INDOOR TRACK & FIELD
Indoor Track & field takes place during December to March. Many athletes
from the fall sports join indoor track to stay in shape. At some point,
Sea has over 120 athletes compete for 1 season (XC, Indoor or Outdoor)
The season offers a wide array of events for athletes of various
abilities. Runners can race in events from the 55 meter dash (approx 60 yds) to the two mile run. Track & field uses the metric system to measure
races. Some quick conversions include: 100 meters = 110 yards, 400 meters
= 440 yds. There are also relay races where 4 runners run a specific
distance and hand off a baton (stick) at the end of their run (leg) to the next
athlete. The 4x400 or 1600 meter relay is an event where each member of
the team runs 400 meters for a total of 1600 meters. Athletes with
explosive speed usually flock to the shorter events. Athletes with a good
base and stamina enjoy the mid to long distances.
In addition to the running events, the field events give athletes plenty of
opportunities to try new things. During the indoor season, the field
events contested are the: pole vault, long jump, triple jump, high jump and shot
put. Each event requires unique skills and lots of practice to perfect.
Most of these events require explosive speed and strength. Sprinters are
usually the most able to enjoy competing in field events with moderate success.
A specialty event,
although not a field event, is the 55 meter high hurdles. Athletes race
over the 55 meter distance while jumping over 39" hurdles.
Requirements
Each freshmen should be prepared to practice after school Monday-Thursday from
2:45-4:30 PM. Friday's are usually team meetings and for our freshmen we
try to keep Friday in a classroom environment to learn about the sport.
Your son should be properly prepared for the weather conditions because we will
run in all weather except thunder and lightning. That includes snow and
cold temperatures. The coaching staff will use sound judgment as to what
temperatures are "too cold." However, athletes should be properly
prepared. This includes: sweatshirt, jogging pants, t-shirt, shorts,
gloves and a hat. Most of the team members also wear compression or
spandex shorts/pants as an undergarment to keep in the warmth. Practice is
NEVER cancelled since we have time in the gym everyday. In the event a
practice is cancelled, an announcement will be made.
The Nature of the Sport
Indoor Track & field is an enjoyable season offering a "true" team atmosphere.
Successful teams are able to "cover the board" with quality athletes in all of
the disciplines contested. This includes the sprints, distances, jumps,
throws and hurdles. Points are awarded based on the final places in each
event. Most sprint races and field events have trials and finals.
The early portion of the season is full of invitational and developmental meets.
Most championship meets award points for finishing in the top 5 on a 6-4-3-2-1
basis. Ex. 1st place = 6 pts, etc...The S.I. Champs used a
10-8-6-4-2-1 point system while scoring the top 6. Regardless of the
system used, team depth becomes more important than the top performers.
Our local allegiance is to the NY Archdiocese (or NY Section) consisting of 18
teams in Staten Island, Westchester, Bronx and Manhattan. There are other
sections as well such as the BQ Archdiocese which includes teams from Brooklyn
and Queens. The third section is the Nassau-Suffolk Archdiocese which
features Long Island teams. When all of the Sections get together for a
city championship it is called the CHSAA Intersectionals (literally between
sections) The Catholic School league has 35 schools in its membership.
The CHSAA Intersectionals serves as a qualifier to the NY State Championships.
We also compete in the national championships throughout the country.
Competitions
The "meets" usually take place on Saturdays and occasionally during the week
or on Sunday. Most of these meets are at the Armory Track & Field Center
in Washington Heights, NYC. This is one of, if not, the fastest track in
U.S.A. THe Armory annually hosts over 15,000 track athletes are all ages.
The indoor tracks are 200 meters long (half the distance of the outdoor track)
The Armory has a banked track which has the turns slopped upward like a bicycle
track. Banked tracks have generally produced some of the superior records
and performances due to the momentum gained coming off the turns. In
addition to the Armory, we have competed on indoor tracks at: Fordham Univ.,
Brown Univ., Maryland, Boston and Madison Square Garden. With the high
likelihood of obtaining an indoor track for Staten Island, the days of Staten
Island Indoor Track might be coming sooner than later!
Bus service is provided for all travel meets. The athletes are told to meet at a certain time and Lombardi Time (15 mins prior to bus departure) in the front of the school. Any athlete that misses a championship meet without consulting a coach will be asked to leave. Freshmen are to compete in Sea Gym shorts (purchased in the book store) and the freshmen t-shirt ($10) which is sold during the season. Varsity athletes are to compete in the varsity singlet/short which the team sells. Note: No matter how many times your son says he doesn't want to see you at a meet, he would be happy if you came. Obtain a copy of our schedule and try to attend a meet. The most popular meets are the Staten Island Champs and the prestigious "Millrose Games" at Madison Square Garden."
The "Millrose Games Trials" are held in early January and the top 6 fastest 4x800 relays from the CHSAA qualify to compete in the oldest indoor track meet at the world's most famous arena, Madison Square Garden. Recently, some of the fastest times in the nation have been recorded at the Millrose Trials. At the garden, athletes, friends and families see the pros and Olympians compete in what can be a very loud and raucous crowd. Sea has qualified 5 times in 1992,1995,1997,1998 and most recently 2008. The 2008 Millrose Games had two bus loads full of Sea Track friends and families.
Any questions, feel free to email Coach Mancusi