Long Distance Races

I expected Sprint Night to be exciting and fast, and it was. I never dreamed that the long distance races would raise the athletic bar and the crowd’s enthusiasm to such heights!

One of the most electrifying races was the Freshman Girls 1000-meter finals. Possessing the passing skills of elite pros, these young women were constantly moving in and out of the pack, back to front, and around and through the racing line. From the gun, the race was controlled by five of the six finalists: Sara Thrall (Team Extreme, WA), Haley Leech (Fast Forward, PA), Allyssa Franklin (Stardust, FL), Domenica Mejia-Clavijo (Synergy, VA) and Courtney Grzech (Stardust, FL).

There had been a few falls in earlier races and I would have bet the farm — good thing I don't own one! — that one of these girls would be going down due to their high speed and intensity. But they remained upright. Shoulder to shoulder, side-by-side, Haley, Courtney and Sara would enter turns together, so tightly packed that it seemed they were only using enough space for one skater.

Nearing the end of the race, I knew the five leaders were tiring and that their legs couldn't endure much more. Sara dropped back to fourth. She had fought Haley several times and looked as though she had given up. This allowed the Synergy skater, Domenica Meja-Clavijo, to move up along with Allyssa. Then with a little over one lap remaining, Sara found a second wind and kicked it into high gear. As she started passing up through the girls, the crowd got louder. Some cheered for Haley to keep going, others for Domenica to move up; then the Washington crowd got to its feet to urge the blonde, pony-tailed Sara to keep up her charge. Once she passed Haley, she continued to accelerate, never looking back.

She would end up with the overall win with Haley Leech second and Domenica Meja-Clavijo, a surprising third.

I have watched the video of that race at least ten times now and each time I get chills down my spin. All of those girls are top notch skaters and will be heard from in the future!

Posting Challenges

Posting stories from Omaha has proved a challenge. Once again, we stayed at an Extended Stays hotel. (We also stayed at one for Outdoor Nationals.) And once again, the internet connection was frustratingly slow. The only time it worked well was when everyone was gone during the day, which was no help to me since I was also gone.

Another challenge has been the schedule at Indoor Nationals. With the doors at the first race on the line by 6 a.m., we have had to get up at 4:15 a.m. each day to get ready. Although breaks have been scheduled (usually an hour, maybe two), that is not enough time for us to return to the hotel, eat, write an article, wait while it is sent and get back in time for the evening session. Once we are back in the building, as a coach, I am either down on the floor with my skaters or videotaping. We have been leaving the auditorium each night at about 10:30 to 11:30. We drive the 20-30 minutes back to the hotel, shower, charge batteries, change tapes, repack backpacks, and fall into bed around 1:00 a.m. to catch a few hours of sleep. The life of a coach is not glamorous But it can be very rewarding!
Linda