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TRANSCRIPT
VOLUME XXX: NO .4
OCTOBER 1 , 2017
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Association of Track Officials of Michigan
ATOM Newsletter 3
Dear ATOM membership, Welcome back to another year of Track and Cross Country officiating. As we enter the 31
st year of the Association of
Track Officials of Michigan, it might be a good time to reflect on our purpose as a group. ATOM was founded to help de-velop an avenue for those involved in the officiating of the sports of Cross Country and Track, especially at the High School level. The intent was to serve as a conduit for rule interpretation, coordination of efforts and a source to de-velop professionalism in our vocation. Since its inception, ATOM has diligently worked to fulfill these goals and in ret-rospect, this work has been an successful endeavor. It is know our charge to work on the accomplishments of the last 30 years and strive to add to the established legacy of ATOM. As we approach the upcoming season, there are the obvi-ous things that each of us should address. Is our equipment cleaned and ready, do we have the necessary needs (eg. Shells, batteries etc.) at hand , are all of our pieces of uni-form gear set to go and most important, are all contracts up to date ad arranged so that commitments will be met . An-other thing that must be done is the completion of the MHSAA Rules Video for Cross Country, available on the MHSAA website under the Rules Meeting link of the Sports Officiating section. With these things prepped and ready to go, we are now set to “do it for the kids”. Enjoy your adventures and remember to be a proactive offi-cial. Our goal is to conduct the most efficient and positive event possible, giving the stage to the student / athletes and then leaving the event with no one even knowing our name. Lew Clingman
President, ATOM
Presidents Report 1
Editor’s Notes 2
Necrology 3
Don’t Get Lost! 3
NFHS New Rules 2017 5
Top 10 Today 6
ATOM Clinic & Membership 7
The Best Running Team Names Ever… Too Stupid to Stop Agony of Defeet Nuclear Tumbleweeds Worst Pace Scenario Your Pace or Mine? Time Wounds All Heels Run Like the Winded Blood, Sweat & Beers Lightning Mullets Keep Calm & Cramp On F.A.R.T. Felons And Robbers in Training Running Like the Walking Dead uvgotobekidnme S.W.A.T.T. – Sprinters, Walkers And Trash Talkers R.I.O.T (running is our therapy) O Van, Where Art Thou? Don’t Chafe – Run Naked Hill Is A Four Letter Word This Ain’t Easy…But We Are! Wtf! Where’s The Finish? Nike Great Bowels of Fire Intel Giga Hurtz Cirque de Sore Legs The Young & The Breathless Buns of Glory Dozen Get There Any Faster Endorphins Make People Happy So…..UP YOURS! Smells Like Teen Spirit H2-Ow The Bea Arthurs Sweat, Regret and Oxygen Debt Bodyglide, Blisters & Bengay The Knights of the Buffet Table Last Place Champions – Toe Nails Are For Sissies Quads Of Fury Last Best Pace Premature Acceleration Team Yogging…Apparently You Just Run Scrambled Legs & Achin’
1. South Shore Al Wood 55475 60th Ave. Lawrence, MI 49064 269-901-4112 H
[email protected] 2. Border Shores
Lynn Ketelhut 8122 Cortland Allan Park, MI 48101 313-673-9640 H
[email protected] 3. Metro
Geri Jackson 18931 Marlowe Detroit, MI 48235 313-610-6338
[email protected] 3. Metro
Darlene Barber 20279 Strasburg Detroit, MI 48505 313-521-6123 H
[email protected] 4. Mid Thumb
Dan Johnson 242 Saginaw St. Vassar, MI 48768 989-823-2525 H
5. Capital Dennis Hodges 11768 Gold Fields Drive Grand Ledge, MI 48837 517-627-7473 H
[email protected] 6. Windmill
Brian Macomber 56 Nine Mile Road Comstock Park, MI 49321 616-784-0348 H
[email protected] 7. Woodland (west)
Lyle Berry 4896 Castle Hill Ct. Rockford, Mi 49341 616-863-1177 H
[email protected] 7. Woodland (east)
Gordie Richardson 5728 Bent Tree Drive Gaylord, MI 49735 989-939-8022 H
[email protected] 8. Porcupine
John Meyer 1010 East E Street Iron Mountain, MI 49801 989-774-2657 H
President Lew Clingman 18 Worcester Dr. NW Grand Rapids, mi 49503 616-459-3890
[email protected] 1st Vice President
Michael VanDyke 2142 Tremont Blvd. NW Grand Rapids, MI 49504 616-901-2034 C
2nd Vice President
Gordie Richardson 5728 Bent Tree Drive Gaylord, MI 49735 989-939-8022 H
Treasure George Babcock 460 North Main St. Allegan, MI 49010 269-673-3124 H
[email protected] Secretary
Jill Sandro 950 Falkirk Road Alma, MI 48801 989-463-4122 H
[email protected] Newsletter Editor
John Greathouse 306 State Street Eaton Rapids, MI 48827-1547 517-819-7403 C
V O L U M E X X X : N O . 4 P A G E 2
2016
Executive Committee
Regional—ATOM Zone Representatives
Ramblings from the desk of John Greathouse
Greetings, I am about to place this computer into a bonfire and toss a match! That statement along with my last 2 weeks, just as this was almost ready to go to press, I am so glad that this thing is done! Due to the craziness on my end I am sending this newsletter out to everyone by email and I hope to in about a week is to mail it to those officials who have re-quested it in hard copy. I have had to redo this newsletter 6 times due to the program crashing when I am al-most finished and dumping all of my work! So… in what is left in the paper is a won-derful article reprinted from the MHSAA Secondhalf News and an update on the rules for Cross Country and a renewal of the 2018 ATOM Clinic and ATOM Member-ship. If you have any ideas for the 2018 Clinic make sure to contact Michael VanDyke and share your thoughts. Everyone, take some time to enjoy this wonderful fall weather anyway you can be-fore that nasty four letter word season show up! See you at the races! John
A T O M N E W S L E T TE R P A G E 3
Necrology
We lost two ATOM Members in late 2016 and early 2017
Charles Lewis (8 Years) Harold McGuire (23 Years)
Our condolences go out their families.
If you know of an ATOM member, current or past, that is now deceased,
please contact Dan Johnson and he will add that person to the ATOM necrology
(obituary) list.
Association of Track Officials of Michigan
ATOM Newsletter
Atom Newsletter is published four times per year, March 15, June 15, October 1 and December 1.
Atom Newsletter welcomes contributions of articles,
information or photos which focus on officiating Track & Field and Cross Country in Michigan.
Our next newsletter will BE MAILED December 1, 2017. Deadline to submit information or articles is November 15.
Send information to:
John Greathouse, Editor - [email protected]
'I just wanted people to go the right way'
By Geoff Kimmerly, Second Half Editor
They were running in the dark – a key scene-setting detail to keep in mind. So being familiar with the course surely gave St. Johns’ cross country run-ner Taryn Chapko an edge during her school’s Under the Lights Invitational on Aug 18.
And yet, she didn’t take advantage of it as much as she could have – making the first night of her sopho-more season more memo-rable both for Chapko and the competitor who crossed the line first that evening.
The 5K course was lit in many places by large con-struction lamps, lights from the tennis courts or other portable fixtures set up to mark the way. But admit-tedly, some points were a little dim. And that’s where Chapko became a guide, yelling to a small pack of frontrunners ahead of her when to turn.
That probably doesn’t seem like a big deal – unless you’re Goodrich junior Jillian Lange. Lange ended up
winning the race in 19:16. Chapko finished third in 19:48 – instead of first, which might’ve been the case especially if she had allowed the leaders to continue taking a wrong turn about a mile in.
Going the wrong way could’ve meant turning around, doubling back and losing time – or being disqualified for cutting the course shorter. Continued on Page 4
P A G E 4 V O L U M E X X X : N O . 4
Continued from Page 3
“I know a lot more people (this year) just from run-ning, from other schools. We’re all doing the same thing. We all want to get better. I like helping people get better,” Chapko said. “It’s the first race, and they want to feel good about themselves for the rest of the season, because if you had a bad first race you might start getting down on yourself. And I don’t want peo-ple to be upset, especially with a race that’s so much fun.”
To be honest, Chapko didn’t think her little bit of directing was a big deal either – until St. Johns administrators received an email two weeks ago from Goodrich athletic director Dave Davis, who expressed his ap-preciation for her sportsman-ship after hearing about it both from Lange and his cross country coaching staff. “Please relay to Taryn and your coaches my appreciation for this simple act of sportsman-ship and kindness,” Davis wrote. “We need more of that.”
“I just wanted people to go the right way,” Chapko said, recalling the race last week. “I saw the email and I was like, ‘It’s bigger than I thought.’ “I guess it doesn’t happen too often.”
Or at least not as much as it should – which, again, should make this race stick out among the many both will run over the next few seasons of their high school careers.
This was the third year St. Johns has hosted the opening night meet. The first race goes off at 9:30 p.m. It’s a neat way to change up the 5K distance these runners will tackle a number of times over the following three months.
But admittedly, starting after dusk leaves a couple of dark spots on the course – especially behind the ten-nis courts and near a barn about a mile in to the first of two laps, where Lange and the frontrunners with her nearly left the path.
This was the first time Goodrich took part in the Un-der the Lights race, and Lange said this week that she remembers feeling like a little bit of an “outsider” start-ing out because her team hadn’t run in the event be-fore. But when Chapko yelled out which way to go, that changed.
“It was out of nowhere, she’d be like ‘left,’ or ‘turn right,’ or ‘go around this,’” Lange recalled. “It was really great of her to think of me as another person she could help.
“In cross country, you’re racing against these people
(and) it can get pretty harsh out there. You want to win. Just the fact she was kind enough to let me stay on course, because at some points she was pretty close to me and she could’ve gone in front when I was in front because I screwed up and went too far. She was just being honest in the race, and that’s what I like about it. The kindness really makes the race what it is, because that was fair.”
The pair of standouts had crossed paths before. In both runners’ last cross country race before meeting again at St. Johns, Lange finished seventh at the Lower Peninsula Division 2 Finals in a time of 18:49. Chapko was 10
th in 19:06. So finishing ahead of
someone who had beaten her the last time out would have been an incredible way for Chapko to start this season – but not because Lange got lost.
There’s a kinship among distance runners, longtime Redwings coach Bob Sackrider has noticed over the years, and Chapko gets it. She also knows what it’s like to get off-course – she did so once as a freshman, and Sackrider has talked with his teams about how to handle that situation.
“Obviously there’s an enor-mous sense of pride that oth-ers recognized what we’re working toward,” Sackrider said of Davis’ note. “And I was thrilled that Taryn was able to have the wherewithal in the moment to employ what we’ve been talking about. It’s one thing to talk about it; it’s another thing to actually do it and actually be aware enough in the middle of the race to do it.”
Both runners have similar goals moving forward this fall. Both have times they are shooting to beat (and Chapko just did) – she said last week she was looking to break 19 minutes and she did so Saturday with an 18:56 at Bath, while Lange is hoping to break 18 after posting an 18:20 last October.
They both also are shooting to get their teams back to Michigan International Speedway and the MHSAA Finals on Nov. 4 – the next time the two are expected to cross paths again.
“It’ll be touching I guess. You make these friends, and you never see them, but you’re automatically just friends … (because) you have these similarities,” Lange said. “You can go up to a random person and be like, ‘Remember that time?’ That’s what I’m looking forward to.”
A T O M N E W S L E T TE R P A G E 5
Track and Field and
Cross Country Rules Changes - 2018
By NFHS on July 27, 2017 Track & Field/Cross Country
4-3-1, 4-3-1b, 4-3-1c: Clarifies that for a track and field as well as cross country uniform to be considered le-gal, the singlet and bottom or one-piece uniform shall be school-issued or school-approved. This change for school approval addresses the need for athletes to purchase a part of their uniform, but such individual ap-parel shall be approved by the school coach to be certain it meets all rule requirements. Rationale: Clarifies that the school may issue or approve an individually purchased item as part of the official school uniform. 6-2-14 PENALTY (NEW), 6-2-10, 6-2-13:Several prohibitions regarding competitors’ actions were included but had no associated penalty should the rule not be followed which created confusion for enforcement. The appropriate penalty of disqualification from the event has been added. Rationale:This rule was absent the necessary penalty. 6-5-11:The requirements for the length of the pole vault crossbar has become more flexible as it can now be within a range in length like the high jump. Rationale: Creates consistency in establishing a range for the length of the crossbar in pole vault. Provides flexibility in the length of the crossbar, like the high jump crossbar. 8-6-1 (NEW), 4-3:Duplicate language regarding the uniform has been removed from Rule 8, Cross Country, and all rules regarding the uniform for individuals, relay team members and cross country teams are now all contained in one rule, Rule 4. Rationale: Eliminates duplicate language. These two rules are identical except for the rule on the soles of the shoes allowing for one-inch spikes in cross country. Major Editorials 4-6-1 NOTE 2, 3-1 NOTE: Establishes consistent NFHS language within the rules prohibiting the use of to-bacco products and similar items and alcohol by participants, school personnel or officials. 5-3-1: Provides greater flexibility by expanding the professional positions which are qualified to survey and measure a track. 6-7-2: Corrects clerical error in maximum diameter for the boys indoor shot put. 6-8-9: Removes duplicate language which is covered in Rule 6-2-10 regarding broken javelin. 6-9-8: Removes duplicate language which is covered in Rule 6-2-3 regarding excused competitors. 2017-18 Track and Field Editorial Changes 3-10-2, 4-3-1b(4), 5-2, 6-1-8, 6-2-6 PENALTY, 6-2-15, 6-2-16, 6-2-17, 6-6-5, 8-7 2017-18 Track and Field Points of Emphasis
1. Uniforms-Waistbands, Trim, Accents and Compliance
2. Providing Fluids to Competitors at Cross Country Competitions
3. Entry Limits for Individual Contestant
4. Officials Safety and Recommendations in the Long Throws
P A G E 6 V O L U M E X X X : N O . 4
1. Volleyball: Class A No. 9 Bloomfield Hills Marian took top-ranked Farmington Hills Mercy to five sets before Mercy prevailed by winning the final two – Oakland Press
2. Volleyball: Three of four sets were decided by two points and the fourth was decided by three as Class B honorable mention Freeland edged No. 7 Saginaw Swan Valley to stay in front in the Tri-Valley Conference Central – Saginaw News
3. Volleyball: Class C honorable mention McBain improved to 28-7-7 with a three-set win over No. 8 Traverse City St. Francis and a sweep of Charlevoix – Cadillac News
4. Boys Soccer: Hamtramck broke Dearborn’s 15-game winning and eight-game shutout streaks with a 4-2 victory – Detroit News
5. Cross Country: Bear Lake’s teams swept West Michigan D league titles, the LPD4 honorable mention girls 22 points ahead of the field and the LPD4 No. 8 boys finishing just two better than Walkerville – Manistee News
6. Boys Soccer: Rivals Traverse City West and Central tied for the second time this season, this time prevent-ing West from clinching its eighth straight Big North Conference title – Traverse City Record-Eagle
7. Girls Golf: Sturgis won the league tournament by 34 strokes to claim a third straight Wolverine B Confer-ence championship – Sturgis Journal
8. Golf: Zeeland West claimed the Wooden Shoe Invitational title by two strokes ahead of runner-up and neighbor Zeeland East – Holland Sentinel
9. Boys Soccer: Division 1 No. 13 Saline outlasted Ann Arbor Pioneer for a 3-2 win to improve to 6-1-1 – Sa-line Post
10. Cross Country: Litchfield hosted its first cross country meet in 37 years, welcoming the Southern Central Athletic Association for a jamboree – Hillsdale Daily News
Today's Top 10 as of October 6
A T O M N E W S L E T TE R P A G E 7
Association of Track Officials of Michigan George Babcock, Treasurer
460 North Main St, Allegan, MI 49010 269-673-3124
2018 MEMBERSHIP REGISTRATION FORM
< Register before January 1 for discounted fees >
Name: ______________________________________ MHSAA ID No: _________________
Address: ______________________________________ Atom Zone No: _________________
City: _______________________ State: ______ Zip Code: _________________
Home Ph: __________________ Cell Ph: ____________________ Work Ph: __________________
E-mail: ___________________________________________________________________________
The Association of Track Officials of Michigan offers an annual clinic, a quarterly newsletter, and an opportunity to get in-volved in a professional organization whose goal is to improve the quality of officiating in the sports of cross country and track & field and improve communication between the track officials in our state and the MHSAA.
The first newsletter for 2018 will be mailed March 15. We hope you are on our mailing list.
Update personal information on this form and return with payment to: George Babcock, ATOM Treasurer
460 North Main St
Allegan, Michigan 49010
REF NO
DATE DESCRIPTION DISCOUNT FEE
REGULAR
FEE AMOUNT
IF PAID BEFORE JAN 1
IF PAID AFTER
JAN 1 SUBMITTED
12/1/2017 2018 Membership Fee $25.00 Add $5
12/1/2017 2018 Atom Clinic
Fee $50.00 Add $5
12/1/2017 ATOM Patch $2.00
12/1/2017 ATOM Lapel Pin $5.00
Subtotal:
Past Due: $0.00
AMOUNT DUE
P A G E 8 A T O M N E W S L E T TE R V O L U M E X X X : N O . 4