Musings and mutterings after spending 2 1/2 weeks on the road visiting nine of 12 DODDS and DDESS schools and looking around for the guy who sells the eye toothpicks:
-- That loud thud you heard about 10 a.m. Saturday was the jaws of many a St. Mary's International cross-country runner watching Andrew Quallio picking up right where he left off last year (click here for complete Saturday results). The Zama American senior sped over the Tama Hills Recreation Center's 2.9-mile course in 15 minutes, 20.4 seconds; Ion Fukazawa, an excellent St. Mary's runner, managed to finish 1:36.8 behind that. I say again: We need to bring back the international schools to Far East to get the truest gauge of how good Andrew really is compared to the entire rest of the Pacific.
-- Looking for a promising girls tennis player out of Matthew C. Perry? How about Rebekah Harwell, who won both her singles matches over the weekend vs. Yokota and Robert D. Edgren at Misawa Air Base?
-- Speaking of Edgren, how about young Angel Lemen, one of coach Andre Thibert's veterans who won her 2.1-mile heat at Tama by six seconds over Fukazawa's sister Rickey? Maybe has the potential to be the best Eagles girls runner since Jade Thrasher left two years ago.
-- On the volleyball court, Edgren is 2-2 largely behind the booming arm of junior Jessica Bergman, who racked up 21 kills as the Eagles split their two home matches with Yokota. Once coach Sarah Richardson can develop one or two consistent setters, those numbers will double as the season progresses. But Bergman's been a great revelation.
-- That Megan Chase really put up some good service numbers in Seoul American's spikers' straight-set season-opening win over Daegu American. Another good move-in for a Falcons team that needed plenty. Big test will come later this season against perennial power Seoul Foreign.
-- And Osan American's "Little Big Three" of Celine Baldevia (9 kills), Laura Vega (7) and Nicole Sparks (6 digs) was another group channeling its feats of last season as they opened the Korean-American Interscholastic Activities Conference campaign with a straight-setter at Yongsan International-Seoul. Seoul Foreign and Seoul American loom as the Cougars' biggest challenges.
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Go Angel!!
That can't be the very same Angel Lemen I had back in 7th grade Geography class...good see her doing so well...never knew she was such a runner.
In a league of talanted runners
Yes, Andrew is in a league of his own, however, others have shown that the ability and the knowlegde for running. T. Sauls is an excellent runner. Yes, Ion Fukazawa finished just 1:36.8 minutes behind Andrew, but Trey shows a consistant running style, with skill, and is on the chase for Andrew just falling short, 51.4 seconds behind. I understand the want to reenter the International schools into Far East, however, Quaillo and Sauls are still in a league of the own. Trey Sauls defeated Kinnicks goal of breaking Sauls down by out running him, Sauls answered back with a mental race and out ran as well as out thought the two Kinnick runners, sprinting towards the finish, at Sasebo this weekend, with a smile of accomplishment and no sign of fatigue. That is a sign of true ability, knowlegde and skill.