This Week in Sports - Week #32

Dave Levy, Athletic Director
Our track team has had a very busy week, with a highly successful meet on Saturday at the Gus Lacy Invitational, one at Monticello high School and a meet at Woodberry Forest School (see details below) - notably Hayes B set a new school record (9:43 in the 3200), and we had an epic throwers relay. The Lacrosse team plays today at CHS at 5:30pm. 

Patience and Consistency Leads to Outstanding Track and Field Performances!

You have to experience success in order to gain confidence. Fresh off his state-qualifying performance in the 1600 Meters at Monticello, and with the wind at his back, Miles confidently went right to the front of the 3200 Meters at Woodberry. He led the first quarter mile, before dropping back behind the leaders. Miles let his competition set the pace, and forced them to break the wind. He sat right on their shoulders - patiently waiting for the right time to make his move. His pack of four runners came through the mile in a blazing 5:16, and then Miles got faster. Some of his competition dropped off - Miles was calm and in control of his stride. Hayes, shouting words of encouragement on the backstretch, told me that he knew Miles would win. His words proved to be prophetic. With a lap to go, Miles picked up speed. He went from third to first, and it wasn't close, because he ran his last 400 meters in :67 seconds, and his last mile in 5:04! Miles' first place, a new PR and an epic kick highlighted a special day for the Tandem Track and Field team tonight! The 3200 Meters also featured new PR's for Peter W (11:21), Will (12:08), Eloise (13:34) and Sadie (15:06!).
 
Alexander blitzed off the line as he started his 400 meter race! What seemed like just a moment later, as he rounded the final curve, there was nobody between Alexander and the finish line! Alexander won his heat of the 400 meters in a new PR time of 1:01 - with Van also earning a two second PR of 1:02! They finished 1st and 2nd in their heat! Sean (1:15) and Lennon (1:16) made their debuts in the event! Fletcher ran the 400 for the first time this season, finishing in 1:18, while Dhruvi earned a PR for the second day in a row - 1:22!
 
Riley and Muriel placed first and second in their heat of the 100 meters! Maeve (16.25), Riley (16.44) and Muriel (17.08) all ran the 100 for the first time this season - and what a success! On the boys side, Nari is back! He shot out of the blocks and finished in a rocket fast time of 12.55, while Aiden ran a new PR of 12.51! Eli (13.5) made his debut in the event and Nico (14.3) dropped a full second off his previous best! In the 200, our four Badgers finished within one second of one another. Aiden (25.7), Nari (26.1), Ian (26'4") and Rey 26'9" all competed at a high level against tough competition! On the girls side, it was Victoria's new PR of :40 (her fastest pace yet!), while Maeve earned a new PR of 34.6 with Ana close behind in 35.4!
It was a big day for Toby - bringing his hips through and extending his arm - Toby launched the shot 27'11.25" - a new PR by more than 3"! He led our throwers on a super successful day - Henry threw 26 3.25", Tyler 26' and Levie 25'8.25" - a new PR! Ana continues to impress, firing the shot 16'7.5", while Nina's toss went 16'6.75"! Alex threw 10'11.5"!
 
In the discus, Ana continued to add to her school record, something she is doing every single week! Ana's throw of 48'8" is a PR by OVER SIX FEET!  Alex's 26'11 is a FOUR FOOT PR! Tyler added FIVE FEET to his personal best - 67', while Henry threw 66'10", Levie 62'1" and Toby 53'4"!
 
The Badgers continued their success in the field events over in the long jump pit! Rey, in his jumping debut, improved on every attempt! His final jump was a massive 15' - while Peter finished 13'4.75"! Asher showed off excellent technique and power as well!
 
Other exciting highlights included the 1600, where Brendan earned yet another PR of 13 seconds! Paced by Jack (as he was yesterday in the 3200) the duo ran 5:25 and 5:27, while Zeke made his season debut in 5:54.  Lucy and Claire (6:18 and 6:21) ran together as well - a new PR for Claire by 2 seconds! Over in the 800, Julia dropped a second off her previous best (3:16!) working closely with Malena (3:13). On the boys side, Gabriel's 2:27 was very impressive - he can do it all! Jack dropped all the way down to a dangerous 2:09, with Bela finishing in 2:30 and John 2:49. Bela and John also ran the 4x800 with Van and Kai, finishing in 10:41.
 
Congratulations to all of our Tandem Badgers on an exceptional two days of track and field! Some late nights and some steep competition for small and mighty Tandem! Competing on consecutive days is a serious challenge, and this squad was up to the task! Thank you to my fellow coaches Jason, Ned (who dutifully and expertly officiated the high jump both days) and Melissa, and to all of the families and friends who came out to support our athletes this afternoon!

Badgers Break Through at Monticello Meet

After the 3200 Meter Run, Coach Ned turned to Brendan and exclaimed "you broke through today. You're a different runner now." While that sentiment applied to lots of Tandem athletes at the Monticello Pentangular Track and Field Meet this afternoon, it was particularly notable for Brendan, who dropped TWENTY EIGHT seconds off of his previous personal record. He didn't do it alone. Brendan worked closely with Jack, running on his shoulders for the vast majority of the eight lap race. "That's my event," Jack declared after his race - and it certainly is!! He ran 11:38 while Brendan ran 11:41 (his previous best was 12:09!). John finished a speedy new PR of 12:27, while Claire ran dead even splits - 7:00/7:00 - enroute to a lightning quick 14:00 - and she did it all alone without any runners to pace off of. A lot to be proud of!
 
The Tandem sprinters spent much of yesterday's practice working on block starts, and it showed. Owen delivered three strong sprint performances - 12.44 in the 100 with an epic finish to take third in his heat (and a PR), 57.5 in the 400 (also a PR) and 25.6 in the 200! It was a heck of a day for our captain. Aiden's 12.5 and Ian's 12.5 were both PR's as well in the 100! They went 1st and 2nd in their heat! Asher ran the 400 for the first time, flying ahead in the outside lanes, and finishing with a new PR of 58.2! Owen came through the line in 58.06, while Eli's debut earned him a new PR of 1:04.95! Nari and Ian both ran 26.5 in the 200 as well! Fletcher came through in a speedy new PR of 32.9, while Ana's 34.9 was a PR by a full second! It was her third PR of the day - more on that later. In the 400, Dhruvi and Victoria both agreed that they could do hard things!! 1:25 and 1:36 respectively are personal bests for both athletes! Congratulations!

In the circle, Ana reared back and fired the shot with all her might! She added a whole foot to her tally, now sporting a PR of 18'9". Nina added TWO FEET to her PR, breaking 19' for the first time, with a throw of 19'8".  Alex also had a PR of 12'4". In the discus, Ana extended her school record by over three feet - now slinging that disc all the way towards the mountains - 42'! Alex had a PR as well of 25'! On the boys side, Henry fired the shot 26'7" and Tyler 26'2" - each a PR by over 3'! In the discus circle, Henry added to his school record - now 67', while Tyler's 62'6" put them both in the top 5 in their flight!
 
The boys 1600 was one of the most exciting races of the day! Jack B continued to put his toughness, tenacity and competitive nature on full display - he battled the top runners from Ablemarle, Western and Monticello - constantly making moves on the straightaways, earning himself a THIRTY SIX SECOND PR of 4:39! Running just short of the VISAA State qualifying mark a week ago, Miles executed his race to perfection. Getting stronger as the race went on, Miles finished in 4:45 - and 11 second PR - and a state qualifying mark. Peter dropped twelve seconds, flying through in 5:15, while Will's first 1600 meter race was a huge success - 5:45.  Lucy dropped over TWENTY seconds off her time from Gus Lacy - she finished in 6:07 - with a particular focus on the middle laps! Sadie broke 7:00 in her first mile appearance - running 6:58!
 
In the 800, Van's 2:32 is a new PR by 2 seconds. He looked particularly strong at the finish, flying by three runners in the last thirty meters. Alexander dropped three seconds off his previous best, running 2:39, while Zeke's debut of 2:45 and Kai's 2:51 were very impressive as well! Julia made her debut in the event - what can't she do? She finished in a speedy time of 3:19!
 
Congratulations to our Badgers - what an excellent day for Tandem Track and Field. It was a short commute, and our community took advantage. Thank you to everyone who came out to support our team this afternoon  (and into the evening!). Your energy and presence mean a lot to our athletes! Thank you!

Badgers Bring Their Best to the Gus Lacy Invitational

Baton in hand, Tyler made his way to the line. In the fall, Tyler completed every single distance workout - training to be the absolute best Cross Country version of himself. The past few weeks, he has switched gears - focusing on speed and power - doing plyometrics up steep hills and sprinting across the field. As soon as he heard the word go, Tyler was off - running with long, graceful strides as took the curve by storm. With perfect form, he handed the baton to Toby, who put his training to good use. Toby ran the backstretch with power and purpose, zeroing in on Henry, the third leg of the throwers 4x100 Meter Relay. Putting in the work, Henry requested additional intervals this week - wanting more and more sprint training - and he was locked in as he extended his stride on the back curve. With a smooth pass, he handed the baton to Ian - who is both thrower and a lightning quick sprinter! Ian closed out the race with a voracious 12-second leg and the 4x100 team of Tyler, Toby, Henry and Ian completed the 4x100 meter race in an impressive 1:00 flat!
 
It was a day of leveling up for our throwers - Henry set a new school record in the discus with a towering toss of 67'8"! Ian's throw of 55'9" is a PR by more than THIRTY FEET! Ana added a foot to her school record - 38'4", while Alex's 22'7" was a PR as well! In the shot, Toby's 27'8" is nearly a 3' PR! Tyler's debut of 23'10" serves as a PR as well! Ana (17'9") added 6" to her PR and Nina threw 17' in her first appearance in the cage! What a day for the throwers - on the track and in the circle! 

A season ago, Hayes ran 9:55 in the 3200 meters. Since that time, he dominated the entire 2024 Cross Country Season - winning everything from the Tandem Two Mile in August to the VISAA State Championships in November. Hayes has earned a series of well-deserved accolades. Jason often remarks about the importance of taking advantage of every opportunity to improve - Hayes does that every day, whether we have practice or not, and his work ethic has extended to his teammates. Today, Hayes dropped :12 off of his 2024 PR (an enormous duration), running the 3200 meters in an exceptional time of 9:43! Hayes broke the previous Tandem 3200 meter school record, previously held by Mason Love, a Division 1 College Track and Field athlete. This is an incredible accomplishment, as Hayes battled with the best runners from much larger schools: CHS, Western and Albemarle. Congratulations to Hayes - he continues to impress on and off the track!  
 
His training partner Jack B was hot on his tail in a time of 10:08 - a four second PR! Will dropped eight seconds off his previous best in a time of 12:09, while John came through in 12:41 - his debut in the event. On the girls side, Sadie made her first 3200 meter appearance in 15:15 while Laurel's 16:53 is about 2:00 faster per mile than her pace during Cross Country. She's been training with Lucy and Claire - and it has paid off!
 
The distance crew was busy! Jack B ran a strategically sound first leg of the 4x800 meters - avoiding getting boxed in - and running a 2:12. Miles took the baton, cranked out another 2:12 leg with a smooth stride and a wave to Jocelyn. Peter (2:24) and Hayes (2:09) brought it home for the Badgers. Tandem finished 5th overall in a super competitive heat. There was no rest for the weary - Miles went on to run a PR in the 1600 (4:58), while Jack (5:36) and Brendan (5:40) worked beautifully together!  
 
Eloise was elite in the Middle School Girls 1600 - she finished in 6:21 - earning her 6th overall and a 39 second improvement from Woodberry two weeks ago. Lucy (6:22) and Claire (6:23) train together every day - and it showed - as they battled the wind constantly moving up throughout the race.  Claire's 6:23 is a new PR! The magic continued in the Middle School Girls 800 - where Malena dropped THIRTY TWO SECONDS and finished in a time of 3:05. Lennon ran a new PR of 2:56 in the Boys Middle School Race. Other strong 800 performances today included Lucy's 2:48, and Van's 2:34 - a seven second PR for Van!
 
After his 56 second 400 meter, Gabriel remarked "I'm back!" Nearly matching his school record from a year ago, Gabriel is hitting his stride at the right time! Alexander finished in 1:04, while Dhruvi's debut in the event was a speedy 1:26! Victoria continued her 400 meter journey in 1:42, nearly matching her time from Woodberry.
 
The Gus Lacy Invitational kicked off with the Middle School Boys 100 Meter Dash, and Rey was ready for the task. Throughout the school day, Rey can be seen running everywhere. He ran a strong 13.8 in his debut track and field race, finishing second in his heat. Nico came through in 15.6! Peter, also second in his heat, ran a strong 14.4. He jumped 13'2" in the Long Jump pit as well - a top ten performance! At the Upper School level, Owen finished in 12.6, while Ian ran 13.1! Maeve remained consistent - her time of 16.5 was identical to her performance at Woodberry! 
 
In the 200, Aiden opened up his stride, flying through in a time of 26.6. For Fletcher (33.7) and Maeve (36.05), their 200 meter debuts were worth the wait! 
 
Not at all tired, the Badgers brought out their best for the 4x400 meter relay. The team of Maeve, Lucy, Claire and Julia finished in 5:22, while the boys squad of Owen, Miles, Gabriel and Hayes came through in 3:49 - a VISAA State Qualifying time!
 
It was a heck of a day for the Tandem Badgers at the Gus Lacy Invitational - full of schools with enormous enrollments - and Tandem performed at an elite level time and time again.  Special congratulations to Hayes, Henry and Ana on their new school records, and to all of the Badgers on a wonderful day of Track and Field. Jason, Ned, Melissa and I are incredibly proud of you!
 
Thank you to all of our exceptional coaches and the families who came out to brave the cold and the wind - it was a lot of fun today!
 
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Tandem Friends School is a co-ed Quaker day school for grades 5-12 in Charlottesville, Virginia.
 
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