Published: 12:32 AM, Thu Feb 25, 2010
Byrd's indoor track team has strong showing at state meet
By Earl Vaughan Jr.
Scholastic sports editor
Douglas Byrd indoor track coach Robert Freeman said some of his athletes were concerned when the school dropped from the 4-A to the 3-A classification this school year.
Freeman quickly told them that was nothing to worry about. "I told them it didn't make any difference,'' he said. "It's not 4-A vs. 3-A, it's the competition. We need to be competitive regardless of where they put us.''
The Eagles made that point last weekend in the 1-A/2-A/3-A state indoor track meet at the Eddie Smith Field House in Chapel Hill. Eric Winfrey won the 300-meter dash and teamed with Donte Smith, Chase Hilton and Darrell Mainor to win the 4x400-meter relay.
With just six athletes participating in the meet, Byrd finished in third place in the team standings, and was running second among the 54 teams for most of the meet until the final events were held.
Freeman gave a lot of credit to his team for its commitment to cross training, running cross country to get in shape for the outdoor season, then using the indoor season as a springboard to the outdoor season which is just getting underway.
Weather does limit the amount of work they can do in the winter, he said, since there's no true indoor track facility to practice in. "We do a lot of weightlifting, a lot of gym work,'' he said.
Winfrey was disappointed he only managed a second-place finish in the 55-meter dash last weekend, but was satisfied with his showing in the 300.
"My time this year was faster than last year's,'' he said. "I was just trying to run my best, make sure nobody caught me. I was focused on running the race and finishing well.''
In the 4x400 relay, Smith ran the leadoff leg. His job was simple, he said. "I just wanted to keep them in the pack, and I did,'' he said.
Hilton, who ran the second leg, wasn't used to this distance. "The 400 is more of a sprinter's race,'' he said. "I run the mile and stuff like that. I had to work on speed and endurance, finishing hard.''
The Eagles trailed slightly when he took the baton, but he pulled them into first place by the time he handed off to Mainor for the third leg.
He came into the race looking for redemption for a disappointing outdoor season last year. "I was hurt during the outdoor,'' he said. "My teammates had my back and showed me love and care. It makes you a believer.''
Mainor focused on relaxing, running smooth and extending the lead as much as possible before handing off to Winfrey for the final leg.
Winfrey thinks the success the Eagles enjoyed at the indoor meet will carry over to their outdoor season.
"I will go to the outdoor more confident than I was the year before, stay mentally strong,'' he said. "That will get me through.''
Freeman said the indoor success gives the Eagles the confidence needed to be able to win the Cape Fear Valley 3-A Conference title in outdoor track.
"They're going to run one race at a time and not get big-headed,'' Freeman said. "There's no doubt there is a good possibility they can win the outdoor conference, the regionals and possibly the state.''
Scholastic sports editor Earl Vaughan Jr. can be reached at vaughane@fayobserver.com or 486-3519.