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Scarsdale Girls Relay Takes Loucks Challenge

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — A foursome of young Scarsdale High School runners huddled in the stands at White Plains High School on the opening day of the 45th Glenn Loucks Memorial Track & Field Games on Thursday, waiting for the relay event and feeling more challenged by the weather than by the race.

"The toughest part of big meets is waiting around, and when it windy and cold, it isn't the best," Annina Saccomano said. "We'll be happy to get out there and warm up again."

The Loucks Games are one of the largest independent, on-campus scholastic track and field gatherings in the nation. This year’s event will include a record 2,950 athletes representing 337 male and female teams from 221 schools based in New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine and Canada.

The Raiders relay team, one of several from the school competing at the games, was made up of Saccomano, Melinda Garcia, Julia Cotter and Veronica Dixon, all sophomores and freshmen. The girls were enjoying the competition and hoping to use the Loucks experience as a motivator.

"We're running an event we don't run very often," Garcia said. "We have a solid team overall. These kinds of big meets with all this competition from so many other schools and (other parts of the country) is good because it helps us get experience."

Dickson said she has learned the importance of staying ready and being warmed up when the weather is not ideal. The Raiders girls were running a relay that included legs of 400, 800 and 1,200 meters.

"This is very, very windy," Dickson said as her teammates nodded. "You don't mind when it's a little cold, but this makes it tough to run into the wind. We'll learn a lot being here, though. It's a good experience."

The Loucks Games, which include many of Westchester's top high school track and field athletes, continue Friday beginning at 3 p.m. and run through Saturday beginning at 9 a.m.

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