Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Combining the races...
Oh, and running spreadsheet nerd that I am, I wondered what this would look like, so I took a few minutes and put all three classes of boys races together and scored it. When two athletes had the same time, I favored the athlete from the higher division (I know, I know, but there's no perfect method for such an imperfect idea).
The Potters rock the State meet
I'll second most of what Dave said. Saturday was a long time coming. It's been great watching the Potters improve each year, culminating in what we saw on Saturday. The men placed 9th as a team led by a PR from Nick Piper, and Caitlin Pribble ran a blazing time to narrowly miss all-state. While many athletes from the EP Sectional appeared to have left their best race in EP last week, and were content just to be at Detweiller, the Potters went out and ran with purpose, placing high in their first appearance at the state meet as a team in 50 years.
50 years! Some of the athletes may have grandfathers who were too young to be on that team. All the history you hear about Detweiller Park and Illinois cross country, Craig Virgin, etc....all that happened after the last time a Potter team was at state. I'm not sure how far they were running back then, but they definitely weren't at 3 miles at that point.
A few years ago you had a few athletes who started with the notion that they could maybe get to the state meet if they worked hard enough. Then last year they almost did it. This year, they wouldn't be denied. What excites me most is that now we have 3 juniors and 2 sophomores coming back next year who expect to be at the state meet. They won't accept anything less. And as they lead the team, traditions will be born.
So a big congratulations to all the Potters, especially those who qualified and raced their heart out at Detweiller. And a job well done to Coaches Zehr and Conklin and to all our outgoing seniors, especially Nick Piper and Joe Zeller, who have lead and shaped this team into what it has become.
Pictures from all 6 races are up at FartlekPhotography. The Illinois Valley Striders have all the results, including splits, though the listed 2 mile splits for the guys 2A race are clearly screwed up. This weekend, if you want to see some more big time competition in Peoria, the NCAA D1 Midwest Regional is at Newman Park on Saturday. Area D1 teams like ISU and UI will be there, along with #1 nationally ranked Oklahoma State.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Congratulations from a former Potter
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Today I was proudly treated to one of the best spectacles of my life. The two hour round-trip journey that I made from Bloomington to Detwieller Park in Peoria was well worth each cent of gas money. Today, I got to see history made.
When I ran for the Potters three brutally short years ago, the thought of running at the State Meet in November was on the same mythical status as Theseus and the Minotaur*. However, by the end of that year, because of the unbridled enthusiasm of older mentors (many of them Creators of this very blog), we realized that running had the ability to take people places (physically and metaphorically). As we achieved success on the course and the track, our confidence increased and our desire to work grew. I felt like the team as a whole had surpassed a mental barrier; we now thought that we could be great. Unfortunately, I graduated, and all of us Seniors left, leaving behind a seemingly half-finished building that had a solid foundation, but not a whole lot of exterior decoration. That was three years ago.
Today I saw that building completed! Today the finishing touches of glory were painted onto an edifice that now stands as a colossus of achievement for others to perceive. Today, Morton Cross Country went to State! If you had told me, three years ago, that 9 individuals form the Morton Cross Country program would race at the state meet in 2010, I would have laughed at you and said, "You're dreaming!" However, because of the passion, effort, and belief put forth by these individuals, that dream has become a reality.
I have never been so proud to have been a Morton Potter, and I can't explain in adequate words how proud I am of each one of you who raced today. So, to Nick, Walter, Austin, Joe, Grant, Caitlyn**, Luke, Ashley, and the other Nick, I want to extend you my heartiest congratulations on taking Morton Cross Country to a place it's never been before; competitors at the IHSA State Cross Country Championships! But, above all that, I want to thank your head coach, Joel Zehr, for the outstanding job he has done in moving this program forward. You guys should be so proud of what you have accomplished!
Because I'm a sucker for nostalgia, I couldn't help but take a look back to the past tonight just to see how far this program has come in 3 short seasons.*** Thus, here is some of the footage from that season. I'm sorry for the terrible quality, but the music makes up for it:
*- look it up. Great story.
**- spelling?
***- Joe, I must say, you've come a long way from holding your watch vertically in your hand while racing.
Today I was proudly treated to one of the best spectacles of my life. The two hour round-trip journey that I made from Bloomington to Detwieller Park in Peoria was well worth each cent of gas money. Today, I got to see history made.
When I ran for the Potters three brutally short years ago, the thought of running at the State Meet in November was on the same mythical status as Theseus and the Minotaur*. However, by the end of that year, because of the unbridled enthusiasm of older mentors (many of them Creators of this very blog), we realized that running had the ability to take people places (physically and metaphorically). As we achieved success on the course and the track, our confidence increased and our desire to work grew. I felt like the team as a whole had surpassed a mental barrier; we now thought that we could be great. Unfortunately, I graduated, and all of us Seniors left, leaving behind a seemingly half-finished building that had a solid foundation, but not a whole lot of exterior decoration. That was three years ago.
Today I saw that building completed! Today the finishing touches of glory were painted onto an edifice that now stands as a colossus of achievement for others to perceive. Today, Morton Cross Country went to State! If you had told me, three years ago, that 9 individuals form the Morton Cross Country program would race at the state meet in 2010, I would have laughed at you and said, "You're dreaming!" However, because of the passion, effort, and belief put forth by these individuals, that dream has become a reality.
I have never been so proud to have been a Morton Potter, and I can't explain in adequate words how proud I am of each one of you who raced today. So, to Nick, Walter, Austin, Joe, Grant, Caitlyn**, Luke, Ashley, and the other Nick, I want to extend you my heartiest congratulations on taking Morton Cross Country to a place it's never been before; competitors at the IHSA State Cross Country Championships! But, above all that, I want to thank your head coach, Joel Zehr, for the outstanding job he has done in moving this program forward. You guys should be so proud of what you have accomplished!
Because I'm a sucker for nostalgia, I couldn't help but take a look back to the past tonight just to see how far this program has come in 3 short seasons.*** Thus, here is some of the footage from that season. I'm sorry for the terrible quality, but the music makes up for it:
*- look it up. Great story.
**- spelling?
***- Joe, I must say, you've come a long way from holding your watch vertically in your hand while racing.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
The Potters is going to State!
Yesterday, the Potters made history. The guys team qualified for the State meet, marking the first time in Potter history that a full team has qualified to run in the State Finals. Ashley and Caitlin Pribble also qualified for the girls race, and while I think it might have been done before, it's been at least 15 years since two Lady Potters qualified. The Mid-Illini was well represented, led by the Potters, as the Mid-Illini claimed 4 of the 7 individual qualifying spots in both the guys and girls races. Results are here for the guys, and here for the girls.
Last week, I said I thought the Potters had run their best race, possibly ever. and that I looked forward to them repeating it, or topping it. Last weeks race was so fast that it cast some doubt on the validity of the course measurement, but yesterday's race reinforces in my mind that last weeks times were legit. The times yesterday averaged 24 seconds slower than last week for the 7 varsity guys, and in my experience the EP course always runs about 20-25 seconds slower than 'fast' courses. This gives me high hopes for next week, especially considering that this Sectional is arguably the toughest 2A Sectional in the state, and certainly one of the top 2.
It's been a record-breaking and milestone setting year so far for the Potters. Ashley Pribble founded the 17 minute club, and inducted Caitlin last week. Hannah Behle ran into the 19 minute club (with several younger athletes under 21 as well). The guys went undefeated for the regular season, qualified for State, and inducted two new members into the 15 minute club (with Joe Zeller already a member), with all of the top 7 under 17 minutes. So how about one more milestone? The last Potter team that had four 15 minute club members on it was in 1994. (Technically, there were four 15 minute club members on my 1999 team, but we didn't all run our sub 16s in the same year. Only two of us ever did it in the same year. The 1994 guys did it all in the same season.)
So what say you, Potters? Go out with a bang? A new girls school record again for 3 miles? How many Potters can get All-State? How high can the guys team place? Get 4 guys under 16 next week? More? Let's get everyone in that top 7 down there before they end their Potter career? As impressive as this team is, what's even more impressive is that there are only two seniors on it, and there's a lot of depth right behind that top 7. I look forward to next year seeing this team show that this is now a tradition, and not a one-time thing. It's been great to see how this team has improved year after year for the past 3-4 years. I look forward to the future.
Now for picture time.
As usual, the full galleries are up at Fartlek Photography.
After the race, you had the period of anxious waiting. Here are the Potters trying to climb over everyone else to see the full results and learn their fate.
Here are Caitlin and Ashley accepting their tickets to State:
But I think the look on Joel's face as he accepted for the guys team was the funniest thing I saw all day:
Here's the guys team that qualified:
And here are all of your State qualifiers:
And for good measure, here's a copy of the team picture we took a couple weeks ago, that will memorialize this team in the hall's of Morton High (not sure if they're using the smile or the no-smile version):
Finally, one of my favorite things about the EP course is how open it is, and how often you can catch good action shots of the coaches, parents, fans, etc, as well as the athletes. Last year, I had some good ones of Coach Zehr zipping all over the place, and this was one of my favorites from last year.
This year, was even better, though, as we had the following of Paul Riffle yelling at Walter:
But it gets better. This one is my favorite from the meet:
You've got Paul Riffle again, cheering for Luke and Grant(who's looking at the camera), both running together, along with a Redbird with slobber all over his face. Now I'm not one to make fun of Metamora (cough***didn't qualify their team***cough), but for some reason a lot of them were sporting the drool look during the race.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Potter History
Today makes Potter XC history. Everyone you see in the picture above is going to State next week. More to come....
Saturday, October 23, 2010
The Potters have their best race...ever?
Today was Regional Day for IHSA XC, and the Potters raced at the Normal University 2A Regional in Normal, IL. It was a rainy day, especially during the boys race, but the Potters delivered what was their best performance so far this year.
Ashley Pribble won the girls race in a blazing time of 17:25, while sister Caitlin dipped under 18 minutes with 17:59 for fourth. This makes Caitlin only the second member of the Lady Potters 17 Minute Club. Hannah Behle improved her PR and ranking in the 19 Minute Club, while Brooke Goodyear and Macaela Bennett dipped under 21 minutes, with Ashley Coon and Nicole Lockwood not far behind. Across the board, this was probably the best race of the year for the Lady Potters, with things looking good for next week, and next year, with only one senior on that top 7 roster.
The guys placed 2nd overall to Normal University (if there's any team that can challenge Belvidere North for the state title, it's probably these guys) to advance to the Sectional next week. The Potters had PRs from almost all the runners, with everyone posting a season best, led by Austin Bradford medaling in 5th with 15:22, and closed out by Walter Jankowski in 16:39. That's right, the 7th Potter at 16:39. These men also look good for next week, and for next year with only two graduating from that top 7.
For the men, that was definitely their best race this year so far, but I wonder, is it the best Potter race ever? As far as I can remember, I've never seen such fast and deep times from any Morton team, all put together into one race. At every position from 2nd through 7th, I can't think of a race where a Potter has been faster. To recap, we had:
Austin Bradford 15:22
Nick Piper 15:23
Joe Zeller 15:35
Nick Steffen 16:02
Grant Klobuchar 16:28
Luke Riffle 16:36
Walter Jankowski 16:39
Maybe someone (Dave with his almanac?) can go into the history books to find out, but I'd say that, so far as we can compare times between different courses and trust the accuracy of course measurements, there's a real possibility that this was the best Potter race in history. Certainly up there with the best of them from the past 20 years, and a fine way to bounce back from last week. I'm looking forward to them topping it again in the next two weeks.
As usual, I've got pictures for you too.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Potter men 9-0, Regional tomorrow
The Potter men went 9-0 for their regular season this year, meaning they get their picture on the wall in the school (in a frame just a little smaller than the one with my picture in it). We took the picture today. Click here if you want to see it. I'm not sure which one they'll use yet.
Tomorrow morning, the Regional in Normal, Il, where hopefully both teams should advance to the next weekend's Sectional.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Mid-Illini pics
It took me a while, but here are the pictures from the Mid-Illini champs last Friday. Lots of good races for the Potters. Of note, Ashley Pribble won the varsity girls title, Joe Zeller and Caitlyn Pribble earned 1st team All-Conference, and Hannah Behle earned a spot on Morton's 19 Minute Club. There were PRs for many of the Potters, especially the underclassmen.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Potter men go 9 and 0!
Yesterday the Potters raced at Big Creek Park in Canton. I never saw a creek, but I saw the Potters clean up, sweep the race (boys and girls together), and goof off a lot while winning. Click here to see the race.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
8 'n 0, 1 to go!
Hello, I'm going to make this short and sweet! This recap is for the Limestone meet at Limestone, with Metamora there as well!
Girls, This was an amazing race! The Pribbles led this race, after Metamora's number one dropped out or was disqualified, not really sure about that! Anyways, this is the first time that the XC team has been to Limestone since 3 years ago, meaning almost all of both teams had never been there! The hills were definitely a challenge, seeing as how steep they were! But all in all, the girls team did amazing, unfortunately losing to Metamora by 1 point! :(
Guys, quite awesome as well! From my standpoint, it was an amazing race, and everyone pushed through the hills! Especially Walter, whose hand was bandaged up due to a massive splinter that he received while warming up! Anyways, the guys team won, becoming 8 'n 0, undefeated, and unchallenged in our conference so far!
Make sure to check www.fartlekphotography.com some more for more photos!
Till next time
Q, your friendly Puerto Rican (joe..)
Girls, This was an amazing race! The Pribbles led this race, after Metamora's number one dropped out or was disqualified, not really sure about that! Anyways, this is the first time that the XC team has been to Limestone since 3 years ago, meaning almost all of both teams had never been there! The hills were definitely a challenge, seeing as how steep they were! But all in all, the girls team did amazing, unfortunately losing to Metamora by 1 point! :(
Guys, quite awesome as well! From my standpoint, it was an amazing race, and everyone pushed through the hills! Especially Walter, whose hand was bandaged up due to a massive splinter that he received while warming up! Anyways, the guys team won, becoming 8 'n 0, undefeated, and unchallenged in our conference so far!
Make sure to check www.fartlekphotography.com some more for more photos!
Till next time
Q, your friendly Puerto Rican (joe..)
Saturday, October 2, 2010
New picture up top.
Also, I decided the guys have had enough time up on the picture up top, so it's time for the girls team to get some love. Here's a new picture, and I'll try and rotate new ones up every week or two. And no, I have no idea what Jenna's laughing at.
Peoria Invitational
Here are the pictures from today's race. Enjoy. Tuesday, we have the final regular season meet, a Mid-Illini duel with Canton. After that, the post-season action!
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Springfield Invite
Hey! It's raining right about now, thankfully it wasn't earlier this morning, or else this invite wouldn't have been so amazing!
So to begin, the girls open race was up first! It was pretty cold but our girls did really good, with Grace Jankowski coming in at 9th place, earning a medal and many congratulations from family and friends!
Up next, the girls varsity race! This was a day for the record books for Morton. Ashley Pribble came in 2nd place overall and Caitlin followed behind, somewhere in the top 20. Anyhow, Ashley ran a 17:59 today, joining the 17 minute club as a junior, and a congratulations goes to her for that accomplishment! The girls team did amazing too, with Hannah Behle, Nicole Lockwood, and Macaela Bennett filling out the rest of the girls scoring team, coming in 6th place overall I believe.
3rd race, the boys varsity race! This was a sweet race, with the entire team coming in below 75th place. Nick Piper, Austin Bradford and Nick Steffan filled in the top three spots, with Riffle, Lil' Jankowski, Klobuchar, and Lyons filling in the rest of the Morton Running Red. Nick got 20th place i believe, earning a medal today.
The 2nd to last race, boys frosh/soph race! This one I ran in, but I can tell you that it was a unique running experience from my standpoint! Matt Lyons, Austin Stephens, Tyler Hohulin, Joe Loftus and I stayed within 30 seconds of each other during the whole race, pushing each other the whole time. We all got new personal records as well, which was quite exciting for us all after the race was done.
Final race, boys open race! Tim Luchtefeld led this group of guys with a top 20 appearance and a time in the 18's! I didn't see much of this race however, so I can't really comment too much on how these guys did, but I'm sure they did amazing!
Good job to everyone today, and I'll talk to you the next time we have a meet, which is Tuesday in Limestone.
Quentin
OK everyone!! An apology is owed to Austin Bradford who medaled at the Springfield Invite and I didn't credit him for that medal! Sorry Bradford
So to begin, the girls open race was up first! It was pretty cold but our girls did really good, with Grace Jankowski coming in at 9th place, earning a medal and many congratulations from family and friends!
Up next, the girls varsity race! This was a day for the record books for Morton. Ashley Pribble came in 2nd place overall and Caitlin followed behind, somewhere in the top 20. Anyhow, Ashley ran a 17:59 today, joining the 17 minute club as a junior, and a congratulations goes to her for that accomplishment! The girls team did amazing too, with Hannah Behle, Nicole Lockwood, and Macaela Bennett filling out the rest of the girls scoring team, coming in 6th place overall I believe.
3rd race, the boys varsity race! This was a sweet race, with the entire team coming in below 75th place. Nick Piper, Austin Bradford and Nick Steffan filled in the top three spots, with Riffle, Lil' Jankowski, Klobuchar, and Lyons filling in the rest of the Morton Running Red. Nick got 20th place i believe, earning a medal today.
The 2nd to last race, boys frosh/soph race! This one I ran in, but I can tell you that it was a unique running experience from my standpoint! Matt Lyons, Austin Stephens, Tyler Hohulin, Joe Loftus and I stayed within 30 seconds of each other during the whole race, pushing each other the whole time. We all got new personal records as well, which was quite exciting for us all after the race was done.
Final race, boys open race! Tim Luchtefeld led this group of guys with a top 20 appearance and a time in the 18's! I didn't see much of this race however, so I can't really comment too much on how these guys did, but I'm sure they did amazing!
Good job to everyone today, and I'll talk to you the next time we have a meet, which is Tuesday in Limestone.
Quentin
OK everyone!! An apology is owed to Austin Bradford who medaled at the Springfield Invite and I didn't credit him for that medal! Sorry Bradford
Friday, September 24, 2010
Race pictures
It took me a while to get them up, but here are some pictures from the last two Morton Mid-Illini duels, first Morton/EP/Washington at home, and then Morton/Dunlap/Pekin at Dunlap. Enjoy.
-Steve
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
A Hot Day With Some Suspense Thrown In
Hey, so today was the Dunlap Dual Meet with Pekin. It was very hot today, as the title says, and I'll cover the rest of the title later!
The Girls Race:
Ok, so to start, all of the girls did really amazing today, especially with the poor weather conditions and the course itself! Ashley and Caitlin Pribble led the race, with Hannah Behle, Ashley Coon, and Brooke Goodyear (?) filling in the rest of the scoring team! The girls proved that every point matters though, because they beat Dunlap and Pekin 23-36, 23-36! Nice job ladies!
The Guys Team:
Once again, the guys team did really amazing today with all of the conditions and whatnot. One interesting thing about this race is that Walter Jankowski lost both of his shoes somehow during the race, but apparently that works for him, because he pulled an amazing time without them anyways. The guys team beat Dunlap and Pekin as well, with scores of 26-29, 27-29! Great job guys!
Alright so before I go, I want to apologize for any facts that i get wrong when I'm writing this! I just go off of everything that I hear during the day.
Also, Steve Gifford was at the meet today so check www.fartlekphotography.com to see if any of the pictures are up!
Thanks, Quentin
The Girls Race:
Ok, so to start, all of the girls did really amazing today, especially with the poor weather conditions and the course itself! Ashley and Caitlin Pribble led the race, with Hannah Behle, Ashley Coon, and Brooke Goodyear (?) filling in the rest of the scoring team! The girls proved that every point matters though, because they beat Dunlap and Pekin 23-36, 23-36! Nice job ladies!
The Guys Team:
Once again, the guys team did really amazing today with all of the conditions and whatnot. One interesting thing about this race is that Walter Jankowski lost both of his shoes somehow during the race, but apparently that works for him, because he pulled an amazing time without them anyways. The guys team beat Dunlap and Pekin as well, with scores of 26-29, 27-29! Great job guys!
Alright so before I go, I want to apologize for any facts that i get wrong when I'm writing this! I just go off of everything that I hear during the day.
Also, Steve Gifford was at the meet today so check www.fartlekphotography.com to see if any of the pictures are up!
Thanks, Quentin
Saturday, September 18, 2010
And The Race Is Off X4
Hey everyone, so sorry that I haven't blogged about any of the past 4 races! I've been a little busy with homework and whatnot! But it's the weekend, so I'll try to make up some lost ground.
Pekin Fresh/Soph Invite:
This Invite was a great one to watch, and a proud day for the underclassmen runners of Morton! The girls race was up first, and out of the 10 or so Morton runners, 5 of them got in the top 20, earning medals for themselves, which is quite awesome! Next the 2 freshman guy runners ran, and out of those 2 freshman guys, they both metaled and got in the top 20! Finally, the sophomore guys ran, running hard and showing everyone just whats in store for the upcoming years! 7 of the 8 sophomore guys ran in that race, and we all got in the top twenty, earning medals as well! A great day for Morton indeed!
Woodruff Invite:
Even though the school of Woodruff is no longer an actual thing, the Invites long legacy carried on this past Saturday, for a fast day of running for Morton. Morton ran in a total of 6 races, with the girls varsity first up. In this race, Ashley Pribble got 8th place, and her twin sister, Caitlin, got 15th place, earning the first medals of the day for Morton. The girls varsity team got 16th out of the 37 teams at the meet. In the guys varsity, Piper got 33rd, Bradford got 36th, and Joe got 45th, with Piper and Bradford earning more medals for the team. The guys varsity team got 12th out of the 36 teams there. More than half of the entire team got PRs during these races, so a shout-out goes out to all of them as well!
Senior Night at Home:
This race was an interesting one, not going to lie! The girls race was first, and it was a hard race to watch. The Washington girls had a strong showing with their girls running in a group of 5-6 girls in a strong pack. EP had a nice showing as well, with their girls running strong and fast in the top 10. The Morton girls did pretty amazing too, with Caitlin winning the meet overall, but I'm not sure, that night is a lil blurry in my head. The guys had a little pre-race fun with the Washington guys, who didn't seem to be taking the race that seriously though. The guys ran hard throughout the race, with the race being more of a strategy race though! After the race was our senior night, with a ton of awesome food to eat! Thanks to all the parents who helped out with it too! One favorite memory of that night was the fact that half of the seniors' favorite memories were of Nick Steffans immortal moment of 'SpIIIders'!
Dunlap Invite:
This race took place this morning, or more like didn't take place. The race was rained out and cancelled after an hour of sitting on the bus.
Well that's all for now! We have a race this Tuesday at Dunlap, so make sure to come out and show some support! Also, make sure to check www.fartlekphotography.com to see awesome pictures of the races by Steve Gifford.
See ya!
Pekin Fresh/Soph Invite:
This Invite was a great one to watch, and a proud day for the underclassmen runners of Morton! The girls race was up first, and out of the 10 or so Morton runners, 5 of them got in the top 20, earning medals for themselves, which is quite awesome! Next the 2 freshman guy runners ran, and out of those 2 freshman guys, they both metaled and got in the top 20! Finally, the sophomore guys ran, running hard and showing everyone just whats in store for the upcoming years! 7 of the 8 sophomore guys ran in that race, and we all got in the top twenty, earning medals as well! A great day for Morton indeed!
Woodruff Invite:
Even though the school of Woodruff is no longer an actual thing, the Invites long legacy carried on this past Saturday, for a fast day of running for Morton. Morton ran in a total of 6 races, with the girls varsity first up. In this race, Ashley Pribble got 8th place, and her twin sister, Caitlin, got 15th place, earning the first medals of the day for Morton. The girls varsity team got 16th out of the 37 teams at the meet. In the guys varsity, Piper got 33rd, Bradford got 36th, and Joe got 45th, with Piper and Bradford earning more medals for the team. The guys varsity team got 12th out of the 36 teams there. More than half of the entire team got PRs during these races, so a shout-out goes out to all of them as well!
Senior Night at Home:
This race was an interesting one, not going to lie! The girls race was first, and it was a hard race to watch. The Washington girls had a strong showing with their girls running in a group of 5-6 girls in a strong pack. EP had a nice showing as well, with their girls running strong and fast in the top 10. The Morton girls did pretty amazing too, with Caitlin winning the meet overall, but I'm not sure, that night is a lil blurry in my head. The guys had a little pre-race fun with the Washington guys, who didn't seem to be taking the race that seriously though. The guys ran hard throughout the race, with the race being more of a strategy race though! After the race was our senior night, with a ton of awesome food to eat! Thanks to all the parents who helped out with it too! One favorite memory of that night was the fact that half of the seniors' favorite memories were of Nick Steffans immortal moment of 'SpIIIders'!
Dunlap Invite:
This race took place this morning, or more like didn't take place. The race was rained out and cancelled after an hour of sitting on the bus.
Well that's all for now! We have a race this Tuesday at Dunlap, so make sure to come out and show some support! Also, make sure to check www.fartlekphotography.com to see awesome pictures of the races by Steve Gifford.
See ya!
Saturday, September 4, 2010
The 1st Invite of the New Season!
The Forward:
Hey guys, it's Quentin. For those of you who don't know me, I'm a sophomore runner, and I've been following this blog for quite some time! It's my first ever post, so bear with me, and I'll try to recap the day the best I can! So lets begin..
The Beginning:
At 6:35 on a Saturday morning, not many high school kids are awake. But this wasn't the scene with the Morton XC team. Spirits were high, with anticipation of the races to come.
The Start:
The Girls Vars. race was first in the line up, and it was a blast to watch 'em race. Ashley and Kaitlin Pribble brought another strong finish, with Ashley coming in 2nd overall and Kaitlin in 7th. The rest of the Vars. Girls stayed strong throughout with the team staying close and coming in 6th overall.
Up 2nd, the Guys Vars. race was a thing to see. Joe, Pipe, and Bradford stayed tight at the start, with the rest of the top 7 passing in a flash. At the 2 mile mark, the Vars. Guys proved strong, staying within 2 minutes of each other. In the end, 'The Big 3' pulled out victorious, with Bradford finishing 23rd, Joe finishing 15th, and Pipe around 10th. The Guys team brought home the 3rd place trophey for the 2nd year in a row as well!
For the Fresh/Soph girls race, I was busy warming up, but I'll fill you in on what I heard and saw about it. The girls started out strong, with new runners Nikki Eigsti and Brooke Goodyear leading the pack. The rest of the freshman girls brought up the pack very well, showing that they are a team that is going to be hard to beat this season. The girls team got 8th overall.
The Guys Fresh/Soph race filled in the final race of the day, with some goals to be fulfilled. Walter Jankowski led this pack, proving to be a strong leader and future varsity runner. Walter finished 20th overall, medaling for the 2nd year in a row. From my vantage point during this race, I saw a lot of pressure to each other from fellow Morton teammates, causing everyone to get low times, and quite a lot of PR's too. The guys team finished 8th overall.
The After:
The XC team celebrated their amazing races with a cookout at the park after the awards ceremony today. A special shout-out goes to all the parents and coaches who helped organize all the food and the venue! Thanks much!
The Randomness and the Awards:
A few odd occurences happened today, and I feel like you all should know them as well!
Hey guys, it's Quentin. For those of you who don't know me, I'm a sophomore runner, and I've been following this blog for quite some time! It's my first ever post, so bear with me, and I'll try to recap the day the best I can! So lets begin..
The Beginning:
At 6:35 on a Saturday morning, not many high school kids are awake. But this wasn't the scene with the Morton XC team. Spirits were high, with anticipation of the races to come.
The Start:
The Girls Vars. race was first in the line up, and it was a blast to watch 'em race. Ashley and Kaitlin Pribble brought another strong finish, with Ashley coming in 2nd overall and Kaitlin in 7th. The rest of the Vars. Girls stayed strong throughout with the team staying close and coming in 6th overall.
Up 2nd, the Guys Vars. race was a thing to see. Joe, Pipe, and Bradford stayed tight at the start, with the rest of the top 7 passing in a flash. At the 2 mile mark, the Vars. Guys proved strong, staying within 2 minutes of each other. In the end, 'The Big 3' pulled out victorious, with Bradford finishing 23rd, Joe finishing 15th, and Pipe around 10th. The Guys team brought home the 3rd place trophey for the 2nd year in a row as well!
For the Fresh/Soph girls race, I was busy warming up, but I'll fill you in on what I heard and saw about it. The girls started out strong, with new runners Nikki Eigsti and Brooke Goodyear leading the pack. The rest of the freshman girls brought up the pack very well, showing that they are a team that is going to be hard to beat this season. The girls team got 8th overall.
The Guys Fresh/Soph race filled in the final race of the day, with some goals to be fulfilled. Walter Jankowski led this pack, proving to be a strong leader and future varsity runner. Walter finished 20th overall, medaling for the 2nd year in a row. From my vantage point during this race, I saw a lot of pressure to each other from fellow Morton teammates, causing everyone to get low times, and quite a lot of PR's too. The guys team finished 8th overall.
The After:
The XC team celebrated their amazing races with a cookout at the park after the awards ceremony today. A special shout-out goes to all the parents and coaches who helped organize all the food and the venue! Thanks much!
The Randomness and the Awards:
A few odd occurences happened today, and I feel like you all should know them as well!
- Chica Chica Joe Zellar was skipped during the awards ceremony somehow.
- At about the .3 mark, Isaac Ackerman proved that it is possible to be funny during a race. As he ran by the 2 mile timers and I, he pointed at a competing runner, (who barely came up to his shoulders), and gasped as he went by, marveling at how fast the kid really was.
- The "Rocky" Award goes to Tim Luchtefeld today, who posted a fast time and showed that he is varsity material.
Feel free to leave some feedback! Til next time, Quentin
Thursday, September 2, 2010
It's fall, and racing season has started!
Ok, so it might not feel like fall yet, but the fall sports have started up. Tuesday, the Potters opened up at home against Richwoods and Olympia. Both boys and girls teams won against both opponents. In the girls race, Ashley and Caitlin Pribble swept the top two spots, while Joe Zeller, Nick Piper and Austin Bradford dominated the guys race up front (look up top to see what domination looks like about 3/4 mile into the race).
Pictures are up here.
I won't be writing full recaps and all that other hullabaloo like last year, but more than a few people have said they want the blog to continue on. If anyone has the motivation to write up some race summaries, some encouragement, some previews of upcoming competitions, some bad knock-knock jokes, whatever you want, just let me know. Athletes, parents, alumni, anyone up for it?
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Morton Relays and Mid-Illini Champs
Hey all,
Sorry it took so long, but I've got some pics up from the Morton Relays and the Mid-Illini Championships meet. The Potters were 3rd in the Mid-Illini this year, with something around 90 points. Two years ago, they were last place with 5 points or so. They've come a long way. We look forward to seeing what will happen at the Sectional next Friday!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Morton @ East Peoria
Hey peoples,
The Potters sent both the guys and girls teams to East Peoria yesterday for the last Mid-Illini duel of the year and did quite well. Both teams cleaned up and there were some quick times that should move some Potters up the PJStar Honor Roll ranks.
Enjoy the pictures.
-Steve
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Some more pictures
Hey readers of the blog,
I've got some pictures up from the Morton/Metamora/Pekin men's tri at Metamora on Tuesday night, and from the Morton Coed Relays tonight. Enjoy!
Samples on Facebook. Become a fan! Or like it. Or whatever Facebook calls it today.
-Steve
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Limestone/Washington/Morton tri-meet
Pictures are up from the Limestone/Washington/Morton meet on Tuesday. Which Morton won, by the way.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
2010 Track Season + pictures
Hey readers of the blog, whoever that may be. I've got good news, bad news and more good news, followed by an invitation.
- Good news: The Potter men are looking good for this season. We've seen some improvement and PRs already from some runners (at a very early point in the season!) and the men appear to be developing the potential for a fearsome 4x800! I look forward to seeing what they can do this season.
- Bad news: I won't be updating this blog regularly after each race this season like I've done the past few seasons. Mainly, this is because I've got other things taking up my time. Since the other three of the four founders of the blog are out of town at school, that means we currently can't offer race recaps.
- Good news: But I can offer something better. One of the things I'm doing that's taking my time has been building a photo website. You probably remember me running around playing with a camera the second half of last XC season and putting lots of pictures on the website. Well, in an effort to share my work, and to hopefully have my new hobby pay back some of it's cost, I started a website for sharing those pictures. You can view any of the pictures, in high resolution, for free. If you like them, you can order prints right off of the website. I'll be taking loads of pictures at most of the Potter's meets, as many as I can get to. Check it out at www.fartlekphotography.com. Also, become a fan on Facebook, and you can get notified when I post updates and new pictures. Tell everyone you know!
- The invitation: As mentioned previously, the four handsome founders of this site will not be providing very regular updates this season, if at all. But that doesn't mean it has to sit here unused. If anyone is interested and has the time to update this site, contact us and let us know. There are three requirements: 1) no cursing (though you can link to videos with up to one curseword); 2)link to my photos and tell everyone you know about them; 3)you must be funny (or at least think you are).
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