I wonder what happened. There were two separate FinishLynx systems running on opposite sides of the track that were both time stamped with the exact same time. I've heard of the starter's gun not matching to one finishlynx system, but two separate ones? What are the odds of that?
The theory of the top people at the meet is that there was some kind of error with the gun that sent the wrong signal to both timing systems.
The issue with that theory, at least to my rudimentary knowledge of timing systems, is that the meet used RadioLynx, which picks up vibrations from the starters gun, in addition to the normal trigger-pulled electric signal. Everything matched up, so for there to have been a malfunction with the hardware both completely separate radio stations needed to pick up the physical vibration a quarter second late, which I have never heard of happening before, anywhere, any time.
The theory of the top people at the meet is that there was some kind of error with the gun that sent the wrong signal to both timing systems.
The issue with that theory, at least to my rudimentary knowledge of timing systems, is that the meet used RadioLynx, which picks up vibrations from the starters gun, in addition to the normal trigger-pulled electric signal. Everything matched up, so for there to have been a malfunction with the hardware both completely separate radio stations needed to pick up the physical vibration a quarter second late, which I have never heard of happening before, anywhere, any time.
If they do an official investigation as to what caused the problem, they probably won't release the findings to the public anyway. In any case, I can't see that 10.01 being considered a record when by now it's obvious he didn't run that fast.
- Despite the absence of 10 out of the top 16 100 runners in the state, the b100 still delivered. Jefferson is a star! Just unfortunate about what happened with that timing. Supposedly still being debated right now. RT had two separate timing systems going that both matched up at 10.01 - but I mean, cmon.
- Sizemore - what a star! Brilliant runs in the 100 and 200. Could accomplish great things next year. I knew she was gonna win after I saw her jog in her 23.84 during prelims.
- Insane that Prince Buchango medaled in 3 individual running events at the state meet. Extraordinarily difficult to do. Section record in the 110, #2 all time section in the 200.
- Stadlman could be the next big thing. Despite missing a month of training with sickness and injury he still walks away with a 400 state title, one of the fastest 400s in state history, 20.84 in the 200, and almost became the first person since Michael Norman to pull off the 400/200 double (side note: Norman was also half asian. Go figure).
- Leo Francis is a STAR. 25 feet in the long jump, 20.8 in the 200, and a 10.45 last week. He opened up the season FAST and kept it moving. Kudos to him and his coach.
- Makenna Herbst - so close to the state meet record in the 800. Brilliant run all by herself. The depth in the g800 has improved so much over the last few years. 2:10 for 8th is insane business.
- Shame about Clara Adams in the 400. It's tough to walk back up from a DQ like that, but she is only a sophomore. Rutherford the 2 time state runner-up - consistency is it's own form of greatness.
- Unfortunate that the insane rules around the 800 start prevented us from seeing a fast time we all knew the guys out there were capable of. I'm going to say it again - the open 800 is not meant to be raced from an alley. It is a long sprint and should be run from lanes for the first 100 meters. Despite that, it was good to see many of the long-awaited matchups show up at the state meet. The top 3 plus Josiah Bowman are all underclassmen.
- Hanne Thomsen. Just brilliant. She's had a rocky high school career but what else is there to say about a 4:35/9:48 one day double? Possibly one of the best doubles in US HS history, period. Congrats to Jaelyn Williams making it back up from a devastating XC stress fracture.
- Excellent b1600. I'm not afraid to admit I was wrong, I said it was gonna be a very tactical race, and it certainly was not. Lott might be able to break 4 right now, 4:03 with a 56 last lap is nasty business - and he's only a junior.
- Eyan Turk - after a relatively quiet regular season he bosses a tremendous field to win a well-deserved championship. Kentucky picked up a good one - he ALWAYS performs when it counts.
- Jasir Fontenot - I mean, what is there to even say. Could become the greatest ever. The freshman record in the 110 at the start of the year was 14.4 - he dropped it by more than a second. The world U20 record is 12.79 and I wouldn't be shocked to see that go down next year.
- Morgan Herbst. 2nd all time behind SML is a good place to end your high school career. That is a state meet record that might not be broken for a long time. 4 under 41 is just as impressive, honestly. Last year the winning time was 41.24.
- It's good to see the b300h return to speed. It was very slow last year for some reason. I mentioned in my pre-meet predictions that Rendon would be dangerous, considering he had never been seriously challenged during the season, and I was right.
- Servite as a whole - I mean geez. Where do you even go from here. How do you progress from a place most programs as a whole have never even reached. The scary part is that they are obviously gonna receive a ton of transfers now that everyone sees what's going on. They have enough depth that one or two guys could go down (as they did this season) and still break some serious records. 40.00 is gonna look pedestrian compared to what that group could run next year.
- Loren Webster. 21 feet when it counted. Amazing stuff.
- I have to spend a minute on the relays, 4x100 and 4x400. I've seriously never seen depth like this in California. Even the 90s heydays of sprints in the state were nothing compared to whats going on now. 4 teams under 41 at the state meet is madness - and that is WITHOUT the two major programs in the state, Rancho C and LBP not making it through the rounds. Many of these programs are underclassmen-heavy as well - they will be back.
The 4x400.. I mean, I don't know lol. 4 teams under 3:10, with an additional 3 behind them under 3:12 is mind-boggling. How could something like this happen? It is insane. There aren't words that exist to describe how crazy the 4x400 depth in California is right now. Whats even crazier is the fact that none of these programs are even close to the state record of 3:07.40. That may never go.
- How do you not even mention what Braelyn Combe did in the 1600 and the 4x800? Besides the transgender cheat, she may be the only athlete with double gold. Her finish with Thomsen was maybe the best highlight of the entire weekend, and Santiago's 4x800 State record was very impressive without their top runner, who had the 3200 next.
- Claremont Freshman Grace Smith is the next big name. She's just different. Ridiculous talent, with footspeed and range that few in the country has. She's going to be a huge factor in the 800 and 1600 for the next 3 years... and with her 400 splits, maybe that too!
Prepcaltrack, now lists the 100 heat where the young man from DLS was credited with a 10.01 as irregular timing and will not recognize it as a state record. However, the official results still have 10.01. So does CIF accept it has a new state meet record?
I have that race on video and by starting the timer with the visible puff of smoke on the starter's gun, I can get within 0.05 sec of actual results. I haven't had a chance to edit that video (as not too many people watch the sprints anyway). I'll do it tonight after work.
What are the updates from the California XC/TF class of 2024? Specifically the top distance guys such as (but not exclusively) Anthony Fasthorse, Manny Perez, Josh Bell, Lucas Cohen, Josh Chu, Jason Parra, and Grant Morgenfeld?
What are the updates from the California XC/TF class of 2024? Specifically the top distance guys such as (but not exclusively) Anthony Fasthorse, Manny Perez, Josh Bell, Lucas Cohen, Josh Chu, Jason Parra, and Grant Morgenfeld?
How crazy would it be to have Anthony Fasthorse, Chase Pack, and James American Horse all in one race?