On to States
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Both boys and girl's spring track teams of Norton
High School hold their trophies high, as they celebrate
their hard earned victory in becoming TVL champions. |
NORTON- On Wednesday May 20, 2015, both the boy's and girl's spring track and field teams of Norton High School went on to become the all time champions of the Tri-Valley League. The meet was held at Westwood High where teams from all over Bristol and Norfolk County came to compete. Norton worked hard to pull out the win. Each and every athlete went into the meet confidently, believing that anything was possible and determined to end the meet as champions.
After being undefeated for two years, the boys continued to be victorious as they outdistanced their second place opponent, Hopkinton, by a whopping 88 points. They carved out a final score of 163 points. Coach of the lancers, Kent Taylor, aided in their success as he encouraged the kids to work their hardest and strive to be the best.
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| Senior captain's discuss their victory. |
Senior athletes Mike
Tierney, Adam Winiarz, Cam Stalters, and Elliot Ariola all played a role in the
lancers' success as a team. Mike Tierney started the day off, placing 4th
overall in the 400 meter hurdles with a final time of 56.92 seconds. Tierney's
time ending up being the 4th best time in the state this year for that event as
well. In the high jump, Tierney ranked 2nd and 3rd. Adam Winiarz placed in two
events, the 200 and the 4x100, aiding the team in their victory. In the 4x100,
Winiarz and his teammates; Abu Ceesay, Jeffrey Beaucage, and Camden Cleathero
posted 2nd place earning a time of 44.39 seconds, regaining their spot after a
poor handoff. Adam ranked 4th place in the 200. Cam Stalters' performances in
the 110 meter hurdles and javelin helped the team out greatly. Stalters
finished off 1st in the javelin with a victorious throw of 153' 8''. He ended
up placing second in the hurdles. Elliot Ariola ranked second in the boys
javelin adding points onto the scoreboard.
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| Norton boys' track TVL trophy. |
Several underclassmen contributed to the lancers' success as well. During
their sprints, junior athletes, Justin Ireland and Abu Ceesay, were whirlwinds
on their feet. Abu Ceesay became the Tri-Valley League Champion in both the 100
and the 200 meter dash. Ceesay earned himself nearly record-breaking times of
11.38 in the 100 and 23.07 in the 200. Not far off from Ceesay, teammate Justin
Ireland placed second in both the 100 and 200. Ireland clocked a fast time of
11.381 in the 100, and ran a 23.26 in the 200. He also carved out first place
in the long jump with a distance of 19’10’’. Junior, Camden Cleathero, had many
significant accomplishments. He was the TVL Champion in both the high jump and
the 100 hurdles, jumping an impressive 6 feet in the high jump and running a
15.76 in the hurdles. The talented 4x400 team of Griffin Mcglaughlin, Chris
Wrenn, Sean Cappelini, and Nick Reynolds came out victorious with a time of
3:36.2. Sophomore Joey Annand, and Junior Chris Wrenn did their jobs while
running distance. Annand placed third in the 1 mile and fourth in the 2 mile
aiding the team in their whopping lead. Wrenn ran a 2:04.81
in the 800 ranking in second place.
The Norton Lady Lancers proved their worth as they earned
the championship title for the first time in history. In the field, the lady lancers
were triumphant in several events. TVL
champion, Ashley Pelletier, threw a victorious throw of 109’1’’ outdistancing
her opponents. Amy Pereira ranked third in shot put with a big throw of 31’9.75’’.
Kassidy Campbell was able to secure fifth place in the long jump, and Pereira
also ranked third in that event as well. Bella Berardi also competed in the
long jump and earned herself fourth place. Brooke-Lynn Williams earned a spot
in third place in the triple jump, being her third event of the night.
The girls displayed
their dominance on the track in a more than convincing fashion. Senior captain,
Kassidy Campbell showcased her talent becoming the TVL champion in both the 100
and 400 meter hurdles. She clocked a time of 16.20 in the 100 hurdles and 67.14
in the 400 hurdles, beginning the lady lancers’ day of success and triumph. Teammate
Kayla Sicard, was able to secure sixth in the 100 hurdles. Sophomore,
Brooke-Lynn Williams played a major role in the lady lancers’ success. Along
with Campbell, Williams was a TVL champion in two events adding a significant
amount of points to their final score. Williams nearly flew as she was able to
run a 12.50 in the 100 and 26.18 in the 200. Katie Bradley placed third in the
mile and sixth in the 2 mile. The Lady Lancers’ 4x100 team of Amy Pereira,
Ashlyn Hines, Cece Browne, and Kambrynn Bowman finished off in third place.
These girls worked hard to gain a time of 53.94. Sophomore Bella Berardi had a
very successful meet, placing in many events. Berardi carved out third place in
both the 200 and 400 meter dash.
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Julia Palin runs in the last leg of the 4x400 while
teammate, Brooke-Lynn Williams, watches. |
The final event of the meet
was the girls’ 4x400 relay. In order for the lady lancers to win the meet and
beat their rival, Hopkinton, they had to place in at least fifth. Freshman,
Julia Palin, was the last in her order and in the end it was all on her. “I was
actually freaking out and I was so nervous. We all wanted to win so bad and to
do that everyone had to do what we had to do,” said Julia. The championship was
in her hands, and if she made one mistake they would lose. “You’ve got to give
it all you’ve got,” said Brooke-Lynn Williams, teammate of Julia. Along with
the previous performances of her 4x400 teammates Liz Dufault, Danielle Whitman,
Kambrynn Bowman and the continuous support of her entire team, Palin was able
to pull it off. Her and her teammates ended up ranking in fifth place,
ultimately winning the meet. In all, the girls scored a total of 104.6 points during the meet.
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Brooke-Lynn congratulates Julia on
placing in 5th and helping the team
become TVL champions. |
“We did everything we
could. We needed to place fifth to tie Hopkinton and it felt really good to
bring that in for us. It was a championship meet, so we all put in what we had,
and left it on the track. I am very proud of how we all did together and it was
enough,” said Palin.
All throughout the year,
and in previous years as well, the Norton track teams have worked hard to
achieve this. Norton athletes were extremely proud of their performances as they
led to their big victory at the Tri-Valley League Championship meet and
showcased each and every one of their talents. Coach Kent Taylor said, “Everyone
came here and did what they needed to do.” Each of Norton’s teams have their
minds set high for another victory as they head on to the Division 4 State meet
where they hope to receive both titles.
Link for the interview:
https://youtu.be/FLZk-e-QRgU
Discussion Questions:
1. How many points did each of the teams score at the meet?
2. Who was the rival of the lady lancers?
3. As the years go on, do you think Norton track will be as successful as they have been in the past years?
4. How do you think the coaches and the town of Norton would react to a poor season of track in the future?
5. Do you think the talent of the Norton track team will continue to rise over the years? Or do you think that once all of the all-stars leave the talent will rapidly decrease?
In the 30 for 30 documentary, "Marion Jones: Press Pause" director John Singleton's main goal was to expose the mistreatment of track phenomenon, Marion Jones. Singleton also really wanted to learn about who she was and unravel the truth about her case. He hoped to display to the viewers how she worked hard to reshape her status and personal happiness as a professional athlete. Jones was not only a track sensation, but an all around athletic sensation in the eyes of America. Many people looked up to her and she inspired them to never give up. Marion Jones made it to the Olympics and won a total of 5 medals; 3 gold and 2 bronze outshining her competition immensely. It was rumored that Marion was using performance enhancing drugs that would increase her success. In numerous interviews, Jones denied any use of steroids and promised to her fans that she never has and never will use steroids to increase her skill. Later in her career, Marion revealed to the world with deep regret and shame that she had abused steroids. As a result of lying, Jones forfeit all of her medals and huge accomplishments and was sentenced to 6 months in jail. Many believed sentencing Marion to jail for using steroids was completely wrong, and was possibly only because of her race. Although Jones struggled through this period in her life she bounced right back into her life stronger than ever. She continued to develop her family and persisted in staying active/in good shape. Jones could never really accept the fact that she would no longer be able to do the sport she loves most or be considered a pro athlete ever again. Marion trained hard and long and pursued a career in basketball. Her hard work paid off after she was drafted into the WNBA and later excelled in the program. Marion Jones acts as a huge role model to so many young people and inspires them to never give up on anything. By and large, Singleton's main intention was to expose the mistreatment of Marion Jones and how she persevered through her struggle and regained her positive image, personal happiness, and respect from others. 
Analysis: In my view, I agree that Marion Jones was unfairly treated and did not deserve the jail time that she received. Many other major athletes such as Barry Bonds and Lance Armstrong used steroids and were not sentenced to jail. Racism and sexism could have played a huge role in this case along with Jones' phenomenal popularity and skill as not only a track athlete, but as an all around athlete. I believe that this is truly unjust because she was one of the only athletes that was penalized this harshly for using steroids which is nowhere near an actual or serious criminal act. Everything she worked for was demolished. This was partly and almost fully due to her decision to lie about her use of steroids, but it does not mean that she should have been forced to go to jail and face many unnecessary hardships along the way. I also agree that she rightfully earned her spot back into society as an athlete and as an all around person. Jones never gave up and strove to restore her positive image. 
