VARSITY ATHLETICS

March 06, 2008

Preparing for the big meet and not just the athletes...

By Head Cross Country and Assistant Track & Field Coach Kathy Lanese

I have been surrounded by track and field most of my adolescent and adult life either through being my father's helper, having him as my coach in middle school, and continuing my running career through high school and college...then came coaching. Most people think we just coach, but behind the scenes there is a flurry of action, especially when administering a big meet.

Looking back the experiences with my dad were invaluable for my career. My dad was a Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) track coach for our parish. For years he also directed and administrated the annual CYO Memorial Day weekend track meet. It was a great service he provided for all the CYO youth running track in the greater Cleveland area. Well, being from an extremely large family we often worked on big projects together and for Dad this was the most important meet of the year. I have a picture in my mind of our dining room table filled with stacked papers to be collated by a team of meet administrators...us kids...and a few other coaching friends with my dad as the foreman. Remember, these were the days where official results were reproduced with carbon paper and posted on the outside wall of the pressbox. In the mid 1970's computers were non-existent and all documents and results were handled by a typist on our luxurious IBM electric typewriter. My mother was often at the driver’s seat helping type and preparing the meet entries and meet information.

Aside from the paperwork, my Dad had to groom and line the track at Lakewood High School; cinders and all. The physical work and transition of just an oval black track being prepared into a race track was my favorite factor in getting the so-called set ready for action. My dad borrowed a line-making device that looked similar to a fertilizer spreader. It was pushed and it would drop powdered Lyme which looked like crushed chalk, into thin strips which created the lane lines on the cinder track. I began this pre-race experience when I was merely 11 years old...in our dining room prepping paperwork, on the track, combing and lining, and observing the excitement of the meet from the press box and watching the results unfold on a typewriter and carbon paper postings. Looking back at those days I reflect on the fact that I was assisting as a meet administrator. Hmmm…I wonder how I learned to love this so much. I have always carried a track and field spirit with me.

The thrill of organizing a track meet is in my blood and hosting this weekend was exciting. I still recall the same thrill and excitement of hosting a big meet...but this time it was the UAA Track and Field Championship! While prepping for the UAAs did stir up excitement, I have to admit the process was a little less tedious. While my dad enlisted us, Coach Rubin and I enlisted anyone who was not competing on our team to have a role in the management of the meet. We also had the support of the Building Supervisor, Steve “STP” Thompson, who provided endless support by setting up the team banquet, providing hospitality to all the teams, workers and coaches, and providing all the behind the scenes logistics for the teams and coaches. The Sports Information Director, Creg “the informer” Jantz, who generated endless information on and off our athletic internet site and provided “LIVE” results and a “LIVE” viewing of the meet that was viewed with much excitement as far as Spain and France. The Senior Women’s Administrator, Karen “volley the awards” Farrell, directed the awards ceremony with finesse. Hugh “huge” Marshall, the Equipment Manager, was a huge help in organizing the student helpers and hurdle control and much, much more! The other Building Attendants Otto “the voice” Penicka amenably announced the meet in its entirety with his distinctive Spartan voice and Ben “the enforcer” Taylor controlled the teams competition shots and weights for correct measurement and he bounced out the illegal equipment. Coach Rubin had his role on the track to prepare and check all equipment so it was ready to perfection for some great competition. I was administrating the officials, timers and scorers with placement, race and results set-up and the final display of results for each day of competition. Upon arrival of the teams on Thursday, I felt that everything was logistically close to perfection.

And then the snow storm hit…endless snow for two straight days! Thankfully, all the teams had arrived and were staying downtown for a short commute. Even though the commute was short, John Curtin from Emory was worried about getting back for Day 2 of the meet. What he did not understand was that Cleveland, unlike Atlanta, does have snow removal equipment. I eased his mind with a little conversation about the snow and how we are prepared for the storms and snow removal with the full force of vehicles ready for action.

DAY 1 of competition inside went off without a snag, but the snow outside continued to fall. Our army of workers allowed the meet to flow like clockwork. Even though the support staff was there, I know I still had this sense of responsibility that everything was just right. Sooo…I mentally did my checklist. 1.) Athletes are number ONE: These next few days were for my athletes and for providing them a championship feel even though we were running at home. I often needed to step aside from administration and allow myself to provide the pre-race advice that each athlete needed. It is my responsibility to give them the attention needed for race strategy and to set their minds at ease before they race. Most were 100% ready for competition. 2.) Letting go: When I walk away from the administrative aspect I have to trust that every responsible party is complying with their job. As I stepped away a few details fell through the cracks but nothing that could not be remedied. 3.) Being proactive: I am a person who is always planning that next step ahead so I have a quick solution to any problem. I knew the weather was bad so of course I was already thinking about Day 2 of competition and whether my officials could make it back. I asked all if they could make it back for tomorrow...well...at least three officials were in question. So, after the banquet ended at 9:00 pm I immediately started planning for Day 2 administration. While most other peoples' days were done I was concerned about whether we would be able to run a smooth meet the following day. I wrote it out on paper and potentially I would be losing 3 officials.

DAY 2 of competition started by me spending 45 minutes shoveling myself out of the driveway to get to the meet. I did have a moment of panic but I knew that living only three miles away could have gotten me there in a 30 minute run in the depths of the snow. I did dig my way out and plowed in reverse through two shoveled tire track strips. Good thing the drive was all down hill. Talking about downhill…I received my first call at 6:00 am from an official that could not get out of his driveway…one official gone. The next call came from my meet starter saying there was no way of making the meet. Another one bites the dust. Well, two more calls come in and my second shot put official could not get down her street and then number four…my clerk of course was stuck in her driveway. I was feeling a little uneasy that my timers, scores and others were not going to make it in when there normal commute was about 45 minutes…so I called them. They were on the road and thankfully all of them arrived safely 2 1/2 hours after their departure and with one extra official! Another local official who worked my earlier meets thought we would need help and did not know how to contact me so she just showed up…AMAZING…and to top it off Steve,“STP’s” dad was my triple jump official but he also brought his starter pistol and was able to help start the meet when the triple jump was over. I had one clerk of course when I usually operated with two and she was flawless. What could have been stressful turned out to actually be the more relaxed day of competition.

The Chicago women’s team and Washington University women were in a cat and mouse fight for the lead. Wash. U. has been champions in Indoor for a UAA meet for eight years…well University of Chicago clinched the higher score in the 4 x 400m. Relay. The burst of celebration for Chicago had begun and all in the excitement of the last event! Chicago's men were also victorious! I can only imagine the exhilaration of that bus ride home…in the snowstorm. I am sure they will have a picture to put into words.

The great news for Case Track and Field also is that over 80% of our Athletes ran, jumped or threw a personal record. Close to all of the remainder of the athletes performed season best performances. There were two provisional qualifications to the NCAA meet as Elizabeth Ehrke had a huge throw in the weight with more than a meter PR. Dominic Smith ran to a win in the 5000 posting the 20th best time in the nation. The nominations are in and Case will most likely have the Women Runner of the Year as Esther Erb posted 3 first place performances on our home track. Throughout the weekend our teams were extremely enthusiastic and excited for competition and they continued to closely watch the scores progress throughout the duration of the meet. Sarah Gill was in tune and announced to her 4 x 400 that they had to run well to keep Brandies from surpassing our score on this last event. Well, the women’s 4 x 400 team had a season best performance by 21 seconds and kept Brandeis in the distance and got 4th instead of 5th place…a step up from last year. We did it! Men, Women, TEAM! That is how we felt on our turf. We are very fortunate to have the support of each other, knowing that every man and women gave it their best run, throw or jump for the good of the team. Our team numbers are not huge but the hearts that were on the line in this competition were bursting.

On a final note: Organizing a track meet is like running a long race. I put myself in this race as a competitor. Competition and the need for great results have been in my blood since my youth. I was able to have a meet run exactly the way I wanted it. Yes, there were some obstacles but in competition there is often an obstacle to overcome. Support or not, the job has to get done and I was fortunate to have the best support staff on this planet to allow me to finish my race shining. The results of the Case team were actually better than I expected, so I believe I did my best to also support my athletes for their competition on the track. This weekend I feel I had the best of both worlds!

Behind the scenes: Of course, the conditions of running a track meet differ today with technology and the need to do more but I almost crave the smell of carbon paper and the memory of ink stained hands but I must say I am happy to leave the powdered lyme and cinders behind.

Posted by: Creg Jantz March 6, 2008 03:15 PM | Category: Women's Outdoor Track

Posted by: cnj4 (Creg Jantz) March 6, 2008 03:15 PM | Comments (1) | Trackback