One Last Time

As you all know the track season has been over for a few weeks now. Since I have posted since before the conference track meet I will post a few results in case you forgot or never heard. We finished second to SLUH at conference and scored points at the District, Sectional, and State track meet. Out top performer for the distance team was Austin Del Rosso who finished 3rd at the district meet at Marquette, fourth at the sectional meet at Poplar Bluff, and 15th at the State meet. Other strong performers on the team were the 4 by 200 team (5th at state and school record) , the 4 by 100 team (school record), the 4 by 400 team (school record), Tommy Brown in the high jump, Durron Neal in the 100 meter, and Justin Labelle in the triple jump. We had a great team this year that accomplished a lot of cool things.

Moving on...I'm sad to say that this is my last post because I will be leaving for college in the fall to attending Missouri University of Science and Technology where I will join the great Brain Scherping and teammate Josh Pribe to study mechanical engineering. I really enjoyed my four years at De Smet and had a blast. Some of my favorite accomplishments were those that I made on the track. Here they are in case you were wondering...

400 meter: 55 seconds
800 meter: 2 minutes and 1 second
1600 meter: 4 minutes and 40 seconds
3200 meter: 10 minutes and 23 seconds
5000 meter: 17 minutes and 10 seconds

To my fellow seniors: All of these records I accomplished this year in track and cross country along with my other three senior distance track teammates Nick Martini, Matt O'Connor, and Josh Pribe. I could never have accomplished them without my teammates support and I thank them for their hard work, motivation and love for the sport. They are all special people and I will miss them very much at college. We shared a lot of great memories together that will never be forgotten and I consider all of you my dearest friends.

To the underclassmen: I've gotten to know most of you very well over the years and unfortunately some of you I don't know too well. I thank all of you for your outstanding work and motivation to the sport and I wish you all the best of luck as you continue on in your high school career. I will be cheering for you and attending as many meets and practices as I can. A special shout out to Collin Sullivan, Glenn Mcgann, Michael Callahan, Patrick Callahan, Austin Del Rosso, and Steven Plassmeyer. You guys still have big things to accomplish and I know that you are going to dominate next year in cross country if you put in the work.

To the runners before me: Jacob, Seiler, Eugene Morganthaler, Ethan Stack, Connor Callahan, Zach Boyle, Black Bender, Joe Gibson, Kevin Laughter, Kevin Abernathy, Andy Mcwhorter, Alex Potter, Brian Scherping, JC Madey, and many more...Some of you I knew better than others and some of you I'm still close friends with today. You all taught me what It means to be a De Smet runner and I thank you for all that you have taught me and shown me how to become a Men For Others. We have had some great memories together that I will never forget.

Coach Rob: Rob you taught me what it takes to becomes a De Smet varsity runner and I can't thank you enough for all that you have taught me about running and helped me find the motivation to become the best runner that I can possibly be. Thanks for all the great memories and you will never be forgotten.

Coach Tom: Tom you picked up right where Rob left off and pushed me farther than I ever thought I could go. I would have never accomplisheed most of my Pr's without you and I hope you continue to be a leader to the men of the cross country and track team. Thanks for all that you do!

Coach Traughber: I can't say enough about what you have taught me not only about running but life in general. You have been a great role model for me through my four years and I enjoyed getting to know you and sharing a lot of good times with you. Your dedication to your runners is amazing.

All other coaches: A special shout out to Coach Leeman, Coach Williams, Coach Russo, and Coach Boland for all that you have done for me. You have all been great coaches and have taught me a lot while help keeping me motivated to succeed.

Finally to the readers: I thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog posts and staying loyal even when I posted so very few compared to the previous blog masters Kevin Abernathy and Zach Boyle. I couldn't even compare with the time and effort that they put into that website and I tried my best to fill their shoes.

Cool stats we've accomplished as blogmasters and loyal readers...
204 posts
59 followers
116 likes on the Facebook page
567 comments
30,056 pageviews all time

One of my regrets in high school is not putting more time and effort into this blog but.....
Don't worry I am leaving the blog in good hands. Next years varsity runners Collin Sullivan, Glen Mcgann, Austin Del Rosso, and  Micahel Callahan have all received invitations to become Blogmasters and keep the tradition alive. I am no longer in charge and the fate of the blog no longer rests in my hands. I enjoyed writing but this is the end. Goodbye.

Quote of the day: "I am going now and I big you all a very fond farewell. I might not return. In fact, I plan not to." Bilbo Baggins

Pre Conference Post

Last Thursday, the varsity distance team ran at the Jim Farrel Invitational. In the first race of the day, the 4 x mile team took second place with solid legs by Plassmeyer, MC, Hilmer (5:03 pr), and Sullivan. The 4 x mile was followed by the 4 x 800. I opened with a pr of 2:01 and I was followed my solid legs from Matt O'Connor, Nick Martini, and Justin Potter (2:08 pr) and we ended up finishing third. After the 4 x 800, Austin won the mile with an impressive 4:35 pr putting away the competition in the final lap. Finally, in the two mile Austin won again with a 10:08 and Glenn Mcgann also had a solid race while battling tonsillitis.

On Saturday, the varsity guys met at Forrest Park for a long run. Shortly after arriving we realized that the Relay for Life was was going on at the same time and the police had all the roads in and out of the park on lock-down. After persuading some policemen to let me through a blocked off road, I made my way over to the visitor center where I was joined by Tom, Mike, Austin, and eventually Nick who showed up the morning after going to Cor Jesu Prom. Potter and Plassmeyer didn't get the memo about meeting at the visitors center but we eventually found them jogging around the central fields. Nick, Matt, and myself finished a 60 minute run in which we traversed Art Hill, the World's Pair Pavilion, the Zoo, and the Muny. It was a great run and when we finished we spotted the Nerinx distance team and chatted with them for awhile while we waited for the other guys to finish. We finished the day with a visit to Legrand's Sub Shop where Tom personally made us our sandwiches. It was totally worth the wait, even though Mike got lost on the way over.

Final Notes:
1.) Congratulations to the 4 x 200 team of Kevonn "KV" Mabon, Tim Pickel, Durron "Hawkin" Neal, and "Sick" Nick Anderson as they broke the school record at the Kirkwood Invitational last Saturday.

2.) Mike needs to stop sending in-game tweets because the Blues lose every time he does.

3.) Nick Martini ran a big pr in the mile today of 4:41 in a JV meet. Go Nick!

4.) Our conference meet is Thursday beginning at 4pm at Chaminade.

Pre-Conference Post

Last Thursday, the varsity distance team ran at the Jim Farrel Invitational. In the first race of the day, the 4 x mile team took second place with solid legs by Plassmeyer, MC, Hilmer (5:03 pr), and Sullivan. The 4 x mile was followed by the 4 x 800. I opened with a pr of 2:01 and I was followed my solid legs from Matt O'Connor, Nick Martini, and Justin Potter (2:08 pr) and ww ended up finishing third. After the 4 x 800 Austin won the mile with an impressive 4:35 pr putting away the competition in the final lap. Finally, in the two mile Austin won again with a 10:08 and Glenn Mcgann also had a solid race.

On Saturday, the varsity guys met at Forrest Park for a long run. Shortly after arriving we realized that the Relay for Life was was going on at the same time and the police had all the roads in and out of the park on lock-down. After persuading some policemen to let me through I made my way over to the visitor center where I was joined by Tom, Mike, Austin, and eventually Nick. Potter and Plassmeyer didn't get the memo about meeting at the visitors center but we eventually found them jogging around the central fields. Nick, Matt, and myself finished a 60 minute run in which we traversed Art Hill, the World's Pair Pavilion, the Zoom, and the Muny. It was a great run and when we finished we spotted the Nerinx distance team and chatted with them for awhile while we waited for the other guys to finish. We finished the day with a visit to Legrand's Sub Shop where Tom personally made us our sandwiches. It was totally worth the wait, even though Mike got lost on the way over.

Final Notes:
1.) Congratulations to the 4 x 200 team of Kevonn "KV" Mabon, Tim Pickel, Durron "Hawkin" Neal, and "Sick" Nick Anderson as they broke the school record at the Kirkwood Invitational last Saturday.

2.) Mike needs to stop sending in-game tweets because the Blues lose every time he does.

It's Cold Up North

Last Monday we competed in the All Catholic meet because it was rained out on Saturday and was rescheduled. De Smet finished 2nd to CBC because we decided to split some of our sprinters between that meet and the Parkway North meet last Friday. The distance team ran quite well with fast times all across the board. The 4 by 800 team finished 1st as Austin Del Rosso came up with a big 800 pr of 2:04. Matt O'Connor, Justin Potter, and myself also ran strong legs to take the gold. In the mile, Glenn Mcgann came up with a huge pr of 4:41 as he out-kicked Rubio from SLUH to finish a close second behind a runner from Saint Dominic. Good job guys! In the 800 I helped push sophomore Tristan Morgan to a big 2:05 pr and I was quite proud of him as he beat me for the first time this year. Sullivan and Plassmeyer finished with solid races in the two mile as they finished close to their pr if they did not pr.

On Thursday and Friday the track team traveled to Parkway North for a meet that was split over two days. Collin Sullivan finished with a big pr in the mile of 4:43. Nice job Sullivan! Friday turned out to be a quite chilly and windy day for running. In the the mile Mcgann, O'Connor, and Callahan ran solid races as they battled the cold. In the 800 I'm proud to say that both myself and Tristen Morgan pred with a 2:03 as he narrowly beat me again. Don't worry though because I'll catch him next race. In the most exciting news of the week Austin DelRosso "threw down" as Coach Traughber would like to say a huge two mile pr of 9:44. Yes, that right I couldn't believe it myself. Nice job Austin you are the man!

To celebrate we all went out to eat at First Watch after practice on Saturday morning with Coach Tom. As we were leaving we spotted Coach Russo walking into First Watch with his two children, Liam and Brooklyn. They are quite cute little toddlers if say so myself. Our next races will most likely be next week at Vianney on either Tuesday or Thursday so stay posted for more post race updates. Hope you enjoyed and stay classy!

Monday is a Fun Day

Hello again and Happy Easter to everyone! I haven't written on here in awhile so I'll try to get everyone caught up on all the news and excitement. March 29th was MCC Relays at Chaminade. We finish a close second, just a few points behind SLUH. Although we didn't run quite as well as expected we ended up having a few good performances. In the JV 800 meter race Plassmeyer ran a nice leg, along with Michael Scherping, Tristen Morgan, and Dolan. Our next meek is this Saturday at Chaminade for the All Catholic Meet.

Last Saturday Coach Traughber decided to run a time trial since we did not have a meet last week. In the 800 time trial I pr-ed with a 2:04 and Nick Martini did as well with a 2:08. Coach is trying to make Nick into an 800 meter runner much to his displeasure. Anyway, team junior all ran well in the two mile time trial and I was quite proud of them. Glenn Mcgann ran a big pr of 10:20 followed closely by Sullivan and MC also pr-ed with a 10:31. Nice work boys!

Today at practice we were all quite delighted and surprised to see Coach Rob, who I hadn't seen since Christmas break. It was great to see him even though he decided not to run with us he was there for emotional support as we completed a tough tempo workout. Coach Tom has been cleared to run again because his wrist has healed after breaking it playing indoor soccer. Tom didn't run with us today because he shin is bothering him but he was there to motivate us. Of course Rob and Tom got some good debating it about the same old argument of who is faster. That's all for today. I hope you enjoyed Easter and stay tuned for a post All Catholic post!

Catching Up With Coach Rob

Boys I am excited to announce that I have conducted an exclusive interview with Rob Garwitz via Facebook chat. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. Without further ado here you go...

Hows the job going at Nike and have you done any traveling lately? Whats the new hip Nike product?
The job is going well! March is busy season with Track & Field beginning and the weather getting warmer, so yes I have been on the road a bunch! My travel destinations include: Portland, Chicago, Lansing, Detroit, Canton and Youngstown. Some places are more exciting than others.

And YES...there is always cool stuff coming down the pipeline. The new FLYKNIT shoes (Google it) for the Olympics will be coming out at the end of July. There is a lot of buzz around these shoes.

Hows the marathon training going and where are you expecting to run next?
Training is hardly training these days. Life and work have gotten the best of me the past month or so. I am averaging 35 miles a week or so and am hoping to up my mileage as the weather gets nicer.

Have you heard any news from Coach Leeman?
Coach Leeman and I have not spoken unfortunately. Get that man on Twitter!

Now that Mizzou choked who will you be rooting for in the tournament?

Sore subject, Waller. Since the Mizzou Meltdown, I have been avoiding the NCAA tournament altogether. Needless to say, I took the loss very hard. As far back as I can recall, I have never been more disappointed after a sports defeat. I still believe we were one of the most talented teams in the field of 68, but they call it March Madness for a reason. As far as who I am rooting for, hmm...anyone but KU.

Rumor has it (from Coach Tom) that you are dating Miss Morris. How is that working out for you?
Is that the rumor, huh? It is perhaps true. And it is, perhaps working out well for myself and "Miss Morris." But I am sure Danny and Jack already told you that. Speaking of those two, you better make sure those two are taken care of or I will come after you.

Will you be making a trip back to Saint Louis anytime soon and should be expecting a visit?
I have yet to book a flight, but I have thought about coming back to spend Easter with my family. Anyone up for a run?

There has been a lot of speculation of a Garwitz vs. Albes mile competition (Pacquiano vs. Maywether). Will this ever happen or is it just Twitter talk?
Last time I checked, I am 1-0 vs. Tom in head-to-head competition. Our camps have discussed a few potential showdowns this summer, but not race has been confirmed. I will take that scrub anytime, anywhere, any distance.

Oh, and for all the fellas that don't follow me on Twitter, holler @RealRobbyGee. Happy Running dudes!

Fun in the Sun

Yesterday was the first varsity track meet of the year, the Gateway Invitational at Washington University. There were a lot of good teams and talent there so the boys were pushed to run to bring their "a" game. Starting out in the 4 by 800 we finished fourth. I ran a 2:04-2:05 and was followed by solid legs by Matt, Potter, and a sprinter named Tristen Morgan finishing 8th out of 16 teams. In the mile Glenn and Plassmeyer both ran great races with big prs. Glenn came in at 4:47 and Plaz ran a 4:51. I was quite impressed.  The big news of the day Austin throwing down a big pr in the two mile with a 10:01 two mile finishing second behind Billy Leighton. It was pretty fun to watch.

In other news the 4 by 100 relay of "Sick" Nick Anderson, Duron "finna be hawkin" Neal, Kevonn "KV" Mabon, and Creig "Reverend" Durham broke the school record with a sizzling fast 43:10 second race. It was awesome to watch and we are all extremely proud of them. De Smet finished second overall in the meet behind our friends from SLUH and C.B.C. took third. This Thursday is the conference relay meet at Chaminade so it will be fun to run against them again.

Fun tidbits of knowledge:
-Coach Tom has been downgraded to questionable in his fantasy running status after breaking his wrist playing indoor soccer.
-MCs friend Emily showed me a picture of him in a dress that the entire distance team found quite hilarious
-I'm not sure about you but I got a nasty sunburn yesterday at the meet
-The De Smet track alumni made a strong showing at the meet as we were joined by Johnnel Williams, Alex Potter, and Ethan Stack. Its always great fun to catch up with them