Running, Jumping, and Throwing: A Successful Helman Hosier Invitational

Thursday, May 5, was the annual Helman Invitational. This year, the meet was renamed the Helman Hosier Invitational in honor of the boys’ track coach, Bob Hosier, who stepped down at the end of last year’s season. He coached for 38 seasons, after taking over for Wayne Helman in 1984. Throughout his time as a coach, he helped countless athletes improve and do great things. He was a dedicated, and hard-working coach who was able to pass on a lot of knowledge about the sport. Hosier attended the meet and got to watch his old athletes compete.

It was great to have a normal Helman Hosier Invitational this year after the pandemic. Many athletes have been waiting for this since it was canceled in 2020 and no fans were allowed in 2021. Most students never experienced an invitational like this without having to worry about Covid 19 protocol. It was exciting for everyone to have a chance to watch and compete. There were 11 teams registered, which means there was a lot of good competition. For Pennridge athletes, the Helman Hosier Invitational is a very fun meet. Everyone looks forward to it throughout the spring season.

Good energy can translate into many good performances. We talked to senior, Jessica Munchnick about her favorite memories and moments at this meet through the years. She has been running competitively for six years and competed in the Helman Hosier Invitational for four years. “My favorite part was watching the races, especially the relays at the end of the night when everyone is cheering and going crazy hoping their relay team will win”, Jessica told us. This year she competed in the 300-meter hurdles, as well as the 4×400 meter relay. We asked Jessica how she thinks that it went this year. “I think it went pretty well”, she explained, “There were some fewer teams than normal but it was a fun and competitive event and was quite fun especially towards the end of the night when it gets dark.” Senior jumper Carter Arnaiz had a successful night. He beat the school’s high jump record with a height of 6-feet-6.5-inches. He also got first place in the long jump, with a distance of 21-feet-10.5-inches. “I thought it went very well this year; I accomplished what I wanted to,” said Carter, “The rest of the jumpers had pretty good days, a lot of PRs.” Junior triple jumper Jared Hess placed first with a distance of 46-feet-2.5-inches, with senior Nick Rosica placing second. There were many other notable moments from Pennridge students. Freshman, Ashley Landis got first place in the 800 meter run with a time of 2:17.95 minutes. Senior, Joey Gant got first place in the 100 meter dash with a time of 10.79 seconds as well as in the 200 meter dash with a time of 21.65 seconds. The girls 4×400 meter relay won first as well, with a time of 4:03.22 minutes. Overall, it was an impressive night.