New BE track facility named after Carl E. Poole, Jr.

Believe it or not, but Bishop England High School will hold a home track and field meet for the first time since 2018 when the Region 7-AA championships are contested May 3 at the Carl E. Poole Jr. track facility.
 
While the school is relatively new, opening in time for the 1998-99 academic year, the school’s original track was outdated and not up to snuff to hold major meets.
 
Bishop England track coach Tony Colizzi’s teams couldn’t even practice on campus when the track was being resurfaced.
 
“We lost about three weeks on the track,” said Colizzi who coaches the boys’ and girls’ teams. “We practiced anywhere we could find on the island. We used a lot of the bike paths and fields around the island. We also did a split practice a few times with some kids running at the town hall track in Mount Pleasant and the rest running here on Daniel Island due to transportation issues.”
 
The track facility, which also has a practice field for other BE teams, was named in honor of Poole, and was rededicated in an April 25 event that included a ribbon-cutting ceremony and recognition of donors who made the new track possible.
 
Poole, who passed away in 1993 at age 50, graduated from BE in 1961 and was known for his competitive spirit and talent. He attended Clemson where he ran track and set ACC records. He also ran for the U.S. Army team and participated at the U.S. Olympic trials.
 
While the track facility hasn’t hosted a meet in six years, it has been a major venue in the Lowcountry, hosting 30 meets in the past.
 
The Father Kelly Classic has been run 15 times and featured 500 to a thousand athletes at each meet. It has also hosted seven region championships and eight Lower State Championships.
 
Some of the athletes who have competed at the track include Olympic 100 hurdle champ Jasmine Camacho Quinn (Fort Dorchester) and Olympic shot put competitor Raven Saunders of Burke.
 
Chris Brown of Hanahan, who holds the state record in the triple jump and went on to play football at Notre Dame, is one of the top male performers to compete at the Poole Facility. Griffie Loy, who owns the state record in the discus, shone at the track when he attended BE.
 
“The kids are looking forward to having their first home meet this Wednesday (May 3),” Colizzi said. “The team that we have now has never had a home meet.
 
“Having a home base it great,” Colizzi added. “The new track surface has helped prevent injuries and reduced the amount of shin splits our kids have experienced.”
 
It’s not unusual to see Bishop runners on the track during the prime season. It’s also common to DI residents getting in a run on the 400-meter track.
 
“The track is used quite a bit by the community,” Colizzi said.  “Any time on the weekend you will find several people using the track. This is a huge benefit for the community. We are probably the only local school that allows the community to use the track.”
 
 

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