Track Season Wrap Up

As I type this, rain is falling steadily outside.  After a long, dry April and most of May, we finally got several impressive rain events in quick succession, just as we were about to become seriously discouraged over the outlook of our crops this year.  Now, there are puddles all about, all the grass and trees are green, roads are muddy, and crops are growing up gangbusters.  Ducks and other waterfowl have set up camp in our farmyard and song birds happily chirp away.  I imagine they are extolling the sudden boon of earthworms slithering to the surface of the soggy ground. Farmers are happy.  Rain is a sigh of relief.

 

Our computer has been on the fritz again lately, over the past few weeks, and we finally were able to take it to Havre to get it looked at. Despite our antivirus software, the computer keeps contracting various illnesses, rendering it virtually unusable.  A shame, I was in a nice roll with posting on the blog! I should be able to get back into it now.  There may even be a guest-blogger appearance by my husband sometime soon…

 

During the absence of blog posts, my time with the North Star Track Team came to an end for this season.  Memorial Day weekend was our State track meet, located in Laurel, MT this year.  It was a coed meet, as were all the meets we went to this year as a team, and featured the championships for Class C (North Star is Class C) and Class A.  Class AA and Class B were held together in Bozeman.  Next year, Class C will be with AA and the meet will be in Great Falls.  Class C alternates each year between holding their meet with A or with AA.  I am told C and B are never together because both classes tend to have many more fans in attendance than A or AA, and most track stadiums would not be big enough to accommodate so many people.  Something about small towns—people really seem to support their local kids in all endeavors.  If you haven't read the book Blind Your Ponies, do it.  It's about Class C basketball, but the way the small town in the book rallies around their team is applicable and accurate for any sport.

 

The North Star fans were out in numbers in Laurel to watch our kids compete. Even Jeff, who admittedly does not care much for track and field, made the drive down.  Sure, he got in a few rounds of golf in Billings, which was most definitely a major draw for him.  I was glad he was there for some of the meet- to see what I had put so much time into this spring. 

 

It was a great track season.  The girls won the District meet in early May, took second in Divisionals, and third as a team at State.  They also set several new school records in multiple events, including Triple Jump and 4 x 400 meter relay, and perhaps others, too.  Boys took second at Districts, and qualified 2 individuals for State at the Divisional meet. Both boys competed very well at State- one of them medaled in all three events that he qualified in, and I believe he also set at least one new school record.  Two of my hurdlers made it to State- one of the boys, and one of the girls. They both did fantastic- I am so happy for the progress they made over the season!  There is so much to be proud of over the course of the season, and State was the culmination of it all.

 

After Memorial Day weekend, it was strange for me to not stop in Rudyard for track practice on my way home from work in Chester.  I knew I would really enjoy coaching, and I did enjoy it all throughout the season, but I didn’t realize how much I would miss it after the season ended.  Such a great group of kids- they worked so hard day in and day out.  The track team is a great example of how a group of unrelated people can come together for a common purpose, and come to act as family to one another. It is definitely something special to be part of. Hopefully, helping with Track will be something I can be part of for many years to come, however, I am sure there will be no other season, no other group of kids, just like this one.

 

Photo by Tiffany Boehm Rettig
This is the girls team after claiming the 3rd place trophy at State. I'm on the left with a few of the other coaches.