Valley Stream North jumper Ryan John commits to Clemson

When the letters arrived and the messages were returned in kind, Ryan John knew.

It would be Clemson, just as it always had been and, really, just as he had always wanted it to be.

The Valley Stream North senior jumper grew up a football fan, watching the great Clemson teams of years past and dreaming of playing in purple, orange, and white. And, although not on the football team, John will don those colors next school year as a member of the Tigers' track and field team.

"It was Clemson all the way," said John, who committed to the school last month and signed his national letter of intent earlier this month. "I had my other options, but when I made my visit, none of them could compete."

The fascination with Clemson started long before that official visit, which came in mid-November. It started with watching football games on his couch and only grew stronger when the school contacted him about a spot on the track and field team.

"I was ecstatic," he said. "Having a dream of going to school for such a long time, always watching them, and idolizing this team, and they come and tell you, ‘Hey, we want you to be on the team,’ and they're contacting me? It was just a feeling that you can't even explain."

John continued: "It was just a lot of heavy emotions. I almost cried when I when I got the reply back. It was a very emotional time."

John is the best jumper on Long Island. He won the high jump (six feet, six inches), long jump (22-4.75), and triple jump (47-7.75) at the Nassau Class AA outdoor championships last spring. He will be the top returner on Long Island in each event this year, according to milesplit.com

John jumped 44 feet, 6½ inches at a Nassau meet at St. Anthony’s High School on Dec. 13, his first triple jump of the indoor season. After COVID-19 concerns forced last year’s winter season to be competed outdoors, in often frigid temperatures, John said it was nice to get back into St. Anthony’s.

"It's always a fun environment when I'm there, so it was definitely something that I was looking forward to this year," John said.

Silberman Shines at Loughlin Games

Longwood’s Halli Silberman wants people to know her name. After last weekend’s performance on Staten Island, they probably will. Silberman, a sophomore, flew 35 feet, four inches to win the triple jump at the Bishop Loughlin Games at Ocean Breeze Track and Field Facility on Staten Island.

The day started with doubt - Silberman under the assumption that some of the upperclassmen in the event would outlast her.

"I was kind of anxious and wasn't really expecting myself to jump that well," she said. "I thought, ‘Oh, these girls are older than me. They're probably going to jump better.’ I just kind of went for it and it worked out well."

Those thoughts of probable inferiority did nothing to dampen Silberman’s mood. Instead, it led to a perfect jump.

"I gave it my all and just kind of ran super fast," she said. "My mark on the board was dead on. So, it all just kind of led up perfectly."

Now, with the crux of the indoor season still a few weeks away, Silberman feels confident that she can build on her distance and be a force in every meet she enters. The pressure of topping the results sheet doesn’t faze her one bit. In fact, it drives her

"I kind of like putting my name out there for other jumpers," she said. "They’ll see me and [think], ‘Oh, wow, she jumped really well’ and that will boost my confidence.' "

Silberman continued: "I think that being up there and having your name out there is really good for future experience. I like having something to my name."

No Break for Macchia

One week after placing 12th at the Eastbay Cross Country National Championships in San Diego, Floyd’s Zariel Macchia turned her attention to the track.

The result? More winning.

Macchia won the Edward JJ Bowes Award for most outstanding track performer at the Bishop Loughlin Games last weekend after winning the mile in five minutes, 4.88 seconds and the 1,000 meters in 2:57.30.

"My training isn’t too strenuous where I have to take a break," Macchia said after the Eastbay National Championships. "Some girls are training a lot more than I am, so they do have to take a break to stay healthy. At this point, right now, my training is not that crazy. So, I just keep running."