Hall sets all-time Maine best times in sprints at WMC Finals
By Wayne E. Rivet
Staff Writer
Kate Hall knew some people had their doubt whether she had indeed broken the 12 second mark in the 100 meters.
Last year, Hall’s fastest time in the sprint was 12.20, so her focus this spring was to break 12 seconds.
“The last two meets leading up to the Western Maine Conference championship meet, I had run 12.04 and 11.94, although they were both hand timed. The thing with hand timing is that it’s not 100% accurate,†Hall said. “I knew athletes and coaches around Maine were questioning if those times were legitimate considering they were both hand timed and not electronic timed.â€
Monday, Hall set out to prove to everyone around Maine that she could break 12 seconds and that it wasn’t a fluke the previous two times.
“For me, that was a huge incentive. Not counting my motivation to break 12, the atmosphere, crowds of people, teammates, and support helped me more than any other thing,†she said.
With a strong wind to her back, Hall set all-time top times in Maine for both the 100 meters — 11.68 — and 200 meters, in 24.96.
“Running 11.68 is faster than I could have imagined running so early into the bigger meets, and I’m still having trouble processing in my mind that that actually happened,†the LR sophomore said.
Adding to the excitement was that Hall broke the state marks on her home turf.
“Home meets are no doubt my absolute favorite. Being acclimated to the track is just a fraction of the reason why I enjoy running in home meets,†she said. “The reason I thrive at my home track is because of all of the support from everyone there. I’ve never been so involved in a sport as friendly and supportive as track is, and that’s one of the biggest reasons why I enjoy track as much as I do.â€
Due to bad weather Saturday, the WMC Finals were moved to Monday. A large crowd was on hand at LRHS to witness several record-breaking moments, including a new top time in the boys’ 100 meters set by Denzel Tomaszewski (10.76).
But, the spotlight was on a Laker — Kate Hall.
“The WMC meet on Monday was one of the most exciting meets I had ever participated in, and not because of the records I set, but because of the people there watching and cheering me on,†Hall said. “The records were just a plus. The fans, parents, teammates and coaches from my team and even other teams motivated me on Monday to set the records that I did. I couldn’t have asked for a nicer, more supportive community of people that I witnessed on Monday. I’m beyond thankful for that.â€
When Lake Region Coach Mark Snow described the WMC Finals, he said, “The Lakers rocked today†from:
• Kelsey Winslow’s 20-foot personal record (PR) in the javelin;
• Savannah DeVoe’s state qualifying triple jump;
• Kate Cutting, Molly Hook and Sarah Hancock placing in the throws;
• Kayla Gray’s school record racewalk;
• Winslow and Hannah Perkins’ efforts in the 400 meters to Zsofi Kaiser placing in the 100 and 200 meters;
• The 4x800 relay team missing the school record by only 3 seconds;
• And, the girls’ 4x100 relay breaking the school record.
“Two weeks ago, we sat down with the girls’ team and I said ‘100 points was second last year (we were fifth) and I can’t figure out how we can get 100 points this year. At best, I’m coming up with 75 to 80 points,†Coach Snow said. “Girls, thank you for proving me wrong — you totaled 112 points today, although it was for third place, not second. It was awesome!
And, Coaches Snow and Dana Caron added the LR boys rocked too! Over the last two years, the Laker boys had failed to register a single point at the WMC Finals. On Monday, Mason Kluge-Edwards placed second in the racewalk; Mark MacDougall placed fourth in the javelin; the 4x800 meter relay placed sixth; and the 4x100 relay team, that the coaches put together only this week — four boys who all said, “Who me? You want me to run the relay?†— finished fifth. Yeah, that’s right, fifth.â€
Next up is the State Meet this Saturday, June 1 at Morse High School in Bath. So, what kind of pressure will be on Kate Hall this next round?
“It’s going to be difficult to mentally prepare myself to go out and attempt to run faster times and jump farther distances than I did on Monday, especially since it hasn’t fully sunken in that I actually ran those times,†she said. “This week will for the most part consist of getting in the right mindset for the State Meet and letting my muscles relax slightly more than usual so I’ll be ready to go on Saturday. Staying healthy and injury free is always my main objective going into every single meet, and if I can do that, then hopefully things will fall into place after that.â€