Another Great Tradition Destroyed

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.