This page follows through the Eastern States Championships, the old Bancroft Run -- now named The Adrenaline 5K -- in Haddonfield, the St. Baldrick's Day Shearing, and various Scrimmages throughout March before the official beginning of the season.
Eastern States Championships: New York City Armory
On February 28, 2006, several of Cherokee's athletes qualified for the prestigious 69th Eastern States Championship at the New York City Armory. Sam Shapiro (6.81) Steve Iwanczuk (6.91) competed in the 55m Dash but failed to qualify for the Semi's (6.78); while Will Andes, Chris Steliga, Rich Nelson and Alex Yersak competed in the Distance Medley but they too had a disappointing race (10:57.39). According to the final results, however, Cherokee had Nelson and three sprinters (Steliga, Iwanczuk and Shapiro) in the race so they shouldn't be too disappointed!
Complete results at: Jacob Brown.
As usual, picture-taking at the Armory was difficult and even the best photographers had problems! Indeed, the first two below are so bad that they were encased in a frame to distract from the poor quality! The others, covering the DM, are another gift from photographer Toby Nygaard who, perhaps symbolically reflecting our feelings after the race, used a light setting that produced somewhat blue results.
Scrimmage: Shawnee High School
On March 13, 2006, Cherokee traveled to its sister-school Shawnee High School for the first scrimmage of the season. There the coaches took a look at the new talent and conducted a work-out for the more-experienced athletes. While it's still early, it's safe to say there were some pleasant surprises in the sprints and jumps! And, unlike many days in early March, the weather was a surprise as well: 75 degrees and no wind! Here are some pictures taken randomly throughout the meet.
Scrimmage: Timber Creek and Haddon Heights High Schools
On March 16, 2006, Cherokee participated in a tri-scrimmage with Timber Creek and Haddon Heights High Schools at Timber Creek. It was cold and windy but on this day the weather was decent: low 50s and little wind. The sprinters, jumpers and weightmen participated, while the distance squad stayed home to train for a race this weekend. Here are some of the pictures taken at the track and jump areas before the sun set.
The Adrenaline 5K
On March 18, 2006, members of Cherokee's Distance squad continued a tradition that started several years ago, running a 5K charity race in Haddonfield -- now called The Adrenaline 5k -- against Coach Shaklee for "bragging rights!" The results were mixed but the final conclusion is obvious! Four of the guys beat the coach to the finish line (Vin Marziano, 16:27; Rich Nelson, 16:30; Alex Yersak, 16:33; and Greg Bredeck, 16:39) but the best they scored was 8th in their age group! The coach, on the other hand, finished only 30 seconds behind the top team finisher (16:57) and he was 1st in his "over-50" age group! Case closed! Overheard at the awards ceremony: "He's been running over . . . like . . . 40 years more than we have . . . he should beat us!" Complete results at: L and M Sports.
Here are pictures of most of those who ran the race. Never did see Kevin or Joe!
St. Baldrick's Day
On March 18, 2006, only a few hours after he ran The Adrenaline 5K, Coach Shaklee participated in the annual St. Baldrick's Day head-shaving event at the Cork Restaurant in Westmont to raise money for the National Childhood Cancer Foundation. Once again, his efforts resulted in more than $2,000 going to the Foundation! For more information on this great cause see: Coach Shaklee's personal page at St. Baldrick's.
Scrimmage: Senaca and Rancocas Valley Regional High Schools
On March 29, 2006, Cherokee participated in another tri-scrimmage with Senaca and Rancocas Valley Regional High Schools at home. It was an unexpectedly nice day and the team performed admirably. Here are some of the pictures taken at the scrimmage before the sun set.