Feet are hitting the ground again. After a two-week or so break from traditional practices for most of Darien High School’s boys track/cross country athletes (but never a break from running, which is done almost daily and without fail) the Winter Indoor Track season is set to take off. “Indoor” is its usual misnomer; students will continue to run outdoors through the cold and snow, with only competitions taking place on the indoor tracks of other schools.
I sat down with senior James Johnson, a veteran of the team and 3-season runner, to discuss the upcoming season. Johnson is one of four indoor captains, whom this year are not only captains but also the 4x800 relay team: seniors Jason Flynn, James Fay, Keenan Warble, and Johnson. This core four has some of the most impressive prospects of any runners this season.
In both the winter and spring track seasons of 2015/2016, Fay and Flynn were pronounced all-state athletes for their performance in the 4x800, and placed 7th and 6th (respectively) in the 800m individual at the Class L Championship last spring in outdoor. Johnson himself has had impressive finishes throughout the fall 2016 XC season.
"We have a solid chance of winning FCIAC East, getting a record number of kids qualified for FCIACs, and sending a 4x800 team to new balance nationals,” said Johnson, “Coach Pat has been training that 4x800 team since last year.”
Outside of these captain’s dreams of New Balance Nationals (the same four runners placed fifth at emerging elite new balance nationals for outdoor track 2016), this season is promising for other athletes as well. Junior Henry Vossler placed 3rd in the state for pole vault, and is a threat to the school record. Rumors of senior football star and Michigan-commit Andrew Steuber’s return to throwing could mean plenty of points for the team. Junior Alex Klarer leads the long distance, and junior Ari Singer-Freeman was already making waves with his hurdling during his sophomore season.
“We have a lot of big hopes for the very near future,” said Johnson, before heading off: he needed to run.
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| James Johnson, placing second in the Class L Championship for the 2016 XC season |
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