BTHS Alumni Spiked Shoe Club Club

  In The Beginning  

In 1923 Manual Training HS (later John Jay HS) started a technical course of study. It soon moved to its own building in downtown Brooklyn. In 1933 its brand new school building opened. In 1925 and 26 BTHS won its first two City Champs in Cross Country under coach Ira Bloom.

Phil Weiss, the coach in the 40s and 50s took a sabbatical for restoration of health on February 1, 1962. The newest member of the Physical Education department, Edwin Zarowin took the coaching job for outdoor track only. When Z returned to Tech in September he was told Phil Weiss had passed away in July and he was the new Track Coach. When Z retired on July 1, 1984 his teams had won 15 City Championships (He was tied for 2nd in the list of  coaches winning City Champ Team Titles) and 3 Championship of America Relay titles at Penn Relays. His 3x60yd Shuttle Hurdle Relay set a National Record on a flat floor without spikes.  

The NYC Board of education allowed girls to sit for the Tech entrance exam in 1972. That Fall girls entered Tech and showed up for the boys track team. Coach Z ran a time trial over the VanCortland Park 1.25 mile course. He set 10 minutes as the qualifying time for freshmen. One girl, Sharon Monroe ran 9:59. There was only a boys locker room so Sharon changed in a bathroom. After a short time she left the team and formed a girls track club. She asked a young English teacher named Dena Collela, and one of Coach Z's managers, Anselmo “Sam”Simons, to makeup and run workouts and secured money to pay for entries and buses for out of town meets. The following year the girls club became a PSAL team.

  
As of now the BTHS Boys and Girls Track Teams have won over 50 City Championship Team Titles in Cross Country, Indoor Track and Outdoor Track.