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 | | THE WEEKLY EMAIL |
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Hello. On October 25, 1985, the first Blockbuster Video opened in Dallas, Texas. Five years later, there were 1,300 stores across America. However, during their annual meeting in 1993, many stakeholders warned CEO Wayne Huizenga and his board that pay-per-view and video-on-demand systems would soon topple the home video industry. They didn't listen, resulting in Netflix thriving and thousands of vacant video rental stores by 2010, when Blockbuster Video finally went out of business.
So, we don't want to be Blockbuster Video! We want to hear from our members, we want to change things that need to be changed, and we want to support every single team member the best that we can. While we love our team, we are sure there are things that can improve.
If you get a moment, please fill out this short survey here. Our Leadership Team is meeting on July 25th, and your input will shape our thinking and decisions as we discuss how to make our team a 10 on the Awesome Scale.
The aGSTC Fall Training Plan. by Ken Goglas and Mike Fonder Week 2: July 7-13 Mileage should be 60-70% of what you plan to build towards
Monday: 35-55 min run, 4x8 second hill sprint Tuesday: 35-55 min run, 6x100 strides Wednesday: 45-65 min run Thursday: 35-55 min run or cross train or off Friday: 35-55 min run, 8x100 strides Saturday: 40-60 min run Sunday: 60-80 min long run
The Entire Fall Plan If you have any questions or need clarification on anything, contact either Ken Goglas (ken_goglas@hotmail.com) or Mike Fonder (michael.fonder@gmail.com). |
| CLUB RACE RESULTS July 4th Traditions Continue for Many Club MemberS 
As the club slowly builds into its offseason training plan,  racing is obviously not an ingredient in Victoria Pontecorvo, with a sweet pre-race write-up here, won her five miler in 32:11. Mike Anis won, yet perhaps tied, the Cranford Firecracker Four Miler, coming across the finish line just hundredths before Elias Howard in 21:09. Angela Dunn finished 2nd in the Pitman 4.3 mile race in 27:15, thus setting a new club record for that distance that will probability stand for eternity. More on her being the Fastest Pitman Finisher below in the TMA. In the Knights of Columbus 5k at Millrown, perhaps the largest event in the town every year (we are only guessing), Tony Harris out-dueled Kyle Price for the title and a nice collection of winnings, seen to the right. Finally, Ted Doyle won the Run Through Maplewood 5k in 16:21, with teammates Henley Hage (17:36, PR) and TJ Zablocki (18:15, SB) just behind him all in the top ten.   |
aGSTC's 2014: Mid-Year Review
The Rise of the 4x100 Relay These guys did a lot of picture posing this spring...and for good reason. After finishing 2nd at Princeton's prestigious Larry Ellis Invite (picture above) and third in the Penn Relays Olympic Development race, they blasted a season-best 40.83 to dominate the Swarthmore Last Chance Invitational. This time was the second fastest club 4x100 relay in America, as it marked the first year the aGSTC finished with a faster time than that of cross-river rival, Central Park TC. New Captains, New Runners Lead Women In their first season as tri-captains, Angela Dunn, Erika Meling, and Cheyenne Ogletree had a unique transition to navigate. To make it even trickier, two of the team's best runners, Alyssa Douma and Sarah Schillaci, were out due to illness and injury, respectively. They ladies pulled together, however, and lengthened the open women's winning streak on the Grand Prix from 12 to 17. The women won the 20k, 15k, 5k, 1 mile, and 5 mile USATF-NJ Championship, including a 1-2-4 team finish at the 5k Championships, and a 1-2-3-4 team finish at the road mile. Along with having strong spring seasons themselves, the three captains pioneered an influx of new members who filled in very well. At the beginning of the season, Victoria Pontecorvo and Nora Norvell made their team debuts, while the end of the season brought along Maria Danna and the return of Greta Sieve. A Big Season for the Field Events The entire record book was re-written this year in the field, as both the jumpers and throwers saw a profound spike in performance in 2014. In the throws, the group was lead by the all-mighty Mo Riddick, who both qualified and competed in the 2014 Indoor USA Championships in the shot put. Throughout the spring, both her and teammate Alina Duran (weight throw, hammer) won nearby every gold medal they possible could. In the jumps, Herman Kirkland and Nafee Harris also won gold every meet the jumped in, as the two 25 footers were easily the best 1-2 jumps punch on the East Coast. The only question was who would beat who? At the Penn Relays Olympic Development event, it was Kirkland over Harris; at the Swarthmore Last Chance, it was Harris over Kirkland. While both disappointed in not qualifying for the USa Championships, both are eying the 2016 Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon. Not to be outdone by the men, Shene Davis, Lily Anderson, Kelsey Lewis, and Micah Leonard all have great seasons. Davis (LJ, TJ) and Lewis (HJ) all set new club records in their respective events. Top 8 Team CAM Spots Highlight Men Season The open men have once again set new USATF-NJ association records, building a lead so big Kyle Price, above, likes to talk about it while racing a road mile. Capturing the 20k, 15k, 10k, 1 mile, and 5k team titles, the men extend their USATF-NJ Grand Prix winning streak to 26 straight races. Beginning in September of 2011, their Era of Excellence has lasted almost three years. Before this streak, no men's open champion ever won every race in a year...let alone three of them. Thanks to the thoughtful lineup planning by co-captains Ken Goglas and Mike Fonder, the group is known to spread out their talent among as many scoring teams as possible, making every single runner a contributing member of the team score. In the College Ave Mile, the men swept an unprecedented top eight team spots, while at the President's Cup, they swept the top four. Not only does this require a deep depth of talent, it involves a deep commitment to the team mission and to team racing. Fonder won the 20k title, newcomer Atilla Sabahoglu won the 15k crown, and Chris Johnson won both the 1 mile and 5k championships. Masters: Ahead from 2013 
At this time last year, the men's masters team contributed six points to the overall Grand Prix score. This year, the group is at thirty points, and as captain Matt Baker would say, "In my book, that looks like a 400 percent increase." This bump can be attributed to the very strong core of dedicated racers, along with newcomers Chris Sallade, Duane Reed, Hernan Rozemberg, Julius Pontecorvo, and Steve Herring. Sallade (mile) and Rozemberg (5k) both ran incredible races at year's end, giving the group lots of optimism for the fall season just around the corner. 
The women's masters team had equally a strong year, as Michele Brangan, Sandi Kaspszyk, and Sarah Hersey are perhaps the best women's 40s team in the USATF-NJ. The only challenge is their collective schedules allowing them to all be at the starting line at the same time. Throw in Sheera Siegel and this group wins every women's 40s race out there. Meanwhile, captain Prudence Jones has seen a slow growth within her group, including Erin Varga, Stephanie Edwards, and Alicia Vilas. 1500m Focus, 5k Record During "Great Freeze"  It wasn't always this warm outside. In fact, the multitude of snowstorms forced the track group to shovel the track ten times ...yes, ten times. This not only made it hard to get in quality training, but running fast just wasn't an option. So, with 2014 being a down year with the USATF Club Nationals being on the West Coast, many of the mid-distance tracksters focused on either the 1500m or the 5k. And the results were astounding, setting up a banner year in 2015 as the men and women take a run at winning the club national title at NYC's Icahn Stadium.  Nearly every half miler set a PR in the 1500m, many of them shaving off 6-8 seconds. This included the likes of Ricky Garcia, Mark Parisen, Jarret Kunze, Jaris Rousseau, and Norbert Kuter. Meanwhile, in the 5k on the track, three men shattered the former club record of 14:40 in the Penn Relays Olympic Development race: Chris Warren (14:43), Mike Fonder (14:36), and Eric DuBois (14:38). Here, Warren and Fonder are shown leading their heat at the Larry Ellis Invitational 5k at Princeton University. The Rise of the 4x400 Relay While overshadowed by the flexing pictures of the 4x100 relay all year, one cannot forget about the trophy case built by the 4x400 relay. After getting edged out by Big East champ Rutgers in the January season opener, Tyrone Ross anchored the squad to thrilling come-from-behind victories at the Princeton Invitational and Monmouth Invitational. Here, Ross hands off to Tim Howard, errr, we mean Kevin Perrson, as the aGSTC duel Rutgers in "The Bubble." Come outdoor season, the crew had a big win at the Swarthmore Last Chance Invitational, where it ran the club's second fastest time of 3:15--thanks to a 46.8 split by anchor Isaiah Gill. Weeks later, Gill teamed up with Jamal Roberts, Logan Sharpe, and Jared Hanko to run 3:12.18, breaking the club record set in 2013 when Selasi Lumax brought home the gold medal in the club national championships 4x400 relay at Icahn Stadium. This finished third overall, and second in the hot heat, at the adidas Grand Prix. The women 4x400 relay took two huge steps forward, as the Vietnamese National 4x400 team (remember them?) won with a meet and club record of 3:41 at the Swarthmore Last Chance. The next month, the quartet of Robyn Evangelist, Jamesha Richard, Jennifer Edobi, and Haisha Bisiolu finished second at the adidas Grand Prix in 3:48.91--the fastest time and finish of the women's relay team in that meet. |
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Gold Star: Pierre Checo Pierre joined GSTC last week in order to get back into competitive running.His goals are to run sub 50 in the 400 and PR in the 800. WIth PRs of 50.7 in the 400 and 1:58 in the 800 there is no doubt he will be able to achieve those goals. His pre race rituals include listening to some pump up music and stretching religiously. Outside of running he likes to hang out with his friends and spend time relaxing.
TMA: Totally Misunderstood Award Sometimes when you can't find something, you simply keep looking, right? After all, you know you put those darned car keys somewhere. Well, Steve Mennit rejoins the team this summer both as a finally-healthy runner and in the TMA section, as our favorite Son of Edison (along with Dr. M. Anis, Esq.), upon not finding his car immediately, did what any other rational human would do: call the police as a stolen vehicle. Sure enough, just moments later, he found the car parked just two blocks away from where he normally parks it. He called the EPD back immediately, canceling the police dispatch, but alas...another TMA for you, good sir. We also feel an urge to give one to the Pittman 5k race directors, as it seems like Angela Dunn has ran--and won--the race several years now, yet this year they gave her "First Place Pittman Award" to a non-Pittman resident who....accepted the trophy. Lots of funny stuff going on in this one, but hey--it is South Jersey, we suppose, where they name their roads after Adin Mickle, so nothing should really surprise anyone. Summer Enclave Team Runs North Enclave Monday 5:45p @Pompton Lakes Wednesday 5:45p @ Pompton Lakes Thursday 6:15p @ Montclair Fleet Feet Saturday 8:00a @ Pompton Lakes Central Enclave Monday 6:30p @ Buccleuch Park parking lot (near gazebo) Thursday 6:30p @ Buccleuch Park parking lot (near gazebo) Morristown Enclave Wednesday 6:15p @ Morristown Running Company Saturday 9:00a @ Morristown Running Company Jersey City Enclave Saturday 9:00a @ Pier A, Hoboken Sunday 9:00a @ Pier A, Hoboken South Enclave Monday 5:30pm @ Elk Township Trail Wednesday 7:15 @ Gloucester County College Wednesday 6:30 @ Haddonfield Running Company Saturday 9:00am @ TDA w/ Beach Enclave Summit Enclave Saturday 8am @ Summit Running Company SUNDAY RUN: TBA VIA FACEBOOK More to come from the Beach Enclave and the Princeton Enclave
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What is this email? The GSTC Weekly Email is a collaborative effort to bring club membership an accurate and entertaining update on all team events, runs, results, workouts, quotes, and even mishaps every Sunday night. It is also often referred to as "The Email" or, by more prominent members of the running community, "error-fraught spam." If you'd like to submit anything that would contribute to any of these sections, please email us! | |
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Eli is joining GSTC after he graduates from Dickinson College because he is looking for a group to run with over the summer that is competitive but functions as a team.His prs are 
Chris is looking to join GSTC because he wants to be able to have a group to train with. His goals are to train hard smart, have fun, race, get close to his college PRs. His pre-race routine includes a nice warmup, stretches, drills and striders. After his warmup, he gets ready to run a great race and tries not to psyche himself out. Outside of running he is a software developer for by day and a huge Brooklyn Nets fan by night.
