Tashaun and Tarique Hill explode toward the finish line in the finals of a stacked 5A 110 hurdles event. Photo by Alan Versaw.
This is one of my favorite articles to write. Writing it compels me to ponder over what really were the best memories of the season gone by. Of course, much of what goes down here is highly subjective, but the renewing of memories is pleasant nevertheless.
Best 1-2 Finish at State: 1-2 finishes aren't exactly rare, but they are tough to come by. Interestingly, they came in event pairs this year. The schools that hung 1-2 finishes at state this year were Idalia (2A boys pole vault - Terrell and Ramseier), Akron (2A girls pole vault - Krause and Measles), Colorado Springs Christian (3A 100 hurdles - Bultje and Kenney), and Eaglecrest (5A 110 hurdles - Hill and Hill). My personal favorite? Eaglecrest, Hill vs. Hill. Nice times, but even nicer to see a set of twins do it, even if their uniforms didn't exactly suggest they were from the same team.
Best Reason to Build Your Team Around 400s and 800s: Take a look at the teams that won state titles. Next, look at how they did in the 4 X 400 and 4 X 800. The Littleton boys went first and third. The Mullen boys went no-show and fourth. The Classical Academy boys went second and first. The Wray boys went first and no-show. It was even more telling on the girls side. The Littleton girls went first and no-show. The Thompson Valley girls swept both, as did The Classical Academy girls. The Akron girls went first and 16th. So, to summarize, every state champion except Mullen's boys won at least one title in the 4 X 400 and 4 X 800 relays. I'm convinced, and even more so than I was before the meet.
Best Upset of the State Meet: I honestly didn't think he could do it this year. I know I ran his picture on the front page the week before the state meet, but that was mostly because I had it available and hadn't featured Broomfield on the front page all year. But Trent Ireland made that decision look positively insightful by winning the 4A boys 100 in a very tight finish.
Best Unanswered Question: Is Annie Kunz any relation to Lee Kunz, a similarly successful Wheat Ridge athlete of a generation ago?
Best Gaudy Uniform: Honestly, some teams need to find someone who likes them to design their uniforms. This is generally more true in football than any other sport, but it creeps into track and field occasionally, as well. Every so often, though, a school hits on an outrageous, yet nice, look. The award this year goes to the Wiggins Tigers. Now, if only the Cincinnati Bengals could make tiger stripes look good.... By the way, I have a couple of nominations for the worst gaudy uniforms, but I'll keep those to myself.
Best Boys Performance All Season : Kind of a slam dunk here. Mason Finley's national record 236-6 discus heave gets the nod. Nice, also, that it happened in Alamosa where track and field really is a big deal.
Best Girls Performance All Season: This one goes to the Thompson Valley girls 4 X 800 (take your pick between State and the St. Vrain Invitational). Having personally put a fabulously good 4 X 800 team on the track against them, I can affirm that they are the real deal. Nobody closes like Laura Tremblay.
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Best Okay-We're-Back-to-Business-Now Demeanor: And this one goes to Thompson Valley coach Matt Norton. I tried desperately to get a in-the-passion-of-the-moment photo of his reaction after the 4A girls state 4 X 800. Less than a minute after the race was over, this was all the reaction he had to show. Not only does he write a pretty good article, he tends the fire pretty closely, too. Good grief, Matt, a little emotion here, maybe?
Best Finish Kick: Ask Andrew Roberts. Ask my son. Both got scorched a little by the afterburners on the jet pack Joseph DeMoor keeps under his singlet.
Best Place Ever to Watch the Shot Put: Jeffco Stadium. Some other places ought to take notes on how much fun it was to watch the shot put at state. And bringing out the Gator to smooth over the surface after each competition was a nice touch, too. The one thing I regret is that Mason Finley didn't pitch one up against the wall.
Best Time to Schedule a 4A or 5A League Meet: I think this one goes to the folks who had the foresight to schedule something like a Thursday/Saturday affair the week before state. Those who scheduled an earlier date had to sit on pins and needles for an entire week with no hope of improving their times. It's a little disadvantageous for distance runners to be going hard that close to state finals (and a handful didn't need to, anyway), but the rest of the athletes who ran that late were at a clear advantage. I have no idea if the same requirement will be in place next year, but--if it is--don't look for anyone to be taking off that week between league and state.
Best Inspirational Moment: Henry Cowhick running the anchor leg for Wheat Ridge on the 4A boys 4 X 800. From the moment he got the baton until the race was done, it was clear that he wanted the title and it was going to take something on the order of a very fast tank to stop him. Wheat Ridge finishes with the best time in all classifications.
Best Reason to Stay in Your Own Lane During a 400: Devin Mohn. Mr. Mohn is a very imposing figure running the 400. Probably under other circumstances, too.
Best (or Worst) Travel Schedule: Gunnison High School. No other team sees the state like Gunnison. Over the course of the year, they traveled to Grand Junction (twice), Lakewood (twice), Cedaredge, Montrose, Pueblo, and Colorado Springs. That's just for the Friday or Saturday invitationals. Imagine how the parents must feel when the Cowboys host their annual home meet!
Best Example of the Competitive Spirit: I didn't even know about this one until a couple days after the state meet. Tita Garcia, shot putter for The Classical Academy track team and keeper for the soccer team, dislocated her (throwing) shoulder in a quarterfinal loss to Manitou Springs on Thursday of state week. She rolled her shoulder back into place and played the remainder of the game. On Saturday, she showed up for the 3A shot put competition and threw a personal best of 37-3.5 on her first throw to place fourth in the shot put. On Monday, she was in school in a sling. She was also wearing a big smile. In all honesty, I know there must be other stories like this one to tell, but in telling this one I hope I have adequately honored the competitive spirit that so many of these athletes bring to the state meet. It really is a special event.
Best Freshman Performance of 2009: I was a little skeptical until I saw her run at state. The skepticism fled like a drop of water in a pan of hot grease. Olivia Anderson of Cherry Creek.
Best Parents to Meet at a Track Meet: Any of you who found me and said, "Hello," at the state track meet. Getting to meet so many of you was truly a fun experience. I'm truly amazed at your resourcefulness in figuring out who I am.