles being Missouri’s Hannah Long. All three of those runners are underclassmen. 1A champion Cassie Mundekis (Midwest Central HS, Manito) ran a PR 2:12.89 in finishing second. Morgan Schultz (Cary-Grove HS) finished third (2:13.59). 2A champion Karina Liz (Aurora Central Catholic) finished fourth (2:13.67). All three are back next year along with 3A champion Lauren Van Vlierbergen. Could Courtney Clayton’s record fall to one of these talented athletes in 2015?

The past week of meets (Great Southwest Classic)

Steve Underwood, now with the National Scholastic Athletics Foundation, called me Saturday afternoon and asked me if I was sitting down. Usually when I receive a call from Steve U, he is at a meet and has some big news for me about an Illinois athlete. The first athlete that came to mind was Cahokia’s Ja’Mari Ward. I know the sophomore was extremely disappointed that he did not win the 2A Long Jump at last week’s state meet after turning his ankle in his first jump on Saturday. I have seen so many athletes that bounce back the following meet and do something big. Ward is one of those athletes.

I asked Steve U what did he jump? Did he go past 52 feet? 25 feet?

Steve told me 25-6 ¾. He did have a little help with a +2.2 tailwind. There are only three jumps only longer this year. I think that is pretty impressive. I looked on the IHSA site to see if there was anyone longer. There is an athlete that jumped 26-11. I do not believe that is accurate. In my eyes, Ward has the longest jump ever for a prep athlete regardless of conditions. When I talked to Cahokia Coach Leroy Milsap at last year’s youth championships in Edwardsville, he believed that his athlete would be compared to Carl Lewis when he left high school in regards to the jumps. I think we should start that comparison now.

William Session (Belleville East HS) won the 110 Meter High Hurdles after a disappointing state meet. The sophomore won in a photo finish ahead of Texas’ Amere Lattin (14.12) into a 2.1 headwind. Cahokia’s Gary Hickman finished fifth (14.25). Brittny Ellis (Warren Township HS, Gurnee) also had a good meet finishing third in the 400 Meter Dash (54.52) then coming back to run a season’s best 23.81 in the 200 Meter Dash.

And finally…

One of the things that I look forward to the most is the state meets at the end of May in Charleston. I have been able to watch the meet from the stands as a fan. The one thing that I treasure the most is being down on the floor of the stadium on Championship Saturday. I was lucky that I was able to run in the state meet my senior year. The outcome was not what I wanted, but when I was walking off the track, I never thought I would be in the position to be on the track again on Championship Saturday.

When I decided to make my career change, I was afforded the opportunity again to be on the track for the finals. I have a way that I watch the meet. I come down on the track a couple of times during the prelims just to get a sense of how athletes are feeling. You can see it in their eyes sometimes the confidence that is oozing from them. The eyes can tell you everything.

My Saturday is simple. When it gets close to the action to begin, I am on the floor of O’Brien Stadium. I do not want to waste one moment. There were a couple of times where I would run up to the press box to get some water. I could not see myself sit in the press box half the time the meet goes on. I get that opportunity, I take it. I love to watch the race develop. I get to see up close the reaction of the athlete when they run good or run bad. You noticed that I did not tweet much on that Saturday a week ago. I want to know how the athlete felt. I love doing interviews. My phone stays in my back pocket. Why waste the opportunity.

You would think that the most memorable moment of the year for me was something that happened at the state meet. Well, there were so many great moments it is hard to choose. If there would have to be a memorable moment to choose from, it would have to be the week before at the Lake Park Boys Sectional.

Why would you choose a sectional meet over a state meet Mike?

The Lake Park Sectional comes in the most difficult periods of the coverage season for me. I have to monitor what is happening at the Girls State Meet. At the same time, I am at two Boys Sectional Meets. The meet that I was at the night before, Joliet West, was a whopper of a meet. On Saturday, I would head down early in the morning to the Girls State Meet. By the time I am through on that Sunday, I am exhausted with everything that I needed to do. I just want to make it through the Friday night meet.

The Lake Park Sectional would have a great 3200 between Zach Dale and Nolan McKenna. The pace was fast through the first mile but I noticed that McKenna was having trouble. 400 meters later, he stepped off the track in front of his distance coach Chris Kuntz. McKenna had a hairline stress fracture that was discovered a couple of days before that. I was in the stands videotaping the race. For one lap, I lost my focus. It is tough to see someone carried off the track injured. McKenna is such a GOOD kid. He exemplifies what is great about the sport. He is a great student, tough competitor while being humble at the same time. I saw him during the rain delay on Thursday at state. He was there to support his teammates. I know he wanted to be at that meet. He had high goals. I think I was blessed that I had a chance to interview him the times that I could. I’m proud of how he handled the situation.

I was down after that race. I told my son Matthew that I was going to be on the track to watch the 400. Before the meet, I talked to Matt Burns, the defending 3A champion from Willowbrook in the 400 Meter Dash. Here is another kid that I liked talking to and I respect. He was an unexpected winner last year. This year his focus was incredible. A hamstring injury at the Mustang Relays slowed him down. At the DuPage County Meet, he looked like he was one his way after a win in that meet. Before the sectional meet, he told me that he had injured his foot on Monday before the sectional meet. He felt better and was going to test it for his team in the 400 relay. Then he would run the 400.

It did not go good for him. I saw him with an ice-pack on it again after the 3200. He thought he would not be able to go in the 400. But, he was going to give it a go. All I could tell him was to keep his head up.

They called to the runners to the blocks for the final section of the 400. The lane that Burns was supposed to be in was empty. I thought “Nuts”. I looked around and spotted him on the side of the fence as the starter called the runners into the blocks. I could see it in his eyes. His eyes seemed to water a little. I can imagine he was thinking everything I have worked for this season and I am standing by the fence. He had someone next to him gripping his shoulder as the gun went off. There was no turning back. There was no opportunity to defend what you had won the year before. It is hard to see someone like that. But it is something that I will always remember.

He did have a teammate in that race Jake Bloemke that was in third heading down the homestretch. Burns was yelling at the top of his lungs at Bloemke. His tears turned to cheers as he saw his teammate finish second and qualify for the state meet.

That is one of the big things I remember about this track season.

I wish I could talk to all of the seniors after their last state race the past two weekends. All I can say is that I am honored that you were willing talk to me after a race. I learned a little more about all of you during those talks. I learned a little more about me as well. I hope that your future continues to shine as you head into the next phase of your life.

To all of you returning next year, I look forward to having those video chats. I always wanted a job where I could give back to the sport. I hope I am doing that. I am not going to change how I spend that Championship Saturday in Charleston. All I know is that my phone will find a comfortable spot in my back pocket.

Talking to an athlete after they win a state championship trumps a tweet in my book. Don’t you think so?

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There is plenty more in my notebook that I want to share. It’s going to be a long summer.