Newly signed with Notre Dame, Payton Miller is one of the high school athletes we expect to see on the track this weekend. Photo by Alan Versaw.
It's time for our weekly look ahead in the weekend's action. We'll start our weekend preview by noting that the University of Northern Colorado and the University of Colorado have had enough for the time being and will be going without a meet this weekend. Quietly, there are probably a few happy campers on the two coaching staffs about that. Travel every weekend gets old sometimes.
| 02/07 |
Air Force is hosting the States--Sacramento, Indiana, and Wichita--at the Cadet Field House. As any rudimentary course in US geography will tell you, Sacramento and Wichita are not states, but we'll let that slide for now. This one has the look of a lower-key kind of meet on the Falcon's schedule, but there are several Air Force athletes needing better marks to qualify for Nationals, so it doesn't figure to be a kick-back-and-relax kind of weekend.
Air Force Academy
|
USAFA, CO |
|
02/07 - 02/08 |
Birds and Jackets Invitational There seems to be some dispute over the name of this meet. On the Chadron State (Eagles) site, the meet is listed as the Birds and Bees Invitational. On the Black Hills State (Yellow Jackets) site, the meet is listed as the Birds and Jackets Invitational. Birds and Jackets seems a little more seasonally appropriate, so I used that name for the MileSplit calendar. That and the fact that it's probably better to default to Black Hills State about their part of the meet name. The lone Colorado team headed to Gillette, Wyoming, for this meet is Colorado School of Mines. If anyone on the team was hoping to get out of the deep freeze for the weekend, they will be bitterly disappointed. The consolation prize is that the folks in Gillette are getting very familiar with collegiate track and field this winter and should comprise an unusually discerning set of spectators. And, while it may be bone-chilling cold outside, the arena itself should be well-heated, being located squarely in the coal capital of the entire Rocky Mountain region.
Black Hills State University
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Gillette, WY |
| 02/07 |
I'm guessing the second part of the meet name is pronounced suh-VEEN, but I really don't know. What I do know is that CSU will be taking their team here for some stiff competition against the University of Nebraska. We're still waiting for the indoor unveiling of most of the CSU distance group. Perhaps this weekend? In any case, Colorado State is in need of some big marks before they get shut out of Nationals, and this would be a good opportunity to snag a few such marks.
University of Nebraska
|
Lincoln, NE |
|
02/07 - 02/08 |
The other part of the Colorado Mines track team, and chiefly a distance group, is headed to Hillsdale, Michigan, which isn't that far from Hell, Michigan. As you might have already guessed, the jokes about Hell freezing over are doing extra duty this winter. In fact, it's been quite a while since anyone laughed at one of those. But, at least it's a low-altitude venue, so the distance runners should be aiming to crank out some confidence-building (and maybe nationals-qualifying) times. The theory would seem to be that at least some of these guys can beat the altitude adjustment they would get at home by going lower.
Hillsdale College
|
Hillsdale, MI |
|
02/07 - 02/08 |
They're going to have to shoehorn teams into the Albuquerque Convention Center. And that's just for the teams from Colorado. Headed to the Duke City for some sweet turns on a banked oval are CSU-Pueblo, UCCS, Western, Adams, Colorado Mesa, and Metro. Colorado is clearly doing its part to support the New Mexico economy. Wait to sample the local cuisine until after your race, though. Throw in New Mexico Highlands and you have essentially a RMAC conference meet preview here. But, it's not just RMAC teams coming. You might also recognize teams like Texas, Washington, and Arkansas. As suggested earlier, you may have to check your personal space at the door. Everyone wants to come to Albuquerque this winter...
University of New Mexico
|
Albuquerque, NM |
| 02/08 |
Air Force High School Indoor Open For the high school set, this should be the big one of the Colorado indoor season. Colorado Track XC will be on site at this one with both video and photo coverage. Video coverage should prove to be a bit challenging in this venue, but we'll try to figure a way. This is the final opportunity for the high school pole vaulters and horizontal jumpers to take big advantage of the unusually fast runways at the Cadet Field House. A large segment of out-of-state competition is headed to the Cadet Field House as well, just in time for our February thaw.
Air Force Academy
 |
USAFA, CO |
| 02/08 |
Cherry & Silver All-Comers (HS, Open) Like last weekend, there will be a contingent making the trip down from Colorado's southern tier of counties. This last in the series of indoor high school meets in New Mexico may be slightly less well attended than the last one, judging by the count of online entries received to date.
University of New Mexico
|
Albuquerque, NM |
| 02/08 |
For those who don't care to make the trip to the Air Force Academy, don't like running distance at 7000 feet, want to get the most out of their USATF membership, or who simply like running with the echoes of history in Balch Field House, there is the USATF-Colorado All-Comers Invitational in Boulder. |
Boulder, CO |