The last two years, the Polar Bear was held on an unseasonably warm Saturday in February. The meet's fortune ran out yesterday on a track situated atop a hill with no credible windbreak in any direction (most especially, none in the northwestward direction from which the chill winds were racing).
Saturday's temperatures hovered in the low 30s, while winds pushed the same number. "Generally unpleasant" summarizes conditions kindly.
That said, there was still some nice competition to be had. It's just that you probably don't want to compare this year's times with last year's and think that you're onto anything telling.
Mountain Vista's crew threatened to show up two years ago but ended up not. There were no such threats last year. This year, they showed up in strength.
Shayan Zarrin (photo, above) got things started with a massive win in the 2000. Zarrin's 6:11 provided a 22-second margin over teammate Jack O'Sullivan in second. O'Sullivan may have regretted a decision to wear his NXN uniform--that is, only his NXN uniform--before the five laps were complete.
Lina Corrales took an almost equally as large win in the girls 200, but behind her was a long list of Mountain Vista affiliates--to include Makenna Anderson, Madison Reed, Zoe Simmons, and Rebecca Walton.
Mountain Vista got back into the first-place column when Hunter Elliott outran Matthew Mettler to the finish of the 600 meters. For whatever reason(s), only Discovery Canyon seemed much interested in contesting the girls 600, with Alexis Bishop leading a parade of four Thunders in first. Fifth place, as well, belonged to a future Thunder--Madalyn Blazo of Discovery Canyon Middle School (at least that's the interpretation I'm taking from the results).
Caroline Eck, Liberty Ricca, and Katie Flaherty put together what was arguably the single most competitive race of the day in the girls 1000. Eck, Ricca, and Flaherty stayed within mutual striking distance for the full two-and-a-half laps, and only a determined finish from Eck set her apart from the other two at the finish.
Discovery Canyon's own Joseph Dicke took an impressive kick to a win over Carter Dillon and Caden Foster (both Mountain Vista) in the boys 1000.
Kara Lucyk brooked no rivals--male or female--in the lone heat of the 300.
For good measure, Mountain Vista also dominated the coed DMR, but a malfunction with the timer left the times for that event blowing in the wind.