WIAA moves 1A, 2A & 2B track meet to Yakima
CHENEY – The annual track meet, usually held at EWU, will be moved to Yakima for 2023-24 cycle.
The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) submitted a request for a proposal to hold the meet to sports commissions all over Washington. The Spokane Sports Commission did not submit a proposal.
Justin Kesterson, assistant executive director of activities & eligibility at WIAA, said “We distributed a request for proposal for the venue for the next two years to the Spokane Sports Commission. We got a couple of bids back and Cheney was not among the cities to respond.”
When asked to speculate on why Cheney may not have submitted a bid, Kesterson said “When I talked to some folks in Cheney, they said that, for example, the track itself has had some issues. We were concerned about the safety of our students. The city didn’t submit a bid, but if they had we certainly would have considered that.”
Mark Losh, west plains chamber of commerce, had this to say. “Whenever we lose a major sporting event, it’s always a sad day, but it also makes way for other opportunities. It really hurts our local athletes also who would otherwise be able to see their family and friends cheer them on.”
Kesterson spoke of WIAA plans for future venue options after 2023, saying “In 2023, we’d start examining options for 2024 and start the RFP process and have all the sites ready to go for 4 year intervals. After 25 years it’s not lost on us, we understand that it’s a big change.”
Holiday Inn Express owner Debbie Anderson said “For us, losing the contracts from those who usually stay in town for that event will represent a loss of more than $50,000.”
Amanda Goyke, owner of Owl Pharmacy, said “Eveything is in Yakima. My son plays and trying to figure out how to make the trip to Yakima work is just going to be awful.”
Lucas is a former Cheney Free Press managing editor. He is a nationally published author who contributes regularly to several publications across the country.
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