Iron Jean-Paul: track and field

First dusk lap of many for the Men's 10k race. (5/1/15)

This past Friday and Saturday the SUNYAC league Track & Field Championship were held at my undergraduate alma mater, SUNY Brockport (which in recent years has been rebranded as "The College at Brockport"). Despite it being a personal homecoming of sorts, I attended both days to root for the college my son competes for, SUNY Oneonta. (Truth is, I rooted for a number of student-athletes from Brockport and others as well given my past relationships with them as a local high school coach.) While SUNY Oneonta came in as the defending champions, victory this year was not assured, or meant to be, but that did not keep the student-athletes from giving their best and some of them from earning their way onto the podium.

Friday evening's events consisted primarily of preliminary heats which would lead to Saturday's finals. The last race of the evincing however was the Men's 10k which my son and his roommates were competing in. It was a beautiful evening for a race and by the 7:30 p.m. start time, the sun had just set behind the bleachers along the final 100 meters.

Women's 400 meter Intermediate Hurdle preliminaries. (5/1/15)

Women's 400 meter Intermediate Hurdle preliminaries. (5/115)

Men's 400 meter Intermediate Hurdle preliminaries. (5/1/15)

Oneonta prepares for the final race of the night, the Men's 10k. (5/1/15)

Tight pack at first 200 meters of a lo-o-o-o-ong track race. (5/1/15)

Oneonta's Charles Remillard moves up to the front. (5/1/15)

Oneonta's JP Scott continues working with two laps left. (5/1/15)

Oneonta's Anthony Lupia and Charles Remillard battle down the final lap. (5/1/15)

Oneonta's David Busby finishes strong.(5/1/15)

Remillard, Lupia and Busby earn sports on the podium following a rigorous 10k race. (5/1/15)

The second day of competition featured the majority of finals for distances ranging from 100 meter dash to the 5k. Because of Free Comic Book Day festivities at my local comic shop, I came in time for the 800 meter race, but came primary for the 5k.

A beautiful afternoon at the College at Brockport track. (5/2/15)

Oneonta's coach cheers on athletes. (5/2/15)

Better conditions could not have been ordered. (5/2/15)

Women's 5k. (5/2/15)

Oneonta's JP Scott warms-up prior to 5k. (5/2/15)

Competitors at the start of the 5k. (5/2/15)

And they're off... (5/2/15)

Oneonta's Anthony Lupia and JP Scott after the second lap of the 5k. (5/2/15)

Oneonta's Scott, Remillard, and Miek Didas. (5/2/15)

Here they come. (5/2/15)

Oneonta's Remillard completes an impressive double following up 10k win with 5k! (5/2/15)

Oneonta's Lupia also doubles back to the podium position. (5/2/15)

Must be the sweatband! (5/2/15)

Oneonta's Remillard works hard to earn more team points. (5/2/15)

Oneonta's Didas pushing hard for the podium with competitors immediately behind him. (5/2/15)

Many solid performances and solid efforts at the two day SUNYAC championships on the part of the Oneonta Men's and Women's squads. For some, they'r end-of-season drive continues to a higher level of regional competition, while others will prepare to move on, gradate or give it another go next season: great job all!

A picturesque afternoon for racing at SUNY Cortland! (4/17/15)

Friday afternoon/evening was my first opportunity to get out to one of Oneonta's outdoor Track and Field meets. While my son and, the majority of his cross-country comrades, would be running the second-to-last race of the evening, a 10k at 8:20 p.m., the beautiful weather made an afternoon at the track a very attractive possibility. Many of the usual suspects were also in attendance providing competition (U of R, Brockport College, and host Cortland among others) so most athletes were very familiar with their competition from both cross-country and indoor seasons. This familiarity was not a hindrance to many of my son's teammates from putting forth solid performances in an effort to qualify for the upcoming league championship, SUNYACs, at Brockport College in two weeks. It would be fantastic to have weather conditions similar to this evening's for that meet, so fingers crossed!