Getting spruced up for spring?
BUTLER TWP — No running in the halls?
Don't tell the Butler indoor track team such a thing. They thrive at it.
The Golden Tornado have 90 athletes — 50 girls and 40 boys — participating in indoor track and field. The halls of the Butler Intermediate School are where they get their practice time in.
“We'll go two or three at a time,” senior sprinter Alexis Leech said of practice. “You have to take your turn, get your time in and make it work.”
“The sharp turns aren't exactly good for the knees,” sophomore Liz Simms said, laughing. “But we run in loops through the halls and that helps prepare for the 200-meter indoor track.”
The distance runners get in their work in the same hallway the sprinters use.
“We're careful not to run into each other,” junior Noah Beveridge said.
Practice sessions ran from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday each week.
Senior pole vaulter Taylor Weaver and other Tornado athletes in that event hone their craft in the gym at the Intermediate School. They have to wait their turn to do so, however.
Butler boys and girls basketball teams use that gym as well.
“We have a pole vault pit stored in there that we can roll out to practice on,” Weaver said. “With five or six of us, it takes maybe 15 minutes to set it up.
“We usually get the gym once or twice a week, from 7:30 to 9:30 at night, to get our practice in.”
While Weaver said the infrequent practice schedule is “frustrating at times,” Butler finds a way to make it effective.
The indoor state meet is this weekend at Penn State University. Beveridge qualified in the boys 3,000 meters after turning down an opportunity to compete in the 1,600.
“I qualified, but I'm not running it,” he said of the 1,600. “My goal this year is to get a top-five medal at states in three different events.
“I did it in cross country in the fall, I'm focusing on the 3,000 now and I'll do another distance event in the spring.”
On the girls side, Butler's 4x400 relay of Shana Hoy, Simms, Madison Tonini and Leech, along with the 4x800 relay of Erin Lemay, Emma Lemay, Maggie Welty and Simms will compete at indoor states this weekend.
Qualifying individually are Leech in the 400 meters, Simms in the 800, Jena Reinheimer in the shot put and Weaver in the pole vault. Weaver hit her personal best of 11 feet, 9 inches at the Tri-State Track Coaches Association Indoor Championships last weekend at Edinboro University.
“Pole vault is the only event I do,” Weaver said. “It's a rush. It's such a unique event.
“I'm a cheerleader, too, and there's been times I've rushed home from practice, changed into my cheerleading gear and get to a basketball game. It's hectic, but it's all worth it.”Butler indoor coach John Williams appreciates the effort his athletes put forth.“The program has stayed strong because the kids are so dedicated,” he said. “We travel on Saturdays to meets in January and February, leave at 8 a.m., get back at 7 p.m. ... They are long days.“But these kids want to be successful. They work hard. We've got one of the biggest indoor programs around.”Simms will be competing in three events at the state meet. This will be her first season competing in an individual event at indoor states.She plays girls soccer in addition to running track.“This (indoor) is a great way to stay in shape. I run pretty much all year long,” Simms said. “The competition is good, too. Some of the outdoor dual meets in the spring can get lopsided. These indoor meets can be intense.”Leech is headed to Pitt next year to run track and is only in her second year with the sport. She debuted during the indoor season last year.“It's been a big help to me,” Leech said of her indoor seasons. “Coach (Mike) Seybert kept bugging me to give track a try, so I did.“By the time outdoor season rolled around, I was pretty comfortable with it.”Leech broke the Tornado's indoor 400-meter record last weekend, running the event in 57.33 seconds. Krystal Epps had set the previous mark of 58.2 years ago.Butler's indoor team broke nine other school records this season:Maggie Welty ran the 1,600 in 5:19.95, breaking her own record of 5:25.03.Reinheimer had a weight throw of 42 feet, 11.75 inches.The girls distance medley relay team of Erin Lemay, Leech, Simms and Welty ran a 12:59.77.The girls 4x800 relay unit ran a 9:42.13, breaking its own previous mark of 9:51.54.The girls 4x400 relay unit ran a 4:05.49.Beveridge ran the 1,600 meters in 4:26.189, the 3,000 meters in 8:56.20.The boys distance medley relay team of Steve Patterson, Cody Rettig, Brett Brady and Beveridge posted a time of 11:02.44.Ryan DeBoer tossed the shot put 51 feet, 9.5 inches.Other county athletes qualifying for the state meet this weekend are Seneca Valley's boys 4x800 relay team, the Raiders' Sam Owori in the 1,600 and Slippery Rock's Brady Dalton in the girls 60-meter hurdles.
