| Title: | Track & Field |
| Year: | 2014 |
Synclaire Tasker, 2014, Track & Field
The story of Synclaire Tasker as an athlete at Brewer High is a tale of determination and tenacity, of persistence and joy and of extraordinary hard work. As a young freshmen athlete she decided to participate in soccer, basketball and track, a different sport for each season. Tasker thought running in high school would be enjoyable and keep her in shape for other sports. During her freshman year she won the long jump at the MDI Relays at only her second varsity meet and placed 5th in the PVC Large School championship in the 400. She was also used as a relay leg on both the 4x100m and the 4x400m relays that placed 3rd and 4th respectively in the PVC Large School Championship meet. Interest in the “other sports” waned and her focus now was Track and Field.
During the winter of her sophomore year Tasker joined the indoor track team and changed her primary events to the hurdles and triple jump. She became competitive as a triple jumper and placed 7th at the EMITL Championship and 12th at the State meet. Yet, she continued to run well in the longer sprints, placing 3rd in the 400 EMITL Championship and 12th at the State meet. She added the 300m hurdles to her event list and continued to refine her skills during her 2nd year of Outdoor Track. She placed 6th in the 300m Low Hurdles, 4th in the triple jump, and 7th in the 100m High Hurdles at the PVC Championship. At this time, she continued working toward being successful at the State level.
Her patience paid off her junior year. A confident Tasker, who found gratification and purpose in track, became a top hurdler running 8.96 in the 55m High Hurdles and placing second in the EMITL championship. She also placed 2nd in the 400m and 3rd in the 200m. She was not satisfied placing 7th in the State 400m this year. However, she did become a star in Outdoor track and set school records in the 300m Low Hurdles (46.48) and the 100m High Hurdles (15.09). She won the PVC Championships in the 300m Low Hurdles and the Triple Jump. She also placed 3rd in the 100m High Hurdles and the 200m Dash, scoring a total of 32 points in the meet to help the Brewer team finish 2nd. She won her first individual State title in the 300m Low Hurdles, placed 4th in the 100m High Hurdles and 3rd in the Triple Jump. Her 20 points along with Teal Jackson’s 40 points helped Brewer place 3rd in the State Meet.
Synclaire Tasker became the best track athlete in the State her senior year although it was under adverse training conditions as their University of Maine Field House practice site was being renovated and Brewer High School was renovating the long hallways. The Team practiced at the old Middle School gym and upstairs in the hallways. Because of this construction, Brewer only had 3 meets before the EMITL Championship. Tasker had an incredible championship meet. In the 55m hurdles, the great Grace McLean of Bangor had set the league record the previous year, which had held since 1986, (8.52). Tasker amazed everyone by breaking Mclean’s record and running 8.47 in the EMITL Championship meet. She was overcome with emotion and elation. She also won the triple jump, setting a Brewer High school record, and won the 200m. Being named the top performer at the EMTIL Championship was well deserved. At the State meet she won the 200m and was 2nd in the 55 High Hurdles and the Triple Jump. She finished her season at the New England Championship meet where she placed 3rd in the 55m High Hurdles in 8.48. Her finish in the Indoor New England Championship is the highest of any Brewer track athlete. Her Outdoor Track season was even greater. She competed in 27 individual events and won 26 of them. Her only loss in the 200m came at the State Meet which she lost by 4 hundredths of a second. She won all four of her events at the PVC Large School Championship, scoring 40 points and was selected as the Top Performer of the meet. She then went on to the State meet and won both hurdle events, the triple jump, and placed 2nd in the 200m. She scored 38 points in the 2014 Class A State meet, helping the girls’ team to a 3rd place finish. Of note, she left her Senior Prom the evening before after only an hour so she could get a good night’s sleep. That is a serious, excited, tough competitor!
Synclaire Tasker made a decision to run track her freshman year. She had very little experience in the sport and did not start out as a star. But she found something that she loved, that she felt she could be good at. So, she worked and worked and worked some more and found events just right for her. She graduated from Brewer the best that had ever put on spikes in her events. She set school records Indoors in the 55m High Hurdles and the Triple Jump- Outdoors in the 100m High Hurdles, 300m Low Hurdles, and the Triple Jump. She broke the EMItl record in the 55m High Hurdles which still stands 8 years later. She won 5 individual State Championships and 9 PVC and EMITL individual championships. She is the poster athlete for perseverance and determination.
Tasker received a full scholarship to run track at the University of Maine, competed for 4 years and earned a degree in Kinesiology and Exercise Science with a minor in Business. She loved the sport and what she learned from this sport has paid big dividends in her life. After graduation, she worked in the exercise science field and then moved into the business world at the Maine Savings Federal Credit Union in Hampden. She noted that her current position as the training development specialist is very much akin to coaching track. Brewer High is honored to welcome Synclaire Tasker into the Brewer High Athletic Hall of Fame.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE INDUCTION AND ACCEPTANCE SPEECH OF SYNCLAIRE TASKER
Inductee Synclaire Tasker and Presenter Glendon Rand