ST Awards

Categories for Indoor Track '06

"Vocabulary of Excellence"

Kathleen Ryan

There was certainly a lot of competition for this award. Earlier this season I was lamenting the talent drain that will be hitting the Hockomock League this year – especially on the girls' side. Take away Allie, Holly, Shanika, Hillary etal. and you might wonder where the excitement will come from in '07. Wonder no longer! There's a bunch of new kids on the block and they're pretty sharp.

Just within my own team there was a plethora of outstanding first-year runners. Two sophomores, Kristen McLoughlin (42.60) and Sara Krasney (3:11.3) set school records and another soph Amanda Parker was just a stride off the 600M mark. Names like Julie Binney and Rachel Wasserman from other teams were also nominated.

In the end, this was no contest. True freshman Kathleen Ryan lit it up big-time in the 600M. Rumor has it she was born with wings on her feet. More impressive is her demeanor. Excuse the pun but she takes it all in stride. The new generation is here!

Most Precocious Athlete

Powell Simpson

- characterized by unusually early development or maturity

Well, I slept on it and I had to change my mind. The guy is only a sophomore and he's chasing 22'. Then he burns the track in the 55 and 300M. His potential is virtually unlimited.

Can he hurdle?

Can he triple jump?

Can he throw the jav?

Can he find another way to get an ST?

He doesn't get another award for being young. He's a man!

Dave Lint

I watch him get ready to run and I find myself thinking, “OK. Who's getting second?” I guess he gets his fearlessness from the confidence of knowing he's done everything he could to get to the podium.

There were many other good nominees but I won't name them here. They would pale by comparison.

Shanika Pitts

This could have also been Dave Lint. Or it could have been Anthony Sherman. Or a host of others. The nod goes to Shanika Pitts. My e-mail was flooded with votes for her. Even Simon would have to give her the thumbs-up on this one.

Itai Stein

The fans gave this one to Itai. I've never found the time to focus on him during a meet, but I heard from more people concerning this award than any other.

Most Fervent Athlete

Adrienne Goldberg

- Having or showing great emotion or zeal; ardent

Kyle Hitchcock

This was a no-brainer. There may not be a more gregarious person in the Hockomock. Getting someone from Foxboro to say something nice about someone from North is as tough as say   – someone from NA congratulating a Warrior. But hey! It's a new world out there. And I got two glowing recommendations from the boys in blue (and gold speed-suits) naming Hitchcock at the #1 spot.

Just to show the feeling is mutual, when I asked my own team who they most respected from another team, Holly just edged Shanika for the title. Cuozzo, Crooke, Booth and Lincoln were just some of the other names mentioned.

Most Affable Athlete

Ngoc Pham

-   Easy and pleasant to speak to; approachable, convivial

Ngoc Pham

Ngoc is so friendly that she's in at least a dozen of North Attleboro's team pictures. If she ever needs to move from Sharon, she knows where to find a home. (After the season of course. We enjoy running against her!)

Most Self-effacing Athlete

Colleen Wetherbee

- Not drawing attention to oneself; modest

Colleen Wetherbee

This is an STAward first! I'm awarding this to someone who not only wasn't nominated, but also isn't a Hockomock League athlete. Colleen Wetherbee is clearly one of the most awesome athletes in the state. Every race is a show.

Yet, Colleen isn't at all influenced by the attention she gets. She would rather throw that attention elsewhere. For example, Colleen e-mailed me to nominate Allie Cuozzo for the award. She is so unpretentious that she humbly asked if I'd accept a nomination from someone outside the Hockomock.

Another example. Just after she toasted the Class B field in the mile, her first concern was to go over and console Jenna for losing a shoe during the race. Colleen could have been basking in the glory of her accomplishment – but instead chose to show genuine concern to a fellow competitor. It doesn't get much classier than that.

Most Self-effacing Athlete

Allie Cuozzo

- Not drawing attention to oneself; modest

Holly

I focused on the words “skill under pressure”. Some events require extreme conditioning and fortitude. Others are more skill oriented. In the 55M, the start is technically demanding and the slightest hesitation or stumble equates to failure. The long jump is an intricate dance composed of many steps. There's the perfect cadence of the approach, the mastery of the penultimate step, the pinpoint accuracy of hitting   a narrow board at top speed, then the seemingly effortless soaring through the air deep out into the pit. In reality, the flight requires considerable balance and the rotation of limbs around a center of gravity to insure that the legs don't drop too soon.

Well, Holly did this under the most pressure-packed situation of all – the state finals. Holly placed high in both events with outstanding performances, not to mention anchoring the 4X2 to a New England Championship berth. No last names needed here. If you don't know who Holly is you haven't been paying attention.

Most Adroit Athlete

Courtney Lincoln

- Skillful and adept under pressing conditions

Courtney Lincoln

Courtney Lincoln didn't have a state finals meet like Holly, but her Class B Meet was top notch. Added to the pressure of the long jump was the difficulty of the hurdles (not only must the start be good but she had to cleanly negotiate five barriers) and handoffs on the second-place 4X200M.

That made her a three-event scorer including a long jump first place. All in a day's work.

Tim Keefe

Tim Keefe. Oh, Yeah! Flashy is the word. In my father's day he'd have been called a “dandy”. In my day he'd be a “cool dude”. What you wouldn't call him is shy. He's probably the antithesis of Allie Cuozzo. If it means getting noticed Tim will add it to his repertoire. Most of us couldn't get away with it but Keefe backs it up with performance. Is it just a rumor that he'll be sorting a speed-suit to the prom this year? Ouch.

Most Scintillating Performer (name the performance)

Danius Kerikas

– flashy, brilliantly shining, prismatic

What I really had in mind for this award was one magical performance that captivated the attention of the throng.

Danius Kerikas

That goes to Danius Kerikas. He turned the Hockomock Championship high jump into a crowd-pleaser. With every clearance his cheering section erupted into cheers and the infectious attitude brought the best out of the jumpers. His huge PR gave him the win. The high jump hasn't seen this much group excitement since the Allessi-Earle duels of the mid-nineties.

Jenna Banks

When I think of tenacious, I'm immediately drawn to the picture of a distance runner, hanging on to the lead runner – valiantly trying not to fall off the pace. It is a question of faith in training coupled with a fear of losing that allows a runner to be dragged to a time they previously thought impossible. A perfect example would be Stephanie McNamara at the Hockomock Meet hanging onto the pack and PR-ing by nearly 30 seconds over her outdoor best – more than 40 over her indoor PR. The same could be said for Stacey Binney, Shannon Swanson and a host of other runners in that two-mile. I consider it the race of the meet.

Runners like Derek Ricci and Jenna Banks took it one step further. They weren't hanging onto others. Even when they were in the lead they pushed the envelope. For some, it's chasing demons. Others actually see another phantom runner ahead who they must beat.

Again look to the Hock Meet. Ricci is coming off injury and running in the unseeded heat. All alone he finds the power to run a 10:26. But the award goes to Banks.

Banks is running her first serious indoor mile, and after two laps it's a solo affair. She keeps pressing the pace anyway and runs 5:22, seven seconds faster than her outdoor PR. At any meet all you have to do is see the struggle she has walking off the floor after a big race. You know Jenna left everything on the track! I don't know what she's chasing, but it better be very afraid. Cause she's going to catch it!

Allie Cuozzo

I appreciate Hillary Crooke. Honest – I do. No one around here comes close to what she does in shot put. But I was spoiled in the 80's when I coached the one-in-a-million athlete who also happened to be a shot putter. Melody Johnson still holds the state record at 48'9” and routinely threw 46' indoors. Then she'd hop into the blocks and run 7.2 in the 55M – an event where she placed 3 rd in nationals. I had her run the 50 yd. Hurdles in Franklin once – and after one day's practice she ran 7.2. I think I know what inimitable is!

This year the closest to that description has to go to Allie Cuozzo. Her 3:05 1000M in the first meet of the year in Franklin was just a precurser to the type of season she would have. She did things over a large span over events that no one else could do in even one. Allie was state finals worthy in the 300 to 1000 and I no doubt she could have been great at the 50 and the mile. Ain't many like her. Forget I said that. Ain't ANY like her!