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by Pete Cava
LANDOVER, Md., March 8, 2002 --- From a reporter’s notebook
at the Nike
Indoor Classic, which takes place here at the Prince George’s
Sports and Learning
Complex, Saturday at Sunday. The meet serves as the unofficial national
championships for high school track and field . . .
Nef Araia (Lawrence North HS, Indianapolis), winner of the
Indiana cross country
title last fall, is running the 1200m leg on his team’s distance
medley relay. No 2-mile? “I was going to run it here,”
explains Araia, “but I had mononucleosis. Over Christmas break,
I was a vegetable . . . just sat around while my parents did everything
for me. But it’s been around 12 weeks, and I’m feeling
a lot stronger now.” Araia, a native of Overland Park, Kans.,
is the son of Eritrean immigrants who
came to the United States in 1981 to escape civil war in their homeland.
The Araias
moved to Indiana ten years later, when Nef was 7 years old.
Araia isn’t the lone Indiana state champ in the meet. His
Lawrence North
teammate, Marcus Lewis, won the long jump at the Indiana
state meet last June. Lewis is entered in the 60m and LJ here.
Watching Nicola Wilson (Trenton, NJ, Central HS) putting
the shot in practice is
like seeing a young Connie Price-Smith. The 6-foot tall Wilson has
long arms and legs, like the four-time Olympian. She’s been
in track and field for just four years, and has a best of 45-6.75.
“I was running at first,” says Wilson, “and then
my coach showed me a film about the shot put and I switched.”
Wilson says the shot requires three things: “concentration,
power and speed. I slacked off last year, and didn’t make (outdoor)
nationals.” Wilson was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and has lived
in the U.S. for nine years. She hopes to become a U.S. citizen soon.
“I’ve arranged for an interview in a couple of months,”
says Wilson. Her future plans include either North Carolina, Virginia
Tech or Central (Mississippi), followed by law school. How about
the Olympics? “Hopefully, when I’m a sophomore in college,”
says Wilson with a smile. “I’d like to go.”
Ask Shawn Tellesford (Eastern HS, Washington, DC) how fast
he can run, and the 5-6, 160-pound dynamo shoots back: “Very
fast!” His coach, Jackie Johnson, quickly chimes in: “You’ll
see it on Sunday.” Tellesford claims a 6.58 for the 60m this
year. “This is only his second year in
track,” says Shawn’s father, Derrick. “He just turned
17, and hasn’t even had a growth spurt yet.” Shawn’s
mother, Dawn Kemp, was a sprinter at Nebraska in the early 1980s.
A tailback in football, Shawn gained over 600 yards in just four
games last season. A 3.0 student and a black belt holder in karate
since age 12. “He’s very self-disclipined,” says
his dad.
Shawn’s hoping to showcase himself this weekend. “He wanted
to go to North
Carolina,” explains Derrick, “but because of 9/11 his
application didn’t get there on time. The sent him a very nice
note, explaining that it arrived too late.” The Tellesfords
and
Coach Johnson are hoping a good showing at the Nike Indoor Classic
will create interest.
The boys sprints and 4x200 relay may have suffered a blow due to
injury and a
missed flight. Jonathan Wade (Evangel Christian Academy,
Shreveport, LA), suffered a leg injury this week in a pickup basketball
game and is out of the meet. Wade was the 100/200 champ at last
summer’s World Youth Championships in Debrecen, Hungary. Brendan
Christian (Reagan HS, Austin, TX), the fastest prep 60m runner
of ‘01, and his relay teammates missed their Friday flight
from Austin to Baltimore/Washington International. Christian was
the 100m winner at the National Scholastic and AAU Junior Olympic
Championships last summer. Late Friday night, Nike Indoor Classic
officials were still trying to contact the Texans’ coach to
make alternate arrangements. The 60m meter heats and final are Sunday,
as well as the 4x200.
Many of the entries are involved in other sports. Hurdler Jeff
Kiss (Winder, PA,
Area HS) was co-captain of his basketball team. Jason Lilly
(Dover, DE, HS) will attend Boston U. and play football. Jason
Wariner (Lamar HS, Arlington, TX), ws second-team all-district
as a wide receiver last season.
Sprinter Adam Grossman (Pikesville HS, Baltimore, MD) is
involved in a
different kind of sport: bodybuilding. Grossman, who also runs cross
country, says he’s appeared in national bodybuilding magazines
and has been offered a professional contract.
For sprinter Donnell Diggs (Elsik HS, Houston, TX), however,
track is the only
sport. And, notes Diggs, “I just love to get first.”
Miler Sam Bair (Shaler HS, Glenshaw, PA) is the son of the
former Kent State
star of the same name. The elder Sam Bair was a 3:56.7 miler who
ran in the late 1960s. Freshman mile entry William Eden (Annapolis,
MD, Senior HS), is the son of Duke All-American Scott Eden, the
1978 Marine Corps Marathon winner. Andrew Keino (Fork Union,
VA, Military Academy) is the son of Kenyan Olympic legend Kip Keino.
Martin Keino, Andrew’s older brother, was an NCAA champ for
Arizona. Distance runner David Burnham (Mohawk Trail HS,
Shelbourne Falls, MA), also
claims to be related to celebrity. In the section for notable relatives
on the meet
questionnaire, Burnham lists his family pet, Ben the Wonder Dog.
Nike Indoor Classic 2002
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