Blair track sprints into season

Blair's indoor track team got off to a great start in the first meet of the season, placing first in many heats and providing stiff competition for its Maryland region rivals.

Senior co-captain Jossi Fritz-Mauer led the way, placing first in his heat in the 1600-meter run in only 5:01.

Sophomore teammate Denise Sylla attributed Fritz-Mauer's exemplary performance to his ability to control his energy on the track. "Jossi had excellent techniques," Sylla said. "He conserved his energy and came out with just enough power to secure him a top-three place every race."

In the 500-meter dash event, junior Avi Keller skillfully whizzed by his opponents to win in a mere 1:27. Keller stressed the importance of conserving power until the last leg of the race. "You don't want to sprint the whole way unless you're just so good you can dust [the competitors] from the get-go," he said.

Moving into the girls' arena, senior co-captain Hayley Wynn buzzed through the 4x800-meter relay in a satisfying 2:39, completed the 1600-meter run in just under six minutes and endured the grueling 3200-meter event for an applaudable 12:10.

Coach Carlene Hawkins feels Wynn and the other girls need to be more aggressive. "The girls are polite runners," she said. "If they see someone they can outrun, it's like they're afraid they'll hurt the other people's feelings if they pass them."

But fear was nowhere in sight for senior Kim Schaerdel, who glided ruthlessly around the track in the 500-dash to complete the race in 1:27.