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Arcadia Invitational
4/8/00 at Citrus College, Glendora CA
WorkSeek.com Flo-Jo Memorial Arcadia Invitational
History
"The Best in Prep Track & Field"
In its thirty-two years of existence, the WorkSeek.com Flo Jo Memorial Arcadia Invitational Track and Field Meet for high school Boys and Girls has grown from a small, local San Gabriel Valley competition to the most inclusive in-season gathering of prep track and field talent from California and across the entire United States.
During its first thirty-two years the WorkSeek.com Flo-Jo Memorial Arcadia Invitational has developed into a first class national "show-down" as the top athletes from across the nation come West to vie for honors. The 1999 Thirty-Second annual competition was another great one. Twelve of the thirty-four events held had the winner record the top time in the entire United States for high schoolers up to that point in the season. On the Boys' side Kareem Kelly (Long Beach Poly) recorded a 21.27 for 200 meters, Adam Tenforde (Hanford, Richland, Washington) raced 8:57.19 for 3200 meters, with Kelly's Long Beach Poly squad racing 40.45 for the 400 meter relay. Oliver Jackson (Royal, Simi Valley) Long Jumped 24-03.5, with Luke McKay (Hughson) throwing the Discus a nation-leading 193-06. The young ladies provided seven nation-leading efforts. Erica Whipple, the double sprint winner from Suncoast HS in Riviera Beach, Florida, raced a "best in the country" 23.46 to win the 200 meters, with Monique Henderson (Morse, San Diego) 53.74 for the 400. Lindsay Hyatt (Placer, Auburn) raced 2:10.69 for the 800 meters, with Adejandra Barrientos (San Lorenzo Valley, Felton) 4:47.94 in the 1600 meters. Lauren Fleshman (Canyon, Canyon Country) was 10:21.36 in the 3200 Meters, with Nichole Denby (North, Riverside) 13.87 to win the 100 Meter Hurdles. Ayala (Chino Hills) raced a national leader 12:08.36 in the Distance Medley Relay. Six other athletes and relay team's who had the top times in the country before the Flo-Jo Memorial Arcadia Meet last year were beaten in their events, or failed to better the marks in winning the competition. Twenty event winners recorded the top time in California for the Spring Track and Field season up to that point of the year in 1999!
The Meet was televised for two hours in 1999 by Fox Sports West, and has been featured four times in the last eight years on ESPN's "Scholastic Sports America" Show. The 1995 coverage was eighteen minutes on the SSA (Scholastic Sports America) show--a copy is available for preview. The 1989 Meet was featured on the "CIF Sports Beat" television show, with an excerpt from the 1991 competition shown on "ABC's Wide World of Sports"
NATIONAL RECORDS
The Meet has featured nine National Interscholastic Records in the last seventeen years with those marks listed below: Girls 880 Yard Run Linda Goen (North Bakersfield, California) 2:10.4 - 1977. Girls 400 Meter Run - Valerie Brisco (Locke, Los Angeles, California) 53.77 - 1978. Girls Distance Medley -Fountain Valley HS, California Relay Beth Margerum, Sharon Hatfield, Bonnie McGlinchey, Beth Villanueva) 12:04.4 - 1980. Girls Shot Put - Natalie Kaiaawahia (Fullerton, California) 50'1 0" - 1981. Girls 400 Meter Run - Denean Howard (Kennedy HS, Granada Hills, California) 52.90 - 1982. Boys Discus - Kamy Keshmiri (Reno, Nevada) 224'3" - 1987. Girls 200 Meters - Marion Jones (Ro Mesa, Oxnard, Ca) 22.87 - 1991. Girls Discus - Suzy Powell (Downey, Modesto, Ca) 178-7 1994 - Girls Discus Seiiala Sua (St. Thomas Aquinas, Ft. Lauderdale, FI) 180-02 1997.
OLYMPIANS:
Meet graduates have been well represented on the last three United States Olympic squads, as the 1984 National team featured fourteen athletes who had competed in the WorkSeek.com Flo-Jo Memorial Arcadia competition with the 1988 U.S. squad counting eighteen athletes, and the 1992 U.S. Olympic team made up of fifteen Arcadia Invitational alums.
The 1996 Atlanta Olympic competition marked a reunion of thirteen athletes who had competed in the WorkSeek.com Flo-Jo Memorial Arcadia Invitational as high-schoolers. Those athletes are listed below:
1984 Qlympic Team Members who participated in the WorkSeek.com Flo-Jo Memorial Arcadia Invitational as High School athletes: -Jodi Anderson (Washington HS, Los Angeles) - Heptathion, -Janette Bolden (Centennial HS, Compton) 100 Meters, -AJice Brown (Muir HS, Pasadena) - 100 Meters, 400 Meter Relay, -Ron Brown (Baidwin Park HS) - 400 Meter Relay, -Valerie Brisco (Locke HS, Los Angeles) - 200 Meters, 4DO Meters, 400 Meter Relay, 1600 Meter Relay, -Ruth Caldwell (Azusa HS) - 800 Meters, 1500 Meters -Paul Cummings (Righefti HS, Santa Maria)- 10,000 Meters, -Laura DeSnoo (Washington HS, Fremont) - Discus, -Danny Harris (Perris HS) - 400 Meter Hurdles, -Tom Hintnaus (Aviation HS, Manhattan Beach)- Pole Vault, -Sherri Howard (Kennedy HS, Granada Hills) - 1600 Meter Relay, -Denean Howard (Kennedy HS, Granada Hills) - 1600 Meter Relay, -Dave Laut (Santa Clara HS, Oxnard)- Shot Put, -Mike Tully (Millikan HS, Long Beach) - Pole Vault.
1988 Olympic Team Members who participated in the WorkSeek.com Flo-Jo Memorial Arcadia invitational as High School athletes: -Danny Everett (Fairfax HS, Los Angeles) - 400 Meters, 1600 Meter Relay, -Steve Lewis (American HS, Fremont) - 400 Meters, 1600 Meter Relay, -Johnny Gray (Crenshaw HS, Los Angeles) - 800 Meters, -Jeff Atkinson (Mira Costa HS, Manhattan Beach) -1500 Meters, -Tonie Campbell (Banning HS, Wilmington) - 110 Meter High, Hurdles, -Mike Marsh (Hawthorne HS) - 400 Meter Relay, -Brian Stanton (Inglewood HS) - High Jump, -Mike Powell (Edgewood HS, West Covina) Long Jump, -Jim Doehring (San Clemente HS) - Shot Put, -Pam Marshall (Jordan HS, Long Beach) - 200 Meters, -Valerie Brisco (Locke HS, Los Angeles) - 400 Meters 1600 Meter Relay, -Denean Howard (Kennedy HS, Granada Hills) - 400 Meters, 1600 Meter Relay, -Gail Devers (Sweetwater HS, National City) -100 Meter Hurdles, 400 Meter Relay, -Alice Brown (Muir HS, Pasadena) - 400 Meter Relay, -Sherri Howard (Kennedy HS, Granada Hills) - 1600 Meter Relay, -Bonnie Dasse (Costa Mesa HS) - Shot Put, -Ramona Pagel (Schurr HS, Montebello) - Shot Put, Discus, -Donna Mayhew (Crescenta Valley HS, La Crescenta) - Javelin
1992 Olympic Team Members who participated in the WorkSeek.com Flo-Jo Memorial Arcadia Invitational as High School athletes: -Michael Marsh (Hawthorne HS, Ca) - 200 Meters, 400 Meter Relay, -Michael Bates (Amphitheater HS, Tucson, Az) - 200 Meters, -Quincy Wafts (Taft HS, Woodland Hills)- 400 Meters, 1600 Meter Relay, -Steve Lewis (American HS, Fremont, Ca) - 400 Meters, 1600 Meter Relay, Danny Everett (Fairfax HS, L.A. Ca) - 400 Meters. Johnny Gray (Crenshaw HS, L.A., Ca) - 800 Meters, -Mike Powell (Edgewood HS, West Covina, Ca) - Long Jump, -Jim Doehring (San Clen-ente HS, Ca) - Shot Put, -Kamy Keshmiri (Reno, NV) - Discus, -Gail Devers (Sweetwater HS, National - 1OO Meters, 100 Meter Hurdles, -Janeene Vickers (Pomona HS, Ca) - 400 Meter Hurdles, -Sue McNeal (Rembao) (Carlsbad HS, Ca) - High Jump, -Ramona Pagel (Schurr HS, Montebello, Ca) - Shot Put, -Bonnie Dasse (Costa Mesa HS, Ca) - Shot Put, -Donna Mayhew (Crescenta Valley HS, La Crescenta) - Javelin
1996 Olympic Team Members who participated in the WorkSeek.com Flo-Jo Memorial Arcadia Invitational as High School Athletes: -Mike Marsh (Hawthorne HS, Ca) 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meter relay. -Johnny Gray (Crenshaw HS, L.A.) 800 meters. -Marc Davis (San Diego HS, Ca) - 3000 Meter Steeplechase. -Mark Crear (Rowland HS, Rowland Heights) 110 Meter High Hurdles. -Mike Powell (Edgewood HS, West Covina, Ca) Long Jump. -Gail Devers (Sweetwater HS, National City, Ca) 100 Meters, 100 Meter Hurdles. -Inger Miller (Muir HS, Pasadena, Ca) 200 Meters, 400 Meter Relay. -Linette Wilson (Muir HS, Pasadena, Ca). 1600 Meter Relay. -Amy Acuff (Calallen HS, Corpus Christi, Tx) High Jump. -Ramona Pagel (Schurr HS, Montebello, Ca) Shot Put. -Suzy Powell (Downey HS, Modesto, Ca) Discus. -Kelly Blair (Prosser HS, Wa) Heptathion. Sharon Hanson (Buena HS, Ventura, Ca) -Heptathlon.
FLO-JO MEMORIAL ARCADIA INVITATIONAL HALL OF FAME:
In the Winter of 1992-3 it was felt that after twenty-six years it was time to form a "Hall of Fame' in the different events in the WorkSeek.com Flo-Jo Memorial Arcadia Invitational to honor the great athletes who had come through the meet in the previous quarter-century.
What follows are the selections of Southern California Prep Sports Writers for the entrants into the:
"WORKSEEK.COM FLO-JO MEMORIAL ARCADIA INVITAT10NAL HALL OF FAME.
Boys:
100 Meters - Ron Brown (Baldwin Park HS)
200 Meters - Quincy Watts (Taft HS, Woodland Hills)
400 Meters - Steve Lewis (American HS, Fremont), Danny Everett (Fairfax,
L.A.)
800 Meters - Johnny Gray (Crenshaw HS, L.A.)
1600 Meters - Roman Gomez (Belmont HS, L.A.)
3200 Meters - Eric Hulst (Laguna Beach HS)
llOmHH - Michael Bates(Amphitheater HS, Tucson, Az,), Tonie Campbell (Banning, Wilmington, Ca)
300m IH Danny Harris (Perris HS)
High Jump - Lee Balkin (Glendale HS)
Long Jump - Mike Powell (Edgewood HS, West Covina) and Dion Bentley (Penn Hills HS, Pittsburgh, Pa)
Triple Jump - Dokie Williams (Oceanside HS)
Shot Put - Brent Noon (Failbrook HS)
Discus - Kamy Keshmiri (Reno HS, Nv)
Coaches - Kye Courtney (Hawthorne) & Walter Opp (Muir, Pasadena)
Girls:
100 Meters - Valerie Brisco (Locke HS, LA.)/Alice Brown (Muir, Pasadena,
Ca)/ Jeanette Bolden (Centennial, Compton)/Pam Marshall (Jordan. Long
Beach)
200 Meters - Angela Burnham (Rio Mesa HS, Oxnard)
400 Meters - Denean Howard (Kennedy HS, Granada Hills)
800 Meters - Linda Goen (North HS, Bakersfield)/Ruth Wysocki (Azusa, Ca)
1600 Meters - Polly Plumer (University HS, Irvine)
3200 Meters - Krsten O'Hara (Palos Verdes HS)
100m LH - Choo Choo Knighten (Locke HS, LA)
300m LH - Gayle Kellon (Walnut HS)
High Jump - Ileana Carrasco (Anaheim)
Long Jump - Gwen Loud (Westchester) and Jodi Anderson (Washington HS, L.A.)
Shot Put - Natalie Kaaiawahia (Fullerton HS)
Discus - Ramona Page (Schurr HS, Montebello)
Coach - Jim Brownfield (Muir, Pasadena) & Willie White (Berkeley)
FURTHER MEET INFORMATION:
The WorkSeek.com Flo-Jo Memorial Arcadia Invitational was the first Southern California Prep Invitational to be held in the evening, first to include events for females, was the first major meet to switch to the metric distances used world-wide, and was among the first to use Accutrack electronic timing for accuracy in the events. The Meet is also the only Invitational to include a post-meet dinner for competitors and coaches. The reputation of the Meet has been enhanced by the manner in which it has been run. An Invitational Committee and support groups of Boosters, parents, and students have given the Invitational a reputation as the best run Track and Field Meet in California
