'NH Loons' relay team heading to national track championship this weekend

MEREDITH — The boys 4x400-meter relay team from Inter-Lakes High School went into the Division III state championship earlier this year with high hopes, and they fulfilled them. They posted a time which beat the previous state record, and would have put their own names in the record books, had the team from Pelham not edged them out by a hair.

The Inter-Lakes time of 3:29.09 might not have been good enough for a record, but it got them a pretty exciting consolation prize: qualification to compete at the Adidas Track Nationals, being held June 14-16 at North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro. However, because of New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association rules, qualifying for the event was only the first hurdle. NHIAA prohibits member schools from supporting athletes in events outside the normal sports season, so the runners from Inter-Lakes have to support themselves if they want to lace up and run with the best in the country.

The team of Landon Richards, Devin Gasque, Isaac Nudd-Homeyer and Ronan Hird, as well as their parents, are nearing the finish line of a fundraising campaign to raise $6,000, which will pay for plane tickets, lodging, rental vehicles, food and new uniforms, as they can’t wear their I-LHS jerseys. According to the GoFundMe page, they are up to $4,320, with the clock ticking. They leave on Friday.

Adam Nudd-Homeyer, Isaac’s dad, said plane tickets are a necessary expense so the student-athletes can quickly return home in time for finals week.

Nudd-Homeyer said he has watched as this relay team developed, over the course of the spring season, into a group with growing aspirations.

“We saw them really put this 4x400 team together this year, building after every meet,” Nudd-Homeyer said. The faster they got, the harder they pushed themselves and one another, to drop even more time. “They ran in the mid-3:30s, that was an exceptional time. For the D-III state championships, they shaved several seconds off their time.”

He said the chance to go to a national event would an experience too rare, too special to let pass.

“These kids are highly motivated, they want to have a running career,” Nudd-Homeyer said, adding it is a “feather in the cap” should any of the runners want a spot on a collegiate team. “To be able to say that you went to nationals it not only is something that you can demonstrate as a goal that you’ve achieved, it’s also motivation for next year.”

Only one of the four runners, Hird, is graduating this year. Gasque and Isaac Nudd-Homeyer are juniors, and Richards is a sophomore.

Maribel Gasque-Storms, another runner parent, said the team from Inter-Lakes, which will be competing in North Carolina as the “NH Loons,” are the only team from the Granite State to qualify for the event.

“If I could shout it from the rooftops, I would,” said Gasque-Storms. “I am incredibly proud of this wonderful group of boys. They are not only phenomenal athletes but also exceptional students and honorable individuals, true role models.”

Nudd-Homeyer said he and the other parents were grateful for the support they've received so far from local businesses and nearly 50 individuals who have contributed to help send the team to North Carolina.

"The Laker community is excited for the NH Loons to venture to North Carolina for the Adidas National Track and Field competition," said Sarah Dumais, Inter-Lakes athletic director. "The national experience will be good for the boys and we wish them well."

To learn more about the fundraising campaign, visit gofundme.com/f/support-nh-loons-historic-run-at-adidas-track-nationals.

‘Extra School Contests’

The reason the NH Loons can’t benefit from any support from their home school district, even in-kind support such as coaching, is due to a rule described in the NHIAA’s handbook, “Section 8: Extra School Contests,” which says no NHIAA member schools may participate in any practices or competitions before or after a sport’s official season.

“Individuals wishing to participate in such events may do so as long as they are not representing their member school,” the handbook states. “This means no school uniforms, registration as an individual only, and no school sponsored transportation.”

The handbook defines the end of the track season as the New England Championship track and field meet, which was held June 8.

The rule provides for exceptions for alumni games, scrimmages for football teams to prepare for Thanksgiving games, and for competitions held after the end of the regular season only when in preparation for an NHIAA-approved tournament. No exceptions are provided for national competitions held after the New England championship.