Track generates numbers, but not much funny happens

Henlopen track championships - Dover won the boys’ title and Sussex Academy claimed the girls’ crown at the Henlopen Conference Indoor Track Championships last week at the Worcester Rec Center. Cape finished second in both competitions. Sussex Academy was fourth in the boys’ event.  Earning individual wins in the boys’ competition were Cape’s Will DiPaolo in the pole vault, Sussex Academy’s 4-by-800 relay, Cape’s Trey Johnson in the 55-meter dash, Sussex Academy’s Ryan Moody in the 1,600 meters and 3,200 meters, and Sussex Tech’s Jordan Welch in the long jump, triple jump and high jump. Claiming wins in the girls’ events were Sussex Academy’s Katya Geyer in the high jump, Cape’s 4-by-800 relay and Cape’s 4-by-400 relay. A full recap will appear in Friday’s paper.

Smart about sports - I always found it fascinating to watch an experienced and top-shelf track athlete show up for work. It is a sport where practice translates into performance. And the coach has to identify the talent and steer them to the right event. A distance runner working on the high hurdles may not produce great results. And the track athlete, especially at indoor competitions, better be able to hang out because some meets factoring in travel are part of a six-hour day.

Trail running - Have you ever run a secluded trail after fresh-fallen snow and made the first human footprints? Everything just looks so clean. If it stays cold, pretty much nothing moves. Every winter, we read about tree limbs falling on runners because under headphones you just can’t hear the snap, and even if you do, is there time to skirt out of the way?   

Transfer rules - Madge Layfield was a four-year starter and ace for the Sussex Central Golden Knights. She collected 15 or more wins with more than 230 strikeouts in each of her four seasons, finishing with a staggering 73-13 record, nine no-hitters and 1,045 career strikeouts. She led her team to three state championship game appearances in four seasons, including during her senior season of 2024 on the way to earning the Gatorade Player of the Year honor for the state of Delaware. Madge pitched last season for Central Arkansas, and this January transferred to Northwestern State in Natchitoches, La. The Demons compete in the Southland Conference, where “there’s gotta be a fiddle in the band.” Madge is not eligible to compete until the 2027 season, but she can practice with the team. Not a game, we talking about practice. You may know of variations from other sports and transfer dates of this hard-and-fast rule. I just know what Northwestern State and AI told me. 

Oxpecker Coordinator - Rob Schroeder was the offensive coordinator of the 1979 Cape state championship football team. Rob is a scientist, perhaps an unnatural naturalist, and lifelong birdwatcher. Last week, I received an email from coach Schroeder. “When I read your story about Buffy Jackewicz seeing oxpeckers on a safari in Africa, I had to respond. A couple of years ago, some of the Schroeder family traveled to Cape Town, South Africa, to visit our nephew, Logan (Short) and his family. We went on a safari in Kruger National Park and Sabi Sands National Wildlife Refuge, where we were fortunate to see, up close and personal, many incredible wildlife species, including red-billed oxpeckers picking insects off of a rhino's back. My photo is attached! Enjoy!”

Snippets - The Cape wrestling team grappled at Saint Mark’s last week on the Spartans’ school stage. How Catholic school is that? Cape won 58-16.