First of New Indoor Track Meets a Spirited Success

The first of a series of indoor track meets organized by coaches Greg Dunston (left, with stopwatch) and Al Bellman was held last week in Towson.

By Katy Williams
Special to the Journal

"Maybe it was just the Christmas spirit," Greg Dunston said, "but everybody wanted to help make our meet go well."

Starters, timers, hurdle putter-awayers and 400 runners showed up last Wednesday night at the Towson State University fieldhouse for a night of indoor track competition that upstaged the CYO trials at the University of Maryland's Reckord Armory in more than one way.

Dunston is the Woodward track coach who masterminded the "everybody runs" meet with Kennedy coach Al Bellman. Although competition was keener at the CYO meet, where the girls mile was won in 5:12, the meet proved a practical alternative to the endless shuffle of 1500 metropolitan area athletes through heats and races that lasted three nights.

You hear stories of teams leaving school early for the CYO meet, but not running until 10 or 11 p.m. Dunston and Bellman worked around that.

"My kids thought we wouldn't be home until midnight because the meet was all the way in Towson," Dunston said. "I told them they would be home by 10. We even stopped to get something to eat on the way back."

"The runners went through three hours of competition, and were home in time to watch the nine p.m. television show," said Bellman, who estimated the 15-event, 30-race meet to take four hours.

But a crew of volunteer meet officials that included a high jumper's father, a junior high coach, former track team-members home from college and a former high school coach pulled off the meet that attracted 12 county teams in an impressive three hours.

"Everyone was pleased to help with the meet," Dunston said. "The meet was informal, and the coaches saw the meet work well last year. You could just feel the indoor track spirit that you don't get in other sports."

He added that 'we're making a good pitch for indoor track,' which faced the threat of extinction when elimination of its budget came under discussion last year.

Indeed, the meet revived the coaches' comraderie and support for indoor track.

"It was a good way to start the season," said Walt Bartman, the Whitman coach. "The atmosphere made it easier to get the girls prepared for their races.

"At the CYO meet, you never know where the kids should report in," Bartman said. "It gets so loud and so confusing. At this meet, one of my sophomores ran her best mile time ever."

Bartman was able to run his team of 25 girls in races of good, tight competition.

"This was not a scruff meet," Bellman said. "Some teams didn't bring their studs, but the winning times were good for this time of year. The seeding of races ended up with no one so far out ahead that runners are discouraged or embarrassed."

Runners were aided by an electronic timer provided by Jack McDonald, the Towson track coach. McDonald will open his fieldhouse Saturday, Jan. 6 for an all-comers meet, and will provide races in events that county coaches can request and field enough runners for. About 15 of the county's teams have indicated interest in attending the meet.

The CYO finals, the true season opener that brings the best metropolitan area athletes to Cole Field House Jan. 13, is next on the track schedule.

---

George Saah of Blair won the shot put championship which was the only final held in conjunction with the trials last week at Reckord Armory at Maryland. Saah's throw was 57-feet, 3 1/2-inches. Jim Joyce of Gaithersburg, who is headed to Maryland on a football scholarship and will also compete with the Terps' track team, was second in the shot put with a throw of 55-feet, 8 1/2-inches. Mike Palenti of Good Counsel was fourth in the shot as Northwood's Lisa Pichney was fourth in the girls competition with a throw of 35-feet, 1-1/2 inches.