Our 2016 spring weather cycle seems to have successfully dialed in on the weekends. The overwhelming majority of meets last weekend were lost to weather conditions, and this weekend looks to be setting up for more of same.
The Runners Roost of Fort Collins has already taken preemptive measures and moved their meet to Friday. The Longmont Invitational is exploring possibilities that would move their meet into early next week. Doubtless other meets are in strategy sessions now as well.
The outlook looks only slightly better for Wednesday's DPS Qualifier, NC Golden Spikes #2, and the Five Star Championships, but it's also true no flakes have fallen yet. Perhaps these meets are crossing their fingers and hoping Wednesday turns out a little better than predicted.
Thursday's window for getting in the Centennial League Spring Break Qualifier and the La Junta Open looks promising, though perhaps just a bit on the side of chilly.
As of this writing, Montezuma-Cortez and the Runners Roost of Fort Collins appear to be the only meets scheduled for Friday, though other Saturday meets may be tempted to explore that option. Friday weather along the Front Range is probably less than totally ideal, but clearly better than Saturday. And, other than wind, Friday likes very nice for Montezuma-Cortez. And, it isn't always easy to oin down a calm March day in Cortez.
If any Saturday meets happen east of the Continental Divide, it won't be because of a favorable forecast. Even west of the Continental Divide could be under somewhat Spartan conditions for track and field on Saturday.
All of this, of course, makes lining up coverage very difficult. At this point, I'm aiming at Colorado Track XC coverage for the Hotchkiss Invitational on Saturday and the Centennial League Spring Break Qualifier on Thursday.
Longmont and Broomfield are listed under the original spring plan for coverage, but we'll have to wait and see what happens with those meets. Then, once scheduling decisions are made, we'll be reviewing whether coverage in still feasible.