Indoor track squads getting the runaround

Friday, Feb. 5, 2010

Tuesday night's snow created more schedule changes for Southern Maryland Athletic Conference schools. While basketball games, wrestling matches and swim meets have been affected with postponements and rescheduled dates, the regional indoor track meets have been taken for a ride most of all.

Great Mills, Leonardtown and North Point were scheduled to compete in the Class 4A East region meet on Tuesday at Baltimore Armory, but with all three Southern Maryland counties canceling afterschool activities, these schools were not able to participate, while the meet itself went on as scheduled.

The three schools were then set to be a part of the 4A West region meet on Wednesday, also at the Baltimore Armory. But with Charles County schools among other counties in the state closed, while St. Mary's County schools opened two hours late, the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association canceled the meet till today.

The MPSSAA then, on its Web site Wednesday morning, mentioned that Great Mills, Leonardtown and North Point would take part in the 4A Central region meet instead, scheduled for Thursday at the Baltimore Armory, which finished too late for inclusion into this edition.

The MPSSAA stated on its Web site that if any individual athletes' marks would have placed them into a qualifying position from the 4A East results, those athletes will advance to the state meet.

North Point head coach Kevin Reisinger believes his SMAC champion Eagles should have no problem adapting to the scheduling changes, but knows it will be a challenge.

"The kids were prepared and ready to go," said Reisinger, whose team was looking forward to Wednesday's competition before school was closed for the day. "I think the kids do a pretty good job of adjusting to situations like this. We have the right mindset and hopefully we can put out our best times in Baltimore and get ready for the state meet."

Leonardtown head coach Shawn Snyder pointed out that the whole process and the hectic scheduling of meets is like a waiting game.

"For the most part it's waiting," Snyder said. "Not knowing when you're going to run and practicing outside affects the kids. We talked to the kids this week and they know what they have to do. The conditions will be different [at the Baltimore Armory] and have a huge impact on the different qualifying times, but the key is putting out our best times."

"The weather has been driving me up the wall since the start of the season," Great Mills head coach Ray Rice said. "We have canceled out of three in season meets before this. I feel as though indoor track has a dark snow cloud floating over its head."

Same situation in 2A

Calvert and Patuxent continue to play the waiting game, too.

The two Calvert County schools along with Easton, Parkside and Wicomico on the Eastern Shore missed the 2A East region meet that went on as scheduled Monday. But with schools closed in the counties where these schools are located, they were not able to compete.

These five schools will now be participating at the 3A Central region meet at 4 p.m. Feb. 8 at the Prince George's Sports and Learning Complex in Landover.

Should schools be closed again Monday, they would have to compete at the 2A Central region meet at 4 p.m. the next day at the Baltimore Armory for a chance at advancing to the state meet. 

According to Patuxent head coach Dave Walser, the athletes will be able to qualify for the state meet if they earn a better time than the fourth-place finisher from each event from the 2A East regional held Monday with the fourth-place finisher from Monday still going to states. The same holds true for the 4A meets.

"There is no doubt that this week and all the days we are missing will impact performance," Walser said. "So far we have not had the opportunity to practice since last Friday and at this rate we may not have an opportunity all week long. Overall, I am very glad [the state] thought of the kids and made the call to move us back to the P.G. Complex."

Walser added about the difference in conditions at P.G. and the Baltimore facilities, which plays a big part in footing, qualifying times and pure comfort for the kids daily.

"On an event like the high jump where you need a secure plant foot again that is a problem," Walser said. "You have to shorten your steps and plant differently than any other surface, so typically the jumpers are at a real disadvantage and heights are not near normal.

"There are other factors at Baltimore that I see as well. One is there is no seating and athletes must sit on the floor if they can sit at all, not at all helpful when trying to rest between races. Spectators have no safe place to park nor seating for them either. A big factor in my opinion is how do you feed the athletes when they are competing late into the evening? At P.G. they do have food that the athletes can purchase and thus get something to eat after they perform."

Calvert head coach John Major agrees with Walser's viewpoint.

"The kids will be able to wear spikes and not worry about the footing at P.G.," Major said. "The big thing for the kids will be confidence and the snow affects your sprinters because they can't get out on the track and actually run, while the distance kids can practice in the parking lot."

ajmason@somdnews.com