Even though the PG County Sportsplex was temporarily shut down from holding track and field meets because of pandemic restrictions, the school – along with other MCPS teams, including Walter Johnson, Whitman, Churchill and BCC – decided to hold what they are calling “Polar Bear” outdoor meets, instead of the usual indoor meets. The first of these rescheduled events took place on Thursday, Jan. 13 at Walter Johnson. The plan is to have three meets total, with the next two being held at Walter Johnson on Wednesday, Jan. 19 and Wednesday, Jan. 26. 

While these meets might not have the same effect and excitement for both the runners and fans, the team is lucky to run at all because  a variety of other winter sports teams have had their seasons postponed or canceled. The coaches said they are still optimistic about the three five-team gatherings. Many of the runners haven’t participated in a scheduled race for up to three months, depending on when their individual season ended, so anticipation is running high. 

Each runner was allowed to compete in up to four events, including one of the relays, with the recommendation of signing up for at least two. Since this was not mandatory, a number of runners still chose to run in only one event. “I found it inconvenient that the 800 was towards the end and there were a lot of long races beforehand pushing it back. I only ran the 800, so I was waiting the whole time,” junior Colin Hall said. “It was still fun cheering on my teammates and seeing them compete.”

The meet was typical until the last event, which was the 4×400 relay. The race started off as all the other races do, until the stadium lights flickered and then completely shut off, leaving the track in total darkness. Everyone in attendance– runners, parents and coaches – all gasped and held their breath. The meet coordinator told attendees to remain calm and everyone proceeded to turn on their camera flashlights to assist the still active racers competing in the 400 relay. The race finished and the meet concluded safely. “I think the meet went very well. WJ was organized and things ran smoothly for the first time doing things this way. It was cold, which is to be expected for a polar bear meet, and can make it more difficult for runners to perform at their best, but all in all, I think it’s good to finally get in some competition. We’re hoping to see some improvements and maybe PRs from our Wootton runners this week,” Distance Coach Victoria Barry said. 

The runners had mixed feelings. “Even though there were less people, the energy was still there. It was a great opportunity for schools to interact with each other while still competing. The negatives were that it was outdoors, and as a result it was very cold and more difficult to do the events,” senior Tyler Bush said. 

Despite challenges, the coaches remained proud. “I thought the whole team as a whole did a great job, considering this was the first ever polar bear meet and some kids’ first ever track meet in general. I think with more experience and understanding of the sport, we’ll have even better performances,” Sprinters Coach Momodou Drammeh said. 

The leaders for each of the boys’ events were: 

55 m: Fernando Ibarra (WJ) (6.71) 

300 m: Quentin Williams (WJ) (36:33) 

500 m: Andrew Schell (WJ) (1:09:51) 

800 m: Yariv Simhony (WJ) (1:59:04) 

1600 m: Henry Burd (Churchill) (4:33) 

3200 m: Sebastien Breton (Churchill) (9:57)

55 m w/ hurdles: Paris Ndaskissa Okogho (Whitman) (8.97) 

4×2 relay: Walter Johnson – Quentin Williams, Jalen Scott, Fernando Ibarra, Lucas Boiteux (131:64) 

4×4 relay: BCC – Lucas Randazzo, Ethan Broadbent, Sam Mather, Aiden Franze

4×8 relay: Walter Johnson – Sidney Scale, Drew Deltor, Joshua Hananel, Dylan Schmidt (8:32:86) 

Shot Put: Miguel Toloza (WJ) (42-08.00) 

High Jump: Sreeanish Yarra (Wootton) (5-04.00) 

Long Jump: Jake Drykerman (Wootton) (19-10.00) 

Triple Jump: Fernando Ibarra (WJ) (39.11.00) 

The leaders for each of the girls’ events were: 

55 m: Kambi Chukwuma (Whitman) (7.62) 

300 m: Rachel Wolfson: (WJ) (45.87)

500 m: Carolyn Hultman (WJ) (1.25.35) 

800 m: Katie Greenwald (Whitman) (2:33) 

1600 m: Victoria Ketzler (Wootton) (5:36) 

3200 m: Hannah Riley (WJ) (13:18) 

55 m w/ hurdles: Soukeyna N’Doye (WJ) (10.17) 

4×2 relay: Walter Johnson – Raquel Tolin, Mwisala Lupunga-Phillips, Isabella Relacion, Rachel Wolfson (1:56) 

4×4 relay: BCC – Bela DeSouza, Katie Dorsey, Lily Capizzi, Amelia Menefee (4:47) 

4×8 relay: Walter Johnson – Emma Kothari, Amelia Burkhard, Katie Dutko, MacKensie Raue (9:59) 

Shot Put: Petra Baggili (Churchill) (26.07.00) 

High Jump: Fiona Narrod-Malcolm (BCC) (4.06.00) 

Long Jump: Sydney Morgenstern (WJ) (14.11.00) 

Triple Jump: Bela DeSouza (BCC) (30.01.25)