Girls Race Walk
text by Elliott Denman
Christina Peters's horizons keep widening. The newly crowned girls Nike
Indoor Nationals racewalking champion will be a candidate for all the major
honors her event has to offer and is a top student as well.
Patience and solid pacing paid for Peters.
After Devin Philson of Dorman High led the field through an opening
56-second lap and Heather Bulleti of Westhampton was on top halfway through in 3:40,
Peters took command.
She had full control by the 1000-meter mark and stayed on top to win it
all in 7:25.71.
"I just followed my coach's plan," she said. "He told me to stay behind
until three laps to go, and then just push it."
Her coach happens to her father, Vince Peters, the USATF national chairman
for racewalking who also is the Cedarville University coach.
"I never looked back," said Peters. "I knew they were very good walkers
behind me and I couldn't afford to let up."
Bulleti closed back strongly to nab second in 7:27.27 while Somers High's
Kate Cannon was a close third in 7:28.05
Up there, too, was Boothbay, Maine's Lauren Forgues with a 7:30.97 fourth.
Lindsay Conway of Rochester (8:02.23) took fifth place over-all out of the
unseeded section.
These top five are seniors, so that made sixth-placer Carly O'Keefe of
Rochester (8:04.46), a junior, the 2007 heir-apparent.
Peters and Forgues had placed 2-3 behind Wisconsin's Kathy Hayes here in
2005.
Despite its absence on the formal programs of 49 states - only Maine gives
racewalking full, official scoring status - girls racewalking is on a
popularity boom. Growing evidence was
the 22-athlete entry, requiring the two heats.
"They don't have high school racewalking in Ohio, so I'm a runner on my
school team," said Peters, who has 5:43 mile and 20.17 5K cross country
credentials.
Her dad, however, has failed to recruit his daughter to his own team.
Instead of Cedarville, her top choices boil down to Goshen of Indiana or Rochester,
N.Y. University.
A major competitive target for her will be the USATF Junior National 10K
walk, April 9 at Hauppague, N.Y., which determines the American team going to
the Junior World Cup of Racewalking in Spain in May.
"Long-term, though, my goal is to be at the 2012 Olympics in London, and
the one after that (site to be announced)," said Peters.
With New Hampshire's Joanne Dow the nation's top international walker of
the moment, at age 42, a world of new opportunities will beckon out to
talented youngsters.
Event 46 Girls 1 Mile Race Walk
================================================================
National: ) 7:00.94 3/13/2004 Katy Hayes, Oconomowoc, WI
National: N 7:00.90 3/15/1998 Lisa Kutzing, Port Jefferson, NY
Meet: M 7:00.94 3/13/2004 Katy Hayes, Oconomowoc, WI
Freshman: ( 7:24.67 3/15/1998 Lisa Kutzing, Port Jefferson, NY
Sophomore: R 7:17.24 1992 Melissa Baker, ShorehamWR, Shoreham, NY
Junior: J 7:00.95 3/13/2004 Katy Hayes, Oconomowoc, WI
Senior: $ 7:00.90 3/15/1998 Lisa Kutzing, Port Jefferson, NY
Name Year School Finals
================================================================
1 Peters, Christina 06 Miami Valley TC,Yel 7:25.71
2 Buletti, Heather 06 Westhampton Beac,Ea 7:27.27
3 Cannon, Kate 06 Somers HS,Lincolnda 7:28.05
4 Forgues, Lauren 06 Boothbay HS,Boothba 7:30.97
5 Conway, Lindsay 06 Eastridge HS,Roches 8:02.23
6 O'Keefe, Carly 07 Penfield HS,Rochest 8:04.46
7 Bulleti, Leah 09 Westhampton Beac,Ea 8:08.47
8 Reybal, Jessica 10 S Texas Walking,McA 8:12.70
9 Johnson, Amanda 06 Union County Hs-,Mo 8:28.49
10 Ganbaum, Michelle 07 Somers HS,Lincolnda 8:31.15
11 Gomez, Nicole 10 S Texas Walking,McA 8:33.79
12 Patterson, Eileen 07 Penfield HS,Penfiel 8:36.49
13 Christopher, Emily 08 Penfield HS,Rochest 8:40.76
14 Hoffberg, Elizabeth 07 Harrison TC,W.Harri 8:46.56
15 Woodford, Molly 07 Lake Country Rac,Wa 8:48.10