A look back to the future

     The weather was as varied as the performances for the 2005 Empire State Liberty Tour inaugural season.  The Patriot’s Invitational on Memorial Day Weekend had plenty of sunshine and dry weather which provided a grand beginning.  Many athletes attended trying to inspect this new meet series, and find out what a Liberty Tour was.  They each discovered that it was the opportunity that had been missing from the Capital Region for decades.  The excitement of the atmosphere and the enthusiasm of the athletes proved to be a winning blend for the opening meet of the Tour.

At the Constitutional Classic, the competition was even hotter!  So was the temperature!  With 90% humidity and temperatures in the low 90’s, it was refreshing to know that Powerade was not only a sponsor for the Contitutional Classic, but an even better refreshment!  Nonetheless, Anthony Mills Jr.  (shown above) set a meet record in the Young Men’s Javelin throwing more than 156′ even though it was the final event of the day!

For the President’s Open at Queensbury High School, the humidity was so heavy it rained!  But, that didn’t stop Todd Joki from setting a meet record in the 110 HH.  Interestingly, this meet saw the largest attendance by athletes and spectators alike.  The President’s Open provided a fantastic building block for those athletes preparing for the USATF Adirondack Championships set to take place the following week.

The Independence Invitational saw humidity so thick that the athletic fields flooded with raw sewage!  YUK!  Well, it wasn’t the way the Liberty Tour started!  Let’s hope that the weather is a bit more welcoming in 2006.  To all of the athletes that took part either as a team or as an independent, all of us at the Liberty Group want to say THANK YOU for making the First Annual EMPIRE STATE LIBERTY TOUR a successful one!  See you all in 2006!