With one relaxed jump, Waterville senior Shelby Tuttle did something extraordinary: She stripped former Messalonskee standout Jesse Labreck of a state record.

Tuttle, 17, set the new indoor triple jump mark when she jumped 38 feet, 6.5 inches at the USM Relays on Dec. 27.

Labreck, who is competing at the University of Maine in Orono, had the record with a 38-4 jump last season.

"It felt good," Tuttle said. "My goal was to just get 38 feet. I didn't expect to go much farther than that. Jesse Labreck is a role model for me. Just knowing how good she is and how many records she has, and me breaking it; it's an honor to break something from someone like her. I'm proud of it."

Waterville coach Ian Wilson said what made Tuttle's record-setting jump so impressive is that it came early in the winter.

"Shelby Tuttle has been absolutely awesome," he said. "She broke a record that many people thought would stand a long time. But to do it so early in the season, it's just really incredible. Labreck did hers at the end of the season.

"I thought Shelby could get it at end of the season, but for her to do it this early I have to reset my sights for what this kid is capable of."

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Erskine coach Erika Reay said girls easily outnumber the boys in most years. This year isn't like most.

"This season we had the biggest turnout with 34 athletes this year," she said. "In years past, it's been like 26. We have way more boys than we did in the past. We actually have enough guys to have two relay teams. The girls don't have the numbers.

"It's weird to have that change. In past we've always had tons of girls. I wish I knew why. It'd be nice to be able to predict these things."

Sam Seekins enjoyed a strong showing at a recent six-team meet at UMaine on Dec. 30. He won the mile and two-mile, and anchored the victorious 4x880 relay team.

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Winslow coach Bob Morrison has a decision to make: What to do about Christina Massey.

Massey, a senior, has already qualified for the state meet in four events -- 400-meters, 55-meters, long jump and high jump. Problem is, athletes can compete in just three events at the state meet.

"We'll just give her the choice," Morrison said. "Whatever she wants to do will be in the best interest of the team. She's had a really good season."

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In years past, the sprinters usually carried the Lawrence boys. Not so this year.

"This year it's been our distance and middle distance that's carry

ing us," coach Tim Alberts said. "We haven't performed well to win any meets, but we've had kids qualify, or on the cusp of qualifying, for the state and conference meets."

Alberts added that senior Mike Brooks and junior Sebastian Peters have performed well.

"Sebastian Peters qualified for the states in both the mile and two mile," he said. "Sebastian came off an unbelievable cross country season and we were hoping it would carry over, and it did.

"Mike Brooks has also run his fastest time in the 800 (2:04.88), which qualified him for the states. We're excited for him."

Alberts also said Molly Cooper (55-meters, 200) and Sara Quimby (200) are anchoring the girls team.

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Cony practices in a high school hallway and builds endurance running up stairwells. Its sprinters jump rope and the distance runners pile up the minutes on a treadmill at the school.

On the rare occasion the teams can use the auxiliary gym, the hurdlers can get a little work in, too.

The throwers?

"They'll go outside, make three or four throws, then come back inside to warm up," Cony coach Taylor Harmon said. "It's the high-jumpers who really suffer."

Finding the time to practice is no problem for the Cony indoor track teams. It's just finding space that is challenging.

"I have a hard time getting any practice in," Harmon said. "We just don't have the facilities to put them in. But we make do with what we have."

What the Rams have is all around them in school -- hallways and stairwells.

"We really haven't had conventional training programs," Harmon said. "The sprinters get on jump ropes and do a workout. We just work on starts in the hallways. Sometimes what I'll do is give them a 10-minute drill -- 14 jumping jacks, 12 squats without weights, 10 crunches and eight pushups. It keeps them moving."

And if a hallway won't suffice?

"I'll get a stairwell and we'll just run up a stairwell and walk down," Harmon added. "That's our workout for the day. It's not a speed-developing thing. If I get in the auxiliary gym, I'll put up two hurdles and we'll do a little bit of that."