Freeport's Jordon Quinn improves his starting technique

Last spring, in a moment of self-reflection, Jordon Quinn realized he needed more. The Freeport hurdler was at the state championships in upstate Cicero, looked around, and determined that he just wasn’t fast enough. Sure, he had gotten this far, and that was good — but good doesn’t win state titles.

“My major focus in the offseason was mostly strength building,” said Quinn, a junior. “During (outdoor states last year), I noticed my get-out was very slow compared to other runners. So, I focused on my acceleration and my strength.”

After adding some muscle (he’s about 30 pounds heavier than he was as a freshman, he said), Quinn is faster, more explosive, and currently the best hurdler in the state. His 7.53 second victory in the 55-meter hurdles at the Nassau Conference I championships on Jan. 11 gave him the top time in the state — a fact that still held Thursday afternoon, according to milesplit.com.

“It feels really good,” said Quinn, who spent his childhood in Massachusetts before moving with his family to Long Island in the summer before starting eighth grade. “I put a lot of work in over the summer. I remember freshman year, I saw other kids beating me in my first races. It’s really satisfying to be up there getting medals.”

Medals is something the Quinn family knows well. Jordan’s older brother, Christian, won the state indoor long jump championship in March of 2020 (a week before high school athletics were shut down due to COVID).

This March, Jordan Quinn has the chance to accomplish the same feat — albeit in a different event.

“It’s very satisfying,” Quinn said of his current success. “I didn’t expect to be as fast as I am right now. But, I’m looking forward to getting faster.”

For Quinn, speed is a lot more than just quick steps on a track. The junior has revamped his dietary focus, cutting down on junk food and high-in-fat choices. He opens most mornings with a protein shake. At lunch time, he dives into something light — a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, for example. Wednesday night for dinner? Steak and a salad.

He said he’s upped his calorie intake from about 2,000 to 4,000 a day.

Quinn isn’t just hoping this new diet works. He actually feels it.

“When I’m getting into my blocks, or on my down start, I feel a lot more energetic and a lot more explosive,” he said. “Before, I used to feel sluggish and slow.”

He’s definitely not slow.

Armstrong tops on LI in 1k

Huntington’s Matt Armstrong was too tired to be nervous, and that ended up being a major positive. Armstrong, a Huntington senior, won the 1,000 meters in 2:32.25 at the Stanner Games last Sunday at The Armory in Manhattan. The time is the fastest on Long Island and second-fastest in the state this season, as of Thursday, according to milesplit.com.

“It was the first time I was actually calm before a race,” Armstrong said. “Throughout the whole race, I wasn’t really stressing about when to speed up or not. I just stuck onto the first guy until it was time to go.”

So, why was he so calm?

"I was just really tired,” Armstrong said. “But, as soon as the race started, adrenaline kicked in.”

Armstrong said he never thought he’d be in the state top 10, let alone entrenched in the second spot.

“I think I want to go for the state title,” he said. “That’s pretty much my only goal.”