Preseason Practice At Milwaukee Riverside High School 
Coach Andrea Gremer's Tigers are the defending D1 WIAA Track and Field Champions. Riverside won the 2012 WIAA D1 title by winning the last event, the 4x4 relay. Not only did Riverside win the relay and meet, but their time of 3:53.07 established a new D1 and All-Division record and put them at #1 on the Top 50 All-Time list for the 4x4. All 4x4 runners return for 2013.
4x4 runners above L-R: Angel Malone [10], Helen Thames [10], Valerie Thames [12], and anchor Crystal Malone [12]
Top header photo of Corinne Franz by Lisa Franz.
Milwaukee
Riverside University
Division: 1
Enrollment: 1591
Head Coach: Andra Gremer
Conference: Milwaukee City
Conference Schools: Arts, Bay View, Bradley Technical, Custer, Hamilton, King, Madison, Marshall, Metropolitan, North, Northwest, Pulaski, Riverside, Ronald Reagan College Prep, School of Languages, South, Vincent, Washington, and Conservatory of Lifelong Learning.
Right L-R: Relay and sprint athletes Antonese Newark [11] and Nyairah Abdullah [10].
Both athletes were on the 7th place Riverside 4x2 relay team.
Left: Sophomore Angel Malone contributes in the horizontal jumps, relays, and sprints.
At the 2012 State Meet she finished 6th in the 200m dash, was on the 7th place 4x2 and was the leadoff runner on the Tigers record setting 4x4.
The Tigers from Milwaukee Riverside University High School are working hard to be champions in and out of the classroom. After a 2:40 dismissal track team members were required to be in a 30 minute study hall prior to the start of their practice at 3:30. Athletes went to one of three different classroom areas staffed by the track coaches who teach at Riverside.
Above right: Coach Andra Gremer who is the boys and girls head track coach consults with one of her athletes in the study hall. Athletes also had snacks at the study hall session.
Gremer's Tigers are the defending D1 State Champions. The Riverside girls basketball team is in the sectional this week so the main gym was taken. This left the hallways and a small older gym as the main teaching stations for the Wednesday practice.
Above: Coach Gremer is pictured with volunteer assistant coach Wayne Pokora.
Pokara was the head girls coach at Riverside in 1986 when Riverside won the State Championship. Now retired from teaching he has volunteered as a track coach at Riverside for many years.
Pokora is shown below with Nyairah Abdullah. Pokora also coached Abdullah's father [Najjar II] and grandfather [Najjar I]. In addition Nyairah's uncle Isaac participated in track at Riverside.
Left: Senior Crystal Malone won the 400m dash and anchored the Tigers Gold Medal 4x4 which set a new State Record for that relay. See Top 50 400m list.
Right: Senior Valerie Thames won two Bronze Medals in the 100m HH and 300m LH and ran leg 3 of the Riverside record setting 4x4 at the 2012 WIAA State Meet. See Top 50: 1 2
Above: Throws coach Mike McGarry. Right: Sprint and relay coach Mark Jones.
Below center: Jumps coach Dominique Johnson. Below right: Distance coach Jason Orozco.
Athletes are shown navigating the sharp corners of one of the hallways at Riverside.
The small gym was a whirlwind of activity as the athletes performed a series of drills aimed at building conditioning and toughness. Below left the teams can be seen applauding and encouraging an inexperienced athlete new to the sport.
Above left L-R: Sisters Helen Thames [10], Valerie Thames [12], Angel Malone [10], Crystal Malone [12], and Ashley Malone [9]. Above right: Coach Andra Gremer.
Above; A focus drill stressed concentration and balance. The athletes then went into a three phase drill that stressed a lunge-pull technique, a monster walk using elastic bands, and pushups.
