Tri State
The art of the exchange zone
Dwight Scott Relays
Monday, Jan. 4
Hagerstown Community College
Results
Videos 4 X 200 Girls Heat.1 2 3 4 Boys 1 2 3
55 Hurdles 55 Dash
More Coverage Coming
Dwight Scott Relays
Monday, Jan. 4
Hagerstown Community College
Results
Videos 4 X 200 Girls Heat.1 2 3 4 Boys 1 2 3
55 Hurdles 55 Dash
More Coverage Coming
By Kevin Spradlin
TriStateRunnur.com
HAGERSTOWN, Md., Jan. 4 -- According to y-coach.com, the passing of the baton is a rather simple affair.
"As the outgoing runner reaches the middle of the exchange zone, he or she places their arm back almost parallel to the ground, with the palm of the hand facing up. The incoming runner makes a downward pass across the palm of the outstretched hand. The outgoing runner then takes the baton away from the incoming runner."
Sounds easy, right?
But a good exchange within the allowable 20-meter space on a 200-meter oval at Hagerstown Community College is more art than science. And just as a proper brushstroke takes time to master, so, too, does it take practice for relay runners to become masters of the baton.
It was evident on Monday at the Dwight Scott Relays in Hagerstown that some teams had practiced quite a bit. Others, not so much. Spectators were witness to exchanges ranging between nearly perfect and far from it. What track fans saw was a mix of "4X400" type handoffs and "blind" exchanges usually reserved for the shorter relays.
For Middletown boys coach Don Boyer, reward wins out over risk on the indoor oval.
"I always felt if a team is well coached or not simply by how they pass the baton, Boyer said at the end of the boys' distance medley relay. "It's a lot different in outdoor track."
Indoors, Boyer said he prefers the eye-to-eye coordination reliance on the "4X400" handoff.
TriStateRunnur.com
HAGERSTOWN, Md., Jan. 4 -- According to y-coach.com, the passing of the baton is a rather simple affair.
"As the outgoing runner reaches the middle of the exchange zone, he or she places their arm back almost parallel to the ground, with the palm of the hand facing up. The incoming runner makes a downward pass across the palm of the outstretched hand. The outgoing runner then takes the baton away from the incoming runner."
Sounds easy, right?
But a good exchange within the allowable 20-meter space on a 200-meter oval at Hagerstown Community College is more art than science. And just as a proper brushstroke takes time to master, so, too, does it take practice for relay runners to become masters of the baton.
It was evident on Monday at the Dwight Scott Relays in Hagerstown that some teams had practiced quite a bit. Others, not so much. Spectators were witness to exchanges ranging between nearly perfect and far from it. What track fans saw was a mix of "4X400" type handoffs and "blind" exchanges usually reserved for the shorter relays.
For Middletown boys coach Don Boyer, reward wins out over risk on the indoor oval.
"I always felt if a team is well coached or not simply by how they pass the baton, Boyer said at the end of the boys' distance medley relay. "It's a lot different in outdoor track."
Indoors, Boyer said he prefers the eye-to-eye coordination reliance on the "4X400" handoff.
"It's much safer," he said.
The beginning of the exchange zone, where as many as five runners are bumping each other, jumping up and down and attempting to make eye contact with their incoming relay partner.
"When you do a blind pass, there's always a chance of running away from your teammate."
Or misjudging the exchange, resuling in one of the worst sounds in the sport of track and field - a dropped baton.
If an error occurs, there is little chance of having enough time to correct it.
"If you don't give them a place to hit on your hand, there's a chance they might miss," said Boonsboro assistant coach Shawn Cutsail. "Those are the DQs you see, or they'll just give up, or they've lost so much time they're out of contention. A second or two is the difference between first and last."
Cutsail said many people, runners and spectators alike, forget the most important point of a relay.
"The goal is to get the baton around the track as fast as possible," he said. "Most people think "I" need to get around as fast as possible. It's the baton. It's a team. It's four people. You have to work together."
Said Boyer: "You have to have a feel for where you're going to take off."
The incoming runner with the baton should run towards the receiver's left shoulder.
"If he runs straight at his back ... there's a chance of stepping on his heal," Boyer said.
A "4X400" exchange "is a much safer pass" indoors. Boyer knows that with practice, some teams "can do this exchange almost as fast as (a blind handoff) but much, much safer."
On a blind pass, which many attempted Monday with varying degrees of success, "you can mess up too easily. This way, you're more sure of receiving the baton without running away or being knocked to the side.
Linganore's foursome of Braden Bruning (1200), Alex Amwar (400), Teddy Gula (800) and Adam Rudy (1600) had their own difficulties on Monday. The Lancers entered the distance medley relay as the top seed but finished third. Handoffs were only a part of the issue but Amwar acknowledged that blind handoffs "are the hardest thing ... for me."
Gula agreed - and said practice makes perfect.
Another element of the exchange might not subject to creating as much as coaching. Boyer said relay runners have to know both what to do and what they can do.
"Your runners have to be confident," he said. "They can't be timid and stand there and be afraid to move to the right spot they're supposed to be in. You want to make sure the timing is correct. You want to get the baton early in the zone, not midway or close to the end of the zone."
Email Kevin at run@mountainMDmarathon.org.
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