Nearly 2,500 athletes from 40 states will converge on Virginia Beach this week for the VA Showcase meet at the Virginia Beach Sports Center.
The VA Showcase, in its fifth year, is the nation’s largest indoor track meet.
Nolan Jez, the founder of the event, moved the meet from the Liberty University Indoor Track Complex in Lynchburg to the $68 million state-of-the-art indoor facility located on 19th Street near the Oceanfront.
“We’re really excited for it,” he said. “We’re excited for our new home at the Virginia Beach Sports Center. And we’re hopefully going to bring some national records and world records to the 757.”
In the previous four years of the meet, athletes have set 10 national records, three under-20 world records and more than 70 U.S. No. 1 performances.
“We’ve averaged one national record per day for the history of our meet,” he said. “So we have to keep it going.”
The meet begins Thursday with local competition and Friday will have age-group competition. Saturday and Sunday will feature some of the nation’s best high school athletes.
Jez said there won’t be a shortage of great athletes and races to watch.
One athlete he’s looking forward to seeing run is senior Sydney Thorvaldson from Wyoming. The Arkansas commit is a 15-time state champion and has been honored with the most Gatorade awards in the state with five. She also owns nine state records.
“She could be the story of the meet,” he said. “She hasn’t lost a race since she got second at Cross Country Nationals last year. I think she can do something really special. I don’t know if she can break the national record, but it’s not out of the question.”
Another exciting race will be the girls 800 meters, where six girls have run under 2 minutes, 5 seconds.
On the boys side, Jez said the 500 meters should be electrifying as Jayson Ward of L.C. Bird (Richmond) has run 1:01.98. He will be pushed by Arden Hallpike (Texas) and Justin Braun (Ohio), who have run under 1:03.
“They’re going to roll out some fast times,” Jez said. “The national record (1:01.16) is very much in danger of falling.”
Locally, Hampton senior Jordan Hardy is scheduled to compete in the long jump and triple jump, where she is No. 1 seed.
Heritage sensational sophomore Madison Whyte is the No. 2 seed in the 300 meters and No. 7 in the 200. Last season, she won the 300 meters at the Class 4 state indoor track meet in a time of 37.81, which was the fastest time in the state last season and the fastest time in the nation by a freshman.
And you can’t talk local track without mentioning Western Branch High in Chesapeake. The Bruins have more than 60 entries, including several girls and boys relay teams.
Leading the way is senior Na’Taja Ballard, who signed with Alabama. Ballard, who won the 55 hurdles (7.82) and 300 (38.56) at the 2020 Class 6 state indoor meet, is the No.1 seed in the 55 hurdles.
This meet is big for the Bruins, who have swept the boys and girls state titles for the fifth consecutive season, since Chesapeake Public Schools canceled the winter sports season earlier this week.
Western Branch coach Yolonda Golden said her team is ready.
“I’m always excited for the big meets,” she said. “At the end of the day, we will do what we always set out to do: have fun and go for the win.”
Ocean Lakes distance runner Owen Lipps has participated in several meets this season, but is excited to test himself in this meet.
“The VA Showcase is probably going to be the biggest meet in the nation,” said Lipps, who is the No. 11 seed in the 1,000. “I’m really excited to run a fast time against some really fast people.”
Landstown senior Mia O’Neil, who signed with Tennessee, is looking to run a personal-best time with such great competition.
“I’m just excited about all of the competition because I know that it will really help me and help push me to run a faster time,” said O’Neil, who is the No. 9 seed in the 300.
Princess Anne senior Logan Warden, who will run the 3,200 meters, said she’s heard so much about the Virginia Beach Sports Center. Now she finally gets to compete there.
“I am very excited to get to race at the new track this weekend,” she said. “I’m looking forward to having some good competition and getting to race with some of the top girls.”
Unfortunately, because of COVID, fans won’t be able to see the action in person.
The event is currently limited to 25 spectators per session and a limited number of coaches as well. The overall capacity limit is 250 people at a time, so athletes and spectators are permitted inside for their event, but must exit afterward.
“You cannot get in and that stinks, but the kids can get it, and that’s what matters,” he said. “But you have another option than going inside. That’s to watch it online.”
He said the meet will be live streamed at milesplit.com
Jez added that many indoor meets aren’t happening this season because of COVID, including the New Balance Nationals Indoor, a season-ending national indoor high school championship event annually held at the Armory Tack and Field Center in New York City.
To ensure safety at his meet, Jez has done many things. He’s spread out competition over more days to keep down the limits of people in the building.
Masks are required to be worn at all times by all people. The only exception is when athletes are competing in their event, but they must wear masks while warming up and cooling down.
Athletes say they aren’t concerned about their safety at the meet.
“I ran two meets at the new track, and both times they were super safe,” Lipps said. “There was barely anybody in the stands. Everyone was wearing masks … I felt really safe.”
Warden, who’s competing there for the first time, said she’s not concerned.
“I feel very comforted knowing that they are taking all the precautions with the masks and only letting certain people in the building and taking temperatures,” she said. “I think that’s definitely going to help prevent any COVID that could be spread, and also making sure that all of the athletes are spread out and in smaller groups to run.”
Jez admits the past several weeks have been nerve-wracking leading up to the meet.
“Every time the governor makes an announcement or there is a hint of things shutting down, everyone on our team has been calling each other to see what we can do,” he said. “But the facility staff has gone above and beyond to make sure people are safe. And that’s our goal: we’re trying to keep people safe. But if we couldn’t host a meet safely, then we wouldn’t do it.”
Larry Rubama, 757-575-6449, larry.rubama@pilotonline.com
