GNPAL Track Team Finishes Season With a Bang

Despite a tumultuous season, the nomadic (PAL) track team took nine individual gold medals and claimed Bantam team (9-10 year olds) titles in both the girls and boys divisions at the Willingboro High School Track Championship on Saturday, June 4.

Alysa Hughes took golds in the Intermediate girls' (15-16) shotput and javelin for Norristown — a club team is comprised of 85 kids aged five to 18 who compete in six separate age divisions — while Lamar Hughes and Raiya Aranoff took top honors in the boys' and girls' Bantam shotput. Tony Ellis took the boys' Bantam turbo javelin and Siani Sanders won the girls' Bantam 200 meter. Additionally, the girls' Bantam team placed first in the 4x400 and 4x100 meter relay events.

Norristown PAL Program Director Ken Fennal said he was deeply proud of his team's performance.

"In a meet of this magnitude, to have so many medalists was outstanding," said Fennal, who noted that track icon Carl Lewis attended Willingboro High School.

Fennal added that he was especially proud given the difficult circumstances the young team had to overcome.

The squad, which in season's past had practiced at the track, was — for reason's that aren't entirely clear to Fennal — unable to do so this year. Minus a stable practice facility, the team hopped from track to track all season.

"We had a lot of difficulty getting continuity, regularity," Fennal said. "We haven't been able to practice at the same facility more than twice a week. It's been a hardship."

Fennal said that much of the burden fell on the shoulders of PAL parents – a burden they gladly and capably bore.

"The parents have been forced to, and have successfully adapted to, the transportation needs of their kids. They've gotten them to practice," the director said.

Fennal said that, including the contributions of the parents, there were three prime drivers behind the team's success.

"Number one, they were injury free. And that comes from the man upstairs. Number two, excellent coaching — from the assistant coach to the head coach. And number three, parental support. We don't go anywhere if the parents aren't able to get them there to get that training," said Fennal.

The driver of number two was first-year head coach Tony Darden — a former professional sprinter who won gold in the 400 meter event at the 1979 Pan American Games.

"To have someone of the status, of the caliber of Tony Darden to coach your team is outstanding," said Fennal. "It was thanks to his leadership that we were able to so exceed expectations."

Fennal went to lengths to point out that the team has exceeded expectations off the track as well.

"These kids are high achievers academically and athletically," he said. "It's important to emphasize that, because I think there are a lot of preconceptions people have about Norristown kids. But 90 percent of these kids are academically eligible. Not only that, but A and B students."