If You Can’t Keep Up, Stop Running

Before my current writing life, there was The Hilltop, Howard University’s and the Nation’s Oldest Black Collegiate Newspaper, where many of the questions and themes I still explore first found their voice. What follows are my early published works, preserved in their original form.

From The Hilltop Archives

Originally published in The Hilltop, Howard University — April 11th, 2003

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If You Can’t Keep Up, Stop Running

What sound does a bison make? 

 

Apparently, The Discovery Channel and Animal Planet have been wrong all these years. 

 

If they came to Howard, they would know the distinct sound when they heard the sound of Track Bison coming. 

 

"We're making great progress, but injuries are taking their toll on us," Head Coach Michael Merritt said. "The weather has been hampering our training. We've had to train harder."

 

The winter that pounded the East Coast has carried over into spring. The inconsistent, weather has left spring athletes training sporadic at best.

 

When the temperature drops below 60 degrees, it takes muscles twice as long to warm-up and even with proper preparation, injuries can still occur.

 

Among the Track Bison who have been plagued by injury are Taj Alvaranga (groin), Dennis Washington (quadricep), Amanda Franklin (knee) and LaClaire Carter (hamstring). 

 

Even with a few fallen comrades, they continued to run strong.

 

Their most impressive performance came last weekend in College Park at the Maryland Invitational.

 

The Track Bison's ability to qualify despite the inclement weather wasn't the most impressive part of the meet.

 

The Bison Men rolled through 19 events scoring 114 points to take the meet and beat Maryland by 26 points.

 

They had their share of competition and when they didn't finish in first, they were able to score points placing second through sixth.

 

In their process of accumulating points, Khary Kenyatta, Leon Snyder and David Wynn qualified for MEAC in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:54.80, 1:54.84 and 1:55.48.

 

In the 3000-meter steeplechase, Jonathan Davis and Gerald Bright also qualified finishing second and third.

 

The men still have ample time to qualify the remaining few with their next meet at University of Virginia.

 

The Lady Bison have also been rolling strong this out-door season.

 

At Maryland, Phakiso Collins and Erica Day also qualified in the 200-meter dash to add to the list of four Bison women in six events.

 

This was one of the few scoring meets where the Bison were able to measure themselves as a team against other schools.

 

"The lack of team scoring meets isn't promoting track. People want to see teams go head-to-head, not invites. People want to know who won," Merritt said.

 

Beating Maryland was just another notch in their belt for the season. 

 

On March 28 in Raleigh, North Carolina, the Track Bison qualified the women's 4x100, 4x200 and the men's 4x800. 

 

"The women's 4x100 ran their fastest time of the season, 46.24 seconds. They beat UNC Chapel-Hill, Penn St., East Carolina, Virginia Tech and NC St," Merritt said. "I was even more thrilled when the 4x200 went 1:36.79 and knocked off Clemson, Eastern Michigan, Penn St., Duke and Tennessee. They have one of the fastest times in the east."

 

Merritt's goal is to get his runners healthy for the Penn Relays on Apr. 24-26. He's hoping that the women's relay can make it to the championship section where they can display their talent.

 

It was at last year's relays where the men' 4x400 Relay broke out from the pack and won their section. This time they hope their 4x800 will show spectators that beating Seton Hall, UNC, West Virginia, Virginia Tech and Boston College with a 7:43.62 wasn't a fluke.

 

Merritt's motto: "to dare is to do; to fear is to fail" resonates through the team where they have a take no prisoner attitude.

 

"We showed that we could be competitive with the best."