Monacan High School - Legend Yearbook (Richmond, VA)

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A Chief Through And Through. At the Newport News Relays, Jeff proudly displays the Monacan Chief banner. tin et he + e eect.) Leading The Pack. Setting the pace A Stride Of Confidence. On the last and pulling ahead, Jeff Slater runs leg of the race, at James Madison Uni- away with first place. versity, Jeff sprints to the finish line. Jeff Slater 127

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Potential And Drive Put Slater On Top When asked what he enjoys most about his participation in track, Senior Jeff Slater re- plies, ‘‘Proving people wrong.” He has spent the last three years doing exactly that. As a part of the Monacan track program he has excelled be- yond anyone’s original expec- tation. AS a sophomore Jeff thought his sports interests were with basketball. During the basketball team’s pre- season conditioning with the cross-country team, he was noticed by former Monacan track and cross country coach Granger Ancarrow. After mak- ing the basketball team that winter, Slater realized that he would probably get more com- petition and playing time on the track team and the rest is history, literally. Slater’s personal records and major placements in meets throughout the nation are seldom equaled by any athlete. During the cross- country seasons he has placed first in such presti- gious meets as Georgetown 126 Jeff Slater Prep and the UVA-Invitational, where he holds the course re- cord. He placed third in the Kinney Shoe South-Eastern Region meet, which qualified him for the National meet in San Diego, California where he placed twenty-fourth. He captured the State Cross- Country title as both a Junior and a Senior. On the track, he has kept the same pace. For the past two years he has been first in the One Mile at the East Coast Invitational. This year he was State Indoor Two Mile Champion. As a Sen- ior he also improved from his previous third place finish to win the E. Granger Ancarrow Memorial Mile at the notorious Volunteer Track Classic in Knoxville, Tennessee — a personal record. He was sev- enth in the mile at the world ae Bs a ad % 1 Lact Sepge he - One Among The Pack. At the State Cross Country meet Jeff Slater begins the race with contenders for the State title. Jeff won the race and kept his State title. er ee a ot a famous Penn Relays in Phila- delphia, Pennsylvania. His personal record, set during outdoor Districts of his Junior year, of 4:11.00 inthe mile has put him into the upper echelon of high school runners, a Ca- pacity that Slater as a three time state champion fills easi- ly. It has taken patience and hard work of both the late coach Ancarrow, to whom Jeff refers as his inspiration, and present Monacan Track coach Mont Linkenauger, responsi- ble for Jeff's guidance, to help put Jeff where he is now. Jeff enjoys team competitions bet- ter than individual endea- vours. For this reason he fa- vors Cross-Country (as team scores are kept) and relays. For Jeff it has been especially memorable to be anchor leg on the 3200m relay team con- sisting of Chris Ockler, Ken Bark, Michael Halle, and Slater. The team ran a school record of 8:06.02 which, like most of Slater’s records, should remain unbroken for many years to come. In the fu- ture Jeff speaks of more team efforts and running even long- er distances. Because of these accom- plishments and his potential for running the much hallowed sub-four minute mile, Jeff has been pursued by many col- leges on both the local and na- tional scene. His talent and dedication, in an often unno- ticed sport, will obviously lead to a bright, productive future. One can be sure that Jeff will continue to prove his competi- tion wrong as he beats them to the finish line. Jeff At Play. Playing in the Battle of the Classes basketball tournament, Jeff looks for a good pass to a team- mate.

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