Adjustments on the fly saved New Balance Games

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

NEW YORK -- Four days ago, the New Balance Games entry list was brimming with 5,300 high school athletes from more than 320 schools from New England to Virginia to Vancouver Island, B.C. 

One of the biggest snow events in New York City, not to mention many other places on the East Coast, threatened to bury the meet just as it buried cars on 169th Street. 

But on Sunday, with some of the sidewalks cleared and buses and cars moving again, there was a meet at The Armory. And although it was much smaller, there were still memorable moments. 

Meet director Tim Fulton pulled off one of the best performances of the weekend by adjusting the schedule repeatedly and accommodating an ever-changing entry list for three wild days. 

"This was unique," Fulton said. "If we didn't have the pro section of the meet we probably would have canceled the whole thing."

The New Balance Games always has a pro window and this year it lured Olympians Kim Conley and Lalonde Gordon and a couple of dozen other professional athletes for invitational 300s, 600s and miles. Many of those athletes flew into New York ahead of the storm and were determined not to let the weekend go to waste. 

Meanwhile, as weather reports pointed toward a potentially destructive blizzard, schools began peeling out of the meet Thursday and Friday. Fulton re-wrote the schedule and tried his best to pack as much action as possible into the novice-frosh-soph portion of the meet Friday night even as Saturday's all-day schedule had to be postponed.

"At the end of the week I was looking for people to tell me if you're not coming," Fulton said. "Yesterday (Saturday) I said don't tell me if you're not coming because I assume you're not coming. Now I want to know who IS coming. If you're coming to the meet, email me."

What he found is that about 20 schools remained. Many of them were holed up in hotels across the George Washington Bridge in New Jersey and were eager for the chance to race. 

Only two schools from Long Island made it. A few city schools made it, despite PSAL's cancellation of weekend sporting events. It was schools from upstate New York, like Buffalo's West Seneca, that had nothing but time and a desire to compete. 

The meet went on and accomplished some of its original goals. 

Conley roared past training partner Kate Grace in the final 20 meters to win a thrilling women's mile in 4:27.88. New Balance stars Stephanie Garcia and Cory McGee were third and fourth.

Fordham Prep's Conor Lundy got a rare opportunity to join the elite men's field in the mile and made the most of it. Lundy ran conservatively from the back and then picked a few older runners off and ran 4:08.25 for a US#1 and No. 3 all-time New York performance.

Taylor Milne of Speed River TC won the men's race in 4:01.18.

Gordon ran 32.83 to win the 300 meters; Chris Giesting won the men's 600 in 1:17.72. 

Rush Henrietta star Sammy Watson used the meet as a workout -- racing a 300 and 600 separated by just 30 minutes. She won the 300 in 39.34 and the came back to claim the 600 in 1:32.25 for a meet record.

Gabrielle Wilkinson, a sophomore from Friends Central PA, won the 1,000 in 2:52.45 for another meet record and later finished second behind Watson in the 600 (1:34.36).

Taylor Lyman of Reynolds High School in Victoria, B.C. won the boys 600 in a strong time of 1:20.69.  (It would rank fifth in the U.S.).

Shayla Broughton from Medgar Evers ran US#9 8.07 in the 55-meter hurdles.

Alexis Daniels of Binghamton broke the meet record with 48-0 in the shot put, good for US#5. 

All of it was evidence that Fulton's salvage effort was worthwhile.

"One of the most important things I've tried to do this season is be as accommodating as possible," Fulton said. "Honestly, when we lost the PSAL we talked about cancelling all high school events. But then we thought, if we are going to get people into the building for the pro race, why not let (the high schoolers) in? We had to piece everything together, but it was worth it if you have 20 coaches come up and shake my hand and say thanks for having a track meet."