Last night, I made sure that I was watching the Iowa High School Girls Basketball Tournament to see one of the unique things that makes that event so special - the Parade of Champions. Unlike many other state associations, the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union has traditionally honored all its state champion teams. Teams that win titles in crappy weather or in front of a few hundred fans get the opportunity to be recognized statewide. It has been going on as long as i can remember.
One of the great features of the Parade is that the announcer tells a brief story of how the team won its title and how many athletes will return to allow them to defend their crown. They even recognize some of the individual champions - golf, tennis, and cross-country. This is what I was really looking forward to last night, because I wanted to hear the discussion of the Class 1A individual cross country champion, Sara Stoakes of North Tama.
You might ask what makes Sara so unique that a middle-aged man would spend his Satruday night at home to hear her announced on TV? Well Sara is not only the reigning 1A cross country champ, she is also the current class 1A champion at 100 meters.
That's not a misprint. Sara Stoakes is the state champ at the shortest and longest distances contested for Iowa girls. It is my guess that she may be the only person in Iowa history to hold these titles. I figured the Girls union would be sure to mention the uniqueness of this accomplishment. Was I wrong!
Instead of giving the proper recognition to each champion, the IGHSAU ran the teams out on the court like it was a Chinese fire drill, barely acknowledging the teams and telling anything about how they achieved victory. But even worse while they ran the individual cross country champions out on the court, they didn't even announce them!
The Girls State Basketball Tournament used to be a full week of fanfare and sellouts. Now, its a shell of its former greatness. Last night's Parade of Champions showed that the Girls Union is willing to shirk from the the high standard it used to set for promoting and honoring high school girls' athletics.
LOOKING FORWARD
Next weekend is the culmination of the collegiate indoor track season. I'm not a big indoor fan. If its not run a 400 meter oval, it ain't the real thing! But for fans of Iowa track and field performers, there is one team that has the potential to bring home a national title.
Going over the list of qualifiers for the Division III meet, its pretty clear that the Wartburg women's team will be in the hunt for the team title. Marcus Newsom's squad is pretty much all-Iowans and those girls are very familiar to fans of the State Track meet. Whether it be DeWitt's Kelsey Steffens, the Kuiken twins from Fairfield, or Faith Burt of Cedar Falls, this team is loaded with talent. They have 5 qualifiers in the 400 Meter Dash alone, and their qualifying time in the 4 x 400 is nearly 9 seconds faster than the number 2 team!
Can they win the team title? Absolutely. Faith Burt will be in the hunt for the win in the sprint. Anybody who has seen her run at the Relays or the state meet knows she finds another gear when a title is on the line. Hannah Baker leads the 400 qualifiers by over a second. The Distance Medley relay will be among the leaders, and they even have qualifiers in the horizontal jumps and the shot.
I say its a two team race between the Knights and Wisconsin LaCrosse, which seems to have 15 people in the Long Jump. It should be quite a battle in Terre Haute, IN this weekend. It would be nice for Newsom and his squad to add another title to the 2005 outdoor crown.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
100th Drake Relays - What I hope to see
As any track fan in the Midwest would know, this year is the one hundredth edition of America's Athletic Classic - the Drake Relays. A list of participants at the Relays would be a who's who of the all-time greats of American Track and Field - Charlie Paddock, Jackson Scholz, Jesse Owens, Bones Dillard, Al Oerter, Wima Rudolph, Randy Matson, Jim Ryun, Rodney Milburn, Bruce Jenner, Mel Lattney, Essie Kelly, Merlene Ottey, Calvin Smith, Danny Harris, Wayland Baptist, the Man, Gwen Torrence, Perdita Felicien and the Kallur twins, Christian Cantwell, and Jeremy Warner. The list could go for miles.
This year promises to be a special Relays already with the events planned by Brian Brown and the Relays Committee. I really doubt that there is much mystery as to who will be the male and female athletes of the century. While "Madam Bronze" helped dominate the relays in the early 80's for Nebraska, I think its pretty clear that Torrence will be named the women's athlete of the century.
And for the men, is there any doubt that the Man will win it? He still holds the record in the Special Invitational 200 and the Special 400 and no one is going to touch them for years. Anyone who was at the Relays in 1996 or 1997 knows just how crazy the place got when he was on the track.
That is what is expected. Here are the top five things I would like to see at the 100th Drake Relays for the men:
1. Payoff for host the NCAA meet: Despite the flooding hitting Des Moines and the rest of the state, Drake's efforts to host the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Meet was a big success. My hope is that many teams that had not been to Drake in a while will decide to come back. Plus, there shouldn't be any flooding in April. We hope.
2. 400 Rematch: If there is an individual event that has been the signature individual race of the Relays in my 26 years of attending, its the 400. A fitting field for the 100th Relays would be a rematch of the Beijing Olympics 400 final, with perennial Drake champion Jeremy Warner against the defending Olympic champion LaShawn Merritt. It would also be a great start to the competition to see who will represent the United States in Berlin in August.
3. The Big Three in the Ring: If you want a big throw in the shot, you go to Drake. In recent years, the competition has been between Christian Cantwell and Reese Hoffa. Trust me, I'm not complaining. i still remember the year Reese won while at Georgia and he took a victory lap with a turkey leg in his hand. The crowd went nuts, and the Clerk of Course called the runners out of the blocks because "People have never seen a shot putter run before." But the ultimate would be to have the top three shot putters in the ring on April 25. Cantwell, Hoffa, and Adam Nelson. Cantwell's record would definitely be in jeopardy.
4. Sub 3 for Baylor: It's hard to believe that people in Iowa would be huge fans of the folks in green and yellow, but they are. And there is nothing more that Drake Relays fans like more than the Baylor men dropping the hammer and winning another 4 x 4. The only thing missing from their trophy case is claiming the 25 year Relays record. Of course, that was set in the final race of the 75th Relays as Southern Illinois won the showdown with Oklahoma in a Collegiate Record time. Wouldn't be the perfect conclusion to the 100th Relays with the first sub three minute 4 x 400 by the Bears?
5. Dwight in the Hall of Fame (finally): In 1991, I was sitting on the curve when a small, blond flash went past me. The announcer, Tom Kroeschell, told us the runner for City High was just a freshman. It was then that I noticed he was running with just one shoe on! Not only was he contending for the lead, but by the time he made the pass he clearly had the lead. That was the point that the legend of Tim Dwight at the Drake Relays was born. Anybody who saw Dwight run at the Relays knew you were seeing a truly gifted athlete. As a junior and senior, he ran the 400 Hurdles early in the spring so he could run them at Drake. And naturally, he won. He is definitely one of the greatest high school athletes to ever perform at the Relays, and he deserves induction into the Hall of Fame. Quite frankly, he should up for athlete of the century as a representative of all the Iowa high school athletes privileged to compete at the Relays.
This year promises to be a special Relays already with the events planned by Brian Brown and the Relays Committee. I really doubt that there is much mystery as to who will be the male and female athletes of the century. While "Madam Bronze" helped dominate the relays in the early 80's for Nebraska, I think its pretty clear that Torrence will be named the women's athlete of the century.
And for the men, is there any doubt that the Man will win it? He still holds the record in the Special Invitational 200 and the Special 400 and no one is going to touch them for years. Anyone who was at the Relays in 1996 or 1997 knows just how crazy the place got when he was on the track.
That is what is expected. Here are the top five things I would like to see at the 100th Drake Relays for the men:
1. Payoff for host the NCAA meet: Despite the flooding hitting Des Moines and the rest of the state, Drake's efforts to host the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Meet was a big success. My hope is that many teams that had not been to Drake in a while will decide to come back. Plus, there shouldn't be any flooding in April. We hope.
2. 400 Rematch: If there is an individual event that has been the signature individual race of the Relays in my 26 years of attending, its the 400. A fitting field for the 100th Relays would be a rematch of the Beijing Olympics 400 final, with perennial Drake champion Jeremy Warner against the defending Olympic champion LaShawn Merritt. It would also be a great start to the competition to see who will represent the United States in Berlin in August.
3. The Big Three in the Ring: If you want a big throw in the shot, you go to Drake. In recent years, the competition has been between Christian Cantwell and Reese Hoffa. Trust me, I'm not complaining. i still remember the year Reese won while at Georgia and he took a victory lap with a turkey leg in his hand. The crowd went nuts, and the Clerk of Course called the runners out of the blocks because "People have never seen a shot putter run before." But the ultimate would be to have the top three shot putters in the ring on April 25. Cantwell, Hoffa, and Adam Nelson. Cantwell's record would definitely be in jeopardy.
4. Sub 3 for Baylor: It's hard to believe that people in Iowa would be huge fans of the folks in green and yellow, but they are. And there is nothing more that Drake Relays fans like more than the Baylor men dropping the hammer and winning another 4 x 4. The only thing missing from their trophy case is claiming the 25 year Relays record. Of course, that was set in the final race of the 75th Relays as Southern Illinois won the showdown with Oklahoma in a Collegiate Record time. Wouldn't be the perfect conclusion to the 100th Relays with the first sub three minute 4 x 400 by the Bears?
5. Dwight in the Hall of Fame (finally): In 1991, I was sitting on the curve when a small, blond flash went past me. The announcer, Tom Kroeschell, told us the runner for City High was just a freshman. It was then that I noticed he was running with just one shoe on! Not only was he contending for the lead, but by the time he made the pass he clearly had the lead. That was the point that the legend of Tim Dwight at the Drake Relays was born. Anybody who saw Dwight run at the Relays knew you were seeing a truly gifted athlete. As a junior and senior, he ran the 400 Hurdles early in the spring so he could run them at Drake. And naturally, he won. He is definitely one of the greatest high school athletes to ever perform at the Relays, and he deserves induction into the Hall of Fame. Quite frankly, he should up for athlete of the century as a representative of all the Iowa high school athletes privileged to compete at the Relays.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Welcome to Iowa Track Fan!
I am just a simple person, who lives in Iowa and loved track and field (athletics to you folks outside the United States).
In the future, this blog will discuss all sorts of topics related to the signature sport of the Olympic Games. These topics will range from Iowa high school track and field, collegiate track and field, and world class events.
A little about me - Ever since I was a small child, I have been a fan of track and field. That happens when your parents coach the sport. For nearly 30 years, I have attended the greatest track meet in the world - the Drake Relays.
I am a former track and field athlete at the high school level. Ok, calling me an "athlete" might be stretching it. But my team did claim a state team title in the mid 1980's, without any help from me.
In the future, this blog will discuss all sorts of topics related to the signature sport of the Olympic Games. These topics will range from Iowa high school track and field, collegiate track and field, and world class events.
A little about me - Ever since I was a small child, I have been a fan of track and field. That happens when your parents coach the sport. For nearly 30 years, I have attended the greatest track meet in the world - the Drake Relays.
I am a former track and field athlete at the high school level. Ok, calling me an "athlete" might be stretching it. But my team did claim a state team title in the mid 1980's, without any help from me.
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