Rori Leaverton watches as physical education teacher Steve Vogel enters information into the computer that will track the heart rates of Skagway’s cross-country team. At the end of the week coach Fielding can check if his workouts have maintained proper heart-rates. EAP photos

Heart rate monitors and hearty runners indicate promising season

By EMILY A. PALM
Comments like, “Yep, I’m alive,” and “Okay, who’s beeping?” echoed against Skagway City School gymnasium walls last Monday as the cross-country team tried out new Polar Heart Rate Monitors.
The roughly $130,000 worth of electronics were dispersed among the runners before the team headed outside during a patch of sunny weather for sprints.
Funded through a federal PEP grant, the monitors should help new Cross-Country Coach Kent Fielding this year in training the runners. At the end of every week, heart rates will be entered into a computer that will let Fielding know if he needs to step up or tone down the intensity of practices.
Three freshmen on the girl’s team have potential to bring a strong season. Paige Hahn, Emily Herbig, and Amanda Jensen placed in the top 10 at a Juneau junior high cross-country meet last year.
“With another year under their belts, they will just get stronger as they get older. There’s a lot of promise and potential there,” former coach Gary Trozzo told The Skagway News last September.
A year has since passed and the first meet of the season will be in Sitka on Sept. 1.
“There are some hopes that one or more will qualify for state,” said Fielding last Monday. Without jinxing anything, the coach added, “They could be really good.”

Freshmen Quinn Weber (left) and Mickey Wison run laps around their school on the first Monday of classes.

Skagway was well represented at the 2006 Yukon River Trail Marathon in Whitehorse earlier this month

Full marathon, open female:
Liz Ruff, fourth place at 4:44:29

Full marathon, male:
Garrett Grove, first place at 3:33:00
Benjament Seale, second place at 3:37:05

Half marathon, open female:
Jenni Brown, third place at 1:55:17
Mary Riendau, 10th place at 2:10:05

Masters Male:
Curt Dodd, second place at 1:53:48

Masters Plus Male:
John Briner, seventh place at 2:33:01

4 person Relay, Female:
run4fun3 (Amanda Jensen, Heather Seale, Shanna Vetter and Hillary Smith), first place at 3:41:48 “It’s always grueling but fun,” said Seale.

4 person Relay, Mixed:
Dispassionate Hedonists 2 (Katherine Nelson, Pete Lucchetti, Mike Catsi, and Phillip Clark), first place at 3:34:38. Clark came in first overall in his leg.

JogDon’tRun2, 10th place at 4:26:17

Last of the Mo-WE-Cans4, 13th place at 4:33:53