LOCH SHELDRAKE – Pass through the doors of the Paul Gerry Fieldhouse and even before you see what is going on downstairs, you can hear the sharp report of the starting gun, the patter of running shoes hitting the floor and the roar of echoing voices, clear signs that Indoor track has returned. 

In the weekly developmental meets runners, jumpers and throwers from Tri-Valley, Sullivan West, Monticello, Fallsburg, Liberty, The Homestead School, Eldred and Ellenville work on their respective events which are primarily races ranging from 50 to 1600 meters. In addition, the meets also include shot put and high jump. 

Last year’s indoor track season was extremely disappointing with no meets at West Point. But this past weekend things came alive at the Gillis Field House in a non-scoring developmental meet. 

The advantage of holding the meets at West Point are obvious as all the indoor events can take place within the facility including those that cannot be run at the College, such as long and triple jump, pole vault and the 4x400, 4x800 and 4x3200 relay. While the developmental meets are unscored, coaches are busy with their stop watches and clipboards noting times and distances and personal records (PR’s). 

This past weekend was the first one held at West Point, and another is scheduled for this Friday night, weather permitting. 

Two more trips to West Point this winter will feature the Divisional and Sectional Championships. The state meet will be held at Ocean Breeze in Staten Island. 

There are clearly standout athletes in each event who are already positioning themselves as Sectional contenders. There are even a few who will be state contenders as well. Keep a close watch on the thorough coverage of indoor track as the season progresses where the stories and pictures will give readers the lowdown on the emerging teams and individuals of note.