The annual Air Force High School Indoor Open will be hitting the track in just over two weeks.
The most competitive high school indoor meet of the season in Colorado, and for several hundred miles in any direction, falls on February 7. All the action gets packed into about seven hours in the Cadet Field House at the United States Air Force Academy.
The meet is hosted by the Air Force Academy and takes full advantage of all that the Cadet Field House indoor track has to offer. Six lanes of track on an oval that runs six laps to the mile. Eight lanes of track along the straightaway for the 60-meter events. State-of-the-art runways for the field events. And a large, dedicated throws area. It's all here.
The typically cramped quarters of the indoor track and field experience aren't nearly so cramped at the Cadet Field House.
Athletes, many with aspirations of one day training and competing in the indoor arena as Air Force Academy cadets, come here from all around the nation. The greatest number, of course, come from Colorado, but Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Arizona, and New Mexico have regularly sent substantial delegations in the past.
Annually, several of the best high school indoor marks in the nation are posted at this meet.
Air Force assistant track and field coach (hurdles) Beau Walker recalls competing here as a high schooler herself, now approaching 20 years ago. Like many other explosive event specialists, she used to time of the indoor season to sharpen her skills before the outdoor season took hold, "The indoor season was crucial to my success. I didn't play other sports, so I believe it was ideal for me to participate during this competition season. I appreciated the time it allowed for true patience and a quest for perfection."
But, for Walker, indoor wasn't simply about drills, starts, and endless reps over hurdles during the dark winter months.
"The Air Force High School Open was always a premier meet on our schedule. We always made sure we were ready, and our coaches made sure we were ready, because it was that big of a deal. We [Montbello] liked to race schools from Colorado Springs because we knew we would be back this way in the spring for an outdoor meet and looked forward to seeing how they were doing. At times sprinters would show up from outside of Colorado, and you know as well as I do that anytime somebody comes from out of state the responsibility to do well is through the roof. I loved it. We had great athletes here in the state and the performances would be amazing all day."
Not much has changed about that in the intervening years.
"The real beauty of competing at events like this is recognizing that amongst these people are the great ones. They may be a little rusty,... but it is without doubt that at some point after this event, life will continue taking them on a journey to their destiny in the sport. And when you finally end up in those major competitions, seeded in the invitational section at the relay carnival and poised for championship scenarios, you find solace in the fact that you have been competing against and knowing this field since you were 16."
The opportunity only rolls around once a year. Yes, there are other indoor meets in Colorado--and many of them excellent meets. But, this one is the pinnacle of the indoor season here in Colorado--the sternest test the state has to offer.
For a few, it will be an initial step toward an athletic career as an Air Force Falcon. For all, it will provide a solid test of the preparation that has been laid toward the outdoor season in the months that follow. Nobody goes away unchallenged.