The Valley Stream Challenge

The 17th annual Valley Stream Challenge, an invitational track meet, took place at our school, Valley Stream North High School, on April 2nd, 2022. The following thirty schools came to our school to compete:

Bayside High School Chaminade High School Elmont Memorial High School Friends Academy (Long Island) George H. Hewlett High School Harlem Children’s Zone-Promise Academy Holy Cross High School Kellenberg Memorial High School Kings Park High School Long Beach High School Malverne Senior High School Massapequa High School Midwood High School Mineola High School Monsignor Farrell High School New Hyde Park Memorial High School North Shore High School Notre Dame School of Manhattan Oceanside High School Our Lady of Mercy Academy (Catholic High School Athletic Association) Poly Prep Country Day School Roslyn High School Sanford H. Calhoun High School South Side High School Spring Creek Community School St. Francis Preparatory School Valley Stream South High School W. Tresper Clarke High School Wellington C. Mepham High School Xavier High School

There were 2,000 people at the meet. Some events that took place include the steeplechase, running events, hurdles, relay races, the long jump, the triple jump, the pole vault, the shot put, and the discus throw. A lot of preparation had to take place for this event, and it took the whole track team to do it. We all worked together and had a lot of fun. The challenge was eight hours long. You can find the results using this link: https://elitefeats.com/t-Results?ID=22494

Below are what two track stars said about the meet:

Elyas Layachi: “The meet was a very great experience. Although I wasn’t able to race this time, it was nice to see so many schools, their student-athletes, and their spectators all in one place. It brought about a greater sense of community and school pride. Plus, the races were fun to watch!”

Sienna Munro: “My favorite part of the invitational was getting to see so many teams in one spot, which brought more competition. When I first saw how many schools were there, it made me nervous. I competed in the 400 and 800-meter races. I think that the meet went very well.”

I also interviewed the coordinators of the challenge, also known as the amazing coaches of the North’s Track team, Science Teachers Mike Frazer and Tim Boyens: Mr. Frazer:

“I love hosting the Valley Stream Challenge Invitational Track & Field Meet. This is the 17th year we have hosted it. I like hosting it because it's a chance to show off North High School. It's a great school, and now with the brand-new track and turf field, we should all have Spartan Pride and host other schools whenever we can. I also like how the members of the Track & Field team worked together to put on an excellent event. Plus, it's super fun! This meet is normally very big. This year we had 1,734 registered athletes compete. 24 boys’ teams and 21 girls’ teams! It's fun to see lots of people here, especially since the past two years we couldn't host the meet due to COVID. Big meets do not shock me, as I have been on the state committee in the past and helped put on the New York State Championships! I think the Challenge was fantastic! It ran very smoothly, and all of the results were immediately posted online with the athletes’ pictures. Results and pictures can be found here: Race Timers New York Long Island elitefeats Results. Also, Ryan John set a new meet record for the Spartans in the Triple Jump with the #1 jump in New York State so far this year! Coach Boyens and I look forward to hosting this meet for many years to come!” Mr. Boyens: “My favorite part of the challenge is when the gun goes off for the first race! Everyone is excited and the excitement is palpable. It was great to see so many schools come to VSN and be a part of the Challenge. We are very proud of our track and track team and the challenge is a great chance to ‘show off’ both. We got tons of positive feedback about the day from coaches, athletes, and parents. It was a great day for VSN.” P.S. - NORTH STAR readers, don’t forget to cheer the boys’ and girls’ teams at track meets hosted at North. Go Spartans!