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Free Karhu Sneaker Giveaway

Win Karhu Sneakers!!

Our friends at Karhu are helping us ring in the New Year the right way-by giving away free sneakers.  We are giving away three pairs (one at a time over the next 11 days) of Karhu Flow Trainers.  Want to see what you can win?  Click here.  How do you win? Entering is as easy as 1,2,3.

1. Like the Level Renner FB page.
2. Like our status update (the original one on The Level’s FB wall).
3. Like the Karhu FB page.

Bonus: recruit a friend, spouse, and/or sibling to like the Level Renner FB page and say so by leaving a comment on this blog post or FB page (example: I just got Seymour Buns to like your page), and we’ll increase the chances by the number of fans your recruit.

 (keep reading to see how you can win if you don’t use Facebook)
 
How can I win if I don’t use Facebook?  Glad you asked, it’s still as easy as 1,2,3.
1.  Leave a comment on this post.
2.  Encourage friends, spouses, siblings to subscribe (remember: it’s free!).
3.  In your comment, tell us who you recruited to subscribe.
PS.  You can go ahead and subscribe new members yourself.  All you need to know is their names and email addresses.  The more new subscribers you recruit, the more chances you get at winning.  Add 10 members to The Legion, you get 10 additional chances of winning.  Just don’t forget to tell us in your comment who you recruited.
Hey Tweeters: One More Way to Increase Your Chances of Winning.  Just do this:
1.  Follow us on Twitter (@levelrenner) and  retweet the original tweet related to this raffle.
2.  Follow Karhu on Twitter (@KarhuRunning).
Bonus: recruit a friend, spouse, and/or sibling to follow us and say so by leaving a comment on this blog post (example: I just got Seymour Buns to like your page), and we’ll increase the chances by the number of followers you recruit.
Hurry!  Act Now!  Contest ends Friday evening.  We’ll announce the winner on our website.
Happy New Year from your friends at Level Renner and Karhu!
If you would like to promote your product through a free giveaway, please contact us.

BU Mini Meet #3 Recap

Guest blog by Allison Lynch

Saturday, December 29th marked the third and final meet of the BU Mini Meet series. It simultaneously marked my first time competing at one of these events, and I can definitely say that I wasn’t used to the feel of the overall meet, but for good reasons. Why? Well, for starters, there must have been a sixty-year age range between all the competitors. I think I raced against a 12-year-old. Actually, I did race against a 12-year-old. Her name was Katie Rozen and she ran a 6:28.34 mile. Ok, she wasn’t in my heat, but she still ran the mile and the whole place was cheering for her as she pumped her arms on the straightaway against somebody at least ten years her senior. There’s something so endearing about watching little kids with oversized track jerseys running against full-grown adults.

Katie is just one example of the vast spectrum of runners who participate at the Mini Meets. You’ll see middle schoolers, high schoolers, collegiate athletes, coaches, and unattached runners who all come together and merge into the short but sweet racing competition that is the BU Mini Meet. Like I said earlier, I wasn’t used to the format of the meet; it was unlike the regimented, exhaustingly long days I was used to in college. You mean I can sign-up the day of? You mean I’m racing against men in my heat? And the whole thing is over with roughly by two or three o’clock? The answer to all of those questions is a matter-of-fact “Yes.”

This past Saturday had a good turnout, despite the fact that it took place in the midst of the holidays, and despite the first snowstorm of the season that began as the meet was ending. Events included (in this specific order) the 3000m, 400m, Mile, 200m, 800m, and the 4×1 mile relay. The meet ran swiftly without delay, even though some events had up to fifteen sections.

Josh Lampron, 19-year-old state and national champion who is currently red-shirting this season for Villanova, led the mile with time of 4:12. That time, however, is nothing compared to his 4:02 as a junior in high school at the National Championships in Greensboro, NC. Lampron says his goal within the next 5 years is to make it to the Olympic trials. GBTC members Ryan Irwin and Chris Kibler were several seconds behind with times of 4:17 and 4:18. As for the women, Leah Rosenfeld, a 24-year-old Northern Arizona University running coach, placed first with a 4:54 mile – her first indoor race since 2010. She later informed me that her personal best is 4:45. Needless to say, I was amazed. Fun fact: Rosenfeld also competed at the Maccabiah Games in Israel, the second biggest International sports gathering behind the Olympics.  She happened to be in Boston this weekend because she was visiting family for the holidays.

Josh Lampron, 19, freshman at Villanova and graduate of Mansfield High School. Lampron won the mile and the 800m at Nationals in Greensboro, NC his junior year of high school with PRs or 4:02 and 1:51.

I’m echoing Victoria’s last post about the BU Mini Meet #2, but I can’t help but be partial towards GBTC’s performances by Allison McCabe and Alex Engel. McCabe was the first woman to cross the line with a personal best of 2:13.49 in the 800m. Engel placed first overall in the 400m and the 200m with times of 48.48 and 22.26. This is Engle’s third full season for GBTC, and although neither of the latter times were his fastest, he says this is the fastest start to any season he’s had. I’m thinking this can only mean good things.

And of course, who can forget the 4×1 mile relay at the end of the meet? Although the track arena had, for the most part, cleared out by that point, the relay teams were still going strong. Unfortunately Coolrunning didn’t post the relay results, so I’ll get back to you on the winning team. I ran with two other GBTC members, Allison McCabe (who had run her 800m PR minutes earlier) and Jenny Cunningham, and Community Running’s Denise Nolan, who by the way, has run the Boston Marathon 18 times. Some people were certainly racing for time, but others were just racing because, well, relays are fun.

And I think that’s the nature of the Mini Meets. You can race for time, or you can race for fun, and nobody will judge you because this is an open meet with all sorts of talent. And thus concludes the Mini Meet Series for 2012, let’s hope 2013 is even better.

Allison Lynch competes for the GBTC and this is her first contribution to Level Renner.

9th Annual New Years Boston Run

If you’re still looking to cool off after suffering in the oppressive heat from last Patriot’s Day, here’s your chance. If you’ve never run Boston, consider this just a little taste of the experience. The free event, organized by Gary Allen, will cover the whole hallowed course. Here are the details, from the event’s Facebook page:

This is not a race. There is no entry fee, timing mats, bands, finishers medals, t-shirts, times, cheerleaders, or mylar blankets. This run has nothing to do with the BAA or the real Boston Marathon and everyone is responsible for their own safety and liability. If you love to run and you want to experience the historic Boston Marathon course in it’s purest sense you really need to do this. Below is something that was written just prior to the 2009 edition which pretty much sums up the sentiment behind this run.

Join us for the 9th Annual running of the Boston Marathon route on New Years morning. 6am start.

The something that was written is a Globe article, and here it is. Another note, this one from Thor Kirleis:

Key detail is meeting time at 6am in front of Newton Wellesley Hospital on Rt 16, with a 7 am start. Early meetup is for carpooling for those needing rides.

I think they’re still looking for a little help in organizing rides, too. Time is running short so if you’re interested be sure to let them know.

IT Band Syndrome Injury in Runners: Stretches, Preventive Exercises, and Research-Backed Treatments

IT Band RunnersThe iliotibial band, or IT band, is a long “band” of tissue that runs from the top of the hips down the outside of the thigh, crossing the outside of the knee and inserting at the very top of the tibia. While many people envision the IT band as an independent structure that can freely slide forwards and backwards relative to the rest of the leg, in reality, it is nothing more than a thickened strip of fascia, the connective tissue that encapsulates the muscles of the body. The IT band serves as a connection between many of the major hip muscles and the knee. Its main function during running seems to be stabilizing the knee during footstrike.

Iliotibial band syndrome, or ITBS, is an injury to the IT band. It most commonly occurs on the outside of the knee or just above it, though it is not unheard of to get pain further up the IT band, even as far as the top of the femur.

ITBS accounts for somewhere between 8 and 10% of all running injuries,1 and doesn’t seem to discriminate: both recreational runners and elites suffer from this injury. IT band syndrome usually hurts after a set distance into a run—you’ll feel okay for a mile or two, but the outside of your knee will start to ache, progressing from a dull stiffness to a sharp or burning pain. It is typically worse when going down hills, and you may sometimes feel pain when sitting with your leg bent for a long time. Any activity which brings the knee into 20-30 degrees of flexion can aggravate the IT band, as this is when the band itself gets squeezed against the femur the most.

Causes, what makes it worse, what’s going on

Just before the IT band crosses the knee, it runs on top of a large knob on the femur called the lateral epicondyle. The prevailing opinion for a long time was that the IT band slides back and forth across this bony knob, leading to the term “IT band friction syndrome.” However, recent anatomic studies have shown that the cause is more likely compression—the IT band is squeezed against the bone, irritating an area rich in blood vessels and nerve endings between the two structures.2

While factors like old shoes, running on cambered road surfaces, and tight turns on indoor tracks have all been proposed as risk factors for ITBS, none of these have much scientific evidence to back them up.

However, a host of studies have connected hip abductor and external rotator muscle weakness with ITBS. In a healthy and strong runner, these muscle groups keep the hip abducted and the knee externally rotated, which limits the strain on the IT band.3, 4, 5 But when these muscles are weakened, the hip adducts and the knee internally rotates after impact with the ground, crushing the IT band and the underlying sensitive tissue against the lateral femoral epicondyle. Current theories hold that the nerve endings sandwiched between the IT band and the femur are supposed to send signals to the glute muscles to fire when the IT band is being compressed—of course, when these muscles are weak or dysfunctional, this protection mechanism fails. Instead of the gluteus medius and the other main hip abductors firing, the TFL (tensor fascia lata) muscle fires, which puts even morestrain on the IT band. 2

Research backed treatment options

IT band syndrome is a classic biomechanical problem. Muscular weakness and dysfunction causes a predictable and repeatable change in running mechanics, increasing strain on the IT band and causing injury. So, while the painful area is the outside of the knee, the real problem lies further up the leg. While icing, stretching, and foam rolling all have their role, a biomechanical problem ultimately needs a biomechanical solution. This is where hip strengthening exercises come in.

The best current research-approved protocol for ITBS was described in a 2000 paper by Michael Fredericson at Stanford University.4 His rather simple program consists of two stretches and two strength exercises. The stretches are performed three times per dayholding the stretch for 15 seconds each on both sides. The strength exercises start withone set of 15 repeats every day, building up to three sets of 30 over time. The entire program lasts six weeks. Fredericson’s athletes avoided running during this six-week protocol, and 92% recovered completely.

The Fredericson protocol:

Lying rope hip stretch

lying rope hip stretch

Standing hip crossover stretch

Lying hip abduction

Standing hip hike

Other possible treatment options

While Fredericson’s results were impressive, his study had some flaws. For one, it had no control group, so it’s unclear how much of the improvement was from the exercises and how much was from the time off. Additionally, his protocol lacks any exercises that strengthen the external rotators. I recommend adding the following exercises to address external rotator and abductor strength at the same time, as well as adding some isometric strength, which is more similar to how these muscles function while running:

Clamshells

Glute bridge

The “up” position is held for 5 seconds

Wall isometric

The inside leg is pushed into the wall for a 5-second hold.

IT band stretches

With regards to stretching, the IT band itself is not particularly amenable to it, for two reasons. First, it is not a stretchy tissue. Its stiffness is more in line with a car tire than a rubber band.6 And second, stretches that purportedly target the IT band don’t actually stretch it very much, since it attaches to the femur at several places.7 Instead, research suggests that you should target the muscles that attach to the IT band: the gluteus maximus and the TFL. Fredericson’s two stretches accomplish this very well.

Foam roller for the IT band

Using a foam roller to loosen up soft tissue around the IT band is a great idea, but actually rolling over the painful area should be avoided. Remember, IT band pain stems from irritating the highly sensitive area between the bony knob on the femur and the IT band, so you don’t want to further aggravate this spot!

Some people find that a particular shoe style aggravates their IT band, but there’s no scientific evidence that points towards any kind of shoe or custom insert causing or curing IT band problems. All the evidence thus far points to the root cause being at the hips, not the feet, so your number one priority should be to strengthen your abductors and external rotators.

Outline of treatment

Conservative treatments

These are methods that are fairly simple, inexpensive, and can be done on your own at home.

Hip strengthening: Fredericson protocol + added exercises:

Fredericson protocol:

  1. Lying hip stretch with rope, 3x/day, 15sec hold each side
  2. Standing crossover stretch, 3x/day, 15sec hold each side
  3. Lying hip abduction, start with 1×15 once per day, build to 3×30 once per day
  4. Standing hip hike,  3×30 once per day

Additional exercises:

  1. Clamshell exercise, 1×15? 3×30 once per day
  2. Glute bridge with 5sec hold, 1×15 ? 2×20
  3. Wall isometric with 5sec hold, 1×15 ? 2×20

Additional therapies:

  1. Foam rolling of the quads, hamstrings, glutes, and upper hip area 1-2x per day
  2. Icing with ice cup: 10-12 minutes, 2-5 times per day

Aggressive treatments

These are treatments with more cost and less certainty about outcomes, but may prove useful in recalcitrant cases.

  1. Active Release Technique (ART) and/or Graston technique. These are soft tissue manipulation therapies that are intended to break down scar tissue in chronically injured areas. While there is little to no science backing their efficacy, some runners have found relief from ART or Graston. Most practitioners are chiropractors, so this treatment may or may not be covered by insurance. It should not be used on acute cases of ITBS, however.

Return to running:

Since IT band syndrome is the result of a biomechanical problem, your ability to return to running will be determined by your progress in hip strength. In the initial stages of the injury, you will need anywhere from a few days to a few weeks of time off for the initial inflammation on the outside of the knee to calm down. Icing often can speed this along. Once the initial irritation is gone, you will probably find that your IT band still gets irritated after a few miles of running if you haven’t worked on your hip strength. In my experience, it takes about a month of daily hip strength exercises to completely recover, though you may be able to run during this time period. You just need to keep your runs short enough so that they do not aggravate your IT band anew. If all else fails, you may need an extended break from running to rebuild your strength like the subjects in Fredericson’s study.

This guest blog comes courtesy of RunnersConnect.net and was written by John Davis. The original can be found here, complete with references. For more great info about training, injury prevention, nutrition, etc. check out their site.

Run to the Beach 30k

RUN TO THE BEACH 30k                                                                

The Andover Striders in association with the Winners’ Circle Running Club will once again be presenting the Annual Run to the Beach 30K, otherwise known as the ‘Goin Down the Road Feelin’ Bad Run.

THE FACTS

 -Sunday March 17, 2013 – 10:00 AM.  Yes it will be St. Patrick’s Day, so be sure to wear your GREEN!!  Will do my best to have the rest rooms available.  Don’t forget the Duncan Donuts and McDonalds close by.

Starts at the North Andover VFW, Route 125, finishes at the Winners’ Circle Sports Bar, Salisbury.

THE COURSE

 Runs along Rt.125 through North Andover – Haverhill, where it bears right onto Rt. 110 through Merrimac, and finishes at the Winners’ Circle Sports Bar in Salisbury.  This is a point-to-point course.  You’re on your own as far as transportation.  Hey, bring your spouse, significant other, or both, and car pool!!  If you don’t have any friends show up at the Circle around 8:45 AM and plead with a fellow runner for a ride to the start.  It is a great way to meet new friends!

THE SKINNY

 Miles meticulously marked with a 2013 Ford Focus SE; yes I finally broke down and purchased a NEW car. It is even more accurate than the old Focus!  Which means you can leave our Global Positioning Thing-a-linger at home!  Who needs the extra weight anyway!!  Water and/or delicious Coors Light at 5, 10, and 15 miles.

Please bring your watch, as you will be timing yourself!

Feel free to jump in or out at any distance.  If you would like to cheat that’s O.K. too!  There are no “chips”, though we may go by a cow farm, no awards, no entry fee, no numbers, no t-shirts, no charities, no USATF, no registration, and no race directors to bitch to! Hey, isn’t this what running is REALLY all about?  Just lacing them up and getting a good workout in with your buddies?  You want to run with your iPod, walkman, headphones, or 8-track, be my guest!  Problem is, you will be truly missing the point of a running a long training run with your old and new friends.

There are plenty of hills, (don’t believe me check out the accompanying attachment), beautiful scenery, really.  A lot of insults provided by the friendly (?) water/beer stop volunteers, (who will also be entertaining you with choice selections from the Grateful Dead), yes we will have the boom box outside this year, post-run libations at the Circle provided by the WCRC and the AS.

So, if you thought Derry and Stu’s was tough, and want to get a great workout in without having to refinance your home just to enter, come on up to the Merrimack Valley and test your skinny little legs in an event that is sure to get you in shape for Boston. Oh, by the way records are 1:50 for male and 2:00 for female, no wimps here!!

course map and elevation chart of the Run to the Beach 30k

For more info please contact:  Dave “Icky” LaBrode, 978-376-8289, [email protected]

No, I am not on FACEBOOK!  I have REAL friends who simply e–mail me or call me when they want to communicate with me! No face book but you may face plant on this course!

DIRECTIONS

-Winners’ Circle Sports Bar
Exit 55 off Rt. 495
Follow Rt. 110 east towards Salisbury approx. 1-mile
Circle will be on your right

OR

Exit 58 off Rt. 95
Follow Rt. 110 East for approx. 1/4 mile
Circle will be on your right

-North Andover VFW
Coming from the South
Rt. 93N to Rt. 495N
Exit 43, right off ramp to Mass. Ave. straight to Chickering Road, North  Andover
Rt. 125 appox. 1.2 miles
Take left at the light approx. ¾ mile, VFW on the right.

Coming from the North

Exit left off ramp to Mass. Ave.
Follow directions above.

If you would like to promote your race/product with Level Renner, please contact us (click on the About Us tab).

Taking It To The Tweets

It’s been a few days since we’ve given anything away, but we’re going to get the virtual t-shirt cannon going again.

Twitter is an area we’re looking to broaden our reach, and for good reason. We have 375 followers. Not too shabby, but we know we can do better.  I mean, take a look at the cast of Two and a Half Men:

Ashton Kutcher has almost 13.3 million followers (have people forgotten about Dude, Where’s My Car?)
Jon Cryer has 88,000
Angus T. Jones has 7,800, despite his bite the hand that feeds antics
Conchata Ferrell (the freakin’ housekeeper) even has 2,600

Oh man, we’re slacking. We can do better, and we will. To help jumpstart our renewed Twitter campaign for 2013, we’re going to give away a t-shirt. Well, just one won’t do it. We’ll give away a t-shirt for every 30 new Twitter followers we pick up. Everyone who follows us, old and new, will be eligible for the drawings that will take place. To further boost your chances, every retweet will give you another chance at winning. There could potentially be a some surprise items up for grabs. As always, we’re working on it.

Contest is open from now through the end of the night on December 26th. The holidays are a busy time and doing it this way makes you all free to follow and enter as you have time over the next few days. If you’re not on Twitter, this will hopefully be the push you need to get involved. We’ll typically tweet out our live updates from events as opposed to Facebook or website updates. You’ll also be privy to the complete Level hashtag experience, and let me tell you…it’s a hoot.


So please, help us in our big push to surpass Conchata Ferrell in Twitter followers. I mean, how many of you would even know that name if I didn’t just throw it out there a couple of times? We’re coming for you Conchata! With your help, @LevelRenner can do it.

Aqua Drama

Not much going on in Level Land today. I took the time to get out to the pool to get in a quick (but vigorous) half hour of aqua jogging, but instead got a healthy does of aqua drama. It got kind of awkward when the lifeguards started fighting and I was the only person in the water. All I wanted to do was get in and get out without any fuss but then the woman said “He [referring to me] got in at 1:35. I’ll be back at 2:05. You can’t leave until 2:05.” She was pissed, too. Okay, mom and dad are fighting and I’m caught in the middle! What do I do? If I wanted to get out early for some reason, then I’ll look like a wuss. Can’t have that now. If I wanted to get a little extra work in then I could be messing with someone’s schedule. Can’t have that now either. Why she have to pull me into the middle of that? High drama. I wonder what they were fighting about? Who would give me mouth to mouth should I need it? I guess we’ll never know.

Anyway, our ace reporter Victoria Barnaby was at the second BU Mini Meet today and we should have some good stuff coming from her about that very soon (no pressure Victoria).

We can also take the time here to announce the winner of our last t-shirt giveaway: DistanceHam. This was his comment on the NYC Marathon refund situation from Thursday:

But what about me? The runner who has yet to run the NYC Marathon. In the next few years are my chances going to be lessened because of the displaced this year? Granted, I probably won’t be able to afford the $300 entry fee, but can’t a guy dream? My goal when I started RACING marathons was to complete the World Marathon Majors. I’ve come to the realization that I probably won’t have the funds to afford those trips in the US, let alone over seas. It might cost me the shirt on my back. In which case, I’m going to need a new one.

I believe DistanceHam is none other than the Chris Hamel, but we’ll let Mr. Ham reveal his true identity when he’s ready.

We’re going to switch things up a bit for our next contest, details should be coming on that tomorrow.

Sança Opens Up About Move to Whirlaway

Word came down earlier this week that one of the big fishes was now swimming in the Whirlaway pond. It almost seemed too good to be true; did we really just land Ruben Sança? Getting the team rivalries more into the mainstream is a great way to heat up the competition. An elite guy like Ruben switching teams can certainly get those fires going.

So what does Ruben have to say about it all? Here’s an excerpt from his introductory message to his new teammates:

I’m really excited to be part of this group. As some of you may know, I have been well connected with the region since my freshman year at UMass Lowell in 2005. I enjoy this area so much that I never left. I now live and work in the Dracut/Lowell area. I’m glad to be on the team, but most importantly I’m looking forward to getting to know all of you. I think there are many ways we can learn from each other and use our experiences to help people of all ages and abilities on and off the track in this area. I would like to take this time to wish you all a Merry Christmas and good luck in your training.

To find out a little more, we sent Ruben a few extra questions:

You live on the north shore, did that factor into your decision to change teams?
Yes, definitely. I wanted to be closer to other runners who live around me and have a stronger effect on the community where I feel the closest to.

Why Whirlaway? Did you consider other clubs in the area?
I felt especially connected with the team knowing that many of the members have had a connection to UMass Lowell at some point or another. In addition, I felt like this was a natural move for me at this point in my life where I feel settled at my job and my living situation. I really enjoy living in the Merrimack Valley and being connected to people of all ages and abilities when it comes to the sport. It gives me great honor to share my running experiences with others, but it also allows me to learn from others who have been in the same shoes I’m in now. It also doesn’t hurt that Whirlaway has had a long tradition of excellence when it comes to all levels of racing, from young college grads to the masters and senior teams.

Does the move signify any other changes, in training or what races you’ll focus on?
I hope to have the opportunity to compete at the national and international stage again at some point as long as I stay healthy. Locally, I would like to inspire and lead my teammates to become contenders on the USATF-NE Grand Prix Series.

As you may already know, two key contributors for Level Renner proudly wear the Whirlaway colors. Did your love of Level Renner help guide you to Whirlaway?
I actually hadn’t put that together until a few days ago, but it’s great to know I’m teammates with people who want to advance the sport in New England.

Hmm, I don’t know about that last answer. I’ll just pretend he said ‘yes’. But I can’t blame him for not knowing, not with the amount of time Joe Navas and I (well, mostly me) have spent nursing injuries since Level Renner came into existence. Now that we know the world isn’t ending, we can finally start looking forward to competing in 2013, and the competition just got a little more fierce.

GLRR Athlete of the Week: Sullivan

Guest blog by E-J Hrynowski

It’s not unusual for me to fall behind on AOW, and the holidays aren’t helping any. I actually have to put a date on these things from now on, so I can try to keep track of which weeks I’ve covered. AOW for the week of December 2-8 is one of our usual suspects, as he added an exclamation point to the story of an amazing year. After setting PR after PR at various distances, the only goal that had escaped him was the elusive sub three hour marathon.

He had been ready to break three hours on several occasions, but fate had not looked favorably upon previous attempts. This time he took no chances and brought along an Angry Chicken support crew for the trip West, including his training buddy Bash and trusty sweeper Fil (just in case…)

There was no doubt this time. He wasn’t going to just sneak in under his goal, he CRUSHED it. Great training, a great race plan and flawless execution had James “The Pocatello Kid” Sullivan crossing the Tucson Marathon finish line 23rd overall in 2:55:54.

Now that he’s got his first behind him, I get the feeling that sub three hour marathons are going to be a regular thing for our Athlete Of The Week. Please join me in congratulating our beloved Director of Sartorial Chickenness on his outstanding effort and result!

After the race, The Kid says it’s easy as 1323.

Get more updates and news on the Greater Lowell Road Runners at their website: www.glrr.net.

Providence Student-Athletes Honored at City Hall

Students hear from Olympic distance runner and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Tuesday, December 18, 2012) — The Taveras Administration and Providence Public School District (PPSD) hosted a pizza party for student-athletes from across Providence today at City Hall. Superintendent Dr. Susan Lusi represented Mayor Taveras and honored the city’s high school teams and individual athletes who competed for a state title during the Fall 2012 sports season.

“We are proud of all of our student-athlete and offer a special congratualtions to these young men and women who enjoyed an exceptional fall season. Sports and other extracurricular activities are important complements to the academic offerings in our schools,” said Dr. Lusi. ”Participating in athletics teaches students to be leaders, to set goals, to develop self-discipline, and to work collaboratively. Sports also increase confidence among students, and athletic and extracurricular experiences often translate to greater success in school.”

The teams honored at this event were:

* The Classical High School Boys Soccer Team – Division II Champs for 3rd consecutive year, 15-1-1 record

* The Classical High School Girls Tennis Team – Division II Runners Up, 11-1 record

* The Mount Pleasant High School First Volleyball Team – Division III Runners Up, 11-5 record

* The Mount Pleasant High School Varsity Football Team – Division IV State Champs, 9-2 record

* An individual runner from the Hope High School Cross Country Team – sophomore Nathalie Rosado, cross country state qualifier

During a brief speaking program, students heard from Molly Huddle, a Providence resident who represented the United States in the 2012 London Olympic Games. Huddle, one of four Providence residents to compete in track and field events during the London Games and the U.S. record holder in the 5,000 meter track and field competition, competed in the finals for that event.


The athlete recognition event was co-sponsored by NE Distance, a nonprofit that provides elite post-collegiate distance runners with training opportunities and meaningful part-time work as tutors and coaches for local youth. Currently, NE Distance athletes work with more than 75 students each week, supporting afterschool programs that aim to prevent childhood obesity. Founder Nich Haber attended the event.

The student athletes also heard from Eddie “Scorpio” Morris, a former member of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five — the first hip hop group to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Scorpio spoke about his work mentoring students and encouraged students to stay
focused in school.

Each season, Mayor Angel Taveras and members of his administration open City Hall to Providence Public School athletes who compete for a state title. Following the conclusion of the 2011-2012 winter sports season, Mayor Taveras brought his childhood friend, Providence Friars Mens
Basketball Coach Ed Cooley, to City Hall for a pizza party with students.

*This is a press release from the City of Providence regarding the above NE Distance-sponsored event.

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