Story Photos
 Photo by Greg Ebersole R.A. Long senior Lonnie Brown takes flight in the long jump during Thursday's dual meet against Skyview at Longview Memorial Staduim. |
Leapin' Lonnie
Friday, April 30, 2004 7:45 AM PDT
By Jesse Cramer
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E-mail this articleLonnie Brown won four events and was the difference-maker in the R.A. Long track team's victory over Skyview on Thursday in a nonleague dual meet at Longview Memorial Stadium.
Brown has excelled this season in the long jump and triple jump, and RAL coach Butch Allinger has looked to maximize Brown's impact on the team by working him into a variety of events, including heats, relays and the high jump.
"I told Lonnie I wanted him to run in the (1600) relay today, and he said, 'I thought you might ask me that.' He's always willing to do what we ask of him," Allinger said. "He's such a good athlete that you can put him in any (event) and he'll do fine. He seems to adjust to the competition. He enjoys that."
Brown won every event he competed in against Skyview. The senior took the long jump with a distance of 20 feet, 9 1/2 inches, won the 100-meter dash in 11.34 seconds, then added a victory in the triple jump (41-7 1/2) before teaming with Steve Hamilton, Jordan Peterson and Steve Up to win the boys 1600 relay in 3:42.28.
The relay win came on the final boys event of the meet and gave RAL a 70-65 comeback victory.
Brown was instrumental in the win as far as team points, but Allinger said there's more to the positive effect Brown has had on the RAL track program.
"He's kind of what you want your team to be like, in a sense. If you want a team member and an athlete, he fits that person you want to have," Allinger said. "He keeps working out all year, so we're trying to get other kids to get the same idea. They can't just walk out for track and expect to be in good enough shape.
"He follows all the rules and he has good questions. He's an enjoyable young person to be around," Allinger added.
In his sophomore year, Brown came to R.A. Long from Santa Rosa, Calif., where there was no middle school track program. But things fell into place for Brown when he joined the Jacks' track and field team.
"When I first moved up here, the long jump was the first event the coaches put me in and it was just something I got used to," said Brown, who last year qualified for the district meet in the long jump and placed fifth despite a nagging hip flexor injury.
"Coach (Randy) Lemiere helped me out a lot when I got started," Brown said. "Now, (jumping) coach (Kelly) Sack has been helping me on the triple jump to shorten my last stride to get more height."
"He's a phenomenal athlete," Sack said. "What stands out about him is that he has the most wonderful attitude. He comes to you and asks, 'What can I do to get better?' Some athletes don't want to ask how to get better."
Brown found that competing in track helped him stay in shape and make great strides during football season.
"As a wide receiver, during my sophomore year it was hard for me to push off and blow by people. But in my senior year, in my first varsity game I used breakaway speed on two touchdowns on fades," Brown said.
"It's been a good athletic year for him," Allinger said. "He stepped it up in football. At track, he hasn't reached his potential, but he's getting stronger and smoothing out some things. He's probably peaked-out in the long jump, but in the triple jump it's nothing for him to put another six inches on a PR (personal record) in one day."
Brown is likely to compete at district again this year, "in the long jump, and hopefully in the triple jump and with one of our relay teams," he said.
Next fall, he is leaning toward playing football or track at Shasta College in Redding, Calif., where his cousin Matt Beam, a 2002 RAL grad, attends.
Two of Brown's teammates were also key in RAL's win over Skyview.
Double-winners for the Jacks were Drew Nelson in the 800 (2:30.62) and 1600 (5:11.28), and Brad Lengyl in the javelin (122-0) and discus (112-8).
Seth Sternagel posted a personal record (10-6) to win the pole vault, and Joe VanNatta (3200, 11:57.96) and Up (400, 55.12) were also individual winners for the Jacks.
The RAL girls led 71-69 leading up to the 1600 relay, the last event of the day. But the Jills lost their lead on the second leg of the relay and couldn't recover as the Storm pulled away for a 74-71 win.
Standouts for the Jills were Stefa Chow, who won both the long jump (14-0 1/2) and triple jump (28-2 1/2), and Blessing Palaita, a double-winner in the discus (99-5 1/2) and shot put (31-11).
Other first-place winners for RAL were Krista Bartell in the 100 hurdles (18.03), Cora Siipola in the 300 hurdles (51.68), Meghan Gunn in the 800 (2:45), Liisa Gilbertson in the 1600 (6:35), Jenny Snyder in the 3200 (15:47) and Stefanie Sternagel in the pole vault (10-0).
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