Long-time St. Mary's coach Ed Latimer records a wind reading while hosting his final meet at the St. Mary's Grace Center. Photos by Alan Versaw.
When I arrived as a teacher at Air Academy High School in the fall of 1992, Ed Latimer's wife was one of my colleagues in the math department. I quickly learned what an institution in Colorado track and field the Latimer family was. Better than 20 years have passed since that introduction, but the Latimer family is still an institution in Colorado track and field.
Yesterday, I was on hand for the final meet that Ed Latimer would host as the track coach and athletic director at St. Mary's High School. The curtain is rapidly drawing shut on a significant era in Colorado High School track and field. Through his coaching, his childrens' accomplishments, and his teams (both club and scholastic) alike, Ed Latimer has touched Colorado track and field as few ever have. Aleisha, the second of three Latimer children, once held numerous Colorado sprint records and still holds the girls 5A state meet 100 meter mark of 11.37.
Ed Latimer was widely regarded as a sprint coach, but what many don't realize is that he routinely excelled outside the realm of sprints as well. Until a D'Evelyn program came along and redefined the possibilities for the 4x800 relay, Latimer's St. Mary's team held the classification record for the relay at 7:57 and change. To this day, among 3A programs still only D'Evelyn has run it faster than Latimer's St. Mary's team did. His may have been a program that featured sprinting, but it was never a one-dimensional program.
That era is now over. Latimer will finish out the season and school year as the St. Mary's head track coach and athletics director, but the program will fall under new leadership next year. The transition figures to be a quiet one. Latimer's style has always been quiet. His final day on the job as a meet director at the St. Mary's Grace Center was conducted just as all the ones previous had been--with Coach Latimer sharing in all of the menial tasks of running a meet. His was never an imperial style, but rather one of shared hard work. Coach Latimer will be missed.
Under the gorgeous sunshine of Saturday's meet, St. Mary's succumbed to long-time rivals Manitou Springs (boys) and The Classical Academy (girls). Track at St. Mary's has recently been fighting a numbers game with trendier spring sports like lacrosse and soccer, but St. Mary's still manages a few points of excellence on the track. Top finishes for the Pirates included Robert Delfeld in the 400 at 52.11 and John Kater in the 3200 in 10:28.82. Elena Slavoski posted what should easily stand as a state-qualifying time in the 800 at 2:24.25.
For the most part, however, the headlines belonged to other athletes and other schools.
James Irwin's Alicia Lawrence (photo, above) dominated the girls sprints, winning the 100 in 12.79 and the 200 in 26.56. Miami-Yoder's Veronica Burney impressed in the 100 hurdles (15.97), 300 hurdles (48.80) and high jump (5-5). Ellicott's Ashlee Lenz took the horizontal jumps at 16-2.5 and 34-4.25. The throws became the domain of TCA's Hannah Carr at 38-1 and 119-1.
Multiple winners were more difficult to come by among the boys. Among individuals, only Ellicott's Alex Hill managed to double up on blue ribbons, taking the shot put at 48-11 and the discus at 152-3. Manitou Springs, however, flexed some relay muscle in winning the 4x100 at 44.80 and the 4x200 at 1:31.47. Daniel Marsh of CSCS extended his brilliant season of 800s with a 1:57.58. A potential showdown between Marsh and Manitou's Garrett Finn was averted when Manitou entered Finn in the 400 instead of the 800. Finn won the 400 at 51.39.
For the schools of the Tri Peaks League, the coming weekend will find the various teams flung in several different directions for meets. Then the schools reconvene at La Junta for the league meet on May 11. Hosting of the league moved moved from St. Mary's to La Junta with the likely spectre of a state soccer playoff game on May 11 looming for the Grace Center.