www.bceagles.comCongratulationsAndreaand all the new members <strong>of</strong> theVarsity Club <strong>Hall</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Fame</strong>!Our Master <strong>of</strong> Ceremonies Larry Rawson: “The Voice <strong>of</strong> Running”Larry is a 1963 graduate <strong>of</strong> Boston College. He served as president <strong>of</strong> the BostonCollege Varsity Club in 1971 and was inducted into the Boston College <strong>Hall</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Fame</strong> in1984. He served as a lieutenant in the Marine Corps and is a Vietnam combat veteran.Larry represented the United States internationally while running on the Marine Corpstrack team. He has spent many years working in the financial sector, helping buildbond departments with firms such as Lehman Brothers and Morgan Stanley.Larry’s broadcasting resume is impressive and extensive. Runner’s World magazine hascalled him “The Voice <strong>of</strong> Running.” Stan Isaacs, former TV sports critic for New YorkNewsday, has said that Larry is television’s best commentator on the sport. He haswon two National Emmy Awards for his work in sports journalism.Larry’s broadcasting assignments include:• Olympic Games for Westwood One radio, calling all track and field events live,and as analyst for ESPN for six summer Olympic Games• ESPN track and field commentator since the inception <strong>of</strong> the network• Commentator for the last 25 years on the country’s major marathons, includingBoston, New York, and six Olympic and two World Championships• Co-host <strong>of</strong> the worldwide coverage for the 2000 Paralympics in Sydney, includingthe opening ceremonies• Invited to carry Olympic torch when it arrived in New York in December 2001• Master <strong>of</strong> Ceremonies for the past 25 years for the New York Athletic Club’s AllSports Dinner honoring Olympic, World, and National team members• Awarded a lifetime achievement award in 2008 by Running USA, the umbrellaorganization for all road races in the USA.Randy ThomasWomen’s Track & Field, Head Coach(617) 552-466412BOB BP -- File name: B72040_BC_32pg_Txt.pdf Made on Sep 16, 2008 at 7:02:58 PM, Page 12 <strong>of</strong> 36 pages. Trim is 8.5 x 11.0 --
BOB BP -- File name: B72040_BC_32pg_Txt.pdf Made on Sep 16, 2008 at 7:02:58 PM, Page 13 <strong>of</strong> 36 pages. Trim is 8.5 x 11.0 --ANDREA MELTON ‘96Track and Field“‘Nastics, Mommy! ‘Nastics!”That was Susie Melton’s daughter Andreaspeaking. Or, rather, squealing with delightand pointing to the television set as Romaniangymnast Nadia Comaneci enthralled fans withher athletic artistry on bars, beam, and floor.Andrea Melton wanted to be Nadia. Susieenrolled her in gymnastics classes at the age <strong>of</strong>four. She bought Comaneci posters for the bedroom.Thus began an athletic career thatbrought accolades, championships, and hall <strong>of</strong>fame honors – in the sport <strong>of</strong> track and field.Up through freshman year Columbia HighSchool in Maplewood, New Jersey, Andrea’ssport was gymnastics. She also had a passionfor dancing, and like gymnastics it preparedher both physically and mentally for thedemanding and deceptively complex hurdleevents in track and field.Columbia track coach Lenard Klepack sawAndrea in a gymnastics event one day. He setabout recruiting her, stopping by her lockerfrequently and even visiting her home to pitchMrs. Melton on letting Andrea prove that gymnastsmake good hurdlers.“She had quick legs and was very fast, andshe had a tremendous ‘pop <strong>of</strong>f’” said Klepack.“She won the Group Four state championshipin the long jump when she was a sophomore.And she was very serious and disciplined, inaddition to being a good student.”It takes a while to master hurdling, whichdemands a combination <strong>of</strong> rhythm, balance,and speed. Experienced gymnasts already havethe rhythm and the balance. Melton explainshow she worked to improve her speed by honingher “quick feet pattern.”“You take three steps between hurdles.The issue is, how fast are each <strong>of</strong> those threesteps. You’ve got to train your body to be onthe ground as little as possible.”In other words, the more a hurdler is inthe air, the faster are her times. That is wherethe gymnastics training pays <strong>of</strong>f, according toKlepack.“It means hanging in the air, and having n<strong>of</strong>ear <strong>of</strong> staying there. Andrea didn’t have thatfear <strong>of</strong> being in the air that most kids had,” hesaid.Andrea stayed with gymnastics in additionto running track and putting in two periods aday in the special dance program. She <strong>of</strong>tendidn’t get a chance to begin homework before8:30 in the evening, but she never seemed tocontend with physical or mental fatigue. As faras she was concerned, each activity reinforcedthe others; all three demanded balancing andcentering oneself.She set school records in high hurdles,long jump, and the shuttle hurdle relay. Shewas team captain, an all-state selection, andthe Eastern indoor champ in both 100 meterhurdles and the long jump. Then the recruitingletters began to arrive.Andrea had scholarship <strong>of</strong>fers from FloridaState and LSU, but Klepack counseled thatBoston College and its academics were thebest fit. Additionally, the Meltons had movedto Jersey from Dorchester when Andrea wasthree, and many extended family memberswere still in and around Boston.Melton kept maturing physically andreached her peak as a BC junior when she setfour school records – the indoor and outdoorlong jump, the indoor 55 meter hurdles andthe outdoor 100 meter hurdles. She also ran aleg <strong>of</strong> the school’s best 400 meter outdoorrelay and indoor distance medley relay.Tiffany Young, BC <strong>Hall</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Fame</strong> memberwho was two years ahead <strong>of</strong> Melton, took thebaton from Melton and ran anchor on that400-meter relay unit. She believes thatAndrea’s junior and senior campaigns, in particular,show just how formidable and dedicateda competitor that Melton was.“The squad wasn’t deep in sprinters forher final two years. A number <strong>of</strong> us had graduated.If you’re going to be the best you canbe, then you need the people to train against.So all that time Andrea spent at practice in132008 INDUCTEEthose years really points to her character, andshows how much drive and desire she had.”Melton’s sprint coach Walter Curry recallsthat the turning point in Andrea’s career wasa hurdle event at the ECACs late in sophomoreyear. “She came close to or broke theschool record that day, and that seemed toconvince her that she had the ability to dovery well. She was always an outstandingcompetitor, very focused and determined,” hesaid.Melton also gave Curry and head coachRandy Thomas a case <strong>of</strong> heartburn when sheput in a football season on the cheerleadingsquad as a junior. Curry said, “She was a flyer– she’s on the small side and they were alwaystossing her in the air. The cheerleaders workhard and do some dangerous things. We wereconcerned that she was going to get hurt.”During the summers she worked on “gymcraftics”with Jeff Robins <strong>of</strong> Air TimeAthletics, an affiliate <strong>of</strong> USA Track and Field.Gymcraftics emphasizes balance, strength,and continuation <strong>of</strong> motion. It is ideal trainingfor performers both in track and field and inchoreographed entertainment as in Cirque duSoleil. Its trampoline practices also help trackathletes explode <strong>of</strong>f the starting blocks.Robins said, “Andrea did a lot <strong>of</strong> workwith us to reduce her time between hurdles.She was a very creative dancer also. She’s versatile,was always encouraging others and hadan incredibly positive philosophy <strong>of</strong> life.”Andrea earned All-America honors in the100 Meter High Hurdles in 1995 and wasnamed Eagle <strong>of</strong> the Year in 1996. She took ashot at the 1996 Olympic team in the 100meter high hurdles and missed qualifying forthe trials by a tenth <strong>of</strong> a second.After graduation Andrea coached track atNewton South High for two years, thenreturned to Boston College to coach jumpersand pole vaulters while she earned a master’sdegree in marketing and launched a career inthe business <strong>of</strong> retail apparel.In 2001 Andrea moved to the New Yorkarea and continued up the corporate ladder.Since 2003 she has been a general managerwith Banana Republic stores in New Jersey.Earlier this year she became a certified imageconsultant and stylist.“I love the work. Every day you’ve got asmile on your face and you meet new people.It’s like being a makeup artist, but withclothes,” she says.
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