Peabody’s Anderson dedicates medals to late sister while Martinez helps Schenley girls salsa their way to championship

Most high school athletes never get a chance to compete in a PIAA championship tournament. Of course Christopher Anderson isn’t like most high school athletes. He won the 200-meter, the 400-meter, and another gold medal as part of Peabody’s 1,600-meter relay team at the City League track and field championships at Oliver High School, May 10.

DOUBLE GOLD—Senior Christopher Anderson from Peabody won the 200- and 400-meter dash at the City League track and field championships.

Anderson ran track for the future stars in the summer, switched to football in the fall, and is now sprinting for the Highlanders…and he did all of this while spending night and day at his sister’s bedside at Children’s Hospital.

Dontierra Watkins was an eighth-grader at Colfax Accelerated Learning Academy when she was first diagnosed with cancer in April 2007. She passed away April 4, 2008.

“Chris and Dontierra were very, very close,” said his mother, Ingrid Anderson. “He quit his job at King’s Restaurant and for a year, he would go to school, visit his sister after school, then go to football or track practice and visit his sister afterwards. He would spend the night at the hospital and leave for school in the morning. He would not leave her side.”

Chris has been inspired by watching his sister and now wants to help support other cancer and leukemia patients.

“He is going to wear a powder blue wrist band that says Dontierra Strength and Faith,” said Ingrid. “He’ll wear the wrist band when he competes in college at Akron University.”

Anderson’s mother raised him, his brothers and sister, for all of their childhood as a single parent.

Single mothers of growing sons take on many roles: coach, chef, cheerleader, teacher and disciplinarian.

OUT ON TOP—Angelica Martinez from Schenley closed out her outstanding City League career by winning the 800-, 1600- and 3,200-meters.

“I pushed all my kids,” said Ingrid. “Can’t was never part of their vocabulary and never will be.”

Some of the City League coaches feel Anderson in some ways compares to former Allderdice, Pitt and NFL star Curtis Martin, who was once considered the City League’s most underrated athlete.

“I’ve accepted a track and field scholarship to Akron University and I also plan on playing football,” said Anderson, who has an impressive 3.0 grade point average. “I will continue to pray and dedicate everything to my sister, who I believe would have been a great 100- and 200-meter sprinter.”

Anderson is also part of the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, will be a member of Akron University’s ROTC program, and will enter the Air Force as an officer.

Martinez caps outstanding career for Lady Spartans

Schenley senior Angelica Martinez helped celebrate Cinco de Mayo by winning four gold medals at the City League track and field championships.

“My dad Alberto is a professional dancer,” said Martinez. “We celebrated Cinco de Mayo with Mariachi, which means a Mexican band.”

Martinez won the 3,200-meter relay and the girls’ 800-, 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs.

“I have been running track since the seventh grade,” said Martinez. “I am going to take one year off, stay in shape by running for River City track, and next year run for Iberoamericana University in Mexico City.”

In other events, junior Pierre Carr, who recently transferred to Peabody from Anderson, Ind., won the 100-meter dash and Schenley “super” sophomore Monique Sims won both the 100- and 200-meter dash.

The biggest surprise was Peabody senior Parrish de Bardelaben, who led the 3,200- relay team (including Alphonso Anderson, Justin Quast and Joseph Wise). He also won the 800- and 1,600-meter runs, and took first in the 3,200-meter. His upset victory over heavily favored Jonathan Williams of Allderdice triggered a controversy between parents, coaches and officials.

“Parrish and all the other City kids who finished first or second deserve to go and compete at States,” said Ronda Turner, mother of Peabody’s star sprinter Aaron Turner. “Any other district or county in the state except for the city of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, if you win your championship you go to States, but not here and it’s not fair to these kids.”

As a senior and co-captain on the Peabody track team, Christopher Anderson wants to do what he can to help his team. “I have some great teammates,” said Anderson. “De Bardelaben, Carr, Justin Quast and Joseph Wise. Those are the guys you should interview. Not me.”

One day Anderson will lay down his three City League championship gold medals right next to his Purple Heart.