Running to success out of state
BUTLER TWP — All practiced up and nowhere to go.
Such is the dilemma facing Butler's indoor track and field team these days. The squad — involving approximately 60 athletes —is practicing three or four days each week this winter.
Meanwhile, Pennsylvania high school indoor meets have been shut down.
“There just aren't any meets,” Golden Tornado boys track coach Mike Seybert said. “Basketball, wrestling, swimming ... those sports are all going on, but the state continues to keep track shut down.
“It's a hard thing to understand. We're still hoping there's a state (indoor) meet.”
CJ Singleton and Guinness Brown aren't waiting.
Both juniors at Butler, they are competing — and breaking records — on their own.
Singleton returned to Virginia Beach recently and competed in the Virginia Showcase, an event featuring many of the top high school runners in the country. He placed third in his heat while competing in the two-mile.
He also ran the event in 9 minutes, 10.86 seconds — eight seconds faster than his time at the Virginia Beach opener a couple of weeks earlier at the same facility — and the sixth fastest high school indoor two-mile time in Pennsylvania history.
“I never thought I'd do anything like that,” Singleton said. “I was just looking for some competition. I saw on-line that a lot of the top runners were going to be there, so I went.”That same weekend, Brown — a sprinter — drove to Youngstown State University and competed in the 200 meters and 60 meters. He won the 200-meter race in 22.18 seconds, breaking his own school mark while running the fastest time in Pennsylvania this year.Brown ran the 60 meters in 7.10 seconds, snapping the tie he had with Doug Moran at 7.14 seconds for the school record.“That was my first competition of the year,” Brown said. “I go to practice every day and that's been going well, but you never know what you're capable of until you compete.“And there's no feeling like competing.”In terms of whether he went to Youngstown for the thrill of competition or to post quality times for potential college suitors, Brown admitted “it's a little bit of both.“I have to put my name out there for colleges, show them what I can do,” he said.Because he traveled out of state to compete, Brown had to test negative for COVID-19 upon his return — per protocol — to be allowed to return to school.“It's been a little weird,” he admitted of the current indoor track situation. “Going to a meet by myself, no spectators in there ... I miss going to meets every weekend with my team.”Singleton would have had to take a COVID-19 test as well upon his return from Virginia, but he's already had the coronavirus.“I'm on a 90-day period where I don't have to be tested,” Singleton said. “Once that time runs out, I'll have to be tested again.”Both plan to compete again soon.Brown plans to participate in the 757 Showdown at Virginia Beach this weekend. Singleton has his eyes on a meet at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio, Feb. 7.“I generally run on my own now,” Singleton said. “Since I play (Butler) basketball, I can't go over and practice with the track team.”Following Butler's basketball game at Knoch the afternoon of Jan. 16, Singleton rode to Virginia Beach. He arrived there at 11 p.m. and competed at 1 p.m. the next day.“It's big that these guys are out performing, so college coaches can see their numbers,” Seybert said. “This is a bad time, yet they're doing great things in spite of it. You can't help but be impressed by that attitude.”
