By Michael Newman

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The past week has given us some great performances. Illinois athletes stepped up in a big way showing us that Illinois is going to be another great season.

 

At the same time, the IHSA changed their multiplier waiver policy which has some coaches up in arms. It does effect schools in cross country and track.

 

Let’s talk about some of the stories behind the stories that happened in the past week.

 

I could only wish…

In the past week, we have seen some great performances by Illinois athletes in the Pole Vault. On the 16^th, Luke Winder (Central HS, Plainfield) soared over 17 feet for the first time in his career clearing 17- ¾ at Carthage College. Last Saturday, Jack Denby (Carlinville HS) got a little closer to Winder clearing 16-4 ¾ in winning the Big River Series Championships Pole Vault at the University of Missouri.

 

That is when I wish we had an Illinois Meet of Champions where the state champs could compete against each other. There could be a chance that the two could face each other at the Windy City Summit at Rolling Meadows High School on March 8. Winder finished third in the event a year ago. Denby did not make the trip to Chicago. I hope the people at Rolling Meadows High School can make this happen. It would make an already great event even better.

 

A Saturday Sectional?

When looking at what meets I would be going to, I noticed that the high powered 3A Girls Sectional that features some of the top southern schools in the 3A classification would be in Moline this year. That intrigued me. What intrigued me even more is that the sectional will take place during the day on May 18^th. The IHSA encourages host schools to host their meets either on Thursday or Friday just in case the meet has weathers problems and they have to push the meet back. It could mean that I will be taking a trip west on I-88 that Saturday morning

 

On the mend

As I was getting ready for the start of the Proviso West Invitational last Saturday, Sam Bransby (Central HS, Naperville) approached me. A week before at triangular meet at Bolingbrook High School, Bransby pulled his hamstring will competing in the Long Jump. Nevertheless, the senior was there to support his team. He wanted to compete in this heavyweight meet, but he realized his leg just was not up for it.

 

“I would really like to compete here because of the great competition but I just can’t,” Bransby said. “I just want to be ready for outdoors.” Bransby finished second in the 2013 3A state meet last year in the 400 Meter Dash. He also helped his team to the podium in the 4 x 400 Meter Relay. You just can’t achieve the goals that he wants to achieve by hurrying back. It is a long season ahead and his coaches think that rest is the best thing. I agree.

 

When I was talking to him, one of his coaches yelled at him to sit down. Yes, he will be ready in May.

 

Support from a mile legend

The St. Ignatius Boys track & field team has competed in the Jesuit Invitational outside of Washington DC the past two years. One of the benefactors that sponsors the trip is Ray Mayer. He ran track and attended the Chicago school graduating in 1951. This season, the track team had an addition person travel with the team to the meet. That person was former world record holder Tom O’Hara.

 

O’Hara graduated from St. Ignatius in 1960 running track for the school. His fastest prep time was 4:20 in the mile. That certainly improved when he went to Loyola University. O’Hara was the first native of the state of Illinois to break the 4:00 minute barrier when he ran 3:59.4 in 1963.That fall, he won the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Within in a span of 21 days in 1964, he broke the World Record for the mile indoors. He first did it on February 13^th at the Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden when he ran 3:56.6.

 

Then on March 6^th on the 11 lap per mile track at the old Chicago Stadium, O’Hara again lowered his world record to 3:56.4. Watch that race here!

 

That record stood for 14 years. He made the 1964 United States Olympic Team, but an illness slowed him down. He did make it to the 1500 semis. Who knows what he would have done if he was healthy.

 

What a blessing for the team to have a man like O’Hara accompanying them this past weekend. I am sure they benefitted by his presence on that trip. I wish the IHSA could have him as a guest for the state track meet this May. Wouldn’t it be great if he could hand out the medals to the Boys 1600 Meter winners? It would be a tribute to the man who set the Illinois track world a blaze 50 years ago.

 

You can read more about St. Ignatius’ trip this past weekend in Coach Ed Ernst’s blog.

 

IHSA recognizes high school student-athletes on their All-Academic Teams

On February 21, the IHSA announced the student-athletes that were named to the IHSA All-Academic Team. There were a number of cross country and track & field student-athletes that were named. Those include:

 

Ryan Perkins – Barrington

Michael Billington – Bloomington Central Catholic

Daniel O’Keefe – Chicago Mt. Carmel

Claire Dalman – Crystal Lake Central

Brigid Walsh – Des Plaines The Willows Academy

Zachary Smith – Downers Grove North

Stephanie Urbancik – Downers Grove North

Olivia Heffernan – Fisher

Madeline Perez – Glen Ellyn Glenbard West

Kevin Huang – Hinsdale Central

Nicholas Bushelle – Naperville Neuqua Valley

Patrick Perrier – O’Fallon

Sam Collins – Rockton Hononegah

George Gunter – Urbana University

Rachel Rhodes – Williamsville

 

There were many other cross country and track & field that made honorable mention on this team. You can see that list here. Congratulations to all of you that have your feet on the ground and make your studies the number one priority.

 

Proviso West Invitational thoughts

Anything could have better than last year at the Proviso West Invitational. You remember the mess that the meet was last year. The visiting teams had to help put away all the equipment. No awards were to be given until that was done. Like I said, it was a mess.

 

Johnny Jenkins and Vic Dubose have stepped in as coaches of the Proviso West Boys Track and Field team this season. The attitude has improved on the squad. It was also evident in the atmosphere of the the meet. The big changes in the meet was the order of events using an NFHS national schedule and doubling the points for the relays. Jenkins and Dubose also put the final sections of the 4 x 400 Meter Relays for both the Frosh/Soph and Varsity at the end.

 

Here are some of my thoughts about the meet:

 

• Information of the new schedule – It caught me by surprise when I found out about it last Wednesday. It also surprised many of the coaches that were in the meet. A committee of the meet met a couple of months before the meet according to Dubose and decided at that time to make the change. It was not communicated to all the schools. Coaches that I spoke to before the meet began told me they found out either Tuesday or Wednesday. One coach even said that he did not find out until Friday. Some coaches could not make athlete changes in events because entries closed Wednesday at noon. There were schools that had signed contracts to be at the meet way before the change. I am not privy to know what the wording is in the contract. Being in management for many years, if I did not fulfill a part of that agreement, I could be found in breach of the contract. Like I said, I do not know what it said in the contract.

 

 

• One of the reasons why of the schedule change – Jenkins explained in the coaches meeting that he wanted to make the meet move quicker. Dubose confirmed that after the meeting when I talked to him. This year, we finished the meet at approximately 3:30 PM. I looked at my notes from last year’s meet. It started late at 10:30 AM because of late entries. The meet ended at 3:50 PM. You had the same events as you did last year. Moving the events around was not going to quicken the meet up. There was a couple of sections that had only a couple of athletes or teams in the event. For example, the Frosh / Soph 4 x 800 only had three teams in the first section. There were six in the second section. Combining them would have saved them 12 minutes at least. They also did not hold the Frosh/Soph Pole Vault. A few coaches were upset about that. The reasoning was that it was the last event going last year. Not true. It finished at the conclusion of the 600 Meter Run last year. The Varsity Pole Vault ended this year at around noon. I hope they put that event back in. I did like the check in area being off the track. Less clutter on the infield. I do not know how athletes liked it. They were not allowed to warm up on the track.

 

• Did I like the schedule – I lived in Ohio for a number of years so I am very used to the schedule. I like the way Illinois runs their track meets compared to others. I guess that is my preference. The new schedule allowed less rest time for the sprints and the hurdles. Last year, you had 2 sections of the 4x8 relay and then 2 sections of the 3200. It was close to 40 minutes. This year, the time period was 20-25 minutes. It did not bother Antonio Shenault! I competed in the meet three times when I was in high school. The one thing I liked was the feature event was the mile. I got to run it my last two years. Saturday’s mile was a great race. It was a shame that it was at the beginning. I am sure they can tweak the schedule around. I would love to see the 3200 at the beginning and the mile towards the end. Maybe move the events around the middle a little so that doubles could happen. People in the past would stick around for the mile. People were leaving during the 3200. Do not take out the 600. It gives more kids a chance to compete.

 

• I could also see what they were trying to do with the 4x4 at the end. I too have been to the mile relay at the Millrose Games when they were at the Garden. I liked how the teams were brought out and received the attention. The thing with that is the east coast schools have raced for two months. It is easier to seed the schools when you have teams that have many races underneath their belt. It was not with the case with the meet on Saturday. The idea kind of blew up in their face when York won the relay from Section 2. Because the meet is so early in the year, it is tough to seed that race. Many teams have only run one race. Perhaps put more emphasis on the final two varsity sections in that relay?

 

• Overall – Johnny Jenkins is the right person in the right place at Proviso West. He has the passion for the sport. That is a good thing. The 50^th anniversary of the meet is next year. Jenkins goal is to make this meet again an elite event like it was 20 years ago. I hope he does. One thing that I would love to see is to name some of the events in tribute to some of the great athletes that have competed in the meet. The Larry Wieczorek Mile in tribute to the Long time Proviso West Cross Country and Track Coach. How about the Johnny Jenkins Long Jump? It was a breath of fresh air on Saturday. Hopefully, that air continues to remain fresh.

 

This weekend

The meets start to pick up in Illinois. Cahokia will be busy heading north to the Normal West Invitational on Thursday. The 27 team meet includes Belleville West, Minooka, Edwardsville, Plainfield North, and Homewood-Flossmoor to name a few. The relays will be great at this meet. What will Ja’Mari Ward do that night?

 

Cahokia is also scheduled to compete at the new Thornwood Boys Open to be held at the great new facilities at Olivet Nazarene. We could see a great jump battle between Marcus Jegede and Ward in the jumps. I can’t wait!

 

Lewis University will be hopping this weekend. On Saturday, Whitney Young will host the Dolphin Relays. On Sunday, the ICOPS Championships will be held featuring some of the top catholic schools in the Chicago area.

 

There will be many smaller meets in the Chicago area including the Plainfield North Girls Relays. The following weekend heats up next week when the majority of the track powers will be in action.

 

And finally… 

I woke up in the middle of the night a couple of days ago. I was having a bad dream. I was at Detweiller Park at the state cross country meet. It was getting dark and the award ceremony was still going on. Every competitor was getting an all-state medal.

 

I think what triggered my subconscious thoughts was the ruling that the IHSA made last week in regards to the multiplier changes that were made to non-boundaried schools.

 

The IHSA made changes in which a point system will be established to determine whether a school receives a multiplier waiver. This would apply to non-boundaried schools. I would also add a Success advancement step moving schools that reach certain thresholds up in classification. Read the IHSA announcement.

 

It is basically a response to the success that happens with some of the private schools in the bigger sports such as football. Half of the schools that won state championships in last year’s football tournament were private schools. This change is pointed at the larger sports like Football and Basketball where recruiting and getting the best athletes into their schools / programs.

 

I know right now you are asking me what does this have to do with cross country and track & field?

 

The changes for the bigger sports will have a lasting effect as well as non-bracketed sports like cross country and track & field. The new success advancement will move schools up a classification if in a non-bracketed sport, the schools wins two trophies in that sport within a four year span.

 

The key word in their statement is achieve. You win two trophies in cross country the last four years. You have done a great job building up a great program and teaching your athletes how to win and lose with class. Guess what? Let’s move you up a classification and make it a little tougher for you.

 

The first schools that I thought of when this came down was Chicago Leo Catholic and Decatur St. Teresa. Coach Ed Adams is a legendary coach at Leo Catholic HS that has built young boys into great men by the time they leave the school. His tradition of building character in his student/athletes is legendary. The school only has 286 boys enrolled in their school. They train in the halls during indoor season. They do not have the facilities like some of the bigger schools have, but Adams has taught them to compete regardless of the conditions. They win trophies at state with only a small group. The IHSA thinks that you have achieved too much. Let’s move you from 1A to 2A. Should they be allowed to succeed?

 

Decatur St. Teresa has won the last four 1A state championships in Girls cross country. Coach Todd Vohland does a great job similar to Adams. He teaches the basics of running and educates his athletes. Just like Leo, all the athletes that I have spoken to are courteous and respectful. Vohland does more than teach his students how to run. He has put so much work into building a successful program. Parents are attracted to send their child to a program like that. They know their child will be ready to take the next step in their education after their four years are complete.

 

Congratulations Coach Vohland. You are doing too good of a job. The IHSA thinks you need a new challenge. Let’s move you up to 2A. Decatur St. Teresa is a co-ed school that has only 276 students. Does it seem fair to move them up to a bigger class?

 

Of course not.

 

This movement was started a year ago and headed by a suggestion by a Class 2A school in Central Illinois. There is a sense of entitlement with some of the administrators which stinks for our kids. The idea of let someone else have a chance to win is their credo. I think my school has a good running program. There is this private school that is always successful and in our way to a state trophy. Instead of working harder, move them up a class. Our chances will be better.

 

There was a proposal that was going to be presented to the committee in which the success factor would have applied to bracket sports only excluding the non-bracketed sports. It was not accepted. I also found it interesting that this was supported with unanimous support.

 

In the history of Girls Cross Country in this state, only 15.2% of the trophies earned at a state competition were won by non boundaried schools. That is in a period close to 34 years. That percentage is pretty small to make a change. It does not matter to the IHSA.

 

Let’s not talk about recruiting with the non-boundaried schools. I am sure it happens in the big sports. Do you think it does not happen with public schools? Take a look at the Homewood-Flossmoor Girls basketball team and the fiasco it is going through right now.

 

I remember finishing at the state cross country meet my senior year. There was a runner just ahead of me that turned around to congratulate me. He then said, “You know, I am going to be moving to Elmhurst in December.” It was true. His father was getting transferred to the Chicago area. The dad asked his son if he had a preference of where they moved. The runner wanted to move to Elmhurst. There is nothing wrong with that. It still happens in both public schools and private schools to this day. It comes down to reputation of the program and the school.

 

It is not right to do this to our kids. I do not know what the correct answer to this is. All I can say is that with all of the feedback that I have received from both public and private school coaches, this is going to get very messy. The state legislature could get involved. We could see lawsuits.

 

The coaches have done nothing wrong. The students have done nothing. So why punish them?

 

I saw Joel Osteen mention this passage on his website the other day. It says in I Peter 4:12 “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.”

 

You are doing what is right coaches and administrators that are fighting this battle. You are in your profession because you were taught to teach and protect your students.

 

Fight the right fight. Fight the good fight.