Robb Munro is a middle school history teacher by day at Bainbridge-Guilford. During his off school hours, he is one of the most respected track and field coaches in Central New York, and he serves as Section IV girls track and field coordinator.
Munro is in the final days of this school year, and took time from grading essays to speak about the tremendous accomplishments of Chenango County athletes at the 2010 state track and field meet held this past Friday and Saturday at Dick Hoover Stadium in Vestal.
Munro had several members of his boys’ team qualify for the meet, with senior Chris Burnett winning a Division II state championship in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
“He wanted to run a little bit faster (Saturday), but he’s still rather new to the event,” Munro said of Burnett.
Burnett ran cross country in the fall, he was a full-time wrestler on the B-G/Afton team in the winter (while also running some indoor track and field), and he ran anywhere from the 800 meters to the 3,200 meters – along with legs on relays – during the regular season.
No matter the distance event, Burnett was the best on the Bears’ team. He was among the best Section IV runners in all of those events, too, but not good enough to contend for a state championship. “At the beginning, we trained him as a miler, that way he could go down to the 800 or up to the two-mile for meets,” Munro said. “We felt he could medal in anything, but he wasn’t going to beat Noelle (Chad) in the 1,600 or 3,200, and the kid from Marcellus (Mike Quercia) is among the best in the country. If he was going to win it a state title, it had to be the steeplechase, and he had to learn the event fast.”
Munro explained that of all the distance races, the 3,000 meters covered in the steeplechase is the most physically painful. Munro would know since he ran the event in high school, and is the Midstate Athletic Conference record-holder. “You have to be a tough all-around athlete,” Munro said of the steeplechase. “It’s an interesting mix. You have the aerobic aspect of distance, but jumping barriers, that’s anaerobic. It’s a quick explosion that burns a lot of energy. You have to have a nice balance of speed, jumping, endurance, and the final component is just guts.”
Burnett told Munro after the race that he felt awful the whole race, and that the early pace was killing him. Burnett laid back in last place nearly the first half of the race running consistent 78- to 80-second laps. He then began to make his move picking people off who had gone out too fast. On the final lap, with about 350 meters to go, Burnett moved past the Division II leader into first place, and ran his final lap in 71 seconds to win a state title with ease. “Chris is such a disciplined athlete and he stuck to his plan,” Burnett said. “He made an aggressive move and he closed very well.”
Burnett finished in 9:41.20, just 11 hundreths of a second off his Section IV, D-II winning time, a triumphant finish to his varsity career. “Chris likes to find that physical challenge, and if it goes well, he feels good, and if it goes poorly, he has no one to blame but himself,” Munro said. “He thrives on those types of situations. He’s a kid that take the word tough, and he redefines it.”
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Noelle, a junior at Greene, began his quest for a state outdoor title last December when he joined Munro’s winter indoor track and field team. Seven months later, he has the Trojans’ first two state track and field championships, school records in the 800, 1,600, and 3,200 meters, and a newly-established Section IV record in the 1,600.
Noelle was the top D-II runner in the state this year in the 1,600 and 3,200, and in each event, he was second overall in New York State. Noelle was visibly disappointed following Friday’s two-mile race, though. He made a strong move with about 600 meters left taking the lead and extended it on the final lap. He held at least a five-meter lead with 50 meters left, and still led by a few feet in the final 10 meters. Noelle was not aware that Burnt Hills’ Otis Ubriaco was pushing hard toward the finish line, Munro said recounting a conversation he had with Noelle after the race. “Chad thought the roar of the crowd was just to bring him home (to the finish line), not that the other kid was coming on to make it a tight finish,” Munro said. “Chad got excited and he’s a passionate kid who works his butt off. He was so happy to be where he wanted to be after seven months of work.”
Noelle didn’t lose his state championship in the final 10 meters, but he did finish second overall to Ubriaco, a Division I runner. Just before the finish line, Noelle eased up and raised his hands in victory. Ubriaco thrashed toward the finish line and leaned past Noelle by a mere two-hundreths of a second – a measure of time perhaps quicker than the blink of an eye. “When I spoke to him, I told him that when you celebrate too early, it can either bite you or make you look bad,” Munro said. “I told him to keep his head in check.”
Munro said he normally would have waited to speak to Noelle when he had a chance to cool down, but had a dinner reservation with his team, and needed to have his conversation with Noelle right away. “I was rougher on (Chad) than I normally would have been,” Munro said, “but he was rougher on himself than I was on him.”
