C-M’s Beck is running with feeling
Katie Roupe / Observer-Reporter Canon-McMillan’s Chyna Beck competes in the 200 meter race.
Katie Roupe / Observer-Reporter Ringgold's Bailey Cooper competes in the 300 meter hurdles.
McMURRAY – Chyna Beck knew there was something wrong last year. That’s usually the thought that pops into your head when you are unable to feel your legs at the end of races.
Beck, a junior from Canon-McMillan High School, was suffering from compartment syndrome, a condition where pressure within the muscles builds and decreases blood flow, which prevents nourishment and oxygen from reaching nerve and muscle cells.
“At the end of races, my legs would be numb, and I would collapse at the finish,” she said. “Last summer, I had surgery on both legs and now I’m recovering from it. It’s a big improvement over last year because I’m stronger now. They actually cut slits in my legs so that now they can breath when I run.”
Beck showed she is well on her way to normal by winning the girls Overall MVP in the Washington-Greene County Coaches’ Track & Field Championships at Peters Township High School Saturday afternoon.
Beck took first in the 100- and 200-meter dashes, second in the 100 hurdles and fifth in the triple jump.
“My coaches put me into those events to give me a shot,” she said.
“I didn’t know if I had a chance because of how strong the field was.”
Beck ran cross country to speed the recovery process.
“I just wanted to get on my feet and do something,” she said. “It’s definitely not my strong suit, but I had to do something. I did indoor, too. But it was messing with my head because I didn’t feel I could do my best. I was holding back, but now I’m pushing through.”
Beck has tried many other sports, including basketball, volleyball and tennis before settling on track.
“I’ve done it all,” she laughed. “I went through a lot of sports and the only thing I had in common was that I was fast. So I figured I would do this.”
Trinity’s Liz Fleming had a strong day capturing two throws. The Trinity senior’s put of 36-4 was six inches better than Omyrah Davis of Washington and 1-8 better than that of Caroline Fyock of Peters Township. Fleming and Fyock each have top-10 puts in the WPIAL this season.
“I’ve been increasing my distances,” said Fleming, who will attend Wheeling Jesuit University next year. “Last week was a difficult week (because of weather) but this past month, I’ve been increasing by feet and I’m really excited about it. My coaches have helped me a lot. We’re working on my footwork now. … We’re trying to make a smaller step in the beginning for discus and have more of a whip in my arm and in shot put, I’m taking a smaller step overall to create more power.”
Fleming is due for some better luck in the postseason. As a sophomore, she missed qualifying for the PIAA tournament in the shot put by one place. The following year, she missed it in the discus by – you guessed it – one place.
“I threw past the state mark in discus and I threw past the state mark in shot in practice,” she said. “Hopefully, I’ll make it to states; take it one meet at a time.”
Chloe Grzyb, a senior at Peters Township, won the two distance races and finished third in another to take girls Track MVP. Grzyb, a senior headed to Johns Hopkins University in the fall, edged teammate Laura Ehrenberger by 0.38 to win the 1,600 run and was part of a 1-2-3 Peters Township sweep in the 3,200 with a winning time of 12:01.96. She was third in the 800 with a 2:29.
“I’m trying to improve on those times,” said Grzyb, who is looking for a second straight trip to the PIAA Championships. “I just want to run faster, especially in the 1,600.”