Meteorological Misery Messed with Running of 1994 Palatine Relays
Rain, Sleet, Hail and Snow Created Bizarre Finish to Prestigious Track Meet
It would be accurate if you said the 62nd annual Palatine Relays was frozen in time. Especially since the prestigious mid-season track and field meet was held in conditions more suited to hockey and skating instead of hurdles and sprinting.
Seeing Saturday’s forecast of sunshine and temperatures pushing 80 brought a bit of a chuckle since there will probably be a few complaints about it being a bit too warm. This was one of my favorite weekends of the year covering boys track, and it seemed to usually bring good Friday night weather for the Joe Wanner Invite at Prospect and not-so-pleasant conditions the next morning at Palatine.
That’s probably an exaggeration but it was the case 30 years ago on the final two days of April in 1994 as it was cool and comfortable Friday night at Prospect. Early Saturday morning was about the only time it was close to comfortable and dry at Palatine. Temperatures dropped into the mid-30s and were complemented with a mix of rain, sleet, hail and, yes, snow.
The boys meet literally turned into a two-team race between Palatine and Fremd in the last three events after the other 10 teams bailed. Palatine’s Anthony Divello, Erik Dieckman, Chad Helms and Ryan Mannion won the 1,600-meter relay to clinch its first team title in five years 126-122 over its crosstown rivals.
Palatine junior Mike Gardner, who led off an 800 relay win, called it “awesome” as he took a victory lap with the team trophy. Apparently his teammates didn’t think it was awesome enough to join Gardner’s celebratory run that was a solo effort. Jon Chermak won the 1,600 and ran the 1,200 leg of the distance medley relay win with Dieckman, Mannion and Helms.
“I think in a strange way they actually enjoyed it and we weren’t worried about times but how everyone competed,” said Palatine coach John Nalley. “We didn’t want to do anything to get anybody hurt. I do appreciate Fremd sticking it out and I really do thank those guys.”
Fremd had pulled within 2 points when Ryan Lennon won the 200 and had a chance to tie for the team title if it won the 1,600 relay.
“Coach (Jim Aikens) gave us our choice to stay or leave and our whole team wanted to stay and stick it in there,” Lennon said. “Even in weather like this it’s pretty hard, but I’m glad we stuck in.”
Fremd figured to have a realistic chance in the mile relay with junior Matt Yesko, who won the 800 and anchored the 3,200 relay with Scott Bieniasz, Steve Schlader and Ed Wells to earn G.A. McElroy Male Athlete of the Meet honors.
Yesko had a tremendous finishing kick and was one of the fiercest competitors I’ve seen covering high school sports. He was also one of the most gracious and respectful. Those two dynamics collided going into the anchor leg in absolutely deplorable conditions.
The talented Dieckman opened up a sizeable lead in the second leg so before Yesko got the baton, Aikens and the late Rich Bokor looked at the bigger picture. They told Yesko the reward of trying to make up the gap wasn’t worth the risk. Not surprisingly he replied with a “yes sir” and followed orders as Palatine won the race by 12 seconds.
“What drives me is I hate to lose with a passion,” Yesko said before the state meet a year later. “I would never disrespect my coaches. They’ve had a belief in me since the beginning through which I’ve been able to foster a belief in myself. Mr. Bokor has been like a father figure and I respect all these men as people and coaches.”
The girls race didn’t have quite the down-to-the wire drama as legendary Daily Herald girls track and cross country writer Reggie Gorski wrote “it was nothing short of eerie.” Palatine won its third consecutive title 144-108 over Champaign Centennial.
“Hey, this is Chicago and you’ve got to be ready to compete in any kind of weather,” Palatine coach Steve Currins told Gorski. “I’ve seen sectional meets close to being this bad. You just have to endure.”
Palatine’s Heather Denihan ran a 12.6 in the 100 to finish just one-10th of a second behind Rock Island’s Felicia Carroll, who earned G.A. McElroy Female Athlete of the Meet honors.
“It was the most fun, but it was cold, very cold by then,” Denihan told Gorski.
And don’t forget, this was before there was all sorts of moisture-wicking performance wear that athletes could use in cold or inclement weather.
“If you’ve got your mind set on what you want to do the weather shouldn’t really bother it,” Palatine sophomore distance standout Kristi Eigenbrode said. “Some people call me crazy for running without a long-sleeved shirt or tights, but those clothes just get wet and heavy and end up getting in the way.”
One of the most fortunate competitors was Conant junior standout Brian Olsson getting to run the 300 intermediate hurdles at the start of the morning session. It was one of the brief moments where there was no precipitation falling and Olsson ran a 39.1 that was the top-reported time in the state.
“The competition was good and I felt good,” Olsson said.
“It still wasn’t ideal and it wasn’t windy but it wasn’t raining,” said Hall of Fame Conant coach Ron Gummerson, who passed away in 2011 after a battle with cancer.
Bob Borczak, one of Gummerson’s former athletes, was in his final year of coaching at Elgin and watched standout sprinter Corey Hodges win the 400 in :50.2.
“They’ve been going back to the bus to stay warm and it’s like a sauna,” said Borczak, who would come back to his alma mater to coach the girls program. “Corey running a :50.2 on a bad day or sunny day is really good, and he’s got a chance to go :48.”
Which Hodges would actually exceed a month later on a much nicer day at the Class AA state meet in Charleston. It also highlighted the level of talent on display in the 1994 Palatine Relays.
Hodges ran a :47.33 that would win the state 400 most years but was edged by a :47.28 from Bolingbrook’s Corey Day in an amazing race where both runners dove across the finish line.
Waukegan’s Shannon King high jumped 6-6 at the Palatine Relays and went for the 6-8 meet record but missed on three attempts at 6-8½. At state he won the event with one of the best jumps in state history at 7-3, finished second in the long jump to Thornton three-sport standout and future NFL wide receiver Tai Streets and took second in the triple jump.
Dieckman won the 1,600 at state and Chermak finished second in the event at state a year later. Conant’s Jason Ambroson and Schaumburg’s John Cerasani went 3-4 in the shot put at the ‘94 state meet and Fremd’s 3,200 relay of Yesko, Bieniasz, Wells and Jeff Berkson medaled in fourth. At the ‘95 state meet, Olsson took second in the 300 hurdles and Yesko was third in the 800.
Palatine’s girls would finish in a tie for fourth at the state meet as Claudia Becque was third in the 3,200, Carolyn Currins fourth in the 1,600 and Eigenbrode sixth in the 800. The Pirates’ 3,200 relay took second and the 1,600 relay was fifth.
So quite a few memorable moments were forged out of the meteorogical misery of the 1994 Palatine Relays.