Smile, the Stotans are here!
On the bus ride home following a disappointing 6th place finish after the 2003 New York Federations, Fayetteville Manlius coach Bill Aris told his team they had 365 days until their next chance. The results of what they have been doing in the interim is opening eyes not just in the Northeast, but all across the US. Fayetteville-Manlius is not going to be denied this season. And no amount of hype swirling around this team will deter them from their goals. They don't even hear us. On two consecutive October Saturdays, they simply dismantled the competition, and with it, two team average records. The first, 10/2 at McQuaid. The second, an unprecedented sweep of the first five places at the Manhattan  Invitational in the Varsity Boys C race, with a meet record 12:48.82 average, nearly ten seconds better than the one set by Shenendehowa in 2003.
"The new Stotans" is how Aris describes his team. Stotan is short for Stoic and Spartan. And with this group, it's far deeper than a t-shirt slogan.
They prepared for the season in many ways, but a week-long camp over the summer obviously prepared them in more ways for the season than the physical. "The running was the easy part" according to team co-captain Owen Kimple. "It was all about the heart, and soul and mind." Fellow co-captain Jared Burdick said the biggest thing they learned was about love. "We just know that each of us is always trying our hardest."
Both Kimple and Burdick seem focused solely on the task at hand. They just race - against goals and personal challenges. For October 9th, the goal was to have five under 12:50. "I don't want to sound arrogant, but that was our goal" said Aris. "We weren't racing against other teams, we were racing against that goal, and we did it.
And they're just getting started. According to Aris, they're like most other teams in that they haven't introduced speed work into the equation.
That can't be good news for they competition. But it is for fans of sport. Smile, the Stotans are here!
photo by Don Rich of Harrier publisher Marc Bloom interviewing Aris and two of the Stotans.
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