Under the guidance of Coach Gail Emmanuel, who hails from the twin-island republic of Trinidad & Tobago (T&T) and her assistant Ray James, whose family line traces back to Cuba, Cardozo has taken three consecutive Indoor and two Outdoor PSAL (Public School Athletic League) city championships.  The two coaches have also guided one 4x800 relay and two sprint medley relay teams to national championships.

From left: Francis, Johnson, Philson and Mapson stopped the clock at a leading 3:50.94 to qualify for the Millrose Games.

A former T&T (1984) Olympian and 400m national record-holder, Emmanuel enjoys her job, which she sums up as fun, enticing and motivating. Her enthusiasm was quite vocal as she urged on her young charges from the stands at the Armory Track and Field Center in New York City. It was Sunday, November 29, the start of the New York High School Indoor season, and the Cardozo girls were on their way to winning the 4x800m, the last race of the evening.

Emmanuel is excited about Cardozo’s success especially because “we built the program to what it is now; every year we put in more athletes and its more motivation. The program is attractive, the kids are motivated, I am motivated, they are doing well and more kids want to come to the school.”

She points out that Cardozo’s program is mile-based. “We don’t have power sprinters…the kids are running anywhere from 400m up although for Indoors we have three hurdlers and two short-sprinters.” She further explains that it’s not that Cardozo doesn’t focus on the sprints; it’s more that the events in which it competes are determined by the talent of the pool of athletes, even though most of the kids have a combination of fast and slow twitch.

Two years ago, Cardozo’s 4x8 was the buzz of high school relay and last season the 4x4 gave much to cheer about. Emmanuel reminds us that “our 4x4 did not win at Penns [in 2009] but we came back a month later to be Number One in the US…with the fastest time.”

That was at the May 30, 2009 Reebok Grand Prix in New York. Cardozo with an all-Caribbean-background quartet of Ahtyana Johnson (B’dos); Claudia Francis and Chamique Francis (Jam); and Tessa West (T&T) held off the fast-finishing Herbert Morrison Technical High School of Jamaica to demolish the field in a meet record of 3:39.96 secs.

Two members of that quartet are no longer with the team; West graduated and Claudia Francis no longer runs for the school. However, Emmanuel noted that there are several prospects for the team among the returnees and the solid core of freshman, all of whom have shown much promise and can fill the open spots. Among the newcomers of Caribbean background are Ayele Townsend (Jam) 200m, Kesha Medas (Guyana) 800m, and Sabrina Southerland (Haiti) 400 & 800m.

While the names that could cause a stir in the longer sprints are sophomore Mishka Harrisingh (Jam) 200 & 400, and freshman Maya Lighty (US) 200 & 400, the potential deadly destroyer to keep on the radar is unassuming 14-year-old Southerland, who is in her first year of track and has run some ten races including a daunting 3.1-mile cross-country race (her first) at Van Cortlandt Park where she clocked 21:26.78 to place 13th. Those close to Southerland are tipping her to be the next Cardozo superstar. She clocked two 2-mins-20+secs splits for her first two 4x800m relays and 60 secs for her leg on the 4x4.

It’s early in the season but the team is already proving that its power has not been depleted. On December 18, less than a month after the 4x8 won at the Armory, Latiesha Philson took the 55m hurdles final in 8.10 secs; Chamique Francis won the 300m in a personal best 38.52 to become the US number one performer for 2009; and the 4x4 squad of Alexis Panisse (sophomore with Dominican Republic and Puerto Rican roots), Southerland, Francis, and Ahtyana Johnson, in that order, won in 4:00.51 at the Bishop Loughlin Games at the Armory.

Panisse

Two days later at the Colgate Women's Games #1, Francis ran a season best 7.34 in the 55m. Then on Monday, December 28, 2009, Philson to Townsend to Johnson to Chamique Francis won the 4x200m at the Marine Corp Holiday Classic at The Armory in 1:41.48 -- at that date, the second-fastest time in the country this season. But success hasn’t stopped there; every week going forward, the team has won at least one race at the Armory. Their latest big victory was at the Millrose Games qualifying meet on Wednesday, January 13, when Francis, Johnson, Philson and junior Alexis Mapson stopped the clock at 3:50.94, the leading time in the US.

But while all eyes may be on the talent and depth of the 4x4 with some veterans leading the charge, Ray James sees great potential at the national level for Cardozo’s 4x2 team indoor this season. 
 
However, although there are early warning signs of what could be a highly successful season across the board for the Cardozo girls, Emmanuel and James maintain that the focus is on rebuilding and getting the runners in shape for the big meets. “We are looking to put out good times in both [4x4 and 4x8] relays, and we are looking forward to being competitive at the Penn Relays,” Emmanuel said, pointing out that there’s a long-term goal to field an excellent 4x8 in about two to three years, a prospect she’s very excited about. “I’m in love with the 4x8,” she added.