CHENEY—When Cheney head track coach Derek Slaughter began his day Friday morning, he thought the Van Kuren Invitational on Saturday was doomed after arriving at school to see at least three inches of snow on the track and temperatures hovering around 30 degrees. There were 41 schools planning to participate in the popular meet, coming from as far away as Yakima.
Looking at the condition of the field, Slaughter’s first thought was canceling all field events. Marking the throwing events accurately would be impossible and the jumpers’ approaches would be highly dangerous.
The track could be shoveled and plowed and the running events could be staged, but the field competition wouldn’t go over well.
By Friday afternoon temperatures were hovering in the low 40’s and the snow began to melt, giving Slaughter hope the meet would take place.
The snow was gone by Saturday morning, but the frigid temperatures saw athletes arrive in parkas and a couple layers of sweats rather than their singlets and shorts. But when it was time for their events, the athletes stripped down to their uniforms and were ready to go.
“Cheney High served over 1,200 athletes from 41 schools—I think having big meets like ours are back,” Slaughter said. “This meets serves our small school roots and keeping our meet this way should be on the forefront.
“We have no entry standards and get top athletes from the small schools and they face better competition despite their size. This is why we give big school and small school awards.”
Their performances, despite the weather, were outstanding. Timberlake High from Spirit Lake, Idaho, ran away with the boy’s title, scoring 90 points, many coming from strong relay teams. The Cheney boys turned in a great effort, finishing fourth with 62 points, led by 100 and 200 meter winner Braxton Hinton.
The Blackhawk girls placed third, scoring 52 team points. Central Valley (4A) claimed the top spot with 64 points. Several smaller schools turned in strong performances, with 2B Davenport finishing seventh in the boys competition and the 2B St. George girls placing fourth.
“Our results from this meet we showed where we are at right now, which is good,” Slaughter said. “We have a huge high ceiling—both boys and girls.
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