Although none of this stuff is predicted for this weekend, it's good to remind ourselves of what March track and field can hold.
Oh, happy day!
Track season, 2017, begins on Friday with the Ralston Valley Invitational. A full slate of meets is on tap for Saturday. Let the festivities begin!
To be honest with you, the first weekend of track season isn't really about the match-ups. That will come along later. The first weekend is about going over hurdles again, under pressure. It's about timing in the ring. It's about pacing laps on 16s and 32s. It's about finding your steps. And realizing why practice is so important.
But, yes, the wind gauges are working and the timing systems will be operational. And a few folks will post marks that will stand all the way through May 13. Season-opening adrenaline is funny that way.
Yet, not everyone will be out in force. While 4A and 5A basketball have narrowed their fields considerably in the last couple weeks, 1A, 2A, and 3A just got down to eight teams this past weekend. And, since many 1A, 2A, and 3A teams rely heavily on talent from their basketball programs, turnout will be light this weekend for the smaller schools on account of basketball.
It also should be noted that a lot of athletes simply aren't quite ready yet for big-meet competition, and their debuts will come in the weeks ahead.
But, for those who are ready--or nearly ready--the siren call of opening weekend is unmistakable.
It all starts where it all ends--Jeffco Stadium in Lakewood. Ralston Valley takes ribbon-cutting honors with their meet on Friday. It's mostly Jeffco schools, but with enough other teams thrown in to give it more than a simple district meet kind of feel.
In addition to the Jeffco schools, look for Far Northeast, Thompson Valley, Platte Canyon, and Faith Christian.
Colorado Track XC is sending Ben Hershelman for first-meet-of-the-season coverage. If there is an absurdity to be found on Friday, Ben will spot it and hunt it down.
Saturday's schedule is downright robust.
Pueblo takes advantage of their reputation for warmer March temperatures and hosts two meets--one at CSU-Pueblo and one at Dutch Clark. If the wind forecasts for Saturday hold, those who chose Dutch Clark are going to be pleased with their choice. Nothing outrageous is expected with the wind, but there will be some of it, and Dutch Clark is much better protected from the wind than the Thunderbowl. There's an art to picking the right stadium in Pueblo, and nobody gets it right every time.
In any case, both meets look to be well attended, loaded up with schools from Colorado Springs and out into southeastern Colorado. The CSU-Pueblo Early Bird is pulling remarkably well from points north of Denver as well.
It should be noted, however, that some of the teams from in and around Colorado Springs will be staying in town for the Pikes Peak Invitational at venerable Garry Berry Stadium. They'll be reaching for their jackets sooner than the folks in Pueblo.
Boulder, frustrated by years of cancellation and marginal conditions for their season-opening meet, renamed their meet the Boulder Snow Invitational. That may have been a wise move. The only snow in sight for Saturday is in the meet name.
The Continental League has ditched the idea of a rankings meet for this weekend, and has instituted a league relays meet in its stead. Get used to calling the venue Echo Park, because it's no longer Sports Authority Stadium. I would have suggested Field Turf Stadium, but perhaps there is an echo or two to be heard there.
Fort Morgan invites the schools of the plains, plus a Front Range entry or two, to their humble home along the South Platte River. And, be sure to keep your radio tuned to an FM station on your way there.
Buttressing a growing tradition of early-in-the-season track and field on the Western Slope, there will be a six-team affair (At least that's what the meet name suggests. Moreover, the name indicates it is a "Classic" and not merely an affair.) at Grand Junction's Stocker Stadium. Since "Bulldog" is part of the name of that meet, I'm taking a wild guess that Palisade is hosting. And, by the way, Palisade is rapidly becoming the track and field powerhouse program of the Western Slope. It would behoove you to take note of that if you haven't already.
Speaking of Western Slope, several southwest Colorado teams are making a run for the border and competing in the Piedra Vista Invitational in New Mexico. I don't believe this one counts for Colorado rankings, but it does count for fun and getting your season started.
Columbine follows up Ralston Valley's Friday meet with another Jeffco Stadium meet on Saturday. Believe it or not, some of the same schools are slated to be at both meets. Of the two, Columbine figures to be the larger meet, though Ralston Valley probably gets the better of the weather.
And, finally, the communities of Loveland and Greeley battle for municipal bragging rights at the City to City Challenge. Note that Loveland will be handicapped a bit in the Challenge owing to Thompson Valley's departure to the Ralston Valley meet. If you're wondering why Greeley always gets to host this meet, you should consider that the Loveland school district never built a stadium around a track. Oh well, Greeley is close.
That should give us plenty to think about all week, and plenty more to report on at the end of the weekend.
In addition to Ralston Valley, Colorado Track XC plans to have coverage at the Banana Belt Classic at Dutch Clark on Saturday, and hopefully photo coverage from the Boulder Snow as well. Keep checking back all weekend for results and coverage!