"Some fun prose from the man who knows!"
Thanks Chris!

Captain’s Log…star date 3.6.04…the site…San Rafael High School…the mission…to watch some kids torch a track…

Girls Sprint Medley Relay
(100m-100m-200m-400m)
1-NEW RECORD; Mt. Eden; 1:51.2
2; St. Elizabeth; 1:52.4
3; Albany A; 1:56.6

This was race was nails, with the Lady Monarchs getting out early and often, putting the pressure on the opposing teams…which may have been a contributing factor to defending champ and former meet record holder Maria Carrillo dropping the baton on the second exchange. Dropped stick or not, the girls in blue and gold were on a mission and looked every bit the class of the field. Hats off to the squad from St. Elizabeth’s that hung tough throughout.

Boys Sprint Medley Relay
(100m-100m-200m-400m)
1-NEW RECORD; Castlemont A; 1:33.01
2; Castlemont B; 1:37.88
3; Antioch A; 1:38.63

Can you chant “CASTLE…CASTLE…”? If you can’t, you are one of the few, as the stands at San Rafael High erupted in this chorus, as the MIPs laid down the hammer in an act of pure domination in this event. The boys from Castlemont, despite using open hand-offs (to ensure the safety of the baton), straight molly-whopped the opposition while blistering the meet record by over 4 seconds! In fact, the B team from Oakland finished in the runner-up position and narrowly missed besting the former meet record! The highlight of this event had to be the sensational 47.6 400 meter split of Jeremy “Worm” Jones, as the confident Castlemont senior strode smoothly to victory. Can you say back-to-back OAL Champs? Watch out Skyline!

Girls Distance Medley Relay
(1200m-400m-800m-1600m)
1-NEW RECORD; Maria Carrillo A; 12:40.48
2; Piedmont A; 12:53.9
3; University; 12:58.0

Holy showdown, Batman! This race was fun to watch, with the Lady Highlanders of Piedmont out well early, thanks to a sizzling 3:46 1200 meter leg from Naomi Sparks. Piedmont would hold onto this lead precariously through the 400 meter leg and the opening stages of the 800 meter leg, before the Lady Pumas of Maria Carrillo seized control and ran away for the win. Other fine splits were turned in by Amy Robinson of Maria Carrillo (5:14 for 1600 meters) and Jehan Sparks of Piedmont (5:17 for 1600 meters). The Lady Pumas also bested the Amber Trotter-led Ukiah High meet record by the slim margin of .16 seconds! Some excellent action there this evening!

Boys Distance Medley Relay
(1200m-400m-800m-1600m)
1; Berkeley A; 10:51.31
2; Cardinal Newman A; 11:04.4
3; Maria Carrillo A; 11:09.3

As expected, the Yellow Jackets of Berkeley took the top spot here, but don’t let the final standings fool you. It was not until the third lap of the 1600 leg that Berkeley took the lead in this race, thanks to the anchor efforts of defending NCS 1600 meter champ Alex Enscoe. Most impressive in this race was the stellar 1200 meter leg turned in by Cardinal Newman ace JK Withers. Leading off in a showdown with Redwood’s all-everything junior Jake Schmitt, Withers cruised through opening splits in the mid-63 second range (2:07 at the half) before unleashing the fury on hid third and final lap, closing the circuit in 58 seconds…good for a 3:06 opener! However, Berkeley chipped away at the gap through the next two legs before placing the baton in the safe hands of Enscoe, who brought home the victory just outside the meet record time.

The Coaches 800 Meter Angst-Filled Matriculation to Pain
1. Chuck Schneekloth (Castlemont) 2:11.6

He did it…fine…great…lovely…but The Captain does applaud the headband, sunglasses, and speed suit ensemble…very smooth…and of course, the Hoosiers-esque celebration at races end by the Castlemont team was fun to see!

Coed 4x200 Meter Relay
1-NEW RECORD; Castlemont A; 1:39.48
2; Maria Carrillo A; 1:40.37
3; Castlemont B; 1:41.37

The MIPs were in full effect yet again, led by The Worm’s dazzling anchor leg, and of course the fine efforts of the WIPs (Women In Purple). Castlemont continued their display of sprint dominance here, with A and B teams scoring 1st and 3rd place finishes, sandwiching a great effort by the team from Maria Carrillo. All three squads bested the previous meet record, with this race being left undecided until the anchor leg. The Castle’s A team actually received the baton in third place, but then came The Worm, striding smooth and delivering victory once again. Hats off to Coach Schneekloth for a fine showing by this resurgent program from Oakland.

Coed 4 x 800 Meter Relay
1; Maria Carrillo A; 9:14.9
2; Maria Carrillo B; 9:28.03
3; St. Elizabeth A; 9:30.62

In the evening’s final race, Maria Carrillo made certain that all in attendance new that the distance races were their dominion, as the Pumas’ A and B teams snatched up the top two spots in this one. The Pumas A team was bolstered by the 2:25 legs of Amy Robinson and frosh star Kristin Sanzari. Turning in another notable effort on this evening was Cardinal Newman’s JK Withers, who brought his team from 9th to 4th place with a brilliant early season clocking of 1:56.8 for two circuits.

…and I’m spent!