Blog # 5 - MIAA Eastern Division 4 State Championships
June 2, 2014
Saturday May 31st, all of the Division 4 qualifiers met on the Durfee High School track. It was a beautiful day for racing...except for the wind. With 6 seniors competing, we were hoping that this would not be their last meet and their performances would carry them to All-States. Two of our seniors, Merissa and Lindsey, placed in the top three and will be moving on to next weekend. Special shout out to Lindsey because this is her first time going to Spring All-States!! Another special shout out to Camille who, by finishing third in the 400 hurdles, will be running her first individual event at Spring All-States #YouGoGirls! As always, we were shooting for the ultimate prize, a team victory. Unfortunately we had some injuries that led to some late scratches. An amazing all-around effort from a strong North Reading team was hard to compete with!
I will also take this time to make my own personal PSA. Think twice before doing the 400/800 double. I have done some pretty tough doubles in the past. This was probably the least fun out of all of them. Earlier in the season, before the idea that someone would actually be crazy enough to do these events so close together, I was talking to a friend and we came to the conclusion that this double was insane. On Saturday, I was able to compete in these events, along with the 400 hurdles. My day was filled with great results. The 400h race is run early enough to allow plenty of recovery for the open 400. The 400m race was tiring mentally and physically, especially with the wind. My goal for the 800m was to finish top three to guarantee myself a stop at All-States. Once the 800m race started, I was able to maintain second for about 600m. It was windy on the straightaway and my legs were feeling heavy. I dropped back into fourth for a bit but I was able to fight it out and finish third. I would have to say that this was the most gratifying race of the day for me. Overall the day was certainly tough, but I am very happy with my results. I’m not saying that I will be doing this double again anytime soon, but I will admit that I loved the challenge and the chance to test my limits. Talk to you soon...
"Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hardwork, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe."
-Gail Devers
Blog # 6 - MIAA All State State Championships
June 10, 2014
Saturday June 7 was a beautiful sunny day and Bridgewater State College's Swenson Athletic Complex was packed with talented athletes from around the state. The All-State meet always provides plenty of excitement and this year was no exception. From record breaking performances in the women's 400m and 800m to a men's 2-mile that rivaled that of Alberto Salazar. I would be remiss if I didn't give a huge shout out to Sierra, Karina and Paul #lighteningfast.
The Ursuline team had an amazing day Saturday as well. Camille and Merissa both had PRs in the 400h and the 400 respectively. Their times also earned them medals! The 4x400 team took 10 seconds off their Division IV qualifying time. My day was pretty amazing on Saturday too. I kicked off the festivities by singing The National Anthem #dreamcometrue. I was so nervous, but it definitely took my mind off of my race. Since I was qualified in three events for the All-States meet, coach gave me the green light to choose whichever event I wanted to run. For me the choice was fairly easy, I had never run the 800 outdoors on fresh legs. Since I am running it at Nationals, I chose the 800. This also gave me the opportunity to try a new race strategy. I was even more pleased with my results having run a 2:11.6 PR from the slow heat. It would have been awesome if I could have run against Karina in her final MA High School race. But we chatted after and we hope to race against each other in college some day!
It's hard to believe that the last time I raced at Swenson Athletic Complex I was in the 8th grade running in my first All-State competition. I've just finished my junior year at Ursuline. The years have gone by so quickly, I have made some amazing friends and I have the best track memories. I am so glad that back in the spring of 2011 my mom asked me to skip lacrosse for one season and try track! Talk to you soon...
********** “I tell runners to divide the race into thirds. Run the first part with your head, the middle part with your personality, and the last part with your heart.” -Mike Fanelli **********
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Piccolo, AmyATHLETE Ursuline Academy, Class of 2015. Dedham, MA
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The Amy Piccolo Blog- "Appreciation for Multi Event Athletes"ARTICLE This is the first of many blog entries from Amy Piccolo. She reently finished 3rd at the MSTCA Pentahlon scoring 2745 points. She will be competing this weekend at the Weston Twilight Meet competing in the 800 Meter Run and 400 Meter Hurdles - 2014-05-02 10:40:00
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Q&A w / Amy PiccoloARTICLE Amy Piccolo of Ursuline Academy has been one of Massachusetts Outstanding performers both indoors and Outdoors. She has an impressive resume that extends to almost every event in track and field. Starting later this week, Amy will be adding a weekly blog to Milesplitmass, detailing all of her weeks activities. - 2014-04-16 00:33:00
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The Amy Piccolo Blog: MSTCA Coaches Invite & Relay EditionARTICLE Saturday started out a bit damp and rainy, but by the time the running events got under way, the clouds were clearing and the humidity was rising. With this being a ladies only meet, the crowd and the noise level were not quite as deafening as usual. However, the competition at Dilboy Stadium was amazing. The track was hot and the girls were running fast. A shout out to my friend Bella who is killing it in the 200! She is having a great season and I can't wait to see her times in late May/early June. A special congrats to Northampton's Lauren who made an hour and forty-five minute trip to compete. She had a huge PR in the discus to place 2nd and a season best in the shot put to place 6th #worththetrip. - 2014-05-22 17:36:00
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The Amy Piccolo Blog: The Twilight EditionARTICLE On Saturday night, the Weston High School Track was definitely the place to be. The Twilight Meet is always a fun event for athletes and spectators and tonight was no different. I'm sure that I wasn't the only athlete that was a bit tired after attending a Prom Friday night and taking SATs Saturday morning. 'Tis the season. So, hanging out with friends at the track was just what the doctor ordered. Since coach arrived early, we had an awesome spot for our tent, right at the finish line, ready to cheer everyone to victory. As the night went on, we saw some great races. As always my BFFs Jordan and Joe went on to victory i - 2014-05-07 20:00:00
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Twilight Girls Recap: Piccolo, Dietz Shine Under the LightsARTICLE With SATs in the morning and her junior prom the night before, Amy Piccolo was a little tired before lining up for her 800-meter race at the Weston Twilight Invitational Saturday night. But it still didn’t stop her from doing what she does best – winning! The junior from Ursuline Academy held back in the early stages of the race and with less than 200-meters remaining kicked into high gear en route to a first-place time of 2 minutes, 18.42 seconds. Piccolo defeated runner-up Olivia Manickas-Hill of Lexington, who was timed in 2:19.43 for the two-lapper. “This is my first - 2014-05-06 17:40:00
