The Monta Vista 400 Shootout is fast approaching! This is the first time that MVTF will all hear the sound of the starter’s gun fire and we roar around the track. Let’s get ready for the first event on the MVTF calendar!
What is the 400 Shootout? At the 400 Shootout, every member of the Monta Vista Track & Field team, from sprinter to jumper to thrower, will toe the starting line and run 400 meters–one lap around the track. We all get our 400s officially timed (and our times are uploaded to the Cloud for all time!). The 400m is a classic distance, one of two (the other being the 800) where sprinters and distance runners collide. The Shootout is partly a bonding event for MVTF, but the Shootout also has a practical purpose. The Shootout results help the coaches start putting together the 4x400m relay pools. Both Coach Flatow and Coach McKeeman have a special fondness for the 4x400mR so this is a big deal to both of them!
What should we be looking for in the 2017 400 Shootout? Coaches have been working on seeding the fast heat for both the boys and the girls…here are some early notes on what the coaches are looking for from some of our top returning 400m athletes.
MV Girls
Record Holder: Kelly Bishop, 62.76, 2015
Defending Champion: Evelyn How
2017 Preview: Victoria Tung has had her wisdom teeth out and is ready to roll…fellow sophomore Lauren Ling is coming off a strong season of cross, her knee is back to normal and she is looking to make waves in the 2017 4×4 relay pool…after running a 68 during a practice in driving rain last Friday, is Reema Apte looking for an upset at the Shootout?…two-time winner Kelly Bishop is looking fierce in practice; she wants her title back!…Evelyn How says not-so-fast, this trophy looks good on my desk!…Alisha Gao has a gold JV division league championship medal back home that wants some company…hurdlers are always great teammates to have in a 4×4, and Sabrina Hung is as tough as they come; yea, we saw you out in the rain hammering repeats…Cynthia Gong is looking great in practice, so we will see if a week on the beaches of Cancun energize this jumper…Anella Palacpac brings senior savvy, while Kaitlyn Zou is an exciting newcomer…distance standouts Sarah Feng, Claire Chang, and Anjali Thontakudi all have State cross country experience and will not be intimidated…this early in the season, anyone could emerge to challenge this group or come on strong later this season.
MV Boys
Record Holder: Chatty Adiga, 53.70, 2014
Defending Champion: Andy Ma
2017 Preview: Matthew Ho has the hurdler strength and determination, and was a strong member of the 4×4 team last year; and don’t count out fellow hurdler Lucas Chang with his 46.53 hurdle…junior Justin Lin ground out a very fast 450 in the rain last Friday and looks to use his XC strength to surprise people in the last 200m…Derek Zheng grew about a foot over the summer, looks strong, and should have a good view of the favorites to lock in upon…junior Eliot Lubormirsky has been running consistent weekend workouts; this kid is hungry for a stellar season after running the table in the FS division last year…defending champion Andy Ma looks to use his 800m speed/strength and senior experience to let Eliot wait one more year for the Shootout victory…sophomore Andy Fang was part of the frosh-soph 4×4 team that set a new league record; is he ready to move up to the show?…100m specialists Adam Jancis and Morris Chiang both have the speed, if they drive for the full 400 they can take on anyone…footballers Owen Malone and Jonah Ji have caught the eye of coaches in their first few weeks, we can’t wait to see what they do when the gun goes off…there is always a distance runner who jumps in and makes noise in the 400, could it be one of our seniors, Bennett Zhang or Scott Gregory?
We can’t wait for the Shootout! Athletes, we hope to see you all at practice at 9am all week–we want to come back fit for the Shootout! Remember, everybody runs (this is one of the required events if you need PE credit, don’t forget!). We take a lot of pride in the 4x400mR, this is a track event that promotes teamwork and rewards hard work as much as talent. Remember, Effort Counts Twice! See you all soon, and see you at the Shootout! It is almost time to hear and smell that starting gun going off…
