©2006 The Chestnut Hill Local

Track event notches 120
by Drew Lazor

In 1887, Grover Cleveland was president, the New York Giants beat the Phillies by an unprecedented score of 29-1, and Pennsylvanians observed the first Groundhog Day. The year also featured the first Inter-Academic League Track and Field Championship. This year’s event, scheduled for Saturday, May 20, at Chestnut Hill Academy, marks the meet’s 120th anniversary.

It is rare for an athletic event to possess so much history, especially when considering that the event has been held every year without fail. Penn Charter’s head track coach, Steve Bonnie, possesses a wealth of knowledge regarding the history of the championships.

“It’s my belief that it’s the oldest continuous sporting league championship [in the nation],” said Bonnie, who also works as Penn Charter’s director of admissions.

According to Bonnie, the inaugural meet featured a slew of bizarre events, all of which have grown archaic by today’s track and field standards. “There was a one-mile walk, a two-mile bike race, a baseball throw, and even a tug of war,” he said with a laugh. “Penn Charter won the tug of war.” In the past 30 to 35 years, organizers added now-common events such as the triple jump and the two-mile race.

Considered one of the most competitive high school leagues in the city, the perennially tough Inter-Ac comprises Penn Charter, Germantown Academy, Episcopal Academy, CHA, Malvern and Haverford. But the first track championship featured only three of those teams – GA, Penn Charter and Episcopal. Quaker schools such as Germantown Friends and Friends Select participated in the Inter-Ac before the institutions formed the Friends Schools League in the 1970s.

In addition to being the meet’s unofficial historian, Bonnie possesses yet another connection to the event – the 1966 Penn Charter graduate competed in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash and long jump as a high schooler. He believes that there is no comparison between his era and today when it comes to talent. “In the old days, every school had one or two kids that were exceptional,” Bonnie said. “Kids train harder nowadays, and schools gradually got better over the years.”

Bonnie has high expectations for this year’s meet. “Right now, I think we have as many Division I prospects as we’ve ever had in the Inter-Ac,” Bonnie said. “This meet is loaded.” The coach predicts that the competition will be fierce, mainly because many of the participating teams are strong in different events.

Penn Charter excels at sprints and hurdles, while GA sophomore Elliot Rhodes is one of the area’s premier distance specialists. This year’s Haverford squad boasts its largest roster in over 10 years. “[The title] could easily come down to the mile relay,” Bonnie said. He also spoke highly of CHA’s athletes, pointing out their strength in field events. Blue Devil Wayne Crawford, who is coming off of knee surgery, will attempt to defend his shot put title.

Bonnie cites the historical relevance of the event and the construction of new track facilities at four Inter-Ac schools as indications that the meet will continue to thrive in the future. “Since so many of the star runners this year are young, I think the results will get faster and better,” he said. “Hopefully, more people will start to consider track a premier sport.”