The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Gilmour girls glad to use Mayfield facility
Sisters appreciate opportunity to train again now that Mayfield’s stadium has opened.
It was a hot, sunny day at Mayfield High School on June 16, and area college athletes were taking full advantage of an open facility.
That wasn’t the case for months amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, which closed outdoor facilities, gyms and other training venues. Finally, area athletes of all levels are getting a reprieve as stadiums in the area are opening.
A sampling includes recently opened Mentor’s Jerome T. Osborne Stadium, as well as Mayfield’s Wildcat Stadium, which has been busy with visitors.
Whether it’s to walk or jog a few laps, or run the bleacher steps.
In one corner of the turf at Wildcat Stadium on June 15 were college baseball players long tossing.
At the other end were a group of football players
running routes. On other days, small groups play pick-up soccer games and place kickers take reps on field-goal attempts.
On June 16, at the south end on the track were sisters Alannah and Caitrina Barton of Gilmour.
The sisters from South Euclid are distance runners. Alannah will be a sophomore at Robert Morris University, and Caitrina
a senior at Gilmour.
Each run track and field and cross country, and each favor the latter. As distance runners, it might surprise some how important speed work is for their training routines. The track at Mayfield provides the best venue for type of training, and they are thankful for it.
“It’s very nice especially with other places closed,” said Alannah. “We’re lucky
to have a track open.”
The sisters use the track as much as possible for runs of 200 and 400 meters, as a way to build up endurance when their cross country seasons begin in the fall.
“It’s way easier on a track when trying to calculate distance, and especially getting timed for a lap, which is important for track and cross country,” said Caitrina. “And it’s nice
to speed work on a flat surface.”
Alannah, an accomplished distance runner at Gilmour, runs the mile and two-mile races at Robert Morris, where she will be a sophomore this academic year.
Her sister Caitrina is looking forward to her senior year at Gilmour, where she runs cross country and track.
Last fall, the Lancers placed eighth at the Division III state cross country meet, where Caitrina placed 98th in 21 minutes, 9 seconds. As a Gilmour senior in 2018, Alannah finished 62nd in 20:58.
“We basically run together every day, so it’s really nice to have someone to pace you and push you on days that are rough,” said Caitrina.