The Ladies of Palatine win the 2014 Lake Zurich Track Sectional
It’s been a busy/exciting last couple of weeks. Two weeks ago we competed in our Mid-Suburban League Conference Meet, this past weekend we had Sectionals (Lake Zurich), and this coming weekend we have State! Throw in prom, AP tests, some hard workouts and some crazy weather and you have the whirlwind that makes the end of the season so fun.
One of our big goals every season is to win the MSL Conference Meet. We last won it in 2011 when I was a freshman, and we have been right in the mix finishing second in 2012 and 2013. We were really amped up this year because we knew we had a shot, but we also knew there were going to be plenty of other teams right there. It was a long night (the meet went way past my bedtime), and as always some good things and some bad things happened. We saw some season best performances, and Kelly O’Brien set a new school record of 4:57 in the 1600 for the win. We ended up in 3rd place in a tight battle with Barrington (who was four points ahead of us), and Prospect (who was 1 point ahead of us). It was disappointing not to win, but credit to Barrington who really hit great marks in a lot of different events, and Prospect competed tough as well.
The next day was our school’s prom and it was very fun to see lots of track girls there! It’s always a busy time of year for a lot of girls on the track team, and a lot of athletes across the state as big meets are happening right around the same time as AP tests, prom, concerts and other activities. Around this time a year it’s especially important to keep taking care of yourselves. Even if you’re busy it’s important to keep getting enough sleep, keep eating well and monitoring injuries, and try not to stress yourself out too much. A way we manage some of the stress on our team is to make sure everyone’s still having fun. We have fun at track meets and practices, and we also make sure we have fun with other things like prom. We had a lot of fun taking prom pictures in our spikes and running shoes, and we had a lot of fun on the dance floor.
Prom Spikes for the Lady Pirates!
After prom it was time to get back to work and get ready for the Sectional meet. Our workout on Monday was in some hot and humid conditions, so we thought maybe the weather was starting to get warmer. However, by the sectional meet on Friday it was snowing outside. Despite this craziness, we knew the weather didn’t really matter. What mattered was trying to qualify as many people to state as we could.
One of our goals was to try to qualify all of our relays, so we had a lucky state-bound baton that we passed between each group for every relay. We just missed on the 4x200, but we got every other relay qualified. We also qualified a number of individuals. Personally, I just missed qualifying in the 1600 (0.36 seconds). It would have been really exciting to go down in the 1600 again, but we are getting excited to do big things in the 4x800 and now I have the chance to focus on that race. At the end of the night we were once again in a tight battle for the team title with Barrington. All the events had finished except for triple jump. We wanted to win the team title, and we also really wanted our triple jumpers to qualify. We all crowed around the runway in anticipation was we watched Megan Thabuteau clinch the win and a bid to state with her last jump. This meant we were sectional champs! As excited as we were, the real excitement is going to come next week in Charleston. This is what we train all year for and now we’re excited to show what we can do at State.
I did get a little sentimental as I finished my last 1600 race as a high school runner, and coincidentally it was at the same place I ran my first race ever. When I was five years old, I ran in a kid’s 100-yard dash as part of some road races sponsored by the Alpine Runners. We ran on the parking lot road next to Lake Zurich High school, and I tripped and fell a few steps into the race. I skinned my knee, but I got up and finished the race-in last place. It has come full circle as I walked away on the same stretch of road with a Sectional championship 13 years later, on our way to compete for the 4X8 title at State next week.
Shout-outs: To all of the runners across the state who qualified for the State Meet, and to the seniors who had a great sectional meet even if it was your last high school competition. I am especially proud of the girl’s 4x8 teams from our MSL Conference. We take a lot of pride in this event, and six teams: Palatine, Hoffman Estates, Fremd, Barrington, Wheeling and Prospect qualified out of four different sectionals. That is half the conference!
A final shout-out to the Kaneland girls’ 4x8 team who ran to third place at their sectional, eight seconds better than the qualifying time. Because of a timing malfunction, there is no official time and only the two automatic qualifiers are invited to State. There needs to be a backup provision or review process for teams who clearly meet the IHSA criteria, but are victims of errors. I sincerely hope these girls are allowed to compete and fulfill their dreams next weekend. We would love to see you there! #LetKanelandrun.