Track and field was not Brandon Kalasnik's first choice; now it's his passion

The FPC junior, who placed at state last year in the 400-meter relay, is looking to make strides.

By Brent Woronoff
| 9:50 a.m. February 22, 2022

Brandon Kalasnik discovered he has passion for running. Photo by Brent Woronoff

Brandon Kalasnik takes off from the starting blocks in the 300 meters at the Flagler Pinnacle Preseason Classic. Photo by Brent Woronoff

Brandon Kalasnik runs his heat in the 300 meters at the Flagler Pinnacle Preseason Classic. Photo by Brent Woronoff

Palm Coast Observer
Sports

When Flagler Palm Coast junior Brandon Kalasnik was a freshman, he thought he would be a football player.

Flagler Pinnacle Preseason Classic

Top local performances:

BOYS

100—Sho'Marion Gaines, Matanzas, 11.46; D’Zirath Steward, FPC, 11.65. 200—Sho'Marion Gaines, 23.15. 300—Dennis Murray, FPC, 35.07. 600—Kasey Wheatley, FPC, 1:25.69. 1,200—Kasey Wheatley 3:14.71. 1,600—Jaden Smith, Matanzas, 4:45.83. 110 Hurdles—Isaiah Joseph, FPC, 16.38. 300 Hurdles—Isaiah Joseph, FPC, 41.94. 4x400—Vijay Weeden, Brandon Kalasnik, D'Zirath Steward, Dennis Murray, FPC, 3:23.95. Discus—Bradyn Cox, Matanzas, 44-05. Javelin—Daniel DeFalco, FPC, 140-10.

GIRLS

100—Shyleigh LeBlanc, FPC, 13.45. 300—Evenne Miller, Matanzas, 43.35; Summer Barnes, FPC, 44.36. 600—Evenne Miller, 1:42.47. 100 Hurldes—Taylor Washington, Matanzas, 17.64. 4x400—Fabiola LaPlante, Savannah O'Grady, Ma'Shuyn Jeffers, Taylor Spann, FPC, 4:27.7.

Going out for the track team was a requirement. He didn’t expect running to become his passion. Now, it’s the first thing he thinks about when he wakes up, and the last thing when he falls asleep.

“I had tried it in middle school, but I wasn’t very good,” he said. “Playing freshman football, I was told I’ve got to do track as well. The next thing I know I’m surrounded by a bunch of juniors and seniors pushing me every day. And that love developed.”

Kalasnik became a long a sprinter. He runs the 200 and 400 meters. He ran second leg on the Bulldogs’ 4x400 relay team last season, which finished second at both district and region and placed eighth at state.

Also at district, he ran a personal-record 51.5 seconds in the 400 meters.

“Last year, I really bumped it up. It was a major improvement,” Kalasnik said.

When he went out for track as a freshman, Kalasnik initially tried the long-distance events. He wasn’t doing very well, so one day in practice he began training with the senior sprinters. They wound up taking him under their wing.

“I naturally was decent at it. I didn’t need to be the best. I didn’t need to be a Hall of Famer.”

BRANDON KALASNIK

“I naturally was decent at it,” he said. “I didn’t need to be the best. I didn’t need to be a Hall of Famer. I quit football for cross country, and now running is all I want to do in the future.”

Kalasnik was not pleased with his performances in the 300- and 600-meter runs at the Flagler Pinnacle Preseason Classic on Feb. 18. But his 4x400 relay team with Vijay Weeden, D’Zirath Steward and Dennis Murray did win the event with a time of 3:23.95. With two new runners, that was almost as fast as the relay team’s time at state last year (3:23.45), but almost three seconds off its regional time (3:21.58).

Before he even got to the drinking fountain, Kalasnik was looking ahead to this week’s 18th annual East Coast Classic, which the Bulldogs are hosting on Feb. 25.

“This is the first meet of the season,” he said. “I’m ready for next week.”