From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

 

The NJSIAA continues to put out meet programs that are embarrassing in the number of errors that are in there every year and are never fixed.

I wanted to see how quickly I could find 10 mistakes in the boys Meet of Champions program, and it was eight minutes.

The boys program is here and it actually covers state relays, sectionals, states and the Meet of Champions. The girls program is here. But I focused only on the boys program and only on the Meet of Champions section.

If I had  the time I’m sure I could have found a combined 100 errors in the two programs. I stuck to one small section and found 10 without even trying:

1) In the list of winners, 1973 60-yard dash winner John Chambers of Neptune is listed as “John Champers.”

2) The program never indicates that the 55 was a 60 from 1969 through 1979.

3) The 2016 55 winner fron South Plainfield, Marteese Jones, is listed as “Martees Jones.”

4) The list of 400 winners starts with 1989. Where are the 1969 through 1988 winners? I eventually found them under the 200-meter dash list. Which goes from 400 winners to 200 winners in the middle.

5)  The 2000 400 winner, Lenape’s Mohamad Kanu, has his last name spelled “Kann.”

6) The 2015 800 winner Hazem Miawad is listed as “Miawad Hazem.”

7) The 2007 1,600 winner Dennie Waite of Red Bank is listed as “Dennie Wait.”

8) The 1986 hurdles winner, Hackensack’s Jerome Pemberton, is listed as “Jerry Pemberton.” That’s not his name. Nobody ever called him Jerry. He was Jerome.

9) Neptune’s 1978 high jump winner, Dennis Marshall, is listed as “Donis.” Donis? Really? That’s two Neptune errors. What does the NJSIAA have against Neptune?

10) The 2019 pole vault winner Liam Landau of Pascack Hills is listed as “Liam Landua.”

Eight minutes.