Tigers run, jump and throw against local athletes in China trip

While some Princetonians went abroad this summer for work and others for pleasure, the men's and women's track teams raced over to China for a little of both.

A contingent of 51 Tigers, along with over 20 coaches and support staff, left the United States on June 12 for what would be a memorable 13-day stay in the world's most populous nation.

"If we were going to go somewhere, I thought we should go someplace that would mean something for the athletes, somewhere more exotic," men's head coach Fred Samara said. The track coaching staff thus turned its gaze toward China — the host nation for the 2008 Summer Olympics — and began a yearlong process working out the details of the trip.

The men's track team has a long tradition of going abroad, dating back to trips to England in the 1960s and '80s for competitions against Oxford and Cambridge. With this tradition long discontinued, however, the logistical difficulties of scheduling two track meets against Chinese universities — as well as finding time for a number of tourist excursions — proved taxing.

Though the trip proved entirely different from those of past Tiger teams, the team enjoyed every bit of what was an enlightening tour of ever-changing China.

The stops on Princeton's journey included the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, the Temple of Heaven and the Forbidden City. During a performance by the Shanghai Acrobats, senior distance runner James O'Toole was picked out of the audience to be the "victim" of a knife-throwing display.

Other cultural experiences, such as home-cooked Chinese meals and a Beijing opera performance, were also a parts of the agenda.

"The most memorable touristy moment for me was, hands down, climbing the Great Wall," senior Heather Iatauro said. "It is definitely something I will never forget."

Aside from the terracotta warriors and other historic treasures, the trip was also a genuine opportunity for the track team to directly witness China's rapid growth. Though the team did at times suffer from a lack of toilet paper in the bathrooms and undrinkable tap water, in general the Tigers came away from the trip extremely impressed with China and its people.

"[The trip] was unbelievable," Samara said. "I felt the Chinese were so friendly and helpful, and Shanghai was amazingly modern and vibrant — the whole city just lit up at night."

It wasn't just tourist activities that filled the Tigers' agenda, however. The trip to China was a great chance for the Tigers to take on China's finest.

During the team's first meet in Beijing, Princeton came up against an all-star team of graduate students and other top competitors from Beijing's various universities. Richard Stewart '07 — one of a handful of recent Tiger graduates who made the trip — provided a highlight by clocking a personal best in the 400 m before being nipped at the finish line by a Chinese competitor who ranked second nationally in the event.

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"In most of the races and jumps, Princeton had three to four athletes, and China had only one," Iatauro said. "But the one Chinese athlete in the event was generally great, and they pretty much won most events."

Iatauro was among the Princeton stars at the team's second meet in Shanghai, which took place at one of the Chinese national training centers. While the Tigers were matched up against a number of athletes on the Chinese national team, Iatauro managed to secure a victory for Princeton in the 800 m. The other victorious Tiger women were Catha Mullen '07 in the 1,500 m and junior Jess Kloss in the pole vault.

On the men's side, sophomore Justin Frick earned a win in the high jump, and junior Shafiq Kashmiri won the 200 m. In the pole vault, sophomore Chad Faulkner's mark of 16 feet, five inches was good enough to defeat the Chinese national champion and earn another Princeton victory.

"The level of competition was simply excellent," Samara said. "It was much better than we had anticipated, and anytime you can train [your athletes] in a different environment, it's good for them."

In the eyes of the Tigers, China seems ready to host an extremely successful Olympics next summer, buoyed by high-level athletes and its culturally-rich setting. It remains to be seen whether any Princetonians will prove deserving of another visit.