PICKERINGTON —Controversy marred the small-school race. Centerburg’s top runner, Torrie Purdy — who finished in 12th place — was disqualified for removing a hair tie during the race and placing it on her wrist. An official said the tie, roughly the size of a rubber band, was considered “jewelry,” and watches are the only jewelry allowed. Purdy’s disqualification resulted in Centerburg’s dropping from third to 12th place and not qualifying for the state meet. (via The Columbus Dispatch)  

A quick look of the meets from the past week, including top times, links to results and links to any photo albums posted.

Kibwe Johnson won the first gold medal for USA at the Track Stadium on Wednesday after finishing in first place in the hammer throw competition and Michael Mai, also for team USA, finished in second place for the silver medal at the XVI Pan-American Games Guadalajara 2011. Johnson established a new Pan-American record with a distance of 79.63 meters beating the old record of 79.61 set by American Lance Deal in Winnipeg 1999. (via deportesus.terra.com)  

The eighth weekly OATCCC XC Coaches Poll

LEXINGTON -- Sami Stoner has yet to cross the finish line in first place, but she has won over fans while trying. In the process, she's become a champion for teens with challenges. Stoner, who is legally blind and a runner on the Lexington girls cross country team, is believed to be the first high school athlete in Ohio to compete with a guide dog. "How could anyone in cross country complain when you look at what she is doing? It's powerful stuff," Lexington head coach Denise Benson said. Yet, that powerful example almost wasn't allowed to happen. (via Mansfield News Journal)  

Board members say they have no choice but to make the cuts because of a decrease in state aid and because of rehiring nearly 300 teachers the district had laid off in the spring. The third phase would occur Jan. 20 at the start of second semester. The district would save $727,000 by reducing the number of principals and assistant principals and $2,447,000 from eliminating summer school. Another $741,000 would be cut from eliminating preschool and $568,000 from eliminating spring sports, other than baseball and softball which are paid for by the Cleveland Indians. (via The Plain Dealer - cleveland.com)

A quick look of the meets from the past week, including top times, links to results and links to any photo albums posted.

Ursuline Academy’s appeal to the Ohio High School Athletic Association to have its cross country team reinstated for this weekend’s Division I regional meet has been denied. “The appeals process was a good process and they listened well to us,” said Ursuline athletic director Diane Redmond. “We told our runners today and they all handled it well.” (via High School Sports Blog)  

The seventh weekly OATCCC XC Coaches Poll

USA Track and Field and German automotive giant BMW are working together to increase the efficiency of training analysis for athletes as they prepare for next summer’s Olympic Games in London.   The company has developed a dual-vision camera for movement analysis which records critical data in real-time and transfers it to an on-site laptop. That way, an athlete can immediately refine his or her technique during a training session rather than wait hours – sometimes days – to have the training video studied at a lab. (via WIRED)

Olentangy Orange Junior, Hannah Hartzell, is one of Ohio's Leading D1 Runners!  In her Freshman and Sophomore years she struggled through injuries and health problems.  Now, as a Junior, she is healthy, undefeated in her D1 races and has become one of the State's leading lady harriers. OHRunners had the opportunity to talk to Hannah about her Freshman and Sophomore seasons and her success this season.   She is a very talented, focused and determined runner who says that she "absolutely loves to run and compete"  and finds herself smiling most of the time when she is racing because she has so much fun with XC. In a couple of weeks, she may just find herslef smiling atop the D1 Girls podium.

FAIRBORN — As Centerville junior Josh Steible hit the mile-and-a-half mark, an Elks supporter yelled for him to “put the hammer down. (via www.daytondailynews.com)

A quick look of the meets from the past week, including top times, links to results and links to any photo albums posted.

SOUTH ZANESVILLE -- Sheridan sophomore Sully Gwinn was spiked at the beginning of the boys race but ran the entire course with blood running out of the gash on his leg. (via Zanesville Times Recorder)

The Sixth regular season OATCCC XC Coaches Poll

“Hammer time” is coming to Portland. When the competition schedule for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials was unveiled on Wednesday, the most intriguing aspect involved the men’s and women’s hammer throw. Those two events will be contested back-to-back on June 21 on the soccer fields at the Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton. The remainder of the Trials, which includes eight days of competition over a 10-day period, will be held June 22 to July 1 at Hayward Field. The idea to put an early spotlight on the U.S. hammer throwers came from Vin Lananna and Greg Irwin, co-chairs for the TrackTown12 local organizing committee. “We’re calling this ‘hammer time,’ ” Lananna said. (via www.registerguard.com)

To avoid cutting boys' and girls' cross country and boys' soccer (fall), wrestling (winter), boys' golf and boys' and girls' track and field (spring) as varsity sports, Bellevue High School and Middle School coaches agreed to work this school year on a volunteer basis. (via The Enquirer)

Almost every high school cross country runner can recall without hesitation the brutal course that they compete on. It was not uncommon to hear about a race that included agonizingly long and steep hills, loose and unsure footing, tight bottlenecks that caused dangerous jockeying for position and hairpin turns which made a slip and slide on concrete look relatively pleasing. Despite the trials that were combated at these courses they remained a ritual of initiation into distance running and became local or national legends. Examples of these courses include Mt. SAC in Southern California, Cuyahoga Valley in Ohio, Sioux Passage in Missouri and New Jersey’s Holmdel. From these came memories and a mental toughness that could not be taken away... (via Spiked Up, Pysched Up)

A quick look of the meets from the past week, including top times, links to results and links to any photo albums posted.

Napoleon's Steve Weaver is the D2 defending state 1,600m champion and the highest returning finisher from last years State CC Championship.  He's gained in experience and confidence, more mature and now comfortable running out front.  He has a high respect for his comeptitiors in a very competitive D2 boys division.  His expectations are high, not only for himself, but for what all of the D2 boys will do at this year's State meet. He see's the race as a challenge with the D2 boys "getting after it" at State and setting high standards on the new National Trails Raceway course. 

The weather looks to be near perfect as the 2011 Centerville Stampede nears.   This year's races feature over 2200 athletes competing in 13 races ranging from Elementary to High School.   Past results from this meet have been very competitive and this year looks to be the same way.   Over 800 custom medals are awarded throughout the 13 races and 44 team trophies are also given.   In addition, TEAM CHAMPION shirts are awarded to the high school varsity division winners.    Let's see who some of the favorites to take home that hardware… 

The fifth regular season OATCCC XC Coaches Poll

DOHA, Qatar -- Qatar is promising an air-conditioned stadium, night marathons and a September starting date while trying to convince track and field's ruling body that the country is not too hot to host the 2017 world championships. (via www.forbes.com)

Olympic champion LaShawn Merritt was cleared to defend his 400-meter title in London next year after the American won his appeal Thursday against an IOC rule banning doping offenders from the games. (via ESPN.com)

See the new OHSAA Championship Cross Country course at National Trail Raceways.

Those of you who follow me on Facebook and Twitter (@nsymm800) know that I have been extremely vocal over the last few days about something that I feel is a huge injustice in the sport of track and field. I am specifically referring to the ridiculously outdated regulations that our governing bodies have in place to control the way corporations are able to advertise in our sport. Many fans do not realize how limited the sponsorship opportunities are for track and field athletes. These limitations are not born of a lack of interest from corporations, but rather of the rules... (via Flotrack)

Today's world of sports gives us the quick fix like a trip through the fast-food lane. In our haste to stuff ourselves and move on, we often miss the banquet set before us. What better time to pause and reflect on track and field's incredible legacy? These five videos present a little more than a quick highlight hit. Take an extra moment to soak up some of the savory substance behind the headlines. (via Bleacher Report)

LORAIN — For Mike Lugar, his journey from athlete to coach has come full circle thanks to a passion for track and field and his willingness to help local students. Lugar, a firefighter with Lorain Fire Department, coaches high school track and field students in his spare time, free of charge  Published: Sunday, October 02, 2011(via The Morning Journal - Serving Northern Ohio)

A quick look of the meets from the past week, including top times, links to results and links to any photo albums posted.

In 2009, a young girl from Versailles made her presence known in Ohio’s D3 Girl’s Cross Country and Track.  Now, in her Senior year, Tammy Berger is intent on defending her two time Cross Country and 3,200m State titles and poised to become one of the most notable female distance runners in Ohio High School history.  This year, another Freshman, Brittany Atkinson of Liberty Center, has confidently arrived on the State scene and she just may have the talent and tenacity to challenge Berger for her titles.