OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD
Outdoor Track & field takes place from March to June. Many athletes from
the winter sports join outdoor track to stay in shape. At some point, Sea
has over 120 athletes compete for 1 season (XC, Indoor or Outdoor)
Outdoors offers a wide array of events for athletes of various abilities.
Runners can race in events from the 100 meter dash (approx 110 yds) to the two
mile run. 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 outdoor season, the field
events contested are the: pole vault, long jump, triple jump, high jump, shot
put, discus, and jevelin. 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.
The outdoor hurdle events are also
contested. In the 110 meter high hurdles the athletes race and jump over
ten 39 inch hurdles. Another hurdle event in the 400 meter intermediate
hurdles (36 inch) A distance hurdling event is the steeplechase. The
athlete hurdles 4 x 36" wooden barriers and over a water jump over the span of
2000 or 3000 meters.
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. Early outdoor season
could be cold so 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. In the event a practice is cancelled, an announcement
will be made.
The Nature of the Sport
Outdoor 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. Meets are held throughout the northeast. The CHSAA
championship meets have been held at Icahn Stadium on Randall's Island in NYC.
The outdoor tracks are 400 meters long. Outdoors gives the team a better
opportunity to travel as there is no need to base competitions for racing on a
banked track like indoors. We have competed in Boston, Conn., Maryland,
Virginia and hope our future success can take us beyond these places. The
challenging aspect of the outdoor season is that the competitive season is so
short. Some years, only 6 weeks long. In addition, the uncerainty of
weather can play havoc on the competitions.
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. Staten Island has played host to many meets such as the "Big Blue" meet at Sea. Both Sea and Farrell have also hosted the sectional championships and island champs.
One of the more prestigious meets is the "Penn Relays" held at UPENN on the last weekend in April. Most teams send 4x100 and 4x400 relays to compete in the "oldest relay meet in the world." A much more select process occurs for teams that wish to run 4x800 or distance medley relays. Of all of the thousands of track programs nationally and internationally, only 70 4x800 teams are invited to race at Penn. Teams from Jamaica have also fared quite well at Penn.
Any questions, feel free to email Coach Mancusi