Chenango Forks Track and Field
Hall of Fame

Graduated:

School Record in 440 Yard Dash
Second in 880 Yard Run
Second in 220 Yard Dash

SUS Champion: 440 Yard Dash (1970), 880 Yard Run (1971), Mile Relay (1971)
Class Champion: 440 Yard Dash (1970), 880 Yard Run (1971), Mile Relay
State Meet: 440 Yard Dash (1970)

Because Distance Runners almost never have natural speed and Sprinters almost never have natural endurance, finding a Middle Distance Runner is a tough task.  On the rare occasion you do find a Distance Runner with natural speed, it is usually easy to convince that runner to at least try a shorter race.  Conversely, it is much more difficult to persuade a Sprinter with natural endurance to even entertain the idea of a longer race and that is what makes Gary Rittenburg's career so extraordinary. 

Fifty years after he graduated, Gary is still ranked as our 6th fastest 220 Yard/200 Meter Sprinter in history.  Quite obviously he had a Sprinter's speed, but Rittenburg wanted to try a longer race.  In his sophomore year he finished second at the Class Meet in the 440 and seemed to find his calling.  The next year he won the Susquenango Championship as well as the Class Championship in the event.  At the State Qualifier, Gary ran a ridiculous 52 flat, which set our School Record at the time (still our Fifth Fastest All Time in the 440 Yard/400 Meter Dash) and earned the right to run in the Intersectional Relay as their 440 leg.  That relay team finished 3rd overall, tied for the highest any male from Chenango Forks has ever stood on the podium at the State Meet.
       
As a senior, Gary led our Mile Relay Team (now called the 4 by 4 Relay) to All Conference status and also to the Class Championship, setting what was at the time our School Record in the event.  Rittenburg though was not convinced the 440 was his right individual race, so quite remarkable for a Sprinter, he concentrated on the 880 Yard Run.  Even more remarkable was how well he did in the event, winning both the Susquenango Championship and the Class Championship.  In his last race of his career at Chenango Forks, Gary ran the fifth fastest 880 Yard in our history with a time of 2:02.8 before going on to Ithaca College where he eventually set their School Record in the 440 Yard Hurdles and anchored their School Record Mile Relay Team.