[Much of what is said in the Introduction below is copied from an earlier year's introduction to the sport for newcomers and parents and there is little reason to "recreate the wheel!"]
Back in the Dark Ages, in the 1960's and 1970's, when Winter or Indoor Track was first envisioned by coaches here in South Jersey, the programs were designed largely for really tough athletes who wanted to excel in the Spring!! Many of the local meets were so-called "Polar Bear Meets," held outdoors when coaches thought having young people running around wearing shorts and singlets in freezing temperatures was good for their physical and personal development! In addition, other meets were held indoors although these facilities were badly designed for racing! They fashioned flat "tracks" of irregular lengths or set-up shaky banked wooden tracks in gymnasiums or "armories" generally untouched since World War II! At several places back in the 70's and 80's, the sprint track ended through garage doors into a parking lot! Yes, sprinters did 40 or 50 yard dashes and finished out in the parking lot where, on snowy or icy days, coaches caught them before they fell! At one major city Armory, before it was renovated, homeless people lived in the stairways and often urinated "close to home." And everyone who ever participated in Indoor Track back in the 70's and 80's will remember the pungent odor of "Atomic Balm" until the day they die! Today, the indoor facilities are much improved: the Toms River "Bubble" is tight but fairly comfortable, the renovated New York City Armory is used by both college and professional teams; the new University of Pennsylvania facility is good, and the Ocean Breeze facility on Staten Island is absolutely magnificent! If only someone could work on those long bus rides! (For more details on what iot was like in the last century, ask Coach Shaklee what it was like "to be manly-men when they were just boys!")
Those early programs were designed as preparation for the Spring Season (and as a way to sidestep NJSIAA rules about coaching athletes out of season). Coaches concentrated on foundation and strength training for distance athletes, and skills training and conditioning for the sprinters, jumpers and throwers. That concentration continues today, although the team participates in a number of meets at decent indoor facilities (including the Throws Meets at Cherokee High School) for both experience and a change of pace.
Last winter, the season began with above-average temperatures and gusting winds, with some snow thrown in before Winter Break, and that seems accurate for this year as the average temperatures in South Jersey in early December have been about normal, around the mid-40s! Typically, Cherokee's athletes are unfazed: they'll ignore the elements and train outdoors looking forward to indoor opportunities to show their improvement! GO CHIEFS!
Last year, the season began on December 7th, 2024 at an unofficial runners-only scrimmage at Haddonfield High School. It was South Jersey's "lid-lifter" of the season, for the "experienced but rusty" and the "brand new." A little chilly at 37 degrees but still an excellent opportunity for both the experienced and newbies to get their track spikes "hot!"
This year, on December 13th, 2024, a part of the team took advantage of the early SJTCA Winter Meet # 1 at the Bennett Center to check out their conditions. Among the Sprinters, in the 55m Dash, Junior Mateo Rosario took 14th/84 overall and set a PR; Sophomore Lance Cheng took 34th/84 overall and also set a small PR; and Junior Noah Calderon took 40th/84 overall and set an indoor PR. In the 400m Dash, 10th Graders Matt Muschek and newcomer Colin Feehan finished 16th and 17th/66 overall while setting indoor PR's! And, finally, in the 4 X 200m Relay, an unidentified Cherokee 4-some finished 8th/19 overall.
There were some interesting highlights in the Field! In the Pole Vault, Senior Tobin Horwath took 1st/9 overall, with an indoor PR of 9' 6", only 6" below his outdoor PR, and Senior Sam Green cleared 6' 2" (2" below his outdoor PR) and took 3rd/13 overall! In the Shot Put, Senior Brody Ludman took 15th/44 overall with a put of 35' 2.50", an indoor PR that matched his outdoor PR of last year! Interestingly, Freshman Jacob Cranmer putt the shot 33' 10" to take 21st/44 in the competition!
Further details at: NJ.MIleSplit.
Our photographer was unavailable because he had a fancy new knee installed but he hopes to be available for meets before the season ends.
On December 20th, 2024, parts of the team, largely sprinters and throwers, returned to the Bennett Center for the Olympic Conference Meet # 1.
Among the Varsity Sprinters, in the Varsity 400m Dash, Sophomore Lucas Bianchi took 19th/24 overall in a PR 1:04.22: Sophomore Jaxson Sharkey took 22nd/24 overall in a PR 1:10.69; and Senior Josh Lowery finished 24th/24 overall in a PR 1:14.79. In the Varsity 55m High Hurdles, Senior Sam Green took 2nd/9 overall in a PR 8.71; and Junior Steven Barbagiovan finished 9th/9 overall in a PR 10:72. In the Varsity 4 X 200m Relay, Cherokee's unidentified four-man team finished 3rd/7 overall in 1:40.73; and in the Varsity Sprint Medley Relay, Cherokee's unnamed four-man team finished 3rd/7 overall in 4:10.60.
Among the Varsity Jumpers and Throwers, in the Varsity High Jump, Senior Sam Green took 1st/7 overall at 6' 0" and Senior Evan Bryfogle tied for 6th/7 overall at a PR 5' 0". In the Varsity Pole Vault, Senior Tobin Horwath took 1st/3 overall and matched his outdoor PR at 12' 0". Finally, among the Shot Putters, Freshman Jacob Cramer took 2nd/15 overall with a PR put of 35' 11.25"; Sophomore Jeffery Lin took 4th/15 overall while puting a PR of 35' 2.50"; and Sophomore Ace Leigh took 5th/15 overall in a PR 34' 5.50".
In the Junior Varsity competition, Cherokee's four unnamed runners took 1st/9 overall in 1:44.03 in the JV 4 X 200m Relay!
Details at: NJ.MileSplit.
Again, our photographer was unavailable as he is recovering from an operation. Maybe soon?
On December 21st, 2024, Coach Shaklee planned a 'progressive Workout' on the track. He knew it would be cold but it IS Winter Track afterall! His plan was thwarted by an overnight snow fall and a slick track. Rather than cancel, he tried to save what he could by moving the practice into a nearby neighborhood and lessening his emphasis on speed.
But this is a section from the point of view of our photographer and not to be read by the squemish! It is crude and sophmoric. Our photographer's goal was to shoot the classic cold weather shot of frozen snot on the runner's faces!
"I arrived early hoping to get some interesting shots of the rising sun, snow, and some of the runners warming up around campus.
"The track was slick with frozen snow and the wind was gusting over 15 knots, so the Coach moved the practice to a nearby development, hoping the loop there would be dryer and protected from the wind. The practice: 5 progressively faster loops, and I hoped by the third loop that the snot would be flowing.
"Things did not start well as one of the runners slipped and fell before the practice actually began . . . and I missed the shot!
"Loop after loop, shot after shot, almost all close-ups but no snot! It was cold and my nose was running but I had a handkerchief, as my mother taught me.
"These guys must be ruining their sleeves or gloves with snot because there was none on their faces! The best snot shots are the ones where the runners have beards and the snot has spread and frozen throughout. No beards in this crowd. Anyway, while watching, I remembered an Army Sergeant telling us not to spit out our saliva on long operations because we would need it later to survive. I wasn't sure if he was being genuine or not but I stopped spitting after that and now I wonder if that somehow applied to frozen snot?
"There were two eccentrics who wore shorts to practice, Ant-nee Di and Dom Pileri, and I wondered if Ant-nee convinced Dom to follow his example . . . 'We shall be like a city upon a hill . . .?' Then Dom, with legs red from the cold . . . would the camera catch that? Two others wore masks - no snot there - but the masks must have been smotchie limited their breating after awhile . . ..
"Practice seemed to be going well but the pace was certainly affected by conditions. But that's the rule: you set up the exercise you want and the runners need and then you deal with those things that affect your plan, including photographers. I planned for pictures on a track washed by a glorious morning sun and a snow-covered infield and I get a lousy housing development with buildings and cars as background! That's the rule . . . deal with it!
"Soon I had multiples of each runner and I heard the Dunkin commercial in my head . . .. I waved goodbye to the Coach and off I went lamenting that I had no frozen snot pictures from the day."
(Others who might like to share their thoughts while practicing or racing are welcome here: send your thoughts to densmyth@aol.com.)
Coach Shaklee posted these and the remaining shots at the team's Google page. The added camp pic of Sean Sooy was meant as a surprise/humerous contrast to the pictures showing the day's winter workout. It went wrong when it appeared first among the pictures. Like "SNL," not everything is wildly funny!
Happy New Year!
On December 30th, 2024, several Sprinters, Jumpers and Throwers traveled to the newly-named Rothman Orthopaedics Sports Complex - the previously named Bennett Center or "The Bubble" in Toms River, NJ.
In the Boys 55 Meter Dash Finals, Senior Newcomer Evan Bryfogle clocked a decent PR of 6.95 and finished 7th in the event. Following him were Sophomore Newcomer Christian Danquah in a PR 7.47 and finishing 37th; another newcomer, Sophomore David Nnawuighe in a PR of 7.58, finishing 43rd; and Sophomore Sebastian Sabia with a PR 7.61 and finishing 44th. There were 63 overall in the event.
In the Boys 400 Meter Dash Finals, Junior Carlo Brown, dropped down from his usual 800m Dash to clock a huge PR 55.31 and finish 7th/46 overall!. He was closely followed by Junior Mateo Rosario with a PR 56.05 and 9th in the event; and Sophomore newcomer Lance Cheng who clocked 57.13 and finished 14th! There were 46 in the event.
Among the Jumpers on the team, the High Jump featured Senior Sam Green clearing a somewhat disappointing 6'0" and taking 1st Place! He was followed by Senior Newcomer Evan Bryfogle at 5'0" and 9th Place; and Noah Calderon at 5'0" in 10th Place. There were 14 jumpers in the event.
Finally, the Throwers, including two newcomers, Sophomore Shot Putters, Matt Greski, who finished 19th with a Put of 33'05", and Jaxon Jacobus who finished 25th with a Put of 29' 08". There were 36 Throwers in the event.
Our photographer is still unavailable but is expected to rejoin the team soon.
Details at: NJ.MileSplit
On January 4, 2025, the team traveled across the river to the new Ott Center on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania and many did quite well in the SJTCA Winter Meet # 9.
Volunteering for the Winter Season, Coach Shaklee held back his top distance runners for later but raced several of his better athletes. He's always quick to report on his guys as the following comments suggest!
"After a break following the cross country season, Cherokee's distance (and mid-distance) squad began the winter track season, racing at the new state-of-the-art indoor track facility at the University of Pennsylvania.
"Freshman, Evan Amato, was the first Cherokee distance runner to take to the track this season as he anchored the Sprint Medley Relay. His 800 split of 2:20.41 was a good start!
"The Distance Medley Relay was next and was a rust-buster for Leo Vyvyan and Gavin Danielewicz who ran the lead-off 1200 and the anchor 1600 respectively. With almost no anaerobic work behind them, and working off of just base and threshold, it was a challenge but they will certainly improve as they get the necessary training in. The middle two legs were run by Matt Muschek - 400 and Carlo Brown - 800. Matt showed some competitiveness as he held off a competitor who tried to cut in going around the first turn. He ran strong to the hand-off and recorded a new indoor PR for the 400! Carlo got the baton with no one near him and, with little 800 experience behind him, did the best he could to find the right rhythm. He will run much better in an open race when he is starting even with the field. Both Matt and Carlo came back in the 4 X 400 later in the meet with Carlo running a sub-55 split on the anchor!
"The next meet is on January 8th at the Toms River Bubble. More importantly, the training continues through the winter to prepare the team for a strong spring track season!"
The rest of the news comes from our Hurdlers, Sprinters, Jumpers and Throwers, and much of it is good!
Among the Sprinters, in the 55m Dash, Freshman Eric Zhend clocked a PR of 7.15, finishing 44th/110 overall in only his second official race; Freshman Shreehan Balasundar clocked 7.20 and finished 48th/110 overall in his first offical competition; and Junior Mateo Rosario clocked 7.27 and finished in 61st/110 overall. In the 55m Hign Hurdles, Junior Steven Barbagiovann clocked 9.73 and finished 36th/62 overall.
In the Relay events, in the 4 X 400m Relay, the team of Rosano (55.53), Calderon (27.24), Muschek (58.13) and Carlo Brown (54.55) finished 15th/28 overall, while clocking 3:45.46. In the 4 X 200m Relay, the team of ( ? ) finished 13th/28 overall in 1:36.66. in the Sprint Medley Relay, Barbagiovani in the 400m, 57.28; Gotowchikov in the 200m, 26.57; Balasundar in the 200 25.33 and Evan Amato in the 800m, 2:20.41 to finish 17th/28 overall in 4:09.59. Finally, in the Distance Medley Relay, Leo Vyvyan went 3:39.13 in the 1200m, Matt Muschek went 56.47 in the 400m, Carlo Brown went 2:13.69 in the 800m, and Gavin Danielewicz went 501.28 and finished the race in 11:50.54, 13th/28 overall.
Beside the track, the Jumpers were active! In the High Jump, Senior Sam Green matched his PR when he cleared 6'4" in the event and finished 2nd/28 overall; Junior Noah Calderon set a new PR in the Long Jump when he stretched out to 19'4.5" and finished 5th/37 overall; and Senior Tobin Horwath matched his PR in the Pole Vault when he cleared 12'0" and took 6th/37 overall!
Finally among the Throwers, in the Shot Put, Senior Brody Ludman put the Shot 38'0.25", a significant PR and took 12th/47 overall, and newcomer Sophomore Jonah Bluestein flung the Shot 37'10.25" to take 18th/47 overall!
Details at: NJ.MileSplit.
Our photographer was available but not yet in 100% shape. As a result, he suffered what some might call a "brain fart" and ruined over 2,600 pictures taken at the event. Grossly misjudging the light in the Center, he set his camera too low for the environment and ruined the results. That said, using the miracle of PhotoShop and a lot of time, he will doctor the pictures of the Cherokee athletes he photographed as much as he can. Not all of our athletes were photographed. Those that were should expect only 50% quality, no museum pieces! : < )
Future pictures should be much better because, while our photographer was there, he bought the bottled water, a magical liquid known as SMART WATER and, even though it cost an incredible $5.00 -- yes, for a bottle of water! -- he is sure this miracle fluid will clear his mind and make his pictures worthy of a prize!
A quick shot taken of our photographer after he discovered his mistake:
Over the weekend, our photographer scraped the bottom of his Ott Center files looking to "salvage" the best of his Cherokee pictures and here we have the results. Besides posting some pictures here, these and the rest of the pictures are posted on our Google site. The lucky ones here are the Jumpers, Vaulters and Throwers who our photographer, because of his surgery, could not get to and shoot "pictures."
