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Teams gear up for districts
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| H&N file photo by Andrew Mariman Kyle Gomez, of Bonanza, is the reigning Class 2A javelin champion. Gomez has a chance to beat some meet records this weekend that have stood since the 1990s. |
May 3, 2007
With nearly 40 teams and about 800 athletes, Friday's Sterling Savings Bank/Fisher Nicholson Realtors Invitational at Viking Field is, by far, the largest high school track and field event in Southern Oregon.
It will also be the most competitive.
“I think it's a great opportunity for our upper echelon kids to see what a varsity district (meet) can be all about,” Mazama coach Dan Solyst said. “It's a good practice run for a meet like districts is supposed to be.”
Many of the top athletes in the state of Oregon and the North Section of California will be on hand for the final tune-up before next week's OSAA district meets. Eight of them are returning OSAA state champions, including four from the Klamath Basin.
Meet winners return
Bonanza senior Kyle Gomez is the returning male athlete of the meet, and he could be an early favorite to repeat. Gomez won last year's 400-meter dash in 50.24 seconds, and he could approach meet records in two other events.
Gomez, the reigning Class 2A javelin champion, had his best meet of the season April 24 at the Lost River Invitational, setting personal bests in the 200 (22.14 seconds) and javelin (184 feet, 7 inches). Both those marks are dangerously close to meet records set in the 1990s. Eric Bixler of Lakeview ran a 22.1 in the 200 in 1998, while Travis Olson of Mazama threw the javelin 188-3 in 1993.
Olson eventually won an NAIA national championship in the javelin, and Gomez will look to do the same when he enrolls at Oregon Tech next season.
Also coming back is Lakeview's Keli Hall, who won female athlete of the meet honors in 2005 and '06. The versatile junior has posted competitive times and distances in five individual events this season, and she would be at the front of the pack in the 200, 400, high jump and/or long jump, depending on which events she chooses.
Hall has a Class 2A 400 -meter title to her credit, and she has matched the meet record of 58.19 seconds once this season. She will likely be part of a loaded 200 race, which includes four other runners who have been timed at less than 26.6 seconds this season.
Host Viks excited
One of the teams that is most excited for the invite is Mazama.
“Last year was pretty crazy. We had a lot of schools, a lot of kids here,” junior Bryce Potridge said. “It's probably the most fun meet of the year.”
While the excitement builds for the event, the Vikings continue their preparation for the event itself. Former basketball coach Dan Fast has spent several weeks getting commitments from teams and athletes, and the team is in the process of setting up the facility.
“Sterling is a great meet. I love it,” Solyst said. “It involves a lot of time and effort, and I'm more than happy to put in the time, because I think it's worth it. No question about it.”
- By Josh Petrie
With nearly 40 teams and about 800 athletes, Friday's Sterling Savings Bank/Fisher Nicholson Realtors Invitational at Viking Field is, by far, the largest high school track and field event in Southern Oregon.
It will also be the most competitive.
“I think it's a great opportunity for our upper echelon kids to see what a varsity district (meet) can be all about,” Mazama coach Dan Solyst said. “It's a good practice run for a meet like districts is supposed to be.”
Many of the top athletes in the state of Oregon and the North Section of California will be on hand for the final tune-up before next week's OSAA district meets. Eight of them are returning OSAA state champions, including four from the Klamath Basin.
Meet winners return
Bonanza senior Kyle Gomez is the returning male athlete of the meet, and he could be an early favorite to repeat. Gomez won last year's 400-meter dash in 50.24 seconds, and he could approach meet records in two other events.
Gomez, the reigning Class 2A javelin champion, had his best meet of the season April 24 at the Lost River Invitational, setting personal bests in the 200 (22.14 seconds) and javelin (184 feet, 7 inches). Both those marks are dangerously close to meet records set in the 1990s. Eric Bixler of Lakeview ran a 22.1 in the 200 in 1998, while Travis Olson of Mazama threw the javelin 188-3 in 1993.
Olson eventually won an NAIA national championship in the javelin, and Gomez will look to do the same when he enrolls at Oregon Tech next season.
Also coming back is Lakeview's Keli Hall, who won female athlete of the meet honors in 2005 and '06. The versatile junior has posted competitive times and distances in five individual events this season, and she would be at the front of the pack in the 200, 400, high jump and/or long jump, depending on which events she chooses.
Hall has a Class 2A 400 -meter title to her credit, and she has matched the meet record of 58.19 seconds once this season. She will likely be part of a loaded 200 race, which includes four other runners who have been timed at less than 26.6 seconds this season.
Host Viks excited
One of the teams that is most excited for the invite is Mazama.
“Last year was pretty crazy. We had a lot of schools, a lot of kids here,” junior Bryce Potridge said. “It's probably the most fun meet of the year.”
While the excitement builds for the event, the Vikings continue their preparation for the event itself. Former basketball coach Dan Fast has spent several weeks getting commitments from teams and athletes, and the team is in the process of setting up the facility.
“Sterling is a great meet. I love it,” Solyst said. “It involves a lot of time and effort, and I'm more than happy to put in the time, because I think it's worth it. No question about it.”
- By Josh Petrie
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| Vikings eye bid to state tournament |
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