Author Archives: JerryLukins

Licking County League Championships

Jonny ran in the Licking County League Championships this week.  The meet was held over two days, Tuesday was mostly field events and preliminary events.  The one final event that Jonny ran in that day was the 4×800 relay.  He was also scheduled to run the 4×400 relay and was a last minute entry into the 400 meter dash as a replacement for another Granville runner.

The 4×800 meter relay the team took 2nd with a combined time of 8:16.85.  Jonny ran the 2nd leg with a new Personal Best of 204.1.  The next race Jonny ran was the 400 meter dash.  He ran it in 54.98 which was a fast enough time to get him in the finals on Saturday.  He was only one of three freshmen to run in the heats and the only freshman to make it into the finals.  His last race of the day was the 4×400 relay.  The team took 2nd overall with a time of 3:34.9 which also put them in Saturday’s finals.  Jonny ran his leg in 56.7 in the windy conditions.

Saturday, Jonny only had the two races.  During his warmup and the 400 meter dash race it started to rain and the wind picked up with the temps falling back into the upper 40’s.  Jonny ran the race in 54.39 and did not place.  He was one of two Granville runners in the finals.  This was the first time he got to race against his team mate Casey Lenfest who won the race with a time of 49.73 in the less than desirable conditions.  The 4×400 relay the team took 3rd place with a time of 3:33.6.  Jonny ran the final leg in 54.1 which is another personal best for him.

Apollo comes for a visit

Ashley and Shane brought Apollo out to our house to visit and give Nikki her Mother’s Day gifts.  It only took a few minutes for Apollo to feel comfortable around Zoey and Penny.  Zoey was calm and curious about Apollo and once Penny got over her first few minutes of total jubilation, she was nice and calm around the puppy as well.  After making the mistake of getting some tennis balls out, Penny forgot about the puppy and started to play serious.  We had to remove the balls and put Penny in her crate, until she calmed down again and then this happened.

Shortly after that all the dogs went outside and played nice some more.  I think all the dogs will become friends and once Apollo is bigger and can hold his own, I think he and Penny will have a blast together as Great Danes like to run and shoulder into each other, and Penny likes that type of rough play as well.

Wayne Invitational at Huber Heights High School

Jonny was invited to run at the Wayne Invitational at Wayne High School in Huber Heights located near Dayton, Ohio. He was scheduled to run the 800 meter run. This meet is the highest level of competition, from all over the state, that Jonny has had to face in outdoor track competition. There were 39 schools invited to this meet.

There were 4 heats of the 800 meter run. There were 65 runners of which only 7 were freshmen. Jonny was in the middle of the pack of the 16 runners in his heat at the 500 meter mark when he made his move. He ended up in 3rd place and if there was another 50 meters in the race, he would have won his heat. He finished with a time of 2:04:34 and finished 28th overall out of the 65 runners. He really raced very hard the last 300 meters and gained lots of ground on everyone.

Another Puppy is added to the family

After the sudden loss of Gunter, Ashley and Shane realized their apartment didn’t feel like a home without a dog to greet them. The family searched and we found a number of prospects. Ashley contacted several breeders and finally found one that she liked. She made arrangements and her, Nikki and Stephanie drove up to Southington and meet the puppy and parents.

Ashley fell in love and brought home her new puppy Apollo.
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Tri Meet at Dublin Coffman

Jonny ran at the Tri-Meet at Dublin Coffman with Dublin Coffman and Wothington Kilbourne.

Jonny was scheduled to run in the 1600 meter and the 4×400 relay.

He ran the 1600 meter and kept with the leaders for the first lap. Another runner came up from behind and took the lead and Jonny stuck with him right on his tail. Jonny started to make his move with about 300 meters and steadily picked up his pace until no one could keep up with him. He won the 1600 with a time of 4:57.7.

He was scheduled for the last race of the evening, which was the 4×400 relay. Unfortunately there was a lightning strike in the area and the meet was cancelled before he could race.

Gunter passes unexpectedly

This evening we lost a family member. Our Great Dane, Gunter, passed away unexpectedly. Our family is devastated once again losing a beloved pet that quickly became a part of the family. He had a few nicknames, Goony, Goon and our favorite Puppy. It was always interesting calling for “Puppy” and watch people who have never met him react when he come prancing over.

Gunter had been living with Ashley for a couple of years now and loved the city life. Ashley asked to have him spend a week with her and he enjoyed himself so much living in the city and taking walks where everyone seemed to be be attracted to him. He loved being the center of attention. He always thought of Ashley as “his girl”. Nikki and I would go to visit after he was living with her and he would be very excited to see us and so happy to spend time with us. But, when we were putting our shoes and coats back on, he would would walk behind Ashley as if to say, please let me stay another night. A couple of times he had to spend the night with us because Ashley and Shane were going to visit family. He was always happy to come in an greet us, but when Ashley and Shane were leaving, he made it obvious that he was supposed to go with them. The country life is no place for a Great Dane that craves attention everywhere he goes in the city!

He had a wonderful last day going for walks and playing around with Shane and Ashley. He always had his own bed and would get extra excited when he was getting his sheets on the bed changes out for fresh ones. Ashley and Shane just purchased him a bed, so he had a place to hang out with them on the porch. He always prized his beds and bedding more than any toy.

Lancaster Dual Track Meet at Lancaster High School – April 22, 2014

Jonny participated in the Lancaster Dual Track Meet between Lancaster High School and Granville High School this evening at Lancaster High School. Jonny and some other distance runners were put into the 4×200 relay instead of the 4×800 relay today. He was also entered in the 4×400 relay.

In the 4×200 relay Jonny ran the final leg in 24.6 with a team time of 1:36.8. The team finished in 2nd place.

In the 4×400 relay Jonny again ran the final leg of the race in 55.0 with a team time of 3:40.2. The team won by about 100 meters.

Overall Jonny ran both races very well in the windy conditions.

Hank Smith Invitational – April 19, 2014

Jonny ran in the Hank Smith Invitational today held at the Heath High School. He ran in the 4×800 meter relay, the first non preliminary race, and the 4×400 relay, the last race of the event.

Jonny ran the first leg in the 4×800 relay. He finished his leg in 2:06.6 which tied his personal best from Thursday’s meet. The team finished with a time of 8:28.53 and took 2nd place.

Jonny ran the 2md leg of the 4×400 relay. He was quite a ways back in the field to begin his leg, and took off slow to start with around the first turn. He really picked up his pace on the back stretch and started making up his 30 meter deficit from the guy in front of him. He caught the guy in front of him and made up time on the rest of the field. The guys after him continued to make up time and passing people and the team ended up 2nd in their heat with a time of 3:42.4

Jonny runs the 4x400 at the Hank Smith Invitational

Jonny runs the 4×400 at the Hank Smith Invitational

Running the 4x400 at the Hank Smith Invitational

Running the 4×400 at the Hank Smith Invitational

John Glen Invitational – April 17, 2014

Jonny participated in the John Glen Invitational held at Muskigum University located between Zanesville and Cambridge. He competed in the Sprint Medley Relay and the 4×400 Relay. The meet schedule showed the 4×400 Relay starting at 10:10 pm and since it was over an hour drive home, Nikki and I decided that we were not going to attend this meet. The information in this post was provided by Jonny and Coach Agosta.

The Sprint Medley Relay consists of four legs, two 200 meter legs, a 400 meter leg and an 800 meter leg. Jonny was running the last leg of 800 meters. Jonny ran his 800 meters in 2:06.6 which is new outdoor personal best. The team ran the race in 3:52.32 which is a new Granville High School record, with Jonny running half the race. Congratulations Jonny. The team took 1st place in that event.

Jonny ran the last leg in the 4×400 Relay and completed his 400 meters in 53.6, which is a personal best for him. The team finished in 3:38.7 and again took first place at the meet.

Jonny was invited by the upperclassmen to celebrate with them at Steak and Shake after they got back to the High School. The kids didn’t have school the next day so he was allowed to go celebrate.

Stephanie is attending her Senior Prom for Granville High School tonight.

Stephanie and Marcus are attending the Granville High School 2014 Prom this evening. We had to rush back from Lexington where Jonny had a track meet earlier today. Nicole and Stephanie went out this morning and picked up the boutonniere for Marcus. Stephanie had to go on her own to get her hair and make-up done as Nikki and I were on our way to Lexington for the track meet.

Nikki was able to make it just in time for pictures at the Bryn Du Mansion in Granville. The kids were going out to dinner after pictures and then back to the mansion for prom.