A Great Moment For The Bonsey Family

Toughness can be exemplified in a variety of ways. It’s something that cannot be taught. We instinctively create this ability when we face adversity. Several times, I have seen members of my family battle through adversity with incredible tenacity. When my brother was a senior in high school, he severely sprained his ankle while warming up for 1600 run at the state meet. He was expected to challenge Ben True for the win, and perhaps set a state record. Due to the severity of his sprain, it would have made sense had Brandon not run. Instead, he toed the line and ran admirably running 4:26. Most runners would celebrate if they ran that fast, let alone on a sprained ankle. One of my favorite stories my father has ever told me was when he got drunk the night before a meet in Vermont when he was in college and raced the next morning. As he describes, his body should not have let him compete that day but his sheer will and determination (and talent) pushed him to a victory in the 880. I’ve seen my mother break her big toe several times, and continue to get back on her feet and run. I also remember her cleaning puke during a time where all of us kids were sick, and she never faulted. She continued to clean up despite all of us puking every couple of hours.

This past weekend, I was able to witness one of the great moments for the Bonsey family as we found ourselves in Lowell, Massachusetts supporting Kourtney run her first marathon. To understand this feat, you really need to understand my sister. When we were growing up, she was not always the easiest person to deal with. Every morning before school was a process. She would throw a fit stressing out everyone in the house trying to find the right socks to where (sometimes I would steal hers), or complain about sitting in the middle of our brothers beat up truck on the way to school. She ran on the cross country team at Falmouth and was a consistent performer, but even now she states that she didn’t enjoy running when she first started out. Occasionally, I would see my dad and Kourtney go out for a run only to see Kourtney come back bitching and moaning about the distance. Even now my dad talks about how annoying it was to deal with her back then. By her senior year of high school, Kourtney had started to improve as a runner and saw her two mile time drop. But still, there were times during a race where my dad (or Ethan Shaw’s father) would encourage Kourtney to fight through a race and she would frantically wave her arm at them as if to say “Shut up and let me run!” She finished high school with good enough times to run at the University of Maine.

 

Once she got into college, something clicked with Kourtney. As her mileage increased, her performances on the trails, and track, were improving. She faced a few injuries during her time there, but she would always come back from them stronger than before and have a great race. Her best race of her college career came at the America East Conference Championship which was held at UMaine. She was entered in the 10k and wasn’t expected to place very high. She was only focused on running a personal best. At mile four, Kourtney was with the lead pack and looked smooth. Running confident, she even took the lead and forced the pace. Her move sparked other runners to get into it, and Kourtney placed fourth running 37:48, a huge personal best. Her toughness was remarkable during that race. I still get chills thinking about that magnificent day.

For the past several months, Kourtney had dedicated herself towards competing in a marathon. She had been trained by Regis College coach Dan Flynn, and had gained the confidence to not only complete the marathon, but qualify for Boston. Her attitude on running has completely changed since her days of complaining during races, and moaning to our dad during runs. She has been incredibly meticulous about every single detail from getting the proper rest, to having to withdraw from coffee the week before her race. Her goal going into the race was to run 3:10, a time that my dad believed might have been a stretch for her first time. The morning of the race came and I could tell that Kourtney was a little on edge, which was natural. Our ride to the course was a typical Bonsey car ride before a race. One that’s filled with inappropriate jokes from our dad, and talking about our race strategies. The air was cool, the perfect temperature for a marathon, and Kourtney, while staying focused on her task, was loose and cracking jokes with my dad and I.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t watch most of Kourtney’s race as I was running the half marathon myself, but in my mind I believed that she was going to run an amazing race. She was prepared and eager to run. Once I crossed the finish line of my race, I met up with my mom and dad and they informed me that she was ahead of pace through the first half. My dad and I drove down to mile 24 to see Kourtney run by. As we were anxiously waiting for her to run by, we were doing calculations on my phone to see where she should be at mile 24 to break 3:10. 2:54 was where she would have to be. After waiting for about fifteen minutes, we finally saw Kourtney emerge from a distance. She didn’t look like the girl who would frantically wave her arm to make our dad stop yelling. She looked strong, and tough as hell. She had a strain on her face, but she was in complete control. I glanced over to the clock as she hit the mile mark at 2:52:30. She was a minute and a half ahead of schedule. We yelled and screamed encouragement as she ran by, and I could tell my dad was getting emotional (as he notoriously does). We quickly ran to the car to try and see her again, but the traffic was unbearable. As my dad described that day: “If you guys ran like shit, I would be in a terrible mood, but today has been amazing”. I could see the excitement in his face. I could hear it in his voice. It was one of the great days for the Bonsey family (sorry Brandon, wish you could have been there). On our way back, we received a call from Kourtney’s friend who was able to see her finish and we heard her time…3:07!!! She had crushed her goal of breaking 3:10. It was her tenacity and determination that let her run that fast. That day will be a day I remember for the rest of my life. It made me realize how much of a tough bitch my sister is. My sister is awesome.

Editor’s Note: My brother is awesome as well. He led the Georgetown Hoyas to the third place finish at the Pre-National meet in Terre Haute, Ind. He has brought in several of the top middle-distance runners in the country, and has made Georgetown into one of the top programs in the country. 

The Top Ten Moments of The Mighty Duck Trilogy

Last Saturday, I went to the gym to go for a run on one of the treadmills. The treadmills have mini televisions on them to beat the monotony of just running, so naturally I searched the channels to see what was on. I was lucky because I happened to stumble upon D2: Mighty Ducks. I hadn't seen the movie in quite some time (an embarrassment for me), so I watched the movie while I ran. When I finished my run, there was still a solid forty five minutes left in the movie, but I didn't move away. I continued to watch the movie until it concluded, walking at a pace close to 23 minutes per mile. It wasn't the extra exercise that made me do this. It was to rekindle my childhood memories of this fantastic movie. There were several times during that hour and forty five minutes where was tearing up from Banks getting injured to Charlie giving up his roster spot in the final game. I began thinking about all of the greatest moments in the trilogy and realized there was only one way I could figure out which one was the best: rank them. So here is the list of the greatest moments in the Mighty Ducks trilogy.

10. “Quack” chant D1

Whenever somebody mentions The Mighty Ducks more often than not, you will find yourself wanting to start the Quack chant. I’ve always wanted to do it in class like they did in D1. The quack chant signified the unity of the Ducks. In D1, the team faced a disturbing amount of turmoil with their previous coach having a heart attack, and Banks coming to the team. Despite everything they went through, they did what all champions do and came through in adversity. The “Quack” chant stored confidence in the players and allowed them to pull off the upset against the Hawks.



9. Bombay vs. Stanson D2

This is one of the more underrated moments of the Duck trilogy. With Iceland and US set to play in the final, Bombay chose to have a “fun” practice beforehand. What he didn’t expect was Iceland waiting on the other end of the rink to practice as well. Stanson’s crushing of the beach volleyball was one of the more intimidating things you will ever see in a movie. The way he used his padded gloves to crush the ball with such ease, and then toss it to the side like a rag doll was a perfect start to what we were in store for. Stanson also talking about Bombay’s dad, and diminishing the ‘triple deke’ move put Bombay over the edge and the action started to heat up. The match was physical to start with Stanson imposing his will against Bombay, as he quickly got to the lead. But the Minnesota Miracle Man wasn’t done yet, as he scored two consecutive times to put Stanson on the ropes. Bombay was about to win when Stanson cheapshotted Bombay in his injury plagued knee causing Bombay to fall on the ice. What happened next was nothing short of legendary. Duck fans will never forget the death stare between Bombay and Stanson.


8. Adam Banks’ game winning goal in the shootout
If Charlie Conway didn’t give up his roster spot, this moment wouldn’t have happened. While the shot was great, it was the events leading up to it that made it even sweeter. Adam ‘Cake Eater’ Banks was far and away The Duck’s best player throughout the tournament until Olaf Sanderson of Iceland cheapshotted him and injured his wrist in their first meeting. Banks tried to be a hero and play through the pain, but Bombay caught him taping his wrist which forced him to sit out. Banks felt pressure from the scouts watching, and his father, to play his best which eventually led to one of the more emotional moments of the trilogy with Bombay consoling him after finding out. Remarkably, before the start of the second meeting against Iceland, the pain in Bank’s wrist had resided and he concluded his memorable tournament with the shot of the year.

  7. “It’s knucklepuck time!”

While the execution of the final play in regulation against Iceland was very illegal, it still comes in as one of the top moments of the trilogy. Russ Tyler—the brash and gregarious player from South Central, Los Angeles—was the savior for the Ducks in more ways than one. In the beginning of the tournament, he constantly goaded Jesse Hall which took him off his game. It wasn’t until the practice leading up to the game against Germany where Tyler finally stepped in. After unveiling his patented ‘knuckle puck’ against team USA in the street game, Conway knew that if they were to win they would need Tyler’s spark. In the final game against Iceland Tyler replaces Goldberg at goalie (again, very illegal), which gave space for Tyler to get the shot off, and gave the opportunity for Stanson to have his second best line of the movie (THE GOALIEEEEEE!!!). We all knew it was going in once he released the shot (would Disney really have The Ducks lose in the final game?), and thus created one of the most climactic moments of the series.



6. “You’re going down, Reilly” D1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVpDD46fqr4

I know what you’re saying. How can one obscure line come in as one of the top moments in the Duck’s trilogy? Well, here’s some perspective. Everybody who has seen The Mighty Ducks knew well that Jack Reilly was a monster. He made a ten year old Bombay feel guilty for the rest of his playing days because he missed one shot. He made two of his players attack Banks to get him out of the championship game. He even went as far as calling Bombay “a never was” after Bombay found out Banks was playing for the wrong team. Bombay had finally seen the true Reilly in the championship game, and was disgusted by the foul play Reilly had instilled in the Hawks. Bombay’s line released over twenty years of frustration and angst against Reilly. We all know what happened after that, but Bombay’s initial reaction was something Duck’s fans will never forget.

5. Gordon Bombay flashback D1



 

The Bombay flashback in the beginning set the tone for the rest of the movie. As a ten year old, Gordon Bombay was a phenom. In a league dominated by eleven and twelve year olds, Bombay stood against the giants and was a star. According to Hans he scored 198 goals that season. But after he missed the penalty shot, his life was never the same. Reilly put too much pressure on Bombay as he child, and he never fully recovered. We all think D1 is about the team facing a David and Goliath situation, but the focus is certainly on Bombay getting rid of the demons from his past.


4. “Make him make the first move, Conway!” D3

The final two minutes against the Varsity team in D3 is one of the most exhilarating moments in sports movie history. There were several different story lines to resolve during those last two minutes. With the Ducks two men down, Coach O’Rion chose to go with Banks (obviously), Conway and Goldberg. Any unresolved issues between O’RIon and Conway were quickly diminished when O’Rion put the Captain C on Charlie’s jersey right before play started. We all know how it ended. Goldberg’s triumphant goal propelled the Ducks over the Warriors, but the key play during the two minutes was Warrior captain Jack Riley going one on one against Charlie. With no one back except for Charlie, he made a gutsy move to take out Riley which eventually led to the fast break goal at the end of regulation. I still get chills every time I watch it.

3. Charlie’s game winning goal D1

Redemption is one word to describe Conway’s game winning goal in D1. The events leading up to the penalty shot were eerily similar to the one Gordon faced when he was ten years old. The most obvious difference is the fact that Conway made the shot, but the advice Bombay gave him before hand was ten thousand times better than Reilly gave to him when he was younger. Seeing Charlie pull off the triple deke successfully, and making the shot had to have been one of Bombay’s greatest moments. As he said before the shot, nobody expected the Duck’s to make it that far, but it was the confidence that Bombay had in Charlie that led him to his moment of greatness.





2. “Minnesota Miracle Man” D3

Chills.
That’s one of the many words you can describe this moment. Charlie wasn’t a fan of going to Eden Hall Academy, and it made him even more upset when Coach O’Rion didn’t name him the captain. It almost took too long for Charlie to realize that he was being selfish, but hey, as a fourteen year old (he looks 20) who is one of the best players on the team, you get that sense of irrational confidence. After Hans had died, Charlie had hit a new low. He needed someone or something to pick him up.

Enter Gordon Bombay

Charlie and Gordon’s relationship went way further than player/coach. Bombay was the father Charlie never had. Sometimes as a father, the only thing you can do with your child is find a way to instill confidence in him even at the children’s lowest moments. That’s what Bombay did with his thrilling speech to Charlie. The look on Charlie’s face when Gordon calls him the “Minnesota Miracle Man” is one of the lasting images Duck fans will ever have.

 

 

1. Charlie and Gordon embrace D1
 

The embrace between Charlie Conway and Gordon Bombay may go down as one of the most climactic scenes in movie history. The Ducks were fresh off defeating the Hawks thanks to Conway’s penalty shot, and it was only fitting that Coach Bombay was the first to embrace him after. How perfect was that ending? After all of the turmoil Bombay went through with Reilly, he finally realized that the real purpose of pee wee hockey isn’t about winning and losing. It’s about having fun, and developing your talents. Charlie’s goal signified what Bombay’s shot should have been when he was ten years old. Bombay’s advice to Charlie before the shot was one of the more touching parts of the trilogy as it contrasted everything Reilly said to Bombay when he was younger. This moment was made even better in D3 when Bombay walks off and they show the flashback.

 

 

 
  

Boys Class B Distance Preview

Bruce Bickford's two mile record could potentially be in jeopardy tomorrow as Dan Curts of Ellsworth looks to run a fast time.

800

Record: Kevin Floster Lake Region 1:56.12 2005

Will Shafer of Gray New Gloucester is the overwhelming favorite to take the 800 title tomorrow. The switch from basketball to indoor track has paid massive dividens as he comes in with the fastest time of all classes (1:57.76). Shafer should have an outside shot at chasing down Kevin Floster’s record. The only way for him not to is if he decides to hold his energy to run a very fast mile. The race for second should be exciting to watch as well. Ben Trapani of Camden Hills has run 2:02.49 this winter, and should be one of the favorites for the runner up. Don’t count out Robert Looker of Ellsworth. Looker has had a brilliant year of running, and he’s a big time racer. Expect him to be in the mix. Other runners to watch for will be Jared Schrader of Fryeburg, Ralph Magnani of MDI and Will Britton of Cape Elizabeth.

Mile

Record: Louie Luchini Ellsworth 4:19.76 1998

Louie Luchini’s mile record will be in serious jeopardy tomorrow as Will Shafer comes into the meet with the second fastest time in the state running 4:18.22. Shafer has been one of the top milers in New England this winter, and will hope to run a very fast time in order to get into a fast heat at the New England Championships. Last week, Shafer dominated the WMC Championships as he won both the mile and the 2 mile running 4:18 and 9:41 respectively. There should be a duel between Ben Trapani of Camden Hills and Chris Cote of Waterville for the runner up tomorrow. Trapani edged Cote at the KVAC Championships last weekend as he ran 4:32.05 to Cote’s 4:33.65. Cote will be out for revenge, so expect this duel to get heated. Other runners to watch for will be Chandler Vincent of Freeport, Ben Garcia of Gray New Gloucester and TJ Rose of Fryeburg.

2 Mile

Record: Bruce Bickford Lawrence 9:15.5 1975

The two mile will be the deepest event of all the distance races as there are six runners who have run 10:00 or faster. Dan Curts of Ellsworth is the odds on favorite to win tomorrow. He comes in with the fastest time in the state in 9:27.41 which he ran at the EMITL Championship’s last weekend. With the two mile being the focus tomorrow, look for Curts to potentially break Bickford’s long standing record. Curts has a lifetime personal record of 9:19 in the two mile, and with his recent performances Curts looks poised to go after the record. The race for second will be intriguing to watch as a pair of Cape Elizabeth teammates—Liam Simpson and Mitch Morris—will likely run shoulder to shoulder against Ben Decker of Yarmouth. The Cape teammates got the better of Decker last week at the WMC Championships as Simpson and Morris placed second and third respectively. Other runners to watch tomorrow will be Matt Malcom of NYA, Chris Cote of Waterville and Kyle Kennedy of Cape Elizabeth.

Girls Class B Distance Preview

Kirstin Sandreuter of Greely will be one to watch in the mile and the two mile. Her anticipated match up against Aleta Looker of Ellsworth could be one for the ages.

800

Record: Abby Chapman Greely 2:15.28 2003

Aleta Looker of Ellsworth is the overwhelming favorite to take the 800 meter title on Monday as she currently holds the fastest time in the state regardless of class running 2:13.87 which is just off her own all-time Maine record. The Georgetown University commit should be able to win this event with relative ease, but expect her to try and chase down the record which is currently held by Abby Chapman of Greely who ran 2:15.28 back in 2003. Last week at the EMITL, Looker won the 800 by an astonishing fifteen seconds running a time of 2:20.88. Other runners to watch in this event include Hailey Petsinger of Cape Elizabeth.  She won the 800 at the WMC Championships running a time of 2:30.51. Expect her to challenge for the runner up spot. The 800 field isn’t remarkably deep, but Petsinger has two teammates in Hayle Doss and Eva Brysdon who could potentially give the Capers some extra points for the team competition if they can both place in the top eight. Other runners to watch for in this event will be Fern Morrison of Foxcroft, and Haley Steckler of Freeport.

Mile

Record: Bethanie Brown Waterville 5:00.31 2013

Bethanie Brown’s record will likely be safe this year, but the showdown between Kirstin Sandreuter of Greely and Aleta Looker of Ellsworth will be the most exciting race of the day tomorrow. Both runners have been on a tear this winter. Sandreuter comes into the meet with the second fastest time in Class B in 5:11.93. Last week at the WMC Championships, Sandreuter won both the mile and the two mile in league record times. The pace of the race could determine the victor as Looker has superior leg speed, but Sandreuter has the ability to grind out races. It will be interesting to see the diverse running styles between them. Heather Evans of York is another runner to watch in this event. She’s been one of the most consistent runners in the WMC this year, and with Looker and Sandreuter likely setting a fast pace, look for Evans to run a fast time as well. Other runners to watch will be Emily Mason of Greely, Brittany Bowman of Camden Hills and Anna Lastra of Fryeburg.

2 Mile

Record: Bethanie Brown Waterville 10:46.95

The aforementioned Kirstin Sandreuter of Greely should be able to win the two mile with relative ease. While she’s the overwhelming favorite, she might try to run a very fast time in order to get into one of the fastest heats at the New England Championships. She comes in with a season best time of 11:07.26. Aleta Looker comes into this race with the fourth fastest time in Class B in 11:54.65. Expect her to battle for second with runners such as Heather Evans of York, Brittany Bowman of Camden Hills and Hannah Austin of NYA. They all have broken the 12 minute barrier this winter, and will look to run even faster tomorrow. Other runners to watch for will be Emily Mason of Greely, Abby Hersom of Oceanside and Caroline Driscoll of MDI.

Boys Class A Distance Preview

Don't expect any of the distance record to get broken tomorrow, but with quality depth in each of the distance races, expect to see close finishes in all of them. Caleb Lord of Hampden will be looking to win the mile and the two mile.

 

800

Record: Sam Fletcher 1:56.29 Edward Little 2004

 

The 800 will be one of the premiere events of the day as there are eight different runners who are all capable of winning on any given day. Hany Ramadan of Deering comes into the meet with the fastest time in Class A in 2:02.71 which he ran back in mid-January. He also has a 400 personal record of 50.69, so if the race is tactical expect him to make a big move at the end. Ben Salinas of Bangor will pose a threat to Ramadan as he comes into the meet with a season best time of 2:03.72. He ran that time at the EMITL Championships in which he won. Don’t count out Salinas’ teammate Jonathan Stanhope. The senior is a big time racer, and comes into the meet with a 2:04.7 seed time. Expect him to be in the mix as well. Other runners to watch in this event will be Christopher Tanner of Brunswick, Jon Gray of Gorham and Alex Karam of Scarborough.

 

Mile

Record: Ben Fletcher 4:16.46 Edward Little 1999

 

The mile might lack the depth it’s had in previous years, but it will still be one of the more exciting races of the day. Expect a showdown between Bangor’s Jonathan Stanhope and Caleb Lord of Hampden. They both come in with a seed time of 4:33 with Stanhope’s only .02 seconds faster. Stanhope ran his season best time at the USM Relays. Lord’s 4:33 came at the EMITL Championships where he placed second to Dan Curts of Ellsworth. While these two have the fastest seed times, don’t count out Aaron Willingham of Mt. Blue and Osman Doorow of Lewiston. Willingham has been recovering nicely from his injury during the xc season, and is starting to round into shape. He’s a big time racer, and should be in the mix tomorrow. Osman Doorow has had a breakout season this winter as he comes into the state meet with a personal record of 4:39.84. The sophomore will hope to contend with the big dogs tomorrow. Other runners to watch out for in this event will be Jacob Bloom of Scarborough, John Salamone of South Portland and James Phelps of Westbrook.

 

2 Mile

Record: Harlow Ladd 9:21.87 Messalonskee 2012

 The two mile will be another wide open event tomorrow, as there are possibly six different runners who could win. Jacob Terry of Scarborough comes into the meet with the fastest time in Class A running 10:04.93. He’s had a tremendous year of running and should be favored as he has great leg speed for a final kick if needed. Iid Sheikh-Yusuf of Deering will also be in the running for the title as well. He’s had a great season thus far. He won the two mile at the Southwestern Championships running a season best time of 10:06.59 beating Jacob Terry and Ryan Cadorette of Thornton Academy in the process. Cadorette will be one to watch as well. He had a breakout year on the trails, and should be able to run with the top runners in eastern Maine. The aforementioned Caleb Lord should also be in contention for the title. We will see how much left he has in the tank after the mile. Other runners to look out for will be Osman Doorow of Lewiston, Aaron Willingham of Mt. Blue and Luke Rand of Brewer.

Girls Class A Distance Preview

 

Kialeigh Marston of Bonny Eagle will be looking to win the distance triple tomorrow. She's the favorite in the 800 and the mile, but will face hard competition in the 2 mile.

 

800

Record: Eddie Pallozie Deering 2:17.27  2013

The 800 will be one of the premiere events of the day in the Class A girls state meet as there are eleven girls who have posted times under the 2:30 barrier this winter. The favorite going into the meet will be Kialeigh Marston of Bonny Eagle. The individual winner in xc has the fastest time in Class A with a time of 2:17.73. She ran that time three weeks ago, as she hopes to continue her recent winning success. Look for Deering’s Edie Pallozie to give Marston a serious threat. Pallozie’s lifetime best is 2:17.27. She hasn’t broke n 2:20 yet this season, but her season best of 2:22 is the second fastest of all classes, and should be able to challenge Marston. Also look out for Tiffany Turner of Brunswick and Kyaunna Libby of Bonny Eagle. They have the third and fourth fastest times in Class A and both should challenge for a top three finish. Another runner to watch out for is Shannon Conley of South Portland. Conley has had a tremendous high school career and should never be counted out in any race she is in. Watch for her to challenge for a top three finish as well.  

 

Mile

Record: Wendy Delan Bonny Eagle 5:00.6  1986

The mile will be one of the more intense races of the day as the top four seed times are separated by only three seconds. Marston (again) comes in to the state meet with the fastest time in Class A in 5 minutes, 21.19 seconds. She will have some very stiff competition in this race. The aforementioned Shannon Conley comes in with the second fastest time in the state. Expect her to be in the mix for a state title. From eastern Maine, expect Teresa Murphy of Brunswick and Angelyn Masters of Bangor to be in the mix for a top three finish as well. Also watch for Eddie Pallozie of Deering, and Kiera Murray of Cheverus to contend for a top spot. Pallozie has great 800 speed so if the pace is slow, expect her to try and use her deadly kick to outsprint her foes. Murray—on the other hand—was one of the top xc runners in the state this year. Her experience in big races could definitely work in her favor on Saturday. The pace on Saturday will be a big factor as it includes a deep field with diverse running styles. No matter what happens, expect the race for first to be extremely competitive.

 

2 Mile

Record: Wendy Delan Bonny Eagle 10:53.5   1987

The two mile will be yet another race with plenty of depth. Kiera Murray of Cheverus comes into the race as the  favorite as she has the fastest time in Class A clocking 11:24.58. Marston of Bonny Eagle has the second fastest time in Class A, but we will see if she has enough gas in the tank after running the 800 and the mile. Don’t count out Marston’s teammate Mary Szatkowski. The senior was arguably the top xc runner in Class A for most of the year, and will look to conclude her final winter season with a state championship. Her fastest time of the year came at the Southwestern Championships where she ran 11:51. Other girls to look out for on Saturday will be Angel Waters of Massabesic and Laura Broderick of Kennebunk. Both runners have clocked under 12 minutes this winter, and have the big race experience. Expect them to both be in the mix for a top finish. Teresa Murphy of Brunswick will also pose a threat for a top finish as she’s had a great winter thus far running a seasonal best time of 12:03.81.

 

 

Foot Locker Nationals: A Feat Maine has Never Seen

        As a fan of high school running, I'm disappointed. As an aspiring journalist, I feel guilty, which is why right now, as I sit here barely unpacking my things from my latest class, I'm writing an emergency article on the most prestigious high school cross country meet in America. A combined eighty of the best runners in the country will lace up their spikes one last time in San Diego, California to decide who the best male and female runners in the country are. Three of these fortunate and amazing athletes happen to hail from Maine. 

One of the smallest states in the country. 

Yet, as I sit here angrily, searching the sports section of local newspapers, there have been few articles on the prominence of this rare feat. Tomorrow, Kirstin Sandreuter of Greely, Josef Holt of Telstar and Dan Curts of Ellsworth will all compete tomorrow in San Diego. Each of these runners managed to qualify for the Nationals after all placing in the top ten of their perspective races at the Footlocker Northeast Regional at Van Cortland Park in New York. Only twelve runners from Maine have ever qualified for Footlocker Nationals with Loui Luchini from Ellsworth, Ben True of Greely and Abbey Leonardi from Kennebunk all having made it twice. This year, Maine will have the most representatives its ever had. This feat tops a basketball player scoring forty points against a Class A team. It's more impressive than receiving All-American honors in Lacrosse. It's more prominent than winning the Fitzpatrick Award in Football. Which is why, with one day before the meet, I'm disgruntled by the lack of media coverage from local newspapers and media sources around the state.

A trip to San Diego was the icing on top of the brilliant career for Kirstin Sandreuter. She was far and away the most dominant runner in the state this fall. She took off from the start of the Class B state meet and dared anybody to run with her as she won her first cross country title by over a minute. At the New England Championships in Manchester, NH, she placed fourth running a personal best of 17 minutes, 48.6 seconds while earning All-New England honors in the process. At the Footlocker Regional's in New York, she captured the final position to qualify for Nationals as she placed tenth. Ten years ago, a fellow Greely Ranger qualified for Footlocker Nationals at the same meet. 

His name is Ben True

For Holt and Curts, top ten finishes from them were almost expected. That's how talented both of these runners are. Holt has been on a tear all season. He set the course record at the Festival of Champions running an incomprehensible time of 15 minutes, 6.92 seconds. His lone loss against Maine competition came at the Manchester Invitational where the aforementioned Curts edged Holt by four seconds. Both of them ran some of the fastest times that course had seen back in late September. In early November, Holt ran with the top runners in New England as he placed third at the New England Championships lowering his time at Manchester to 15:12.9, a time that even Ben True couldn't match during his senior season back in 2003. To qualify for Nationals, Holt placed fifth at the Regional's running 15:36.8. With his small town fame, and front running ability, comparisons to current Purdue star Matt McClintock have become inevitable. McClintock enjoyed the same success Holt has had this year. McClintock placed fifteenth at Nationals in 2011 earning the final All-American spot. Holt will be looking to better his performance tomorrow.


For Curts, he hasn't had the smooth ride Holt has enjoyed. He tore his hamstring at the Festival of Champions and was sidelined for nearly a month. He mustered up the courage to win the Class B state championships at Twinbrook's running the fastest time of all classes, 16 minutes, 9 seconds. With few speed workouts under his belt, he was still able to place sixth at the Footlocker Regional's running right behind Holt in 15:38.7. He will be looking to replicate the success that his current assistant coach Loui Luchini had at Nationals. In 1998, Luchini placed second to Jorge Torres. His place is the highest a Maine native has finished at Nationals. Curts may not have the ability to place second, but an All-American finish (Top 15) will be in his sights.

Tomorrow morning, these three amazing athletes will all toe the line for the final cross country race of their careers along with the best runners in the country. The girls race will start at 9:15 am Pacific time with boys race starting forty five minutes after. They have already cemented their abilities in the great history of Maine cross country, and will look to compare their talents against the best in a race that Olympians such as Kara Goucher, Galen Rupp, Dathan Ritzenhein, and Alan Webb have competed in. 



(Editors Note: I'd like to give a huge shout out to Derek Veilleux and his efforts with Milesplit. He has given me the rare opportunity to have some of my writing published on the site. As far as I know, Maine's Milesplit affiliate is the only source in the state that has generated buzz about this historic feat)