Remember the big stories of 2010? This should help jog your memory.
I'm pretty sure the year's top track and field/cross country stories are now all written. It's time now to take a pleasant little trip down memory lane and review some of the highlights of the year that is now almost entirely behind us.
Before we go any farther down this lane, I need to say that it's a bit unnerving to post an article listing what are allegedly the ten biggest stories in Colorado high school track and field/cross country in 2010. Scan the year's files as much as you like, and you still can't shake the sneaking feeling that one or two escaped your notice. Couple that with the realization that someone will point out your omission(s) for all to see and it's a little scary to post a list such as this.
That said, I'm pretty sure most everyone out there will resonate with at least five or six of my choices. Nobody, I'm sure, will resonate with all. That's the nature of the beast. And, I hope people do post back with their own input. This isn't much fun as a one-way conversation.
I'm acutely aware that my selections suggest a distance bias. And I'm a distance coach, so I've opened myself to criticism for not being able to see beyond the end of my own nose. Okay. But I think there's a reason that 2010 was a distance year. First off, in any given year, half the biggest stories will be related to track and field and half to cross country. Cross country is distance so I should be covered up to at least four or five of the top ten, right? Now consider how dreadful the weather was this past spring--and for the explosive events, in particular. Let's face it, the spring of 2010 was anything but conducive to top-level performances in sprints, throws, and jumps in Colorado.
I'm also acutely aware I've mentioned my own team and one of my own athletes in the top ten below. It's always more than a little difficult to do that. You want to be fair to all. Sometimes, it's easier just to bypass your own teams and your own athletes. I chose not to do that this time. I realize I'll get a little closer inspection this time on account of that. It's okay, it goes with the territory.
And, finally, I confess a predisposition to team stories over individual stories. That's not to stay there aren't individual stories on the list. It simply says I think it's more challenging to produce excellence out of a team than out of a highly gifted individual.
With all that as caveat, here is my list of the top ten stories from Colorado high school track and field/cross country for 2010:
10 (tie). Monarch Girls Cross Country - There was a lot of pre-season buzz about the Monarch boys, but on September 4, the Monarch girls served notice that they would be worthy of a little bit of ink as well. They did that by stunning the field at the Lori Fitzgerald Pre-State Invitational. They kept it up all season. Wherever the went, they left destruction in their wake. Arguably, they may have won the state title except for Taylor Floming's collapse a few hundred meters short of the finish. They would go on to finish 15th at Nike Cross Nationals.
10 (tie). Loveland Girls Track and Field - In the most blue collar manner possible, Loveland's girls won the 5A state track meet. Think for a moment how important those individuals who are capable of posting first-place finishes are to winning a state track meet. Pretty important, right? Now run this one through your performance analyzer--Loveland had no individual who finished higher than third. The Indians beat second-place Cherry Creek by 15 points largely on the strength of their relays. But even Loveland's relays posted no finish higher than second. This was a balanced, team effort and one that proved you really can get it done without a superstar.
9. Eleanor Fulton, IAAF World Juniors - While most of the rest of the state was taking July off or working on base training in preparation for cross country season, Eleanor Fulton was wearing USA colors at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Canada. Fulton made the finals of the 3000 Meter Steeplechase with a time of 10:25.89. Check out a few college women's times to get a feel for how competitive Fulton's time is.
8. Three Sweeps at State Cross Country - It looked like a possibility going into the state meet, but possibilities have a way of falling apart much too easily. This one didn't. Fort Collins swept the 5A state championships. Cheyenne Mountain swept the 4A state championships. The Classical Academy swept the 3A state championships. There have been a lot of years of state cross country championships in Colorado but never before one with three teams sweeping boys and girls state titles. In fact, prior to this year there had been fewer than 20 team sweeps, total, in all of Colorado high school cross country history.
7. Burlington, 2A Boys State Track and Field Champions - Unless you ran small school track and field at some point in your life, you may not get this one. But, trust me, it was big. There are about five or six 2A schools that simply ooze track and field tradition. Wray and Burlington are two of those schools. Making things even better is that these two schools are natural rivals, practically neighboring communities as these things go along the Kansas border. And 2010 track and field was the season of dreams for Wray's boys. Broken meet records here, there, and everywhere. A 2A all-time best mark, even before the state meet. The Eagles stormed into the state meet as heavy favorites, as a purple cloud hanging over the rest of the field. Even though Burlington was quietly posting points in a number of events, Wray maintained their 2A leader status up until the 4x100 finals on Saturday afternoon. But one botched exchange changed everything. In an event Wray was supposed to win, the Eagles came away with zero points, while Burlington picked up seven. On the day's final event, the 4x400, Burlington held the lead, 61.5 to 52. It was still theoretically possible for Wray to win the state meet, but doing so would require Wray to win the 4x400 and Burlington to be disqualified or, for some other reason, fail to finish the race. Wray did their part. The Cougars, however, provided no such opportunity and walked away with the state title. Wray's relays-and-sprints strategy had succumbed to the more diverse approach of Burlington. Burlington had succeeded in taking down a prohibitive favorite. There are about 15 boys who are going to remember this one for a long, long time.
6. Spencer Wenck - Like the Monarch girls, not many saw this one coming. Spencer Wenck dominated the Lori Fitzgerald Invitational, but maybe that was just because it was on a strength course? Trouble is, he did the same thing to every field he faced on speed courses, too. Wenck ended up with an undefeated season in Colorado and went on to place second at NXN-SW and fifth in an extremely strong field at NXN. I don't think any of us saw that coming, but that sort of thing was simply the story of his season. Word on the street is that young Mr. Wenck is headed to MIT next fall. The MIT men's XC team finished 12th at DIII nationals this fall. I think he might fit in there.
5. Girls' 800 Meters - Tara Mendozza's record hasn't fallen yet, but there was certainly a bump in the number of girls pursuing it this spring. Olivia Anderson and Eleanor Fulton battled right down to the wire in the 5A state meet, with Anderson going 2:09.90 to win it. Jenny DeSouchet took Vanessa Fabrizio right down to the wire in 4A before finishing second to Fabrizio's 2:12.67. 3A saw another down-to-the wire finish with Emily LaValley barely nipping Sam Berggren in 2:11.24. Probably no event has gotten tougher as rapidly over the last two years as the girls' 800 meters.
4. Kelsey Lakowske - Several of us spotted the post-operative Kelsey Lakowske at the state track meet in May. It didn't look then as if her storied high school career was going to end well. By the end of September, there was still no reason to see the situation any differently. Lakowske came on huge in October, however, winning a few meet titles and then dominating the 5A girls state race after spotting Erin Hooker and Eleanor Fulton the early lead. Lakowske qualified for Foot Locker Nationals and then ran an outstanding race in San Diego to finish fourth, four seconds better than her 2009 time. This one was clearly the comeback story of 2010.
3. The new state cross country course - In my 11 years of coaching experience, the character of the state meet course has never become such a point of controversy. But perhaps that was to be expected after seven years of running near-flat state courses. This year's state course demanded considerable forethought and strategizing. It ate people alive who went out too hard. It opened its arms wide to teams that patiently completed the first circuit and then applied pressure to the leaders on the second trip around. It invited people to wear spikes (I learned later, however, that Spencer Wenck ran the state meet in flats). It made competitors suffer a little right before the finish. It exposed runners to the elements, not the least of which was the wind. It made coaching a serious part of the state meet equation. Some coaches welcomed the new course (and still do--I count myself among those); some coaches despised it. When all was said and done, however, the times it yielded on October 30 were surprisingly fast. And I think that's testament to the fact that we're all a little more capable of taking on challenges than our fears would have us to believe.
2. Conner Winter, State Track - Nobody believed this was going to happen. As early as Thursday morning of the state meet when Walter Schafer went out to an apparently insurmountable lead in the 3200, the prospect of what would eventually happen seemed preposterous. But, first Conner Winter overcame Schafer's enormous lead, passing the Cherry Creek veteran on the final lap. On Friday, Winter came back and battled Matt Caldwell to the wire to win the 800. And, finally, on Saturday, he again turned back a bid from Matt Caldwell in the 1600, this time by nearly two seconds. We'd never before witnessed a distance triple in 5A. And don't be surprised if you don't see one again in your lifetime.
1. Fort Collins Cross Country - What do you do for an encore a year after your girls finish third at NXN? Well, try this... your boys and girls sweep the state meet in the toughest classification. Your boys and girls both advance to Nike Cross Nationals against stiff competition. And then your girls finish 6th and your boys 4th at NXN. Both teams had only one senior. Of all the high schools in the 50 states, only Fayetteville-Manlius did it better.
Honorable Mention (in no particular order) - GinAsia Hamilton's state meet, CHSAA drops JV races out of regional cross country, Marissa Smith's state meet, Megan Patterson's shot put season, the boys' discus season, Trevor Brown's hurdles season