By SPENCER BATES
SALAMANCA — For the first time in over a year, the Salamanca track and field team has a home — a state-of-the-art one for that matter — and it intends on making the most out of it in its debut season.
For Salamanca boys track and field coach Michelle Hill and Salamanca girls track and field coach Laurie Lafferty-John, this is the moment they have been dreaming of. A new home, signifying the beginning of a new chapter for the program.
“I remember when I was competing in high school and Salamanca had the first all-weather track, so that was the place to go and to compete,” Michelle Hill said. “So it is so incredible that we have the facility that we have now. And the fact that the Super 8 Meet will now be, for the first time ever on home turf, a true Super 8, we are so excited.”
Lafferty-John echoed her fellow coach’s level of excitement.
“We are just so blessed to have this facility,” Lafferty-John said. “I think that when people walk in, mouths are dropping open. And I think that is an inspiring fact in and of itself, that people want to be part of something that automatically exudes pride. … And I think, last year, our kids were burned out for various reasons, but one of them was riding the bus every day. So we just have so much more quality practice time because of being able to be at home and having it right in our back backyard.”
But excitement is only one of the emotions that has been elicited by the construction of the new facilities. Lafferty-John made it known that the rededication of the facility in the names of former Salamanca track and field coaches Bob Nugent and Louis Foy — which will occur on May 16, the day of Salamanca’s Super 8 Meet — will be a special moment for the entire program.
“It makes me very emotional, because for 35 years I’ve been a Warrior that has been inspired primarily through working with Bob Nugent. Being able to coach his daughter, (whose) husband is an alumni that ran under Louis Foy, we’ve got the Foy family coming back, and his children, (for the dedication). That’s some big shoes to fill. So, we can only hope that, and I feel confident that we have put our heart and soul into this program.”
Over recent years, the Warriors program has grown exponentially. And this year, with the new facilities drawing even more athletes into the program — a process Michelle Hill likened to the movie “Field of Dreams” — the Salamanca coaching duo have been presented with the luxury of substantial squad depth.
“We have the largest team that I have ever coached since I took over the head coaching position,” Michelle Hill said. “We have 33 boys on the varsity roster, and that is just absolutely phenomenal. Just to have the depth that we have not had in so many years, is encouraging. It’s kind of like the “Field of Dreams” movie, build it and they will come. I also believe our indoor program has also influenced our outdoor numbers.”
But while the sheer numbers alone are nice, as Lafferty-John pointed out, it’s the talent within that depth that has led to a superb season thus far for the Warriors.
“I would say, in the last 10 years, it’s probably one of the most well-rounded teams that we’ve had,” Lafferty-John said. “We have standouts in almost every event.
“Our roster currently has 32 girls and what’s been so nice is that … we have quality across the board. And, to be honest, in track and field, because we’re all so spread out during our competition, the numbers are nice because it just naturally leads to the energy that’s needed for our sport. Just watching the kids develop that camaraderie amongst one another as the season’s progressed has been very rewarding.”
Salamanca’s Isabella Milks clears the bar in the high jump. (Michelle Hill)
Still, with a deeper roster, Michelle Hill and Lafferty-John are just two coaches. And as the latter noted, they can only be in so many places at once.
This is where the respective team leaders have come up big. For the boys program, Michelle Hill has been able to rely on the likes of veterans Jesse Hill, who will miss the season while rehabbing an injury, Kyle Lecceardone, Evan Spruce, Payton Bigler, Jackson Oram, Aiden George and Remy Follman. Whereas Lafferty-John has relied upon Ryanna Brady, Isabella Milks, Aubrey Domres and Ariyanna Bluntt to take up important leadership positions.
“It’s definitely just a bonus for us, because, even during practices and meets, we’re all kind of divided up,” Lafferty-John said. “And as a head coach, you can’t be everywhere that one time. So, knowing that the kids that are coming up have that role model to (look towards to) see how things are done and how to continue the traditions that we have worked so hard over the years to put in place is something that I think is going to be of huge value in our continued success.”
As for the overall goal the program has this season, the common thread is continued improvement. However, on an individual level, Michelle Hill and Lafferty-John made it clear that they are looking to make a splash in the Section and State Meets when all is said and done.
“Day-to-day, we want to attack practice every moment with a positive mindset, with the intention to get a little bit better,” Michelle Hill said. “Whether it’s with mindset and … or whether it’s choosing a different training partner that challenges me day-to-day. We’re looking for each and every athlete to get a little bit better. And that includes us as coaches too, to expand our drill repertoire, so to speak. … Hopefully we look to improve (in the championship part of our season) and improve representation at the sectional level as well.”
Lafferty-John agreed:
“I think as a team, we had a goal to have an undefeated season, and we fell three points short at the first meet,” Lafferty-John said. “ But hopefully, we can continue to stack up the team wins moving into the CCAA championships. … The individual goals are always to get as many kids to sectionals as we can. The format this year has changed from years previous, … so it’s going to be a little bit more challenging in some respects. And I believe that we do have kids that are capable of advancing on to the next level. We are very close to some of those New York State standard times.”
And at the time of writing, the Salamanca boys and girls track and field teams look to be on a good path towards achieving those milestones. The boys team currently sits with a 6-2 record while the girls team has just one negative mark to its name with a 7-1 record. The Warriors will look to keep the positive results rolling in their next meet on May 12 at 5 p.m. on the road at Franklinville.
