A Look At HSMSE's Indoor Track Team's Future Stars

Despite a very successful season, the High School for Math Science and Engineering indoor track team is already focusing and training for 2021. Coach Thomas Henning is confident in his underclassman for next season. Sophomore Jory Lee and freshman Penelope Larkin are two athletes extremely capable of making a difference for the Flying Dragons.

Lee's results in the long jump and the triple jump were stellar this season. He jumped 39' 6” at the Jim Mckay Games and finished first at the PSAL Gobbler Classic. Henning credited Lee's success to his strength and focus.

“He was very focused on the triple jump,” Henning said.

Larkin demonstrated great leadership and future potential among the freshmen. Henning noted her impressive 11.01-second performance in the 55-meter hurdles at the Manhattan Borough Championships.

“She was amazing," he said. "She's very good at triple jump and hurdles.”

Larkin also excelled in pole vaulting. She finished first in the PSAL Last Chance meet, with a height of 7' 2''.

Henning believes for the athletes to compete at a high level for next season, they have to condition their bodies during the off-season. He mentioned how extremely important it will be for the team increase their strength through weightlifting if they want to compete at a high level.

“I am serious, everyone needs to do weight training,” he said.

For many HSMSE freshmen and sophomores on the indoor track team, they must start training now in order to compete against many of the other schools who are farther along in their strength and development. Through a year of intense training and a strong work ethic, both Larkin and Lee have the potential to lead the Flying Dragons to another successful season.

- Nii Adjei Nortey also contributed to this article.

The most prominent family at HSMSE

Kleant Daci 2013 / Tom Henning

The High School for Math, Science and Engineering has a limited amount of sports; however, a great number of students aspire to achieve in cross country. The Flying Dragons' success as a team, in size and in competition, is due to the friendly environment that the runners create for each other.

Cross country is the most popular sport in the school because it attracts all different types of student-athletes.

“I believe many people joined cross country because we built up a reputation of being a very supportive and kind team, but also it is a place for those who probably aren't the most coordinated of athletes but happen to be talented runners instead,” said three year member Kleant Daci.

Even though cross country is fundamentally an individual sport, the members of the Flying Dragons are very unified. Although they usually don’t run with each other, they still work out together like any other team. The practices help the team devise strategies and build mental endurance for the races, helping each other reach their full potential.

“It almost feels like a big, big family,” said freshman runner Chae Young Kim.

There is a small number amount of girls on the cross country team, but they work hard to keep up with the guys.

“I don't know if I would enjoy [having more girls on the team] more because being on a co-ed team encourages me to run as fast as the guys,” girls captain Michelle Lee said. “I can't just give up because I'm a girl.”

The outcomes of this unified and family-like team helped them reach the city finals. A large number of new students are expected to join cross country again next September. Using what they learned this year, they seem more than ready to stay as a family and look to run even farther than they did before.

New running grounds for HSMSE

The outdoor track team / T. Henning

The High School for Math, Science, and Engineering’s outdoor track team is entering the PSAL this season. After only one invitational meet with the PSAL last year, the team is now officially a part of the league. What happens this season will be a mystery, but they look to build upon it.

“I have no idea how we are going to do since this is our first season in the PSAL” coach Tom Henning said. “We’re here to set the starting mark.”

Henning has also brought cross-country to HSMSE. The cross-country team entered the PSAL in 2012. During the 2013 season, the cross-country Flying Dragons impressively dominated most of the top 15 spots in the 5K Grand Prix at Van Cortlandt on September 24th. Some of the athletes from the cross-country team will be members of the outdoor track team once the season starts.

Junior Michael Alvin is one of the many cross-country runners who will transition into outdoor track this season. You have to look no further than the aforementioned race in Van Cortlandt where he placed 9th out of 56 runners to see that he has the potential to perform well in outdoor track.

Junior Julian Galperin will also join Alvin in transitioning seasons. Though his experience in cross-country suggests an easy move to outdoor track, Galperin recognizes the difference between the two sports.

“Track is a completely different sport so even if someone is a great cross country runner, they might be a horrible sprinter,” he said. “I'm one of the faster kids on the cross country team, but probably in the middle for track.”

The team is by no means expecting to be the best runners right away, but rather to gain experience.

“Our goal is to do the best that we can with what we have and learn how to do better next year,” Henning said.

By: Velid Mulic and Kofi Odame

The Flying Dragons journey into PSAL

HSMSE Flying Dragons at Grand Prix 1 / T. Henning

Finally after being acknowledged this fall as a PSAL cross-country team, the HSMSE Flying Dragons trained more intensely than ever to compete against the best in the city. Training four to five days a week in addition to weekly races, this team has been striving to be among the city’s top teams. All of the work this team has done has put them on the road to a bright future.

The HSMSE Flying Dragons have been forced to train harder since becoming a PSAL team. “The intensity of the practices were much greater this year since this was our first time in the PSAL,” said senior runner Marcelo Bravo. “The added level of competition made me run faster because I feel as a team, we felt like making our mark as able competitors.” The Flying Dragons worked hard to show off their speed in city wide competitions. In their first 5k Grand Prix at Van Cortlandt Park on September 19, 2012, five Dragons runners placed in the top 10, including Bravo. “Running has made me take on a very goal-oriented approach to athletics,” Bravo said. “It has made me competitive in a sense that I always want to improve my own personal bests.”

Thomas Henning, the coach of the Dragons, sees a bright future ahead for this team. Since joining the PSAL, the runners have improved due to not only running longer distances, but also “being a year older makes a big difference,” he said. “I think we’re going to improve because our best runners will be seniors.”

One of these seniors will be Kleant Daci. The 2012 Mayor’s Cup had many more schools competing against each other than the Dragons’ first Grand Prix. The junior placed 42nd overall in the 2.5-mile varsity race out of a total of 394. He is an extremely fast runner and the coach projects him to be a top competitor next season. “I think he’ll do well; he has a great work ethic,” said Henning. “He’s very gifted as an athlete and he’s very competitive in a sense of wanting to beat other people in a race.”

Now that they are in the PSAL, the Dragons no longer go to races as an unknown school. “There is a higher degree of competition than there was before,” said Daci. “We are going up against bigger schools and there's more competition, so this urges us to do better.”

Contributed by Alex Long and Kian Zadeh

The Flying Dragons' road to victory

After three years of being denied by the PSAL, this coming fall season will be the first appearance by HSMSE’s cross country team in the league. The Flying Dragons are planning to surprise the other competing teams. Thomas Henning, their coach, has great confidence in his team and knows they are going to go far. Henning said in an interview, “Nobody knows who we are so when we run, we are going to win and win.”

Henning is excited about his team finally being able to compete in the PSAL. The team’s first PSAL race starts in late September. The PSAL competition consists of ten races with teams from all five boroughs competing against each other for the championship. After asking Henning about his thoughts on the team’s first appearance in the PSAL, Henning replied, “It’s very exciting because we will be able to do ten races.”

Just like their coach, the Flying Dragons are looking forward to their first meet in fall. They will start preparing for this competition on the 20th of August. They will be doing drills and workouts such as long distance sprints, running up hills, and multiple mile runs four to five times a week. Sophomore Mathew Brown, one of the runners from the Flying Dragons who ran for two seasons gave his opinion on the drills and workouts, “It’s not fun, but I know it will help me improve.” These drills and workouts will turn out to help them in the future.

This will be an exciting season for the Flying Dragons. With their heads high, they will march towards victory. However, they do not expect for everyone on the team to win. Henning explained, ”You’re not trying to be first, you’re trying to be better.” The Flying Dragons want to win, but the top priority for them is to make themselves better. They are confident and training hard to get far in competition. They know that their hard work will pay off. This is a new era for the Flying dragons. The excitement within the team increases each day as the first PSAL meet gets closer.

The Best Pace is a Suicide Pace and Today is a Good Day to Die

     The High School for Math, Science, and Engineering Flying Dragons cross country team, “are a very tight group,” says head coach Thomas Henning. From practice to practice and meet to meet, they are always pushing each other to do the very best that they can. They have been running at the school for the past few years and although they aren’t a PSAL team, they love what they do. One of the most important values of the Flying Dragons is team spirit.

    The Flying Dragons have a very rigorous training regiment and this camaraderie is what keeps them going. They practice five days a week and run both long and short distances. The team runs on a variety of different surfaces such as grass, asphalt and dirt trails, because cross country meets span a variety of different running terrains. They do crazy things like running around in spirals on the surface of a hill; it builds up the muscles in your ankles which helps on the rough competition trails.  Kleant Daci, a runner on the Flying Dragons put it best, “You run ‘til you die and then keep on running.”

    Team companionship is the key for success in the sport of cross country, and thankfully for the Flying Dragons, this is not something that the team lacks. Everybody really gets along and they treat each other like family. When the team goes to meets, this is especially important. Daci says the Flying Dragons, “welcome each other like brothers and sisters, when someone needs an extra push we give it to them.” This is what makes the Flying Dragons such a great team; everyone is always having a fun time.

HSMSE Flying Dragons. Photo Courtesy of Thomas Henning

    Not only do they train hard and support each other throughout the year, the runners of the Flying Dragons love what they do. “It’s just a great feeling,” says Daci. Some people have also taken up leadership roles within the team. These leaders aren’t necessarily the fastest runners, but are the ones who are there for the team. They help the people that need it and really motivate the team to do better than their best.

    The main goal of the Flying Dragons is to improve their times, and many have done so. The top runners aren’t necessarily the ones who improve the most. Players such as Sam Braverman were able to improve their pace by 45 seconds, while others made similar improvement.  Improving your time is tough, but with enough effort, a love of cross country running, and support by your teammates, it becomes much easier.

    The HSMSE Flying Dragons have a great relationship with each other that helps them to improve their times. They always are supporting each other and helping them along the rocky road. For them, the key to success is support from their peers, having a good time, and running as fast as they can. As Steve Prefontaine once said, “The best pace is a suicide pace, and today is a good day to die.”

To learn more about the Flying Dragons visit their website.

Contributed to by: Greg Sakas, Timothy Jacobs and Amora Meas.

Why I Like Cross Country Running

Race starting line at Van Cortlandt Park/ Tom Henning

Cross country running encompasses the most important values that one can take from sports. It is widely participated in when it comes to high school teams although it can also be considered an individual sport. Runners may practice together, but when it comes to race day, one is in a constant battle against every other runner and most importantly, oneself. The body's true stamina and capability are determined greatly by the mind when it comes to running. As a competitive sport, cross country demands one to have complete control over the thoughts that say its time to stop or slow down when you really should not. The mindset of a runner always has the ability to be honed since running a race is a having to constantly make decisions all the way through. A racer has to consider what how long to keep a certain pace, when to surge another racer and must also be conscious of the body. It always feels great to be in tune with your body's physical workings and have enough discipline to control yourself under strenuous activity.

The physiological aspect of running; as with any sport, is important although the right mental capability is needed to truly excel. The true magic of running is the learning experience that is gained about how your own body responds to stress and actually builds off of it for strength. Progression is the drive for running cross country and there is no other feeling like sprinting the last stretch of a race and demoralizing the unsuspecting victim who lets their guard down. As a result, there is a predatory instinct in overtaking another runner and it makes the whole thing exhilarating. After gaining experience from every race, I love getting more accustomed to identifying the runners who I can overtake early on and those who I'll take later on. Perhaps even more satisfying than getting ahead of someone is taking back the lead position from someone who has surged ahead of you. Learning how to respond to being beaten or left behind is one of the few things that helps me to grow as an athlete and a person. It feels great to see yourself recuperating from a tough loss and it propels you forward to set higher standards.

The standards that one chooses to pursue when taking up running define what kind of experience you draw from it. One can set goals to run at a certain pace, complete a longer distance or run in an event that bears some personal significance. The biggest sense of accomplishment for me is knowing that every ounce of effort I put into my workouts and practices all help me finish strong through the finish line of a race. With competitiveness aside, participating in the sport itself is an amazing experience because of the scenery one encounters. From the tree populated trails of parks to grassy riverside courses, they all produce an amazing sense of serenity. Running throughout every season also keeps you in tune with nature and allows you to fully experience it as you tread through the snow, endure the rain and withstand the overbearing heat. Running with the Flying Dragons however, is the most rewarding factor for me since it allows me to bond with great teammates and the incredible coach; Tom Henning.