Class
D Relay Meet
Frank
Mooney addresses the coaches.
The
first event gets ready to start
The
remaining runners cheer on their teammates while awaiting their turn.
Things
run smoothly under the direction of the meet officials.
Bringing
the baton home.
Newburyport's
high jump relay. Seanna Vine, Victoria Barnaby and Kith Doherty.
Winners
of the 4 X 800 enjoy a water break
The
MSTCA is a solid fixture at Reggie Lewis Center.
Foxboro's
dean of coaching, Kevin Murphy gives some last-minute advice
The
Seekonk staff and athletes cheer on their runner
This
is athe first in a series of handoffs in the sprint medley. In this case
it is the 800M leg to the first 200M runner. Here is an underhand sighted
pass.
In
many of these passes you will see the runners closer to each other than
in a sprint pass. This is because there is an extreme danger of the outgoing
runner taking off too fast.
Most
passes are righthand to lefthand. This one is lefthand to lefthand. The
inside hand usually has less chance of hitting another runner. On a close
pass there would be an increased risk of interference coming from the
outside.
This
is the first serious relay meet for many of these runners. Here the incoming
runner "runs up" on an outgoing runner who was a little too
conservative. She had to put on the brakes to keep from contacting the
receiving runner. In an ideal situation the incoming runner hugs the inside
of the lane and the outgoing runner is toward the outside. The baton travels
down the middle of the lane. This would leave space for the incoming runner
to move without stepping on the heels of the outgoing.
This
pass was close to perfect. The incoming runner needed complete extension
of the arm to make the pass. Two steps later she hits the track (not what
she was hoping for). The outgoing runner is switching the baton to the
right hand before entering the corner.
This
is another good handoff. The outgoing runner had her palm up and has drifted
slightly outside. The incoming runner used an overhand placement with
close to full extension. The distance between the feet is the distance
gained by a well-timed handoff.