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| 2009 STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS OCT 25th |
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Ohio's Fastest Boy and Girl for 2008
All of us here at MSAA are so proud of Versailles Samuel Prakel and Pickeringtons Kristen Eisenhauer not only for their athletic ability but for being such inspiring ambassadors for our Ohio Cross Country State Championships. We wish each of you the very best that life has to offer. May the wind always be at your backs and may the Sun always shine warm upon your face...
7th-grader ends first cross country season as state champ
By SEAN GOLDEN • Sports Writer • November 10, 2008
Buzz up! BALTIMORE - Brandon Altiers had a plan, but as it turned out all he needed was his speed and endurance.
The seventh-grader at Liberty Union Middle School capped off his first-ever season of cross country by winning the seventh-grade race at the Ohio Middle School Cross Country State Championships at Dublin Coffman on Oct. 26.
"It was pretty cool, just to be out there in front of all the fastest kids in the state," Brandon said.
Altiers helped Liberty Union Middle School win a Mid-State League Cardinal title this season, finishing at or near the top in every race he ran.
The competition that Brandon faced - 76 seventh-graders from around the state - was unfamiliar, but the uneasiness that came with facing a new field didn't last long.
"That made it harder because I didn't know who was running up against me," Brandon said. "Me and another runner were in the lead pretty much the whole time, and I just started pulling away from him."
The 12-year old hoped to figure out where he stood by the midway point of the 3,200 meter race. The strategy was a bit simpler once he took the lead.
"You just have to kind of pace yourself, and if you hear the kid behind you know you've gotta go harder," Brandon said.
Brandon had never run cross country before this season, but it quickly became apparent that he had a knack for withstanding the grind competitors face in every race.
"By the end of the first week of practice, I knew he was going to be a really positive asset to the team," Lions coach Renee Mangette said. "His mental mindset is what has made him so good."
On Sept. 24, Brandon placed second behind teammate Jeff Hanson at the MSL-Cardinal junior high meet. After that impressive finish, discussion began with Mangette about entering the state championships.
Brandon put in two weeks of training with Liberty Union's high school cross country team before competing at Dublin Coffman.
The training worked, as Brandon defeated the race's second-place finisher by nine seconds.
"I knew by the mile mark that he was going to win," Mangette said. "I was just so happy for Brandon and his family, because I know he worked hard for it and he deserved it."
Matt and Brandon's mother, Lori, followed Brandon from various points on the course during the race. Matt was on the backstretch to let Brandon know if anyone was closing in on his lead.
"It was a neat experience," Matt said. "It was emotional. It makes you feel good that your kid does well at something and to see them happy is just wonderful."
Brandon also played soccer this fall for the U-13 Lancaster Select Wildcats, who were 2008 Mid-Ohio Select Soccer League regular season champions.
Matt said that, along with his team training for Liberty Union, the extra workouts he got for the Wildcats helped turn Brandon into a tough runner.
"Brandon's the type of kid that wants to perform at the top of his ability in every game," Wildcats coach Tim Galecki said. "Every time he steps out on the field it's 100 percent, nothing is left in reserve when it's over."
Brandon said that he plans on sticking with cross country for his eighth-grade year, and also trying out the sport at the high school level at Liberty Union.
"He holds nothing back," Galecki said. "I don't think this will be his last state championship."
Countdown to 1000
Total runners at last years meet 444
Total Runners this year 554 a new record!!!
Craig Leon to Announce State Meet
Here is a recent article about world class runner Craig Leon. We are so lucky to have Craig come announce the State Championships again this year.
VWHS grad sets sights on Olympics
By Jeanna Packard
When Craig Leon walked onto the Ohio University men's cross country team in 2003, the Olympics weren't even on his radar. But a recent summer internship at the Olympic trials reignited his passion for the sport and fueled Leon's current ambitions -- a run at the Olympics and a career in athletics.
Leon, who is pursuing a master's degree in athletic administration in the College of Health and Human Services, filmed athletic performances at the U.S. Track and Field Olympic trials June 26 through July 5 in Eugene, Ore., for Human Performance Consulting. Ohio University alumnus Mike Young founded the agency, which evaluates top athletes' performances and develops training strategies to enhance their abilities.
Leon, who earned a degree in education from Ohio University in 2007, responded to an offer to work at the trials during one of his coaching education classes last spring.
"I've always joked that I wanted to race out there, and then this opportunity came up," Leon said. "I really didn't know what I was going to do over the summer, and it turned into one of the best summers of my life."
A former standout on Ohio University's track and field and cross country teams, Leon had a front-row seat for the performances of Olympic hopefuls at the trials.
Former VWHS runner Craig Leon at the Olympic Trials held in Eugene, Ore., this past summer. Leon, a postgraduate student at Ohio University and a former cross country and track star for the Bobcats, was given an internship to provide film of practice runs to aid American Olympic competitors improve their times at the trials. (OU photo)
Leon witnessed Tyson Gay run the fastest 100-meter dash to date -- although his record-breaking time didn't qualify as a world record because of wind interference. He also watched thousands of fans cheer on three Oregon runners who swept the 800-meter run, earning all three Olympic team spots.
"For somebody who cares about running, this was a chance of a lifetime," said Clay Calkins, Ohio University's head track and field coach. "(For) people who love the sport, this is what they live for."
Leon said he and 12 to 15 of his co-workers filmed the track meet from designated stations, including the infield and press box. Stations were positioned all around the track to capture different angles.
The films, which are uploaded to a computer and slowed to single frames, are viewed and critiqued by the athletes and coaches and used as a tool to help athletes improve their performance.
When not filming, Leon explored the many wood chip trails in Eugene, also known as "Track Town" because of its history of dominance in the sport and notoriety of a former runner who created Nike, Leon said. While there, he competed in the Butte to Butte 10K on the Fourth of July, placing third and bringing home $200.
During one of his many distance runs, Leon encountered Dathan Ritzenhein, an Olympic marathoner. They ran a few miles together, sharing running tips and advice.
The inspiration Leon absorbed in Eugene followed him back to Athens and continues to motivate his running. He has even developed a four-year plan to qualify for the 2012 Olympic marathon pretrials.
Calkins said Leon was the team's top runner his junior and senior years after walking on as a freshman. "(Coaches) strive to get young athletes like Craig, and we hope they achieve everything he achieved. He is a model athlete and student."
Leon's running earned him an athletic scholarship his sophomore year, and his hard work and dedication qualified him for the 2007 Cross Country Championships at Terre Haute, Ind.
Leon's former supervisor in the College of Education, Kelly Davidson, recalls early morning meetings for which Leon, a Precollege adviser at the time, would arrive at 8 a.m. and dance around the room. Incoming students appreciated his easygoing nature.
"Craig is focused, an outstanding student and all-around person," Davidson said. "The key to his success is his ability to balance athletics, academics and fun."
Leon plans on working in an athletic environment after graduation, but time and job prospects will determine the specifics.
"Goal setting and achievement in running correlate to the rest of my life," he said. "I have good time management skills and motivation. Having success in running is the same as job success. I want to achieve goals."
Please read
Coaches, Athletes and Parents
This is a post season individual competition not a team competition, and is permissible for middle school athletes provided that the school coach doesn't coach the athlete in preperation for this event or on the day of the event. Athletes are NOT permitted to wear their school uniforms to run in this event. No middle school athlete is permitted to run in this event if they still have meets to run for their school team. If their school cross country season is completed by October 26th of 2008 then they can participate. This Cross Country event nor the Middle School Athletic Association is affiliated with, sponsored by or sanctioned by the OHSAA in any way. Athletes in 6th grade and under will not be competing with or against Middle School athletes. They will be in a division of their own.
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