For any number of reasons, I have been unable to get to many Oneonta Indoor Track and Field meets this season. Fortunately, I did get to the Ithaca Bomber Quad Meet on Saturday, February 20. While a small-ish meet (in addition to the four teams implied by "quad", there may have been one or two smaller schools represented as well), it did give me the opportunity to take the scenic drive to lovely Ithaca, New York, and to see some solid performances from runners and rabbits alike.
A sort of "last chance" meet for those student-athletes who had yet to post a qualifying time for next weekend's SUNYACs. A fact that became even more evident as a number of Oneonta's more competitive distance runners found themselves playing the role of rabbit (setting a fast pace before stepping off the track) in an effort to help their teammates hit good times.
It is my understanding that a number of those seeking qualifying jumps, throws and times were successful. This likely sets up a strong squad from both the Men's and Women's teams for some (fingers crossed) individual and team successes next weekend.
As a high school coach, I'm always fascinated to observe the collegiate student-athletes and the forms they've been coached to use in events. My own (minimal) athletic experience is in distance running, and I coach primarily sprinters and middle distance at the high school level, so it is a pleasure to watch those events I have less experience coaching such as pole vault and the jumps. In watching good athletes, it is valuable to pick up on the nuances of their performance to better illustrate for my own student-athletes some markers for successful competition.
Kudos to all those who completed and congratulations to those finding themselves meeting their league's qualifying standards. Full meet results are available here. Next up for Oneonta (and Cortland, who was also there), SUNYACs at SUNY Brockport next Friday and Saturday!
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