The inaugural Run for Recovery 5K will be held Saturday, May 6, beginning at 9 a.m. from Cape Henlopen High School.
The event will be sponsored by Attack Addiction and produced by the Seashore Striders with a goal of bringing together several agencies that are working to fight the widespread addiction issues in Sussex County. It seems that every few weeks, I pick up the paper and see another young man or woman who died from an overdose. Just this week I am dealing with a sad situation on my track team of a young runner who just lost her dad. This issue has been getting worse and worse over the past five years, and it is just too close to home with too many names I know. Only last spring it was Delaware Online that reported, “In Sussex, heroin crime increased nearly 2,000 percent.”
This event will not solve our problem, but I do hope it can help with awareness and bring organizations together for a common cause. Our beautiful Cape playground needs help. Registration for this run and walk can be done at seashorestriders.com. Please come out and support this great cause.
What is Attack Addiction?
The following was taken from attackaddiction.org. Attack Addiction is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit group created in memory of Tyler Armstrong Keister after his accidental overdose. The goal is to help young people realize the dangers of alcohol and drugs so that they and their families never have to experience the pain, tragedy and loneliness that accompany addiction.
“Our mission is to spread the word about addiction by educating students, and the community, assisting families in their quest for information, and supporting those in recovery.”
The main purpose of the group is to educate and bring awareness of addiction as a disease, rather than the stigma that is suffered in shame by the person with the disease and their loved ones. Attack Addiction seeks to educate by speaking at schools, prisons and any other venues where there is an interest in learning more about the disease of addiction. We strive to bring real and effective change to existing drug policy. We are not a support group, but we end up supporting those in recovery, those who have a loved one in recovery or those who have lost a loved one to the disease.
Henlopen Conference Top 10
A project I have been working on for a month now is a new Henlopen Conference Top 10 list for the indoor championships held at the Snow Hill, Md. facility since 2008. I hope to have a booklet out to the coaches by the spring season so any corrections can be made before the championships roll around again. This year, Meet Director George Pepper tells me seven records were broken that will land as No. 1 on the top 10 list. Stay tuned.
Sam Young
Cape Henlopen graduate Sam Young recently transferred from University of Delaware to University of Virginia. Last week at the Darius Dixon Memorial Track Meet at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., Sam cleared 16-feet-4-3/4-inches in the pole vault. Sam finished second in the field of 20 jumpers, as the winner out of Liberty also jumped the same height, but won the competition on misses. Sam is only 1 foot away from making the top 10 list for NCAA Division I performances in the United States. Sam was a 2015 pole vault state champ and is the son of locals Eileen and Frank Young. The Young family, with driver Eileen, leads the top three list at Shields Elementary School for the most morning drop-offs in a 10-year period, with the Minni and Coveleski families close behind. Congratulations to Sam Young.
Beacon Track & Field
We are one month away from the outdoor track & field season, where I will team up with Gilbert Maull and Jamie Loucks again as we hope to continue to add to the 62-0 record streak the Beacon girls’ program has put together and get a young boys’ team back on track. A sign-up sheet went up last week, and before I could finish taping it up, there were 11 names on the list. I always say to people that having big numbers always helps, and the last few years we have started with more than 100 athletes on both the boys’ and girls’ teams. But the key is to have 10 scorers who are quality, smart, hardworking kids in middle school who you can usually get it done with. This year’s sixth-grade class, I am told, is very talented, and we will see which boys and girls take the step and come out to keep a good thing going.
Mariner Middle School seems to improve each year, and they again will be led by Kenny Riedel and John Horst, who have worked hard to get their program on track.
Cape Indoor Track & Field
The boys and girls of the Cape indoor track & field program will head to Maryland for the Delaware State Championships this Saturday. Yes, you heard me correctly; Delaware must conduct its state meet in Maryland since the University of Delaware turned its 200-meter oval into an indoor practice facility for lacrosse and football and turned its back on the indoor track program not only at UD, but high school indoor track programs throughout the state.
The meet is now held in Landover, Md., at the Prince George’s Recreation Center and will begin at noon.
The Vikings will compete in all three relays on both the boys’ and girls’ side of the action with the best chance of a top six finish out of the girls’ 800-meter team of freshman Meredith Lockwood, sophomore Zoe Callard, freshman Olivia Brozefsky and sophomore Darby Klopp.
For the Cape boys, Greg Boyce has qualified in the 1,600, 800 and 3,200 runs and will likely choose two, while Ryan Head will compete in the pole vault.
For the Cape girls, Olivia Brozefsky has qualified in the 1,600 and 3,200 run events; Vienna Iacona will compete in the 55 meters, Marcella Sabbagh in the high jump, Sam Wyatt in the 55 hurdles, Ce’yra Middleton and Mackenzie Parker in the shot put, and Rose Minni in the triple jump.
Valentine’s 5K
On Sunday, Feb. 12, at 10 a.m., the 12th annual Valentine’s 5K Run will take off from the fishing pier of Cape Henlopen State Park in Lewes. Registration is online at seashorestriders.com or runners can register on race day from 8:30 to 9:50 a.m. Preregistration is $20, with race-day at $25. Awards will go to the overall, masters and top three finishers in 10-year age groups from 9 & under to 70 & over. The course will leave the fishing pier and travel by way of the multiuse trail to the lookout at Fort Miles and back.
