Random thoughts while believing the U.S. Open and the PGA Tour in general would be far more compelling if
Tiger Woods was playing:
NBC/SLL: Administrators who formed the Northern Buckeye Conference should be ashamed for eliminating all
of the Suburban Lakes League track and field records.
Thirty-nine years worth of records shouldn’t have been tossed in the garbage just because a bunch of
administrators wanted to stroke their egos and form what they believed was a new league.
The NBC was formed for the 2011-12 school year after the SLL couldn’t round up enough votes to admit
Rossford as its eighth member in the spring of 2009. The SLL had an opening because Lakota left to join
the Midland Athletic League.
The end of the SLL and the start of the NBC – originally rumored to be a 12-school, two-division league,
divided by school size – was the result of administrators not being able to get along. The sides
generally were aligned by school size.
Since the administrators couldn’t agree on which 12 schools to admit, the NBC reverted to an eight-team
league.
The NBC is not a new league. The SLL simply was rebranded over time as the NBC, with Rossford and
Fostoria replacing Lakota and Gibsonburg.
The NBC is masquerading as the old SLL. There was no reason to change the name of the league due to two
changes of league schools.
One of the major casualties in the forming of the NBC was the history of the SLL, including the track and
field records.
Those in the track and field community still shake their heads over the decision of NBC administrators
not to carry the SLL records to the NBC.
It’s a shame the NBC record in the girls 400 relay isn’t the 50.50 time run by Lakota in 1986. Instead,
it’s been replaced by a 51.07 clocking.
It’s a shame the NBC record in the girls 200 isn’t the 25.40 time run by Lakota’s Diane Carlo in 1987.
Instead, it’s been replaced by a 25.95 effort. Carlo also ran on the 400 relay in 1986.
It’s a shame the NBC record in the girls high jump isn’t the 5-41‚Ñ2 by Eastwood’s Cathy Smithey in 1979.
Instead, it’s been replaced by a distance of 5-41‚Ñ4.
Among the boys records, it’s a shame Eastwood’s Justin Welch’s SLL records from 2009 in the shot put
(61-13‚Ñ4) and the discus (198-5) no longer exists in the eyes of the NBC. Instead, they’ve been
replaced by NBC marks of 56-61‚Ñ4 in the shot and 173-6 in the discus. The NBC record in those events
didn’t even land in the same zip code as Welch’s monster throws.
With that in mind, the NBC should revisit its track records and incorporate the SLL bests into the
conference’s record book.
UNSUNG: Eastwood’s boys have one of the best Division II track and field programs in Ohio.
Head coach Brian Sabo and the athletes receive most of the credit for the program’s success, but the
Eagles also have a terrific group of assistant coaches who work hard to help develop the athletes.
The assistants are D.J. Michel, Ethan Downey, Jack Corken, Thomas Heckman, Whitney Hartman, Eric Magrum,
Corey Johnson, Zach Conkle and Aricka LaVoy.
Eagle girls head coach Nikki Sabo, who is Brian’s wife, also helps the boys team.
What’s really cool about the large staff is there are so many people who want to invest in Eastwood’s
athletes and many of the assistants are doing it for nothing. Seven of the nine assistants are Eastwood
alums.
Ashley Michel, D.J.’s wife, videos and takes pictures at every meet. Those videos help with the coaching
and they’re posted on Facebook and Twitter.
And as good as the Eastwood coaches are, they’re even better people away from the track.
RECOGNITION: One of the benefits of Maria Horrigan’s state championship in the pole vault is the
recognition it’s bringing Bowling Green assistant coach Duff Madaras.
Madaras, who is in his 44th year of coaching, has done a good job with BG’s vaulters and throwers for
years and it’s great to see him finally coach a state champion.
But Madaras didn’t suddenly become a good coach overnight because of Horrigan’s state championship.
Instead, her victory is just bringing Madaras some well-deserved attention.