2010 New Balance Nationals Recap And Reflection

They sprinted. They jumped. They danced. They posed. They dazzled the crowd with national, meet, and personal records, and with their smiles. The 2700 athletes participating in the 2010 New Balance Nationals and their parents and coaches braved high humidity and temperatures in the mid 90's to close out the track year with everything they had left in the tank.

For Saratoga Springs, what was left in the tank had to suffice to fuel an all-night drive after some flight problems separated two members of their 4 x mile team from the others. It also fueled a 20:04.34 finish, third in the nation, all-time. Shore AC ended its track year with an absolutely jaw-dropping leg in the 1600 sprint medley relay, a 2:00.59 put in by Neptune HS sophomore Ajee' Wilson. Villanova-bound Emily Lipari from Roslyn, who shined back in January at the New Balance Games at the Armory, gave us all something to remember her high school career by with an incredible last kick (62.28 final lap) in the girls mile that carried her to first place (4:48.20) from back in the pack at sixth after what the NY Sports Writers blog called a previously "plodding" pace.

There was no shortage of standout individual and team performances. Here were three of our favorites from our vantage point in the stands and on the sidelines:

• Marquis Dendy's Triple Jump - As soon as he landed, his grin and grimace showed that he knew he'd totally nailed it. Dendy stole the show from the Girls 2 mile taking place on the track as he stuck a national record 52-07 triple jump to the amazement of the crowd. Here's cameraphone video we shot from the stands of his not-too-shabby next attempt:


• The Rosas' 2 Mile - It was amazing to watch twin redheads Joe and Jim Rosa battle race favorite Lucas Verzbicas and then each other throughout the race. To hear them tell it afterwards, overtaking Verzbicas was a team effort. Here's what Verzbicas looked like flashing by with 2 laps left
(note Marquis Dendy's Triple Jump distance on the board behind him.) And here's video of Joe Rosa's 8:44.06 finish:




• Blacksburg Girls' 11:31.26 National DMR Record - Hannah Brown moved the team into first on the third leg and then Joanna Stevens ran the final 1600 meters in 4:48.14, as the stands and the tents by the side of the track went absolutely crazy.
  

It was truly a thrill for us to meet two sides of the athletes - with their gamefaces and intense concentration on display on the track and with smiles and conversation in the hospitality tent and DJ area. We kept them busy even when they weren't making headlines. In those times when they weren't competing on the oval, they were holding their own custom photoshoots in the Smilebooth, relaxing under the mist fans, tearing it up in a dance contest, and checking out new and upcoming shoe design and technology with New Balance designer Javier Solis and the team.


Relay team fun in the Smilebooth

In our team's conversations with the athletes, we heard a few comments more than once. Most athletes responded well to the concept boards we showed them highlighting potential new design schemes for the coming year. They were almost all in favor of bright, bold color choices, and loved the idea of using patterns like plaids or tie-dyes, even on race spikes. Everyone cooed over the NB Asia "rainbow runners" we had on display, and our lighter, sleeker upcoming 2011 collection turned more than a few heads.

We returned North at the end of the weekend with indelible memories from high school and soon-to-be college stars from all over, fresh insights about what's on the minds of emerging athletes, and renewed energy to help power the feats of athletes around the world. We have a feeling we'll be seeing some of these same faces again in London in a couple of years, and can't wait to cheer them on.

Oh, and for Isaac, who requested some New Balance Nationals wallpaper for his phone - here's a single square and a repeated background (like the Smilebooth backdrop) to choose from. Let us know if these fit the bill!

For complete coverage of the 2010 New Balance Nationals, check out the event web site, reportage from ESPN Rise, and our Flickr set. And don't miss our previous articles about the event, Remembering Sarah Bowman's Record-Setting Mile and the event preview.