Preview: Jillian Smith
"The Hill" prepares Southern Regional runners for big time meets - by Elliot Denman.
By Elliott Denman, National Scholastic Sports Foundation
When
members of Coach Brian Zatorski’s girls track and field team at
Southern Regional High School in Manahawkin, NJ get the word "we’re
going to The Hill" for training sessions, many grimace, some shudder, a
few invent urgent reasons to be elsewhere.
"The Hill" is about
350 meters of steady rise located on the otherwise pancake-flat area of
Southern Regional’s home base in Ocean County. Right there is Bruno’s,
an Italian restaurant. To do "a Bruno" - running the length of "The
Hill" - is an exercise in character-building. Strength and speed are
vital side products, too, of course.
Love it or not, Zatorski’s
runners have learned that mastering "The Hill" and doing "a Bruno" are
critical ingredients in mastering everything else in their sport.
The
top-end results have been eye-opening, and seem destined to continue
for years. One of Southern’s first big stars was Lauren Lewis, now
concluding a standout career at the University of Arkansas. Then
