Far East HS track and field picture gradually coming into focus
Published: May 10, 2012
Latest installment of Far East High School Track and Field Meet analysis and predictions from Bruce Carrick, longtime Pacific cross-country and track observer and gatekeeper of meet and individual results at Athletic.net.
With less than two weeks until the Far East High School Track and Field Meet, there is still time for the unexpected. But participants have been selected and coaches are arranging their athletes for optimum results. Rules have capped the multi-event athlete to four events, and now we can make some slightly better predictions.
Individual events are the most stable; relays are the unknown element, as members are as not yet published. This is important because many marks during the season were set with the best available members, but now many of those athletes will be exhausted from their individual events or simply not available.
The big question: Whose well is deepest?
Boys
Based on the selections and already announced drops, with only the individual events, boys scoring is a virtual tie between American School In Japan and Nile C. Kinnick, with Yokota close behind. Kadena trails some distance back. Kubasaki, Seoul American, Zion Christian Academy and Okinawa Christian International make up the middle pack. Relays would seem to give Kinnick the edge, if they still have their best available. ASIJ and Yokota relay teams will likely widen the gap on t he rest of the field.
Girls
It will come down to who can get the most points: the Henderson sisters (Amanda and Pam of Seoul), Turner sisters (Chinyere and Pashence of Kadena), Caines sisters (Kiana and Janika of Kadena) or Stefani Loisel of Guam. If these ladies could enter more than 4 events, they would take the majority of meet points. Amanda Henderson and Loisel are capable of the most big point finishes. Individual event scores could result in a very tight race between Kadena, Seoul, Guam High, and ASIJ, in that order. Who has the most left to run the relays? I think ASIJ is the most balanced team and will have the most sources left for relays. It could vault them to the top.
More focus on individuals and individual races after the Saturday’s Kanto Invitational at Yokota.
