MORE XC PRESS!

Coach Budd IS really proud of what this team accomplished this year.

East Longmeadow High School girls cross country: TRUE CHAMPIONS
Published: Monday, November 29, 2010, 5:00 AM Updated: Monday, November 29, 2010, 12:43 PM
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The East Longmeadow High School girls cross country team didn’t win any championships this season.
But in some people’s eyes, coach Michael Budd and his Spartans are true champions.

And next season, Budd wants other teams to become champions as well.
After spending hours and days with each other at practices and meets, East Longmeadow spent hours and days with each other away from the cross country course, and the benefactors of that time were various people and groups in Greater Springfield.

“I can’t pinpoint one thing (that was my favorite) because we did so much this season and we truly had so much fun and did a lot for giving back,” senior captain Jocelyn Kane said.

When Budd took over as the girls cross country coach this season, he didn’t want to be just another coach and he didn’t want his team to be just another team. He wanted more.
“I realized when I took over we weren’t going to have a very powerful team,” Budd said. “And one of the things I learned from watching (cross country coach) Art Keene at Amherst was he did a lot of community-effort type of things, and they did those together. I had been away from cross country for six years and I wanted us to be like Amherst.

“We wanted to be more involved.”

That “more involved” started in September when Budd took his 17 runners and two managers to the Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover Anti-Bullying 5K Road Race and 2-Mile Walk in Springfield. The event was in memory of Walker-Hoover, an 11-year-old from Springfield who committed suicide in 2009 after being repeatedly.

Kane, an honor roll student said, “Getting out there and running it, and afterward seeing all these people from different towns all coming together to celebrate somebody’s life . . . We were line dancing, and there was a song we didn’t know so we were going to get off (the dance floor), but a couple women told us to stay and said they would show us how to do it.

“There was so much love and togetherness. It was great.”

The Spartans had held a few car washes prior to the Walker event and planned on buying a new tent for their big meets. But the team instead donated their funds to the foundation in Walker-Hoover’s name.

“We had a great time there,” Budd said. “We saw a lot of people. We figured ‘What more can we do for the community?”

And they did more. On Oct. 30, with the players dressed in Halloween costumes, the team collected canned goods to donate to the open pantry in Springfield. Budd made the delivery last week.

“Instead of going unnoticed this year, coach Budd really told that ‘I know this is our growth year and I know we’re not going to have the best record, but why don’t we do what’s best for our community so we don’t go unnoticed’,” Kane said.
The Spartans hope they, as well as other teams, don’t go unnoticed next season. Budd is already planning on have teams participating in the Ted Dutkiewicz Memorial Races to bring canned goods to the 2011 event. He’s also tinkering with challenging other teams to a canned goods collection at a different point in the season.

East Longmeadow was selected as this year’s winner of the Ted Dutkiewicz Award, a statewide award which goes to the cross country team which best exemplifies the ideals of sportsmanship.

Sure sounds like a true champion.

East LongmeadowGirls Cross CountryRoster Coach: Michael Budd Runners: Jocelyn Kane, Ashley Madison, Julianne Downie, Kristina Pioggia, Giorgi Bengston, Hannah Bernard, Anne Leighton, Meghan Salvon, Carly Driscoll, Kelsi Ford, Breanna Hobbs, Liann Simonds, Nicole Howell, Meredith McGowan, Catherine Merton, Nina Pham, Sarah VennManagers: Alexandria McMahon, Candace Kasper

LADYSPARTAN MOTIVATIONAL VIDEO

For Saturday, we'll be utilizing this as our motivation: NO PAIN!

YouTube - Rocky 4 - Training Scene - Hearts On Fire.mpg

BILLY MILLS

This is the greatest distance race ever run on this planet, run by my favorite distance runner of ALL TIME!

YouTube - Tokyo Olympics Last Lap

CANNED GOODS DRIVE

Saturday from 8 to 11am at the high school as well as at the East Longmeadow Stop & Shop,we'll be taking in canned goods for the benefit of the Open Pantry.

The goal is 500 or more cans. We are also doing a can and bottle drive.

CAPTAINS NAMED

At long last the Cross Country captains have been named: Dolly and Band Camp

Both performed admirably at the Ted Dutkiewicz Memorial Races this past Saturday!

Mountain Dew also made a nice showing with the elite competition.

OUTDOOR SCHEDULE IS UP

There shall be many changes from today until when the actual season begins. For now, here is a snapshot of the season. Click onto the OUTDOOR SCHEDULE above.

MORE PRESS FOR THE WOLFPACK?

Looks like we're getting publicity AGAIN! Must be the "throwback" uniforms!

We'll be selecting either a Captain or Captains tomorrow! Stay tuned.

DJ BAND CAMP

So yesterday, the Ladyspartans were represented on 90.7 WTCC!

Wait a minute...does anyone in East Longmeadow actually LISTEN to TCC? Something to ponder. We were representing in the Carl Joseph Walker Hoover scholarship run.

A couple of things to be noted:

School record holder Danyelle' (Miyagi) Thorpe's parents were there offering support and took on the walk portion of the event.

Carl Joseph was the cousin of one of our best shot putters of all-time and STILL a current school record holder: Shucky Ducky (quack quack) a.k.a. Andrea Walker.

Bootstrap actually THINKS she can dance.

And Band Camp did a great job as spokesperson for the team on the airwaves.

We'll be doing at least one more benefit as a team in the near future. Stay tuned to the Ladyspartan XC squad!

INDOOR SCHEDULE REVEALED

The Indoor Track & Field schedule is done for the PVIAC. You can simply get the entire schedule by clicking onto the 2010 INDOOR SCHEDULE at the top of the page, but for those of you that are not into "clicking":
12/10 - 7:00 vs. Pioneer and CENTRAL
12/17 - 3:45 vs. GREENFIELD
01/07- 7:00 vs. Athol and Cathedral
01/14- 3:45 vs. South Hadley and Holyoke Catholic
01/21- 7:00 vs. Mohawk
01/22- 6:00 vs. 4 x 800 Relay ( This is a SATURDAY NIGHT)
01/28- 3:45 vs. Mahar and New Leadership
02/04- 6:00 vs. PVIAC Championships

NEW FRESHMAN RECORD

Meredith McGowan established a NEW freshman record yesterday at Stanley Park in Westfield. Her time of 21:05 is the second fastest in school history behind Lauren (Chuckles) Litscher and ahead of both Shannon (Clutch) Brennan and Kathleen (Sparkplug) Wicks.

Now we have to adorn her with a nickname. Since her brother was "White Lightning", our best choice thus far is "Mountain Dew"...and when it comes to running mountains, SHE DO!

FUNDRAISER RACE

The Ladyspartans shall be participating in the Carl Joseph Walker Hoover Fundraiser Road Race on September 18 in Forest Park. Proceeds go to a scholarship in his honor and open up awareness of Bullying.

As many of you are aware, this young man from our Sister School ( New Leadership) committed suicide a couple of years ago after being bullied.

We are proud to represent in this event. For details log onto: http://www.carljoseph11.org/

WOLFPACK SIGHTING?

Watch out evil doers, the WOLFPACK has been spotted

DAY ONE

"Belief is not a matter of choice, but of conviction".

Needless to say...expectations are HIGH!

BONUS CAMP DAY POSTPONED

One of the symbols of our team is the "Flash" lightning bolt. Unfortunately we are not faster than it.

With lightning a strong possibility until about 9Pm forecast and darker clouds in the West, it makes sense to delay the bonus camp day until Monday August 23.

USATF BAG!

Order your new USATF spike bag from Ali (Boomayay) as soon as possible.

$10 gets you your new (thicker than the other) bag!

ALL-WESTERN MASS

Congratulations!

Nikki Henderson - All Academic!

Jenise Everett, ALi McMahon, Kayla Rybacki - First Team All-Scholastic

Candace Kasper - Second Team All-Scholastic

BUDD'S BACK

Just a reminder that Budd (the original) is now back at the helm of the Cross Country program. Goal #1 is to recruit. Thus far we started out with 8 returnees and are currently up to 19. Help us find people!

HEPTATHLON RESULTS

http://coolrunning.com/results/10/ma/Jun8_Wester_set1.shtml

JENISE EVERETT: ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

http://www.wwlp.com/dpp/sports/22news_athlete/athlete-of-the-week-jenise-everett

BEST OF THE WEST

How many schools can claim to have had FIVE top 10 performances at the All-States?

Not many. NONE from Western Mass...EXCEPT the LADYSPARTANS!

Killer - 10th in the High Jump. Mount Everett - 7th in the Triple Jump, Boomayay - 7th in the Long Jump, The 4 x 400 - 10th (with a new school record), and finally the 4 x 100 - 7th.

We are undoubtedly the "BEST from the WEST".