| My Travels |
| Date: |
| Event: |
| Result: |
| April 3-6, 2004 |
| Notre Dame Visit |
| After a long and boring 12 hour drive (really, Pennsylvania only has hills, and then Ohio and Indiana are flat), we finally got to the hotel, which was one of those cheap economy type places. What else would you expect from my poorness? Went to mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on Sunday where I was an usher, and then got a tour from Stephanie Tartaglia, a junior. Both of our moms went to high school together. Got invited to Thanksgiving dinner by her if I go there but can't come home next year. On Monday, got rejected by Financial Aid for a better package. Moped around for the rest of the day, and then came home on Tuesday, getting pulled over by an Indiana Statie before adding an hour after leaving Indiana. Places we ate: Wendy's (introduced my mom to the Spinich Chicken Salad), the Panorama Restaurant (great food at diner prices- the 1/2 lb. Notre Dame Burger is insane), and Damon's Bar and Grill (crazy ribs there). Minus the meeting with Finincial Aid, the trip rocked. |
| Date: |
| Event: |
| Result: |
| April 15, 2004 |
| Jackson Dual Meet |
| Well, we lost as a team, but individually, our studs ran well. Personally, I placed 2nd in the 400m with a 52.45 (even though their coach admits I won), 3rd in the 100m with a 12.1 (or so they said. I was below 12), jogged the 200m after I realized I was getting smoked, and ran a 55 opening leg of the 4x400m, which we didn't win. We got yelled at on the bus by all our coaches about how our team is not unified, but it's all good. We tried. |
| Date: |
| Event: |
| Result: |
| April 17, 2004 |
| Homdel Relay Meet |
| We placed 2nd as a team, losing by only 3 2/3 points. Had we won the 4x400m, or not had two teams DQ, we would've won. My name was in the paper for running the anchor leg (and losing the race), and the kid who beat me has been talked about numerous times on different days for winning the race. In the Sprint Medley, I ran the 400m leg in 51.45, and we placed 1st (Steve-O ran a 1:58, Berfond and Rafael ran 22's). The 4x400m I anchored, and ran a 52.1, even though my calf cramped in the last ten meters- I would've caught the kid from Freehold. Overall, a good meet for team unity and a great effort by all. |
| Date: |
| Event: |
| Result: |
| April 23-24, 2004 |
| Penn Relays |
| Cut out early from school after 5th period so the 4x400m team (me, Steve-O, Berfond, and our soph Beierle) could run at the 110th Penn Relays up at UPenn. The hotel was absolutely ridiculous- we stayed in a gorgeous sweet, and it only cost $100 a night (on the track team's bill). Went out to dinner at Bertucci's and cruised the mall after dinner. When running back to the hotel in the rain, we got soaked, but it was well worth it. Woke up Saturday morning and we gorged ourselves on a buffet breakfast. Showed up at the University of Pennsylvania's Franklin Field at around 9:30, thinking that our race was at 12. It wasn't. Instead, we showed up 5 minutes before our race went off. Disregarding that we had JUST ate, we ran well. Berfond led off with a 54 (not bad, considering they had to restart the race once), Beierle (who's going to break my Soph Shore Conference 400m record this year) ran a 52.1, going from, at one point, last place, to put us in 5th. Steve ran a 51.02, which placed us in 3rd, and I ran a 51.43, which secured the victory for our team. I caught two runners in the last 100m, and as I passed the last one, he said was "oh, shit". For the school, we got a plaque, and for ourselves,we were announced with a 3:29 as the winners of our heat, and received gold medals. A great trip, and a good run by all four of us, especially considering that we just showed up before running. Well worth the wait after four years... it would've been even better if we had warmed up... |
 |
 |
| Date: |
| Event: |
| Result: |
| April 30, 2004 |
| Ocean County Relay Championships |
| The team only ran for key events that we could do well in. The Sprint Medley Relay placed 2nd (with the same time as Southern Regional), which also put us at the 2nd fastest Sprint Medley time in the state of New Jersey. The 4x400m team did well, winning the race. I anchored, and we edged out North. The East team overall placed 3rd (winning a plaque) behind Toms River North and Southern Regional. |
| Date: |
| Event: |
| Result: |
| May 2, 2004 |
| Presbyterian Church of Toms River |
| Traveled down Hooper Avenue to Chestnut Street to the Presbyterian Church of Toms River for their annual Youth Week ceremonies. While I didn't attend the 10 AM service, Colleen Earp played the organ excellently (so I hear). I attended the 11:30 service, where she delivered the sermon that she had written, entitled "Blessings in Disguise". She is an excellent writer and an excellent speaker, and I found myself highly inspired by her words. I have found my own blessing in disguise, and that is through everything in the past six years, through thick and thin, Colleen and I have always been friends, and I can't imagine my life without that. Grace and happiness be to Colleen. |
 |
| Date: |
| Event: |
| Result: |
| May 4, 2004 |
| North-South-East Tri-Meet |
| Traveled to Toms River South for the annual tri-meet between all three Toms River High Schools. As expected, East got blown out. I ran a 51.6 in the 400m and placed 2nd to Glenn Edwards (who ran a 50 point), and another 51.6 in the 4x400m team that lost to South. Berfond ran a 51.2 in the relay, and also ran a 58 second 400m hurdles. Steve-O broke the 3200m school record. Many other PB's/ PR's were had, but compared with North and South's depth and skill, it was just not enough. |
| Date: |
| Event: |
| Result: |
| May 5, 2004 |
| Rumson Boys Lacrosse Game |
| Traveled up the parkway to exit 109, then down Newman Springs Road. Track boys, I know this sounds familiar. After that, I proceeded through Red Bank, passing Red Bank Regional (home of the Shore Conference's only and the world's worst indoor track). on my way to Rumson. The game was a blowout (och on us), but it was fun. Saw Mrs. Earp there after Colleen had left. Colleen asked me to go with her after my AP Calculus BC exam, but she told me to be responsible and go to track practice (whereas I would've much rather have gone with her). |
 |
 |
| Date: |
| Event: |
| Result: |
| May 7, 2004 |
| Jackson Boys Lacrosse Game |
| Traveled up via Rte 571 (Bay Ave.) to Jackson to watch my brother play another lacrosse game. Colleen actually did go with me (I drove, and she doesn't see me as a singer apparently. Consequently, much foreign german speak, hitting, and mocking each other later, and I mysteriously find my way to the field by accident. I guess I'm just good like that. Regardless, now I can't Colleen like she said I might because we did get to the game. She was actually at the game for fifteen minutes or so, but the car ride was the best part. Her shoeless feet on my dash and all. Och. Maybe tomorrow she'll go to County Championships at Brick like I hope. |
| Date: |
| Event: |
| Result: |
| May 8, 2004 |
| Ocean County Track Championships |
| The meet was held at Brick Township High School, and we placed 4th as team with 60 points. There was a high level of competition and we fared very well. Steve ran a 2nd place 800m and a 1st place 1600m. Berfond placed 2nd in the 200m and 2nd in the 400m hurdles. Marlon placed 5th in the 110m hurdles. I placed 5th in the 400m (lost to the frenshman from Southern who ran a 49), and we placed 3rd in the 4x400m (after said freshman from Southern walked me down). A good day, and I was pleasantly surprised to see Colleen actually come to the meet. After watching the 400m, I talked to her and her friends, and after much pot-wafting mocking later, she went out to lunch, and then came back to watch the 4x400m. According to her, she can never compare me to Sales because "he can't move like that". After that, she went home, and so did I, before a night of fun at Junior Prom. |