Bliss dancing to success on track

Sophomore helps PHS girls to record relay

By: Justin Feil
   Libby Bliss has some talent in her legs.
   In the fall, she goes to daily practices in preparation for traditional Irish dancing competitions. Those practices take up enough time that Bliss doesn’t compete in the fall for Princeton High.
   In the winter and spring, however, Bliss’s legs are a powerful part of the Little Tiger girls’ track and field team as she goes to less dance lessons. She’s been dancing all over the competition this season, her second with the Little Tigers, and her dance background might have something to do with her success on the track.
   "I think maybe my footwork came from the Irish dancing," said Bliss, a sophomore won the 800 meters and was part of the winning 4×400 relay in losses to Hamilton and Notre Dame on Tuesday. "It gives me some agility. But a lot of it was from my parents and hard work with the team."
   Bliss, who gets quite an aerobic workout from the hands-at-side form of Irish dancing, showed her fitness level by breezing to a win in the 800 in 2:22.1, 10 seconds better than her closest competitor Wednesday. The mile relay won by more than five seconds, but it wasn’t quite enough to surpass Hamilton and Notre Dame.
   "It looked like we were on track (to win)," said PHS head coach Jim Smirk. "Hamilton and Notre Dame just had some good throws at the end. Libby had some solid performances again. She ran 2:22 and there really wasn’t any competition. She ran a solid leg of the 4×400. She’s coming along great. She’s run incredibly fast. Right now, we’re just suffering a little in depth. We have some phenomenal athletes, but not enough to cover it all."
   Bliss is trying to do her part. Last year, she did the hurdles and focused on the open 400 meters. This year, her focus has shifted to a couple of new events.
   "I just started doing the 800," Bliss said. "I enjoy it. It’s really hard though. The 400, I didn’t really use strategy. You just run as hard as you can in your lane. In the 800, you have to use strategy, like knowing when to break. There are factors I never used before. And it’s definitely difficult.
   "I just started doing the triple jump too," she added. "I did the 400 hurdles but I had a groin injury in the winter and stopped doing hurdles. Hopefully I’ll pick up the open 400 again."
   Picking up the 400 will make an already challenging day that much tougher on Bliss. It would give her a fourth event, one that’s sure to take a little more out of her.
   "Because of the layout of meets, it’s incredibly difficult to do the 400 and 800," Smirk said. "We have her doing the 800 depending on the competition. We have Elesha (Casimir) in the 400, so we do have some strength there. Libby’s just starting to get the hang of the triple jump. When you’re doing middle distance races, that jumping takes the kick out of you.
   "But one of Libby’s biggest contributions is she’s such a fierce competitor. It gives the other girls a chance to see someone really doing their best every time they go out. She has yet to reach her limit. She’s going out and giving her best and we have yet to see her limit."
   Bliss has come along as expected in the triple jump and 800 and still has room to grow in her newest events. She’s also been valuable in the 4×400 as one of the fastest quarter-milers on the team. She was part of the mile relay along with Casimir, Natalie Gengel and Olivia Johnston that set a sprint medley meet record to win the Mercer County Relays on Saturday.
   "We had no expectations," Bliss said. "It was a last-minute relay they put together. We’re all underclassmen. We weren’t even thinking about winning, let alone setting the record."
   The training accompanying Bliss’s new events has made her a better 400 runner. It’s an adjustment in workouts, but one that she has found helpful.
   "I definitely think I’m a lot stronger this year," she said. "They started putting me in with the distance girls for workouts. For the 400, I feel my endurance is a lot stronger going into the last 100 now."
   Bliss is hoping that the Little Tigers can get a little stronger through the remainder of the season. PHS is still looking for its first dual meet, but continues to improve meet by meet.
   "I think we can do a lot of damage with our relays, especially in Penn Relays and states and counties," Bliss said. "I just hope we can improve our performance in dual meets. Team unity isn’t a problem though. We’re all close."
   The Little Tigers continue to try to string together points from as many sources as possible. Tuesday, Bliss was a part of two of PHS’ four wins. Gengel won the pole vault and Caroline Sholl and Zoe Sarnak finished 1-2 in the javelin. The throws are about the only area that Bliss hasn’t tried in the past two years.
   "Definitely not," Bliss said. "Throwing is not my area of expertise."
   She’s proven to be competitive in just about any other event she’s tried. She’s taking on two new events this year and helped the Little Tigers put together one of the county’s best relay groups. She’s done whatever possible to help the team dance its way to the top with her.
   "She’s very dedicated and focused," Smirk said. "When you have a top-end athlete, their times are important, but it’s the secondary things they do that help. They’re elevating not only their own success, but the success of the team."