2007 WA Random Track Articles

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http://www.theolympian.com/143/story/89962.html

CASEY STEVICK

Olympia track and field

Age: 18

Year: Senior

Family: Mom, Wendy; dad, Drew; older sister, Autumn; older brothers, Joe and Jesse; younger sister, Cassidy. Jesse won the Capital City Marathon in 2006.

Other sports: Tennis and basketball

Grew up in: Olympia

Last week: Stevick helped Olympia place third at the Eason Invitational in Snohomish by medaling in four events: long jump (first), high jump (third), 300-meter hurdles (third) and 110 hurdles (fifth). His long jump was a personal best (21 feet, 5 inches), and he tied his personal best in the high jump (6-3).

About last week: "It was really nice conditions. It was good to take advantage of the good weather and good competition. It was a good opportunity to post good marks going into districts and league meets. We're definitely getting into the bigger meets of season, so it's an opportunity to run against some of the better competition."

Comment from Olympia coach Scott Ditter: "It was an outstanding performance. Anytime you can go to one of the larger invitational events and place in four events, it is quite the effort. It was a pretty busy day. It's a great effort on his part. In some ways, it wasn't a huge surprise, because we know the kind of athlete he is. His long jump was a great jump. It wasn't a shock by any means. We're all excited for him, but we know he's that caliber of athlete. He's definitely taken it to another level."

What do you do to prepare for a meet? "Not much, really. We had to get up pretty early for the bus ride up there. There's not much I do besides warm up a lot. No superstitious stuff."

Who is someone, living or dead, you might like to meet? "Maybe Dan O'Brien because he's a multi-event athlete (in decathlon). He was a pretty impressive decathlete. He's always impressed me with being an all-around athlete."

Who do you think is the best long jumper of all time? "I don't really know too many long jumpers. I've seen Carl Lewis jump. That's amazing to watch. Just watching him, it's hard to imagine how you can get that far."

The NFL draft is coming up this weekend. If you owned a team and could draft any player (already in NFL or not yet), who would you choose? "I would probably have to go with LaDainian Tomlinson with the Chargers. He's pretty amazing to watch."

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http://www.columbian.com/sports/localNe ... 130318.cfm

Hockinson's Dunn never seems to be finished when it comes to running


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Colton Dunn smiles after crossing the finish line to win the 400 meters, one of three wins at the Columbia River Twilight meet. MIKE SALSBURY/The Columbian



Skyview's Jennifer Pike won the 100- and 300-meter hurdles at the Columbia River Twilight meet on Friday. MIKE SALSBURY/The Columbian

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Sunday, April 22, 2007
The Columbian

Coach Randy Pearrow describes sophomore Colton Dunn as a "natural-born sprinter."

Maybe that's why Pearrow has such a hard time keeping Dunn off the track.

Dunn raced to victories in the 100, 200 and 400 meters Friday night at the Columbia River Twilight meet, and he also helped Hockinson to a third-place finish in the 1,600 relay.

That's a lot of running for one Friday afternoon. But it's nothing that Dunn is not used to.

"It's not like I'm forcing him to do all those events," Pearrow said of Dunn. "He wants to run them. He sort of thrives on it."

It worked last season. Dunn placed second in the 400, sixth in the 200 and ran the 1,600 relay at the Class 2A state meet last year as a freshman.

"And he false-started in the 100 at the district meet or he would have gone to state there, too," Pearrow said.

This season, Dunn was named the outstanding athlete of the Al McKee Invitational in Stevenson by winning the 100, 200 and 400 as well as running in the 1,600 relay. It was the second year in a row Dunn has been named the outstanding athlete at the McKee meet.

Dunn was an experienced competitor in Hershey meets and Junior Olympics before coming to Hockinson, and the sophomore works year-round with a track club in Portland, Pearrow said.

"Colton is a well-conditioned, well-experienced athlete who knows what he's doing out on the track," Pearrow said. "The really great sprinters make running look so effortless and smooth. That's what Colton is like."

Reclassication in the state will change the makeup of the competition at the 2A state meet this season, but Pearrow said Dunn is up to the challenge.

"Looking at the top times in the state (at 2A), Colton is in the top 5 or 6 in all of his events, where last season he was the top 2 or 3," Pearrow said. "So there will be stiffer competition at state. But he also hasn't been pushed a lot this season. Colton is one of those runners who rises to the occasion."

Dunn was hoping to face off against Evergreen's Ryan Hamilton, who holds the top 100-meter time in the state this season, during Friday's meet at River.

"We were hoping to see who was the fastest sprinter in the county, but that didn't work out," Pearrow said, as Evergreen was one of three Clark County schools that passed on the Twilight meet.

Dunn will look for tough competition at the Shelton Invitational next week as he prepares for the sub-district and district meets that lead up to state next month.

- Tim Martinez


Girls track and field

Speed starting to arrive for Pike - Jennifer Pike holds Skyview's school records in both the 100- and 300- meter hurdles, but was somewhat frustrated with a slow start to her senior season.

"It was frustrating at first, coming out and not being where I was at last year, but I'm working on technique stuff this year," she said at Columbia River's Twilight meet Friday. "I'm telling myself that the speed will come later, because it will."

The speed came just a few minutes later, then again.

"She's been doing a great all-around job this year, working hard," coach Ron Heidenreich said. "We'll see today. She's got some good competition, so I'm hoping she does really well in both of them."

She did. Pike won both races in a meet featuring 10 of Clark County's 13 programs, winning the Twilight title in the shorter race for the second consecutive year.

Oh, and she also ran a leg of the Storm's 1,600 relay, which placed third. Pike also runs the open 400 at some meets, but not at the Twilight, because of the level of competition since the event is immediately before the 300 hurdles.

She was The Columbian's athlete of the week for girls track and field on April 4 after winning both hurdles races and the 400 in a dual against Heritage, while also helping the 1,600 relay team to victory.

On this week's list of the area's best times, Pike is second in the 300 hurdles and 400, and third in the 100 hurdles.

Pike said she is concentrating on workouts for hurdles and sprints as senior, while last spring she was "over-exerting" herself by also playing club volleyball.

Heidenreich said hurdlers are typically stronger at either the shorter or longer distance, but Pike is strong in both.

"It's usually one or the other," she said. "She was a 100 hurdler, then last year we got her to run really hard in the 300 hurdles. All of a sudden, she sets the school record and now she likes both of them."

Training for the 400 has made her better at the longer hurdles event, he said.

Pike said she is focused on technique goals as a senior, but wants to better her own school records by reaching the "high 14s" in the 100 hurdles and the "mid-45s" in the 300 hurdles. Her winning times Friday were 15.60 and 45.99 seconds, respectively.

"I'm working myself out of a slump now, so I'm excited," she said.

- Kurt Zimmer

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http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2 ... sports.txt

Grannemann signs letter to run for Gaels
Thursday, April 26, 2007 10:27 AM PDT

Hoquiam High School photo

Hoquiam High School senior Tess Grannemann signs a letter of intent Monday to run cross country at Saint Mary’s College at Moraga, Calif. Grizzly cross country coach Kevin Gary, left, and her parents, Nancy and Mark Grannemann, look on. Grannemann is a three-time league champion and four-time state participant in cross country and has earned numerous age-group AAU honors.

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http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/h ... ack27.html

Track and Field | Meets feature state's best
By Sandy Ringer
Seattle Times staff reporter
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Devin Brooks could threaten a hurdles meet record.
Three prestigious track and field meets, three star-studded fields.

Whether fans opt for the boys-only Shoreline Invitational, the girls-only Lake Washington Invitational or the coed Shelton Invitational, they should be treated to some exceptional performances Saturday.

The 20th annual Shoreline event, which begins at noon for field events and 1 p.m. for sprint preliminaries at Shoreline Stadium, features state leaders in 10 events, including Garfield's Stephone Jordan (both hurdles races), Skyline's Matt Frerker (3,200 meters) and Kentwood's Michael Chinchar (1,600).

Ryan Hamilton from Evergreen of Vancouver, who has the state's fastest times in the 100 (10.74) and 200 (21.93), heads a sprint crew that includes nine qualifiers with 100 times under 10.9. Nine pole vaulters have cleared at least 14 feet, including state-leading Sam Sampson of Squalicum (15-6).

At Lake Washington High School in Kirkland, the long-standing meet record in the 1,600 (4:28.6, shared by Patty Matava and Patty Ley in 1981) could be in jeopardy. Sumner's Katrina Drennen owns the state's best time in the 1,600 this season (4:52.83), but has a personal best of 4:32.6. Nicole Cochran of Bellarmine Prep has clocked 4:29.2.

Devin Brooks from Holy Names, the state leader in the 100 hurdles (14.47) should have a shot at a record as well. Mount Si's Sarah Lavallee ran a meet-record 14.34 in 1998.

Field events begin at 10:30 a.m., along with prelims in the sprints. Running finals start at noon. Trophy presentations are scheduled for 4:15.

The Shelton event, which begins at 10 a.m., enters its 47th year. Redmond's Jabari Mu'ied has a chance to win both hurdles races, as he is top-seeded in the 110 highs (14.84) and No. 2 in the 300s (30.84) behind Enumclaw's Miles Timpe (30.05). Jay Davis of Federal Way comes in with the No. 1 entry in the triple jump (44-1) and is tied with teammate Andre Barrington for the top spot in the long jump (21-9).

On the girls' side, Tahoma's Megan Zukowski is among the fastest qualifiers in the 100 (12.64) and 200 (26.34).

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http://www.yakima-herald.com/page/sp/288751784188285

Barbosa, Bergman at intersection of speed
By SCOTT SPRUILL
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC
Fast friends they are, but the fact is Nectaly Barbosa and Isak Bergman shouldn't know each other. They shouldn't even cross paths, odds insist, except for a brief encounter at a national track and field meet.

That's what you would think, given the uncommon times these two high school kids are running for 800 meters.

Over the last two decades the nation has averaged three performances a season of 1 minute, 50 seconds or better in the two-lap race. Most of those come from California and the eastern states.

And yet here we have Barbosa and Bergman, from Prosser and Ellensburg, respectively, achieving these high feats in each other's Eastern Washington backyard.

Earlier this month Barbosa became the second prep runner in state history to slip under 1:50, clocking 1:49.94 and coming within a half second of the state record. And Bergman is just a few ticks away at 1:50.63, which he ran last summer.

"It's almost eerie when you think about it," Bergman says. "Maybe there is a little planning in the universe. The same place, the same time, the same races."

That's just it. Not only are Barbosa and Bergman the same age, they compete in the same classification and in the same conference. When the state underwent its most dramatic classification realignment ever a year ago, Prosser dropped
from Class 3A to 2A.

And so did Ellensburg.

"The funny thing is we're more friends
than rivals so I like that we're always together," Barbosa says. "I've been to a lot of meets (around the country) and it's cool to think we can race with anybody."

Race with range, too.

Both possess the speed to break 49 seconds in the 400 and the strength to be among the national leaders in the 1,600.

But the manner in which these times are run, that's where Barbosa and Bergman have their own distinct identity.

What they believe and how they express it offer classic contrasts at the heart of competitive racing.


Barbosa the bold

At the Pasco Invitational two weeks ago, Barbosa made it known before a 1,600 race loaded with the state's best that he wanted a fast time. And he was willing to do all the work.

"I thought it was a little risky, but that's what he does," Bergman says. "I said, 'So, you're going to take it for all of us?' I wasn't skeptical because
I knew he could do it."

Not waiting for anyone's assistance with pace or shelter from the breeze, Barbosa powered through three laps in 3:09 and built a 3-second lead. The crowd rose out of appreciation for the solo effort and he responded, even more impressively, with a 60-second final circuit, shattering the meet record in 4:08.86.

Bergman, who was second with a huge personal best of his own, admired his friend's let-it-fly mentality.

"He runs brave and strong," Bergman said that day. "You have to like anybody who does that."

Barbosa's fierce racing persona can, on occasion, leave him vulnerable. Later in the day at Pasco he raced the 800 as though he was fresh, towing Nathan Hale's Abdi Hassan through a blistering first 600. Hassan, who didn't run the 1,600, rallied and won by a half second.

No regrets, though, for someone not only comfortable with risk but demanding of it.

Barbosa has never been a wait-and-see racer. And it's not like he bolts wildly, just with more regard for a final time than a place. It's a courageous disposition that is reminiscent of what made Oregon legend Steve Prefontaine so popular.

"If it's a nice day and conditions are good, I don't want running a fast time in somebody's else's hands," Barbosa explains. "If I get stuck in the pack and we go out in 65, I can run that race. But I want to be the one to make it a fast race."

A devout soccer player in his youth, Barbosa was cajoled into giving track a try in eighth grade. His talent was immediately evident as none of his races were remotely competitive.

Bergman remembers watching Barbosa run a 4:29 mile in a middle school district meet. The view was from a distance.

"I did a lot of different events in that meet and when the mile came around I thought, 'OK, this is a good event for me.' Then he goes out and just kicks my butt," Bergman says. "I had no idea there could be talent like that."

By that summer, Barbosa ran 1:58.72 in the 800 and won the National Junior Olympic title in Miami for the 13-14 age group. He often started races wickedly fast and tired but still won by half a lap.

"I've tried to learn about pacing and tactics and not to go out too fast. I'm still figuring things out," he said in the summer of 2003 before going to Miami. "People ask me how I run so fast and I don't know what to say. It's just natural for me."

From these hard-charging roots, Barbosa has channeled his audacious talent into something of a visceral force. A race comes along and two things happen: The gun goes off, and he's gone.

For his friend and rival, it's quite a bit different. The gun goes off, and the beat begins.


Bergman the musician

As a connoisseur of all things lyrical, Bergman identifies running and racing as his "carnal vibe."

The hours he spends running can be matched â€â€

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http://www.kitsapsun.com/bsun/sp_preps/ ... 85,00.html

Face2Face
April 27, 2007

Vic Chatman

Senior





Olympic

track and field

The Trojans senior has one of the state’s top times in the 110 hurdles, and played football in the fall.

What has been the highlight of your high school career?

VC: Football season against Peninsula, when I scored my first touchdown of the season. On the play, I ran a streak route; I looked back at the quarterback (Jeff Boice) and his hand was already empty. The ball was right there for me.

What are your plans for college?

VC: I want to attend Central Washington University. If not, Air Force.

What’s in your iPod?

VC: Lil’ Wayne; I listen to him during warm ups. At the end of meets, I listen to T.D. Jakes.

What’s your favorite movie?

VC: "Gridiron Gang"

What’s been your most embarrassing moment?

VC: Last year at Mount Tahoma, I was running the 400 for the very first time. I went all out. But near the end, my legs gave out.

You injured your hamstring earlier this season. How did it happen?

VC: I was running the hurdles at Mount Tahoma. At the sixth hurdle, I felt my leg tighten up. It was like someone took all the tendons in my leg and squeezed them together.

What will you have to do to make it to the league meet?

VC: Stay in the training room.

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http://www.kvnews.com/articles/2007/04/ ... 058643.txt

EHS going back to the future
By JEFF WILSON
sports editor


When Spike Arlt, left, joined his son John as a track coach at Ellensburg High, he brought more than just a family name and experience with him. Photo by Joe Whiteside/Daily Record

ELLENSBURG â€â€

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http://www.whidbeynewstimes.com/portals ... 0717&more=


Numbers spell victory for King’s


By Tim Adams
Apr 25 2007

In a dual track meet, having more members on a team means more points scored.

That was the problem facing the Coupeville Wolves when they went up against King’s Garden on Thursday.

King’s does not have either a girls softball team or a boys baseball team in the Cascade Conference and as a result, the Knights have a large number of track competitors.

In the boys half of the meet King’s was a 98-33 winner, while the girls bested the Wolves by a 91-44 score.

Despite the lopsided victory, several members of the Coupeville team turned in outstanding performances.

“Erin Hickey threw a season-best in the discus at 95-3 to place second,â€Â

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http://www.northkitsapherald.com/portal ... 4790&more=


Speedy Simmons flies around the track


By Shaun Scott
Apr 18 2007

POULSBO â€â€

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Link

Parks department takes over Cheney Track Club
By JOHN McCALLUM
Editor

There’s good news for area runners, jumpers and sprintersâ€â€

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http://www.puyallup-herald.com/sports/s ... 9848c.html

April 26 â€â€

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http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/l ... ck28m.html

In Federal Way, track and field is elementary
By Judy Chia Hui Hsu
Seattle Times staff reporter
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BETTY UDESEN / THE SEATTLE TIMES
Justin Evans impatiently waits to carry the baton for Mirror Lake Elementary in a practice meet relay.
Having practiced hand-offs for weeks, the 6-year-olds knew what the shiny batons were for. But the pair waved them at each other like light sabers anyway.

It didn't matter that more than a thousand spectators were looking down on them at Federal Way Memorial Stadium â€â€