The hounds of the track season are calling…meanwhile Conner’s Pilots have been turning the screw and upping the cadence in preparation for what promises to be a thrilling few months of intense competition…
Firstly, the blog recognizes the achievements of Chris Borg and Stephen Kersh for their one-two finish at the Husky Invite in Seattle a couple of weeks back. Two personal records in the 3k (8:21) and two promising campaigns for the next few years! My admission of guilt for not bringing the news to you sooner, the race tragically fell a few days after I submitted my first piece of writing #thecookiecrumbled.
The prior few weeks have seen the local Roosevelt track fall mercy to an array of grueling strength work, athletes scaling hurdles and even the odd splash of lactic acid. Stroll past mid-afternoon on a Tuesday or Friday and you’ll be greeted with much sought after sights such as Charlie McDonald doing speed work, David Perry leading the charge in group A (“every day he’s shuffling”), Cody Barton playing angry mother hen in group B, your eastern European boy Robert Krebsi “boshing” out the shades in 50 degrees and William "Woody" Kincaid making the day’s proceedings look all too easy and trivial. Despite these low key commodities, watching the team train will leave you with nothing other than the impression that it is strictly business for the lads in Purple!
Workouts seemed to have molded themselves into a far more structured and tamed beast during these past couple of months, with any previous “repeat heroics” being subdued by intricate planning and organization. It is common to see the groups gliding around the track in single file, keeping a keen eye on the target lap splits, not to get carried away with letting the “cat out of the bag” too early. It is only February after all.
It is pleasant to see a group of aspiring young men working together and dividing the work load, taking solace in the knowledge that they’re there to achieve a common goal. It puts to bed the theory that college athletes are too ego heavy and aggressive when it comes to their training!
So, what’s next for the team I hear you so eagerly ask…are they racing again soon? When? Where? Can they sign my track spikes?
Do not fret Pilot fans; vast assemblies of the Pilots’ finest are travelling to Seattle again this Friday to race in the UW Final Qualifier meet before the indoor nationals. While the indoor nationals are not particularly on the team’s radar, it’ll be refreshing for the athletes and the coaches to see where the group’s fitness is at…and maybe turn a few heads, raise a few eye brows (even tickle a few people’s fancy) along the way…
Until next time, my inter-continental mates,
Joshua Gorecki
