Hatboro-Horsham’s Nicholas Marino is featured in a notebook that includes an item about the Pennridge boys’ team as well as a brief preview of the SOL athletes competing in the Penn Relays.
By DENNY DYROFF
Having someone sitting on your shoulder can make any physical activity a bit more difficult. Having someone sitting on your shoulder for an activity that involves lifting off the ground -- like high jumping, parkour, dunking a basketball or pole vaulting -- can make that activity extremely difficult.
When Hatboro-Horsham’s Nicholas Marino competes in the pole vault event Saturday at the 122nd annual staging of the Penn Relay Carnival, he will have someone sitting on his shoulder -- but instead of bogging him down, it will be uplifting.
Marino knows this for a fact because he experienced it when he competed in last year’s Penn Relays at the University of Pennsylvania’s Franklin Field.
“At Penn Relays last year, through all my nerves, I knew my grandfather was sitting on my shoulder and watching me from heaven because he pole vaulted there in the late 40’s -- before fiberglass poles,” said Marino.
“He vaulted for Hatboro High School back then and West Chester State College. He was my mom’s father and his name was Joe Spiecker. He was really good. Then he coached track and pole vault for another 15 years. Pole vaulting goes way back in my family and my mom has been the backbone to my pole vault success.
“I started pole vaulting at the end of eighth grade. My brother used to do track and I would go and watch his meets. Hatboro-Horsham had a really good pole vaulter named Joe Berry and I wanted to be like him.”
So, Marino took up pole vaulting at the club level.
“My main pole vault club is Philly Jumps in Conshohocken, under coach Brian Mondschein,” said Marino. “And, I travel to New York to train at Flying Circus Club under coach Tim St. Lawrence when I can. My high school head coach (Michael) Harmon and my pole vault coaches work well together and that helps me.”
Harmon said, “Nicholas has been working on his speed. He’s very technical. He has his club coaches and I just work on his endurance. He’s run the 300 for us and has shown an interest in javelin. His core is tremendous -- a lot of leg and upper body strength.”
Marino has found a good balance in his training techniques.
“It is hard because indoor and outdoor facilities are hard to find in pole vault,” said Marino. “Some are only indoors and some are only outdoors, so, I have traveled far in the past. All my old and new coaches get along and are great men and mentors -- each with their own strong points and difference voices.
“My mom and coach Harmon are my coaches at meets although coach Brian makes it to my big meets in Pennsylvania like Penn Relays, states and nationals. And, coach St. Lawrence attends my New York Armory meets. All the coaches like each other and highly respect each other and it works out well.
“These men are so awesome and such mentors to me. Frankly, I enjoy all of them in my life. There a lot of coaches -- a lot of different voices. Different coaches say different things in different ways. In my opinion, having a couple coaches is a great way to learn.
“This sport is so much fun and it is like a big brotherhood -- everyone involved from the athletes all over the East Coast, to the officials, to all the school and club coaches. I have had such support from everyone.
“Pole vaulting is very difficult, especially at these heights. To continue higher it takes heart, dedication, confidence, trust, health, diet, sleep, sportsmanship, and sheer passion for more.”
Marino’s dedication got a spike at last year’s District 1 Class AAA Championships where he finished too low to qualify for the state meet.
“He probably should have gone to states,” said Harmon. “He just had a bad day at districts. That might have been one of the best things that could have happened to him because now he is really focused on being the best he can be.
“Joe Berry and Nicholas are the only Hatboro-Horsham athletes who have ever vaulted at Penn Relays. Nicholas is only a junior and this will be his second time. He just moved into second place on our school’s all-time list. He passed Kevin Clark, who is the coach at Gwynedd-Mercy College.”
Marino has already started his ascent to the higher heights this season. Last weekend at the 90th Annual Shippensburg Jack Roddick Invitational, Marino captured the gold medal with a height of 15-6.
“I did 13-6, 14-0, 14-6, 15-0 and 15-6 and popped them all on first attempts,” said Marino, referring to his performance in the meet at Shippensburg University’s Seth Grove Stadium. “I was on fire.
“I am very excited to have done well at Shippensburg, since Ship is the venue for states (PIAA Championships on Memorial Day Weekend). My high school coach Harmon made sure that the kids that should make states went.
“I like that the pole vault is right by the stands and not off in the corner. You get a lot of energy from the people watching. You can hear their oooh’s and yea’s. The meet was going well and I was jumping clean clearing all first attempts. Things I have been working on we're coming together.
“But what is most exciting to me is that I have so much more to fine tune. When I was attempting 16-0, I went up to a new heavier pole -- even though I was emotionally drained from my 15-6 p.r. (personal record). I knew my last pole wouldn’t take me up there. It was too soft.
“Fortunately, I always have the next pole for a good day like this. I knew this pole was going to be stiff and I’m glad I went for it and put the jump up. Next pole means higher heights to come and to never be satisfied. I will be staying on my 15-foot poles for a while now -- just moving the weight up. I usually don’t move to a longer pole until I jump well over its height and work my top end.”
Now, the next challenge is doing well at the Penn Relays against a field that includes top vaulters from six states and from schools in two foreign countries -- Paarl Boys School in Paarl, South Africa, and Jamaica College in Kingston, Jamaica.
“Jumping at the Penn Relays last year was awesome,” said Marino. “The energy from the crowd is crazy. Last year as a sophomore, I was just happy to be there. This year, I’m more confident because my p.r. is a foot-and-a-half higher.
“This season, my attitude is -- never settle, have a dream, and always want more. My high school goal is to top Hatboro-Horsham’s record from Joe Berry. His record is 16-10, which is the best ever in Pennsylvania.”
Look for Marino to clear some impressive heights Saturday at Franklin Field -- even if does have an extra weight sitting on his shoulder.
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The Penn Relays, which are held every April at University of Pennsylvania’s Franklin Field, attract hundreds of high school track quartets from around the area -- on two different levels.
The elite event for high school teams each year is the Championship of America 4x800-meter relay. In the 4x100 and 4x400 events, any team can enter. In the 4x800, a team first must qualify to run in one of the four preliminary heats (two small school and two large school races). A team must finish with one of the 12 fastest times in the trials to earn a berth in the prestigious Championship of America final.
On Thursday morning, three SOL teams will be looking to secure berths in Friday’s big race -- Pennridge, North Penn and Central Bucks West.
Pennsbury will be seeking glory in another of the huge meet’s prestigious events -- the Distance Medley Relay Championship of America.
“Last year, we made it to Championship of America final in the 4x800,” said Pennsbury coach Tim Cass. “This is the first time we’ve ever competed in the DMR.
“The four will be Mary Webb in the 1200, Maddie Sauer in the 800, Dasia Pressley in the 400 and Olivia Sargent in the 1600 -- but it’s not etched in stone. This team is the defending indoor state champion.”
Pennsbury put on a display of it depth in distance and middle-distance events at last weekend’s Central Bucks West Relays. The Falcons won the 4x1600 relay at 20:45.49 and also took first in the DMR at 12:22.58.
“The school record is 12:15 and they’ll be looking to break it at the Penn Relays this week,” said Cass.
“The team from Virginia (Lake Braddock) is very good and the team from Maryland (Paint Branch) is very strong. And, there a lot of very good teams from New York (Saratoga Springs, Warwick Valley, Ursuline School, Colonie Central, Notre Dame, Monroe-Woodbury).”
Pennsbury will also face strong challenges from California’s Palos Verde High and perennial District 1 rival Unionville.
On Friday, the four invitational boys’ 4x800 races will feature five talented SOL teams -- Central Bucks West, Central Bucks East, Upper Dublin, North Penn and Council Rock North.
Other Suburban One athletes who have qualified for the Penn Relays in individual events are Council Rock South’s Dominique Franco in pole vault, Souderton’s Moira O’Malley and Central Bucks South’s Val Przekop in high jump, Central Bucks East’s Jake Brophy in the 3000, Hatboro-Horsham’s Thomas Haas in javelin, and Wissahickon’s Yondell Ducley in shot put.
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Another SOL boys’ team could have been one of the favorites to make it back to the Championship of America final at the Penn Relays -- had it decided to enter the meet.
Pennridge’s 4x800 just took the gold medal at the Central Bucks West Relays when the team of Austin Howell, Matt Eissler, Jeff Espinal and Tucker Desko crossed first with a clocking of 7:50.82.
“That time puts us at Number One in Pennsylvania right now,” said Pennridge coach Bob Hosier. “Last year, we were second in the state and three of those four runners are back. Matt Eissler, a freshman, is the new runner. All of them had good splits.
“I chose not to have our 4x800 team run at Penn Relays this year. Running there can produce good results -- and it can produce bad results. It was just something we thought was better not to do this year. And, at the time you had to submit entries, I thought Tucker (Desko) was going to be running the mile there.”
Pennridge fared extremely well as a team at the CB West Relays.
The Rams took first in the 300 hurdles relays at 1:21.29 with the duo of Alex Dimon (40.32) and Cayce Giblin (40.97) and also picked up the gold medal in the 4x400 at 3:21.40 with the foursome of Patrick O’Brien, John Nash, Giblin and Howell.
“Alex and Cayce both had district-qualifying times in the 300 hurdles,” said Hosier. “The time in the 4x400 was our best all season. It was a district time and it moved us up in the charts of the state.”
Pennridge also nabbed silver medals in the 4x200 and 4x100 and placed fourth in the sprint medley. In field events, the Rams’ weight specialists -- Griffin McMann and Riley LaRiviere -- returned home from Doylestown with a pair of silver medals. They were second in the shot put relay at 88-5.25 and second in the discus relay at 276-11.
“Our throwers are coming along nicely,” said Hosier. “They’re both juniors and they’ve already qualified for districts in discus. They did okay in shot put but they still have room for improvement.”
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