Announcing the TN Intrastate 4x800m Showdown!
The orange "Power T" and banjo playing on Rocky Top, the music notes and Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, and the BBQ and Blues in Memphis all differentiate the three major cities in the Volunteer State. But there's one thing these metros have in common: a history of strong 800m running. I'm not just talking about Tony "the Thrilla" Parrilla in Knoxville or Dave "the golf cap" Wottle in Memphis, I'm also referring to all the outstanding TN high school 2-lappers that have lit up the track over the years! Notables include Tania Wells (2:09, Melrose HS, Memphis), Miranda Clark (2:10, Riverdale HS, Murfreesboro), Megan Roach (2:10, CPA, Nashville), Rebecca Story (2:10, CAK, Knoxville), Carlton Orange (1:47, MUS, Memphis), James Gilreath (1:49, Bartlett HS, Memphis), Quamel Prince (1:50, Antioch HS, Nashville), and Terrell Jackson (1:50) MUS, Memphis) to name a few. But which city dominates the 800m in the state?!
Well, at this year's Music City Track Carnival (formerly MCDC) on June 6th in Nashville, girls and boys 800m runners will form "all-star" teams from Knoxville, Nashville, and Memphis to settle the debate! Each city is responsible to select their own teams and the selection process will be slightly different for each city. For example, Chris Kane (Knoxville Youth Athletics Associate Director) mentioned the Knoxville team will be selected at the aptly named Tony Parrilla 800-Thrilla event on June 2nd. In Nashville and Memphis, the teams will be selected based on the top performances of the outdoor season from TN MileSplit. The only set rules are that the competing athletes be from the city and "surrounding" areas, and only juniors or seniors are allowed to compete.
As of now, on the girls' side, the Nashville-area appears to have the upper hand with five girls with times ranging between 2:17 and 2:19. From the banks of the Mississippi river, the Memphis girls will put up a fight with a solid quartet of performances ranging between 2:17 and 2:20. The Knoxville team's chances will depend on who toes the line at their June 2nd qualifier meet but have 3 or 4 girls right at 2:20 and a possible big-hitter in Jenna Hutchins (2:13). On paper, the boys of Music City appear to have this one locked away with 4 boys with times ranging between 1:55 and 1:57. The Knoxville team has a traffic jam (the good kind) around 1:57 to 1:59 that could unblock on race day. Although the Nashville team is strong, never count out the grit and grind mentality of Memphis with their top 3 athletes between 1:55 and 1:57 with a toss up for the 4th spot. Of course, all of this will depend on the individual races team members compete in at the meet prior to the 4x800m. Ultimately, this event will highlight the simplicity and beauty of racing and if we've learned anything from the MCTC magic is that it brings out the best in young runners! And that's the thing about racing, it happens on rubber, not paper.
Perhaps in the future we can expand to more regions and hopefully this turns into a TN middle-distance tradition for years to come! See you all in Nashville!
For more info on team selection and details, here is the contact info for each city:
Knoxville, Chris Kane, knoxvilleyouthathletics1@gmail.com
Nashville, Brandon Ally, brandonally@gmail.com
Memphis, Max Paquette, max@elitesp.org