DyeStatCalElite Performance Cutoffs (Boys/Girls)
Based on Top 100 marks in 'common' events and Top 50 marks in 'uncommon' event from 2006 season.
100m	200m	400m	800m	1500m	1600m	3000m	3200m
11.08/12.60	22.37/25.70	50.03/58.40	1:58.22/2:20.00	4:05.5/4:52.00	4:23.67/5:12.00	9:00/10:40	9:38.23/11:25.00
110/100m HH	300m IH/LH	4x100	4x200	4x400	4x800	4x1600	Shuttle Hurd
15.33/15.90	40.24/47.00	43.34/50.00	1:32.64/1:48.00	3:27.20/4:06.00	8:22.31/10:10.00	18:53/23:00	1:10.00/1:10.00
Sprint Med	Distance Medl	High Jump	Pole Vault	Long Jump	Triple Jump	Shot Put	Discus Throw
3:45.00/4:30.00	10:54.60/13:10.00	6-3.00/5-2.0	13-6.00/10-2.00	21-8.25/17-0.00	43-9.25/35-6.00	50-10/36-6	153-11/118-00

2007 Outdoor Track & Field Is Officially Here!

By Rich Gonzalez - Editor, DyeStatCal.
        (TRACKVILLE) -- We're out of the gates quickly in 2007!
        Headlined by some great performances from the traditionally powerful Mt. Pleasant Relays meet in San Jose, athletes from up and down the state laced on the spikes or other specialty shoes to run, jump and hurl themselves into the brand new season. It was a very busy week too, with 31 invitationals known to have taken place inside state lines.
Here are some quick leading highlights from five particular meets that caught our eye for varying reasons:
        The Mt. Pleasant Relays (Central Coast Section) were the week's main attraction for obvious reason as a few of the state's -- and nation's -- best programs were on display. Despite the calendar reading early March, one could swear these teams were already in championship form as JW North of Riverside (Southern Section) threw down the weekend's most impressive performance with a blazing 3:16.24 winning effort in the 4x400-meter relay!

Vashti Thomas
       Other outstanding marks from the meet included Vashti Thomas of host Mt. Pleasant stretching to a lifetime-best    40-00.00 (wind = +0.3 mps) and Logan's Briana Stewart spanning 39-09.50 (+2.3) in the triple jump and Logan's 1-2-3-4 sweep in the men's triple jump, with the quartet averaging 45-1/ 3/8"! All told, there were a state-leading 42    DyeStatCal Elite marks achieved at the meet, which saw James Logan of the North Coast Section sweep the team titles.
       Another great mark fell by the wayside in the women's 4x100-meter relay as the meet starter apparently assigned leadoff runners to the wrong stagger line, adding an estimated 13 meters to Mt. Pleasant's official 48.28 clocking. Had they run the actual 400-meter relay distance at the same rate, that time probably would have been closer to a high 46-second performance!
       The longstanding Foothill Invitational (Southern Section) emerged as a sensational affair thanks to an apparent upgrade in organizational efficiency according to some coaches present this year. New Citrus College coach Nicki Shaw altered the meet schedule just a tad and the athletes seemed to respond well under nice weather conditions to post 32 DyeStatCal Elite marks, second-best of the weekend.
       In past years, we were fortunate to get our hands on leading results, but the timeliness of such was lacking at times. By Sunday, a list of top performances was at our disposal, accentuating some great marks from Long Beach Wilson's girls programs and the boys squad from Rancho Cucamonga. Perhaps the race of the day occurred in the girls' 100-meter dash, where Rancho Cucamonga's Brianna Atkins just edged out Wilson's Shelise Williams, 12.03 to 12.04.
       If we can make one suggestion to the Citrus College crew, please try securing a wind gauge for next year's meet, as fine performances such as these deserved to be classified in the wind legal category if, in fact, the skies were calm. Reports from the scene varied, as light winds were said to have been on the fringe of being wind-aided according to some accounts.
       The Sanger Classic (Central Section) was a very pleasant surprise to us as 21 DyeStatCal Elite marks emerged from the low-profile meet. We say "low profile" because most meets in the Central Section don't do automated timing and it is often several days (sometimes weeks) before results from that neck of the woods ever sees the light of day.
       Among the big highlights here were state-leading boys marks in the 400m, 800m and 3200. Reedley's Remington Blair did the one-lap honors, ripping to a meet record 48.93; Clovis' Jonathan Peterson established a meet record to win the two-lap race in 1:56.96; Clovis' Mikel Thomas also broke a meet record, winning the eight-lapper in 9:16.30.
       Super thanks to Central Section track and field guru Ron Blackwood for securing us those marks in quick fashion!
       The Don Green Invitational (Southern Section) was a "crazy-busy" affair at Moorpark HS. How else to describe a meet that had (insert drumroll here...) 174 finishers in the girls frosh-soph 100-meter dash alone! The timing crew and officials surely came through under challenging circumstances here, with the athletes coming up big as well. A total of 16 DyeStatCal Elite marks (5th in the state this weekend) were racked up in the meet!
       The De La Salle/Carondelet Joe Stocking Invitational (North Coast Section) showcased the best lower-level showing in the state as Carondelet frosh Nicole Hood was "lights out" impressive in the girls' 3,000-meter run, the European equivalent to the bastardized 3,200-meter offshoot American distance. Hood won by 59 seconds in the 7-1/2 lap race at Joe Stocking in a time of 10:07.8, which converts to roughly 10:57 for 3200 meters. Casa Grande's Jacque Taylor is the current 3200m state leader, posting an 11:08.9 performance at the Big Cat Invitational in Santa Rosa.
       Here are last weekend's top-ranked meets in terms of DyeStatCal Elite performance marks:

"Top 10" Meets for DyeStatCal Elite Marks (Week #2)
Mt. Pleasant Relays = 48
Foothill Invitational = 32
Sanger Classic = 21
DeLaSalle/Carondelet Joe Stocking Meet = 20
Don Green Invitational = 16
Earl Engman Relays = 15
Clarke Massey Relays = 14
Eagle Invite = 12
Skyline Invitational = 12
Sacramento State Relays = 11

Two-time defending state champion sidelined...
        Royal HS senior Michael Cybulski has recently been diagnosed with a stress fracture that will require him to avoid running for at least a month. According to Cybulski, who had planned to run the mile at this weekend's Nike Indoor Nationals meet in Maryland, the stress fracture occurred just above one hip.
        Cybulski aims in June to become the first male athlete in California history to win three state 3200-meter crowns when the year-end meet returns to Sacramento on June 1-2.

Michael Cybulski
        On a related note, Cybulski was the most popular pick on the inaugural DyeStatCal Fantasy League contest that is now underway. As with any Fantasy League contest, all injuries, slumps, the unforeseen, etc. are "part of the game", as they say.
        But don't be too worried. As Michael has shown in the past, he's capable of scoring in big bunches down the road. There's good chance he'll be out competing again before most other athletes score major points as most athletes don't project to start scoring well until Stanford or Arcadia, or even later.

On the topic of the Fantasy League...
        Close to 150 legal entries were submitted for the inaugural DyeStatCal Fantasy League contest that is being sponsored by Champions Camp, a summertime cross-country camp in Mammoth. Initially, we expected an even greater response, but it appears (after an informal polling of a few youngsters) that some thought the contest might be too complex.
        For those who did enter on time, this contest will be a snap. You've already done the hard part: investing your time to shrewdly make prognostications as to which combination of seven athletes will fare best once the season ends. Now it's up to Champions Camp, the EPI Sports results database and DyeStatCal to compute everyone's scores, with standings being posted at the Champions Camp website every other week starting next week!
       Also, Champions Camp has shared that it might create an opportunity for contestants to "draft" one additional runner or perhaps make a "trade" for a new runner at some point late in the season (before postseason), much like how conventional fantasy leagues operate. Stay tuned for more details on that.
       As we hope everyone will see, this contest is both easy and fun. Plans are being discussed for future Fantasy League contests down the road.

The Power of EPI!...
       As many of you may have noticed, the results for most invitationals posted on DyeStatCal so far this young season are appearing in a new format. Not only is the new layout cleaner, but those results are automatically processed via the EPI Sports database, which means we'll have data that is very easy to sort through in the weeks to come.
      What's that mean to you? Automated databases that sort best marks by gender, by CIF section, by grade, by meet, etc. Our "Best Marks" pages are always our most popular targets for track and field season, and now they'll have more information than ever before!
      Thanks to Nate Fox and Jim Roldan of EPI Sports for introducing to us their new concept on DyeStatCal, a plus which will help reshape excitement/performance levels to even greater heights in California as athletes strive to perform even better to appear on these popular lists!
      All meet directors are encouraged to submit their results either in the HyTek format specified or by using the Excel spreadsheet linked on the top of the mainpage. Either of these two formats will ensure prompt inclusion into the EPI Sports database.

Going The Distance... And Then Some!...
      Congratulations (and a well deserved therapeutic massage or two) are in order for Ayala High's Grace Gonzalez and King High assistant coach Amanda Chann, who both finished the 22nd annual Los Angeles Marathon over the weekend in remarkable times.

Grace Gonzalez
      Gonzalez, who is 17, placed 14th OVERALL among the 7,831 female finishers in the 26.2-mile endurance challenge. Her official chip time (from start line to finish line) of 3 hours, 16 minutes and 7 seconds placed her first in the 16-19 age category, as she averaged 7:29 per mile for the full distance! To boot, she was the 9th-fastest female American! Perhaps equally amazing, she finished 210th out of over 20,000 co-ed runners, ranking in the top 1%. WOW!!!
      Chann, who is an assistant coach in both cross-country and track and field, placed 34th overall and 27th among female Americans with an excellent chip time of 3:24.41! Chann, 33, averaged just over 7:48 per mile! She also finished seventh among females in the 30-34 age category, including fifth among American females! Chann placed 346th overall (combined genders) to place among the top 2% in the entire L.A. Marathon field!
      Awesome job, ladies!

Will She Be Going The Distance?....
      At last check, Mission Prep sophomore Jordan Hasay was destined for Kenya to represent Team USA at the IAAF World Cross-Country Championships late this month. However, continued political developments overseas and recent warnings from the U.S. Embassy over indications of a possible 'terrorist' attack at the championships has put her itinerary in doubt.
      According to an email from her dad, the family is weighing the pros and cons of making the trip in light of the recent news. Several elite-level Americans at the senior level have already bypassed the competition, citing safety concerns and the logistical nightmare of competing in the region. USATF recently emailed all remaining athletes, indicating they would fully understand if any Team USA members opted not to attend the championships in light of the recent developments.
Jordan's dad indicated the family would make a decision soon.
      One thing appears likely: If she continues to perform at the level she has been, there will be plenty more opportunities to travel and represent Team USA in the months and years to come!

Wind Games: Good Marks Gone With The Wind?...
      The sport of track and field relies on numbers. The statistics (i.e. the times, heights, and distances) are the essence of the sport. It is these marks which are the measuring stick for performance. Although the international and collegiate scenes fully understand this and plan accordingly, the challenge remains at the high school level.
      The still often overlooked detail to hosting an excellent meet remains the absence of a wind gauge. An anemometer (the fancier name for a wind gauge) lends very valuable perspective to any performances in the dashes or certain jumping events as it gives insight to the true quality of performances in either adequate or hindering circumstances. It should be noted that only with wind readings (given in meters per second) will true national, state, etc. records often be recognized. Often, quality meets will only recognize marks as meet records if the marks were achieved within the legal limits of 2.0 meters-per-second or less.
      Yet many meets still don't record wind readings at their events. Why? Likely because they don't fully realize the statistical importance of such. Remember, this sport relies on numbers at its very fiber for comparison against past competitors and competitions. If there is no wind gauge present, then the list compilers are entrusted to decide which marks are wind aided and which are wind legal. This is not in the athletes' best interest. If there is reasonable doubt, the mark in almost all cases will eventually be considered wind-aided.
      There are two popular options that can be suggested if interested in purchasing a gauge. The first -- and pricier -- option is an automated and ultrasonic wind gauge which can any interface with FinishLynx timing systems. The price tag here is in the neighborhood of $1,500. However, if that's outside your meet's price range, perhaps the manually operated (and very easy to use) self-standing wind gauge is the one for you. It meets the requirements for high school meets by the national federation and measures to within 0.01 meters per second of accuracy. Cost? $299.  If one can't afford three wind gauges (one for the straightaway and one for each pit), at least try securing one.
      Given the added credibility it lends to the results from a meet, it's a great investment. Plus, these performances are listed on the wind-legal performance lists, which also gets the attention of college coaches, educated members of the track media, and other sport aficionados. It's a small price to pay and a nice return on investment.

Heavy Traffic on the Information SuperHighway...
      Our website traffic always takes a dip during the offseason, but it appears everyone is beginning to return in droves, indicating an increase in year-over-year comparisons in visits to DyeStatCal. As the season kicks further into gear, as word spreads to new online site visitors, and as more results roll in, the site numbers figure to skyrocket.
      For now, the early start is more than modest. There were nearly 80,000 page views at DyeStatCal on Sunday alone, as people were checking in to view results from all across the state. If previous form holds true, those numbers will escalate week to week.
      So which pages were the most visited last week, you ask? Well, it should be no surprise that DyeStatCal's mainpage led the way. After all, it's the "hub" where all information gets placed first. But what was next in demand after that? It was the story on the big news of Ebony Collins transferring from Long Beach Wilson to Los Angeles Locke.
      Aside from the remaining index pages (calendar index, results index, etc.), the next most popular page was the preseason state team rankings, which forecast Long Beach Poly as having the slight inside track to sweep the titles in Sacramento come June. The most popular meet? It turned out to be the Eagle Invite in Orange County, as that meet's results page was the 9th-most visited page overall on the DyeStatCal site in the past week.

He's Been Green On Experience, But Not In Bloodlines...
       Keep an eye on Crenshaw High triple jumper Christian Green, who first surfaced down a ways on our state leaders lists late last year. Since then, the bounding prospect has spent more serious practice times in the pits, with the results just now becoming apparent. Following two months of event-specific training this fall, Green leaped a lifetime-best 46-06 at an all-comers meet last month. Soon thereafter, he soared to another career best in stretching 47-11 at the Simplot Indoor Games in Idaho. His next challenge is this weekend at the Nike Indoor Nationals in Maryland.
      Green sure seems to have the pedigree for athletic success. He is a distant cousin to former state qualifying LJ/TJ specialist Dokie Williams, nephew to state-qualifying LJ/TJers Craig Roberts and Cathy Roberts, son of state finalist LJ/HJer Chandra Roberts and grandson to C.R. Roberts, a 24-foot LJer in his heyday. C.R. excelled in the Oceanside area in the 1950s and went on to compete for USC and the NFL's San Fransisco 49ers.

Looking Ahead To Week #3...
      The DyeStatCal staff will be in attendance at the big Nike Indoor Nationals in Maryland this coming weekend as several Golden State stars will be in action. We'll have daily reports and results from the meet, which has some dynamite fields in place. Several California athletes will also compete at the National Scholastic Indoor Championships in New York this weekend, and we'll have results and highlights from there as well!
      After retreating to the hotel rooms, we'll be checking in for results, pictures and highlights from around the state as a whopping 26 invitationals are on the weekend schedule. We'll rely on official results from the meet directors to bring you up to speed on the action, with the featured "Rancho Verde Relays of Champions" meet (SS), the San Rafael Twilight Relays (NCS) and the K-Bell Classic (CCS) among the highlight meets on the very busy schedule.
      Until next week, see you at the meets!

---

BONUS MATERIAL BELOW!
This week's blog from Doug Speck is below:

THE WOW PERFORMANCE!
       Soph Mac Fleet of University City HS in San Diego exploded out with a 4:17.63 1600 effort in a low-key meet in his area. Last year an injury late in his frosh cross country season held back preparation for the spring season, with dad indicating his track season training had more of an 800 meter sense to it all, with 1:55.72 (800) and 4:25.56 (mile) ninth grade bests. Mac had a solid fall cross country season this year with a ninth in the state meet Division II at 15:37 to move on to a fairly select top twenty all-time grade list at Woodward Park. We really cannot recall a second year athlete racing so fast in their very first competition of a spring season, with Fleet adding a 1:23 600 during the same day of competition as the 4:17. Should be fun to watch the rest of the spring for this San Diego star.

NEW FACE ON THE BLOCK
      Also our name of the week, with Emani Truluck from Malibu HS, a junior, who last year was 15.14 (+.9) for fourth in the SS Division IV 100 Hurdles and 46.42 for fifth in the 300 barrier event. Emani, a basketballer of some note, gave up the round-ball this year to concentrate on the track-thing, and with cousin Tonie Campbell (yes he of former Banning HS fame and a three-time Olympian during the 1980’s) providing some quality advice, came out charging this past weekend at the Oaks Christian/Village Christian Invitational, racing 14.79w in taking London Finley (St. Mary’s) in the 100 meter hurdles, quickly establishing herself as one of the state’s top over the short barriers.

GREAT WEEKEND AHEAD
      The coming weekend features two spectacular National level Indoor Meets, with the National Scholastic Indoor competition at the Armory in New York City, and the Nike Indoor Nationals in Landover, Maryland. There is a history to this “two on a weekend” situation, with one scratching their head if a recent addition to the sport’s fans and maybe wondering “why two on this weekend?”

      The National Scholastic Indoor Meet has been held since 1984 and was an outgrowth of an attempt by Jim Spier and Mike Byrnes, two greater New York City area track buffs, to gather some of the best athletes around the nation to compete against their area’s best, with the Metropolitan Athletic Congress (greater New York City area USAT&F Federation group) and President Tracy Sundlun directing and helping provide the manpower and assisting with the meet’s logistics. The Meet bounced around from facility to facility (Princeton, Yale, Annapolis, Syracuse’s Carrier Dome, and the Reggie Lewis in Boston) from 1984 until 1997 and grew in stature and quality. Sundlun left the MAC to live in California in 1997, with the MAC group running the 1998 affair in Boston. Spier and Byrnes had meanwhile formed the National Scholastic Sports Foundation, which has done tons for high school age track and field athletes through the years, and were interested in still running a meet themselves, as they could not form an agreement with the powers to be at MAC. They started with a 1999 competition in Columbus Ohio, in 2000 at the University of Indiana, and 2001 at their current home in Landover, Maryland at the Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex for this weekend’s Nike Indoor Nationals. The NSIC meet moved to the Armory in New York City once that facility was in high gear, and has been there in recent seasons.

     With Indoor State Meets that back up until last weekend and an outdoor season busting to get going in many parts of the country, there is only this weekend really to run a national level competition, and athletes, coaches, and parents are kind of forced to make a choice between the two if they are seeking national level end of indoor season competition. Californians will be present at both meets, with DyeStat.com national level coverage at both affairs this coming weekend.