The New Balance Grand Prix is a highly regarded elite track meet in the World Athletics Indoor Tour where seven of McClancy’s very own runners raced against our fellow CHSAA schools in the junior section of the meet.
Featuring two meets in our home city, the Millrose Games at the Armory January 29th and the Grand Prix Sunday February 6th. The Grand Prix first began in 1996 at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Boston where it was first called the Boston Indoor Games, but moved to New York in 2021 due to Covid-19. Over the course of these meets, six world records have been set in the women’s Distance Medley Relay (1200m, 400m, 800m, 1600m), mens 3200m relay, women’s 5000m, and the women’s two mile. The Grand Prix has been held twenty five times, but no McClancy student has met the standards for high school students for this meet, until now when two sets of MC Girls relay teams did.

On January 16th, Senior Yamila Campuzano, Junior Madison Jackowski, and Sophomores Brooke Arnao, Kylie Grabler, Danilla Ordonez, and Valentina Termine, at the Stanner Games meet had met the time qualifications and shortly after was invited to run the CHSAA Girls 4x200m and the CHSAA Girls Short Distance Medley Relay (400m, 200m, 200m, 800m) at the New Balance Grand Prix at Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island.

I’ve had the pleasure to interview Madison Jackowski and Valentina Termine on their experience at the meet.

VRG: Starting with the obvious, how do you think you did?”

• VT: Good because we tried our hardest.

• MJ: Not great.

VRG: Now, I know that track and field isn’t the most popular sport out there, but did you meet anyone well known in the running community?

• VT: Noah Lyes, Mason Felix, Cory McGee, Esther Guerrero.

• MJ: Unfortunately, I missed out because I had to leave.

VRG: Was it any different to run at such a high level meet?

• VT: I knew that these professionals were there in the back of my mind but running against my peers, it felt more like the pressure of running in a championship meet

• MJ: “Boujee”, because it was an elite meet with live broadcast the whole nine.

VRG: Given that you were running in CHSAA events, did you see any familiar faces on the line?

• VT: St.Anthonys, Molloy, Notre Dame, Kellenberg, St. Francis Prep, St.Joseph’s by the Sea.

• MJ: I remember Notre Dame specifically, I’ve faced them a few times during the soccer season.

VRG: Given how much pressure it is to perform just around those professional runners and olympians, would you do it again?

• VT: 1,000,000%

• MJ: No, because I didn’t perform as well as I hoped but I’m excited for BQ Champs.

VRG: I know trying to relax the night of a meet is practically impossible, so how did you fair the night before such a major event.

• VT: Exciting because of the anticipation.

• MJ: Nervous, but hopeful.

Coming up this Sunday on February 13th, the track team heads to the Brooklyn-Queens Championships, tune in to see how they do as Championship season comes around!