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***2006 DyeStatCal
Featured Meets***
  
 
   
"10 Reasons you have to
be at This year just seems to be a particularly special one in the history of the Arcadia Invitational, with seemingly as outstanding a set of athletes competing as ever! A ton of athletes can challenge as the best in the nation in their different events,and with the total maturity of the internet as a form of communication, one senses a bit more familiarity with the stars of the sport. There are a particular handful, however, who stand out above the crowd and are the "Ten reasons why you have to be at Arcadia this weekend!"
1) Jamere Holland (Taft, Woodland Hills) - After all, speed is the name of the game, with most events in track and field a measure of moving from point A to point B in the shortest time possible. The "fastest kid on the block, city, state, and nation" is Jamere Holland of Taft in Woodland Hills. His 10.38 is the fastest among high-schoolers currently at the prep level, with only one athlete in the world last year younger than Holland running faster. Last year at Arcadia Jamere had the only win by a US high-schooler of the year over eventual National High School Athlete of the Year, North Carolina's J-Mee Samuels, who went on to set a National Prep 100m record of 10.07. The ease with which Holland disposed of the top sprinters in the State last year over 100 and 200 meters has to be seen to be appreciated. Check these links of his state finals efforts last June in Sacramento- State 100 - State 200 (videos by Doug Speck). If you think the rest of the sprint fields are going to give the Taft senior a "free pass" you have another thing coming, with a great group to challenge our "#1 reason to be at Arcadia this weekend," a foot-race for the ages with Jamere Holland of Taft!!
2) Brittany Jones (Deerfield Beach, Florida) - The nation's top long sprinter from last track season at the Nike Outdoor championships turned back California State Champ over 400m, Sa'de Williams, with a 52.44 win, then came back to handle Ebony Collins, among others, during a 23.13 in the 200m event. This powerful, prancy Floridan is the real deal! She would have been the US "under-20" junior champion except for a lane violation at Carson last June, but was added to the US Pan Am Jr team and came back with a gold medal from that competition. In Florida in meets you usually run heats and finals in the same day, with huge loads often times on sprint-types. Last Weekend in the Broward County championships, Jones had the following action (in one day) 100 11.60w ( 1heat 1) (+3.8 wind), 11.73 (2 final) (+1.3), 200 23.32 (1 heat 1) (+1.2), 23.52 (1 final) (+1.2), 400 53.14 (1 heat 1), 53.35 (1 final). Whew!! Again, no passes for anyone at Arcadia, and Sa'de Williams and the crew will be sure to welcome Brittany to the Golden State with all she can handle!! Reason #2 to come to Arcadia this weekend, Florida's Brittany Jones!! Nike Outdoor Nat'ls 400 Video (video by Marc Davis)
4) Jordan Hasay (Mission Prep, San Luis Obispo) - With
every cross-country runner in the world capable of taking apart and
putting back together their computer, no one has rated as much "traffic"
from this technology-intensive group of fans since September as the
Central Section star. The only other middle-school athlete
we ever saw at the National Junior Olympics competition rivet the attention
of the crowd so completely as Jordan was Obea Moore. If
you look closely, locals Mr. Moore and Michael Granville held about
every
400-800
record from
the tyke age-group on up, with Obea's one lap contests at the National
level in those JO competitions buildiing with an intense fan-following
roar like few we have seen in the sport ever all the way up through
the Olympics! Of
course when you run 47.1 in the 400 in the eighth grade you rate a
little
attention! Well,
Jordan over the last few years has wowed the folks at that same pre
high-school level with her 1500-3000 meter records, and now she has
started her
march through the record books at the prep level. When the "how
to pace the thing" part was put together early in the Fall she was
unstoppable, equalling
a Regional
Cross-Country
record set by legendary national champ Amber Trotter, and she was a
comfortable National individual finals champion in December in the
harrier sport. Local
legend Julia Stamps had her track frosh national 3000m record dusted
in Jordan's first serious effort on the oval this spring, with the
folks
in the
press box turning the pages in the record book each time the blond
tressed ninth grader steps on the track. At
Arcadia it is over two miles, with her 9:26.32 3000m worth about 10:11.6
for
the
two mile
distance she will be running. The meet record at Arcadia is 10:11.97
by Megan Kaltenbach from Colorado back a few years. Many would
argue for a higher spot on this listing for Jordan, but heck, she is
only a ninth grader, she will move up!! Reason #4 to be at Arcadia
this weekend, the Golden State's latest distance darling, Jordan Hasay.
5) Scott Roth (Granite Bay) - the Sac Joaquin Section two-time state champion Pole Vaulter stacked up those frequent flyer miles during the indoor season as he chased the National Prep Indoor record of 17-06.5 by Pat Manson from Colorado way back in 1986! In his final meet, the Nike Indoor Championships, in a competition that included the granting of an extra attempt to the California star when the standards were placed incorrectly, Roth came up just short, with prep history's #4 indoor vault ever of 17-04.25. What a campaign it was with trips to Washington, Idaho, and Maryland along the way. It is hoped the weather Gods will be nice to the vaulters at Arcadia, with Scott part of a group that could really sky this Saturday evening. When done correctly, there is no more amazing event in our sport than the pole-bending that goes on in the vault! Keep an eye on the special set up in the center of the field as Roth and crew march the bar up through the heights, with Jayson Lavender's 17-03.25 Meet Record about due to fall and it could with Roth and his special crew this Saturday! Reason #5 to be at Arcadia this weekend, Scott Roth in the Pole Vault! - Nike Indoor Nat'ls PV video (video by Marc Davis)
6) Michael Coe (Cabrillo, Lompoc) - during the winter indoor season Coe moved to the head of the nation's class among the distance types, taking a top field in Boston in late January in a super 4:07.30 mile that is #7 on the All-Time Prep lists, and among the fasest ever run in a high school field only. After a month away from serious action, Michael traveled to the Nike Indoor Championships over two miles in March, and with the same powerful close near the end that seriously separated himself from the field, he was an 8:56.87 winner by over three seconds! Slow, steady work back from a broken leg that required pin inserts nearly two years ago brought national level results this past December, where Coe challenged AJ Acosta for the National individual prep cross-country crown before finishing second. The tall, smooth striding Coe is probably a bit more at home on the flat oval, with the performances from January through March very, very impressive. At Arcadia over a mile Michael is meeting Irish runner Ciaran O'Lionaird, a 3:48.72 1500 indoor runner who was second in Boston at 4:09, and a slew of other top runners in what could be a classic mile! With the discussion boards burning about the outcome of the event, reason #6 to be at Arcadia this weekend, Michael Coe in the mile! - Nike Indoor 2 Mi Video (Video by Marc Davis)
7) Annie St. Geme (Corona del Mar, Newport Beach) - the leader of a fall Cross-Country team that ranked as high as #1 in the entire country, and took down team time course records at Mt. SAC and Woodward Park, Annie St. Geme closed off a great season with strong individual efforts at the Nike Team Nationals and the Foot Locker Cross-Country championships in San Diego. One sensed that she had grown in strength in the period since her State 1600 title last June in Track, with a best of 4:51.00 for a mile last track campaign. Some fine early season dual meet doubles and triples preceded the Trabuco Hills Invitational of last weekend, with St. Geme indicating the 1600m effort at the Orange County affair was to go through the 1200 at a good split to build some confidence for the Arcadia Mile this weekend. After the 3:30 goal for 3 laps with no one else in the same time zone, Annie powered on ahead to the finish, breaking the beam in a staggering 4:43.13. The clocking turned out to be #8 All-Time on the California 1600/mile list after adjustment, with about everyone on the list ahead of her from a June or summer championship contest with some strong competition. Acknowledging that she always runs faster with competition, a super crew will join her Saturday evening in the four lap event. The meet record is 4:44.9 for 1600 meters by Kim Mortensen (Thousand Oaks), who later went on to set the still standing National Record of 9:48.59 for 3200 meters in 1996. Reason #7 to be at Arcadia Friday and Saturday, Annie St. Geme (Corona del Mar)! Interview with Annie St. Geme after Trabuco Hills 1600 (Video by Doug Speck)
8) Shana Woods (Poly, Long Beach) - the nation's best all-around female athlete can get the job done all over the oval and on the field! Nationally ranked in the sprints (11.62 100m), hurdles (14.00 100mH and 41.74 300mH), and long jump (20-10), Shana is the top returnee nationally in the heptathlon also, with a 5052 from two years ago that just missed the national soph class record. Shana is ready to fill in on any of the Jackrabbit relay squads, with a handful of national records assisting those teams through out her prep career. Woods will be in action on two relay teams and in both hurdle events for the Long Beach Poly squad this weekend. She is the defending champion here in the 100 Meter Hurdles, winning out in a lean over eventual state champion Leslie Mercado (Diamond Ranch), and will give a go at the longer hurdle event where she showed real potential two years back. She can do it all, reason #8 to be at Arcadia this weekend, Shana Woods of Long Beach Poly.
9) AJ Acosta (El Camino, Oceanside) - In an end of the sport usually reserved for introverts AJ is anything but, with his actions on the track and over the cross-country courses a powerful active statement of his belief in himself and his ideas. It is always going to be exciting with AJ around! Whether it was in a state finals 1600m event that could have been advertised as a "contact" sport or an emotional charge at home for the start of the Foot Locker National CC Finals that had him roar out and dare the field to catch him (no one did), AJ is always near the center of the action. He has laid kind of low so far this spring, with talk of a 1:51 relay split in San Diego relay action along the way that was pleasing, and we kind of think that he's ready to roll this weekend. A super two mile group has been gathered once again from all across the country in one of the meet's usual headliners, and the tall goateed runner in the brown, gold, and white of El Camino from Oceanside will probably once again find a way to make himself prominent, probably with his placing near the end!! Reason #9 to come this weekend, join AJ and his nation at Arcadia!! video of Foot Locker Nationals Boys contest (video by Marc Davis)
10) Allison Stokke (Newport Harbor, Newport Beach) - The
Orange County vault star had a magical start to her field event career
two years back, clearing 12-08 for a national frosh class record less
than a year after
someone suggested the gymnast give it a try, then the next year (2005)
establishing a national soph class record of 13-05.25 partway through
the season. Then, as happens, injury struck that left Allison
with a broken tibia that required a lengthy period away form the sport.
Serious
set-back time has been successfully dealt with in the slow, steady
progress
one would hope would take place the year back after such problems. Stokke
is back as the co-national leader outdoors, at 13-00 this spring, and
is part of a super girls' vault field this weekend. Tori Anthony
from Northern California and a great crew will challenge Allison at
Arcadia, but reason #10 to come out this weekend to Arcadia, Allison
Stokke in the Girls Pole Vault. Many more were considered and we apologize for not including your local hero, but see you there anyway------------
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