Track athletes take on chilly conditions

April 23, 2011 at 12:09a.m.

East Palestine

Right before his leap of 5 feet, 8 inches that won the high jump, East Palestine’s Mike Salyers proclaimed, “The rain doesn’t faze me.”

After his winning jump at the at the East Palestine Relays on Friday at Reid Stadium, Salyers was asked if he was serious.

“That was a total joke,” said Salyers after he put on his soaked track suit to await his next event. “All the track meets except for our first one have been like this.”

So how did he prepare on Friday morning on what he knew would be a cold, rainy evening.

“I was like ‘just suck it up,’” Salyers said. “I guess you really can’t prepare for it. We’re getting pretty experienced with it, but I’m tired of it. I think everybody is.”

Friday’s meet began with a temperature of 40 degrees and a steady rain fell through most of the 24 events.

Salyers’ Bulldogs won the boys competition with 81 points, followed by Waterloo (76.5), Rootstown (73.5), Western Reserve Academy (64.5), Badger (56), Lordstown (54.5), Jackson-Milton (41) and Lowellville (9).

Salyers, Derek Ross, Jacob DiCello and Corey Barnhouse combined to win the 4x100-meter relay in 45.31 seconds. Salyers, Ross, Derek Smith and Zach Mayrobb were second in the 4x100 hurdles. Barnhouse, Salyers, DiCello and Ross were the winning 4x200 team (1:37.6).

For the girls, Waterloo won with 82 points followed by Rootstown (76), Western Reserve Academy (70), Badger (68), Lordstown (60), East Palestine (42), Jackson-Milton (32) and Lowellville (25).

Lowellville’s Emily Carlson, Rachel Durbin, Maddie Opritza and Natalie Frank finished second to Waterloo in the 4x1600 race, the first of the meet.

“It’s so bad,” said Carlson when asked what it’s like to run in such autumn-like weather. “I was dreading it all day.

“Track is an all-weather sport so I knew they were going to have it,” said the Rockets’ junior who added that she ran more laps than usual to warm up. “I tried not to pull a muscle. The first lap was hard but once I got used to it, it really wasn’t so bad but the rain was annoying.”

Carlson wasn’t the only athlete to take precaution. Jackson-Milton junior Brennen Morrison tried the long jump for the first time.

“I did terrible,” said Morrison who placed seventh with 16-9.75. “I was scared to break an ankle because it was so wet.”

Teammate Colton Horvath competed in the long jump, the high jump and the 4x200.

“I really don’t think about the cold,” Horvath said. “I try to stay was warm as I can mentally.

“We’ve had track meets canceled by rain,” said Horvath, referring to last weekend’s Mahoning County meet. “This is terrible.”

Another Bluejay, junior Cody Vaughn, used back-to-back races as a method of fighting the chills.

“It’s freezing out here,” said Vaughn after the 4x100 race. The Bluejays (Vaughn, Morrison, Dylan Walters and Patrick Mulligan) placed fifth. “I hate the rain.

While the visitors focused on getting as close to their bus heaters as possible, East Palestine senior Lindsey Kuhn knew what she was going to do when she went home.

“Feast,” said Kuhn who ran the distance medley and the 4x800 races. “I didn’t think it was going to be this bad but it’s kind of nasty out — here we go again.”