The Third Annual Rotary Relays

The Rotary Relays
March 28, 2024
@ Blue Devils Stadium

On a cold and eventually very dark night, Chenango Forks Track and Field got Section IV’s Spring Track season started with the kickoff invite, the Third Annual Rotary Relays. Sponsored by the Nuimminsburgh Rotarians, over 600 athletes competed from 15 schools, with 1200 plus in attendance who witnessed two new stadium records set and the Vestal boys and Clinton girls taking home the team Championships. Our CF Blue Devil Trackmen finished second, and were just two points off of first place, while our girls team placed in the Top 10.

This fifteen-school invite represents the most schools ever hosted at our facility since the 1968 Susquenango Championship Meet. At that Meet, Chenango Forks was represented by the Fragomeni brothers, Tony in the Shot Put and Frank in the High Jump and Discus. The twins dominated that season and went on to each play Division One football, Tony as a three-year starting guard for Idaho State and Frank as a linebacker for the 1970 Sugar Bowl winning Tennessee Volunteers.

At this meet, fifty-six years later, two brothers again led the way for Chenango Forks…

Junior Nate Raab and freshman Lincoln Raab each ran legs for the winning Sprint Medley Team which was our fifth fastest in School History. Lead leg Lincoln passed the baton off to his brother in the third place finishing 4 by 100 Meter Relay team, which ran the seventh fastest time in School History. And the brothers also teamed together to finish second in the Long Jump Relay, for which Nate leaped 19’8.5 inches, the furthest of anyone attending the meet and the eighth best jump in School History! Nate went to top off his night by joining up with fellow junior Ethan Vaselck to win the High Jump Relay, capping off one of the most impressive first meets of the season for our program.

Juniors Ethan Austin and Zephan Tompkins teamed with the Raabs on the winning Sprint Medley Team, with Ethan also on the 4 by 1 Team, and joining fellow 4 by 1 teammate, freshman Max Harkness on the second place finishing 4 by 200 Meter Relay Team (along with senior Keegan Watson and freshman Sam Paske). Sam’s older brother, senior Walker Paske, teamed with sophomore Michae Moppert to place third in the Shot Put Relay.

On the girls side, keeping the sibling theme going, Sam and Walker’s sister, and returning Class C Discus Champion, Lauren Paske threw the overall furthest disc of the evening with a toss of 97’5 inches and teamed with junior Allison Palhamus to finish third in the Discus Relay. Our girls 4 by 800 Meter Relay Team of eighth grader Ceci Kasmarcik, junior Kendell Little, and freshmen Mari Pourby and Grace Harkness placed third overall. Fittingly, on his day, Grace’s twin–but one minute younger–brother Max was a member of the 4 by 1 Team and Kendell’s older brother Connor, coming off an impressive Indoor season, ran on our boys 4 by 800 Relay Team.

In other teams’ news, Delany Walters of CV broke Forks’s own Gianna Lawrence’s 100 Meter Hurdles Stadium Record, and Kennady Billman of South Jefferson, who ran the 25th fastest time in the State last season, shattered the previous 100 Meter Dash record at Blue Devils Stadium. Ithaca swept the Boys and Girls Distance Medleys and in the process, each took home the coveted Dr. Bob Water Bottle Trophies, named for Nimmonsburg Rotary Club’s founder Dr. Robert W. Smith.

And while all of these stellar performances were impressive to say the least, what most everyone will remember about the Third Annual Rotary Relays was the stadium lights going out at 9:15 PM. This was just before the final event of the night, the Boys 4 by 100 Meter Throwers’ Relay, was about to begin. Left with no choice but to cancel the rest of the meet, teams packed up their tents and gathered their equipment in near complete blackness and left the premises. All except one team… Clinton High School, who traveled two hours to attend the invite. Clinton’s throwers had been practicing their handoffs in preparation for the event and were extremely disappointed they did not get to put that practice to the ultimate test. But as fate would have it, the lights came back on as their bus was ready to depart. The team got off the bus and asked if they could run the event as a non-scoring exhibition. Of course the Chenango Forks coaches agreed to this and Clinton’s team ran a legendary 49.8 hand held 4 by 100 Meter Relay with perfect handoffs!

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