South Dakota Track and Field State Meet to Involve 2,440 Student-Athletes Beginning Friday
Your body starts to tense up. Knees buckle. The stomach turns and twists and you feel like you just took a punch in the midsection. Your nerves are frazzled. As your eyes flutter about, shifting from one place to another, all you hear is a buzzing sound. It becomes so tense that you feel like you might pass out.
Then, someone taps you on the shoulder, and as you make a sudden, jerking movement toward that person, his/her smile helps release your exasperation. "Settle down, everything is ok."
That was the way, it was the first time I stepped onto the football field. I was a seventh grade student. While it wasn't the state track meet, the first time you compete in athletic competition, the body seems to do weird things and the mind seemingly plays tricks on you.
With the South Dakota High School Track and Field Championships starting Friday in Sioux Falls, Brandon and Madison, the nerves and restive behavior is just beginning for student-athletes, parents, coaches and fans across the state. It is a tense two days but one that is filled with drama and spectacular accomplishments. The finals on Saturday will produce a large crowd at Howard Wood Stadium that will provide the "oohs and aahs" as student-athletes make championship memories that will last a lifetime. The South Dakota State Track and Field Meet is indeed a time of high drama and excitement.
According to a press release by the South Dakota High School Athletic Association, 2,440 boys and girls from 151 South Dakota high schools will compete in the competition, which begins with field events at 9:30 a.m. on Friday. The running events start at 10 a.m. During the meet, 1,222 girls (AA - 333; A - 468; B - 421) and 1,218 boys (AA - 342; A - 448; B - 428) will compete.
In the team races, the Rapid City Stevens girls will try and defend their title, trying to add its 18th crown. Rapid City Stevens, led by coach Paul Hendry, has won 14-of-15 since 1996, only broken by Dave Dolan's Rapid City Central crew two years ago. In Class A, Clark/Willow Lake looks to defend its title while Oldham//Ramona, who will have the services of their standout Carly Carper (injured at the Howard Wood Relays), tries for another B crown.
On the boys side, Rapid City Stevens, which has won 16 titles since 1969, is back to defend its title. Dell Rapids, which won the 1969 title in the first year of the three-class systems, looks for its third straight Class A crown. Philip, led by its standout field event specialist Jeff O'Connell (back to defend long and triple jump titles), will try for its second straight class B team title.
Taking a look back, we find that South Dakota high school track and field officially started in 1906, although the first organized track and field meet was held in 1903 at College Park in Yankton, in a boys-only competition.
In late December 1906, a meeting of superintendents and principals resulted in the establishment of the South Dakota High School Athletic Association. The group of educators agreed to organize an annual state boys track and field meet, according to "One Hundred Years of South Dakota High School Activities and Athletics (David Kemp/Tamra Zastrow)."
The first "official" state meet was held in on May 4, 1906 at Coates Field (Riverside Park facility) in Sioux Falls. Sioux Falls Washington won the first two meets and five of the first nine state meets contested.
From 1907-14, state meets were held at Dakota Field (later site of Inman Field and today where business and law schools sit) at The University of South Dakota before moving to Brookings and South Dakota State University from 1915-23, according to "One Hundreds Year of South Dakota High School Activities and Athletics (for a copy, order at http://www.mariahpress.com/). In 1917-18, state track meets were not held due to World War I.
From 1931-43, Sioux Falls Washington dominated South Dakota track and field by winning 11-of-13 crowns. In 1946, the SDHSAA moved to a two-class system, dictating that schools with enrollments 150 and larger compete in Class A and the smaller schools in Class B. During that period, Sioux Falls Washington was dominant in Class A winning nine straight titles from 1953-61. Then Sioux Falls Lincoln won seven of eight titles from 1969-76, a period that included all-time great Jim Rinehart, who later starred at Notre Dame. Since 1969, the boys meet has operated in a three-class system and has been dominated by Rapid City Stevens.
The girls state meets began in Yankton in 1969 with Tyndall, led by Sally Phihal, winning the first state team title in a competition that drew 140 competitors from 43 schools. Phihal led Tyndall to another title in 1970 in a meet at Mitchell. In 1971-72, the meet moved to Madison. In 1973, the SDHSAA transitioned the girls meet into two classes in a meet held at Watertown, which involved 189 South Dakota schools. Two years later, the SDHSAA transitioned the girls state meet to the current three-class system. Since the start of girls track, Rapid City Stevens has been dominant winning 17 titles. In Class, Jefferson also had a dominant run with five straight titles from 1981-85.
It is noteworthy that the boys and girls meets were held together for the first time in 1976 when Rapid City was awarded the meet. The competition was held on the campus of the School of Mines in Rapid City, as well as at Douglas High and Spearfish High School. It should be noted that the first meet held in western South Dakota and not in the eastern part of the state, occurred in 1948.
For more information about the state track meet, including lanes and heats, go to http://www.sdhsaa.com/Publications/Yearbook/Yearbook.asp. Additional history about South Dakota sports is available at http://www.sdsportshistory.com/
Then, someone taps you on the shoulder, and as you make a sudden, jerking movement toward that person, his/her smile helps release your exasperation. "Settle down, everything is ok."
That was the way, it was the first time I stepped onto the football field. I was a seventh grade student. While it wasn't the state track meet, the first time you compete in athletic competition, the body seems to do weird things and the mind seemingly plays tricks on you.
With the South Dakota High School Track and Field Championships starting Friday in Sioux Falls, Brandon and Madison, the nerves and restive behavior is just beginning for student-athletes, parents, coaches and fans across the state. It is a tense two days but one that is filled with drama and spectacular accomplishments. The finals on Saturday will produce a large crowd at Howard Wood Stadium that will provide the "oohs and aahs" as student-athletes make championship memories that will last a lifetime. The South Dakota State Track and Field Meet is indeed a time of high drama and excitement.
According to a press release by the South Dakota High School Athletic Association, 2,440 boys and girls from 151 South Dakota high schools will compete in the competition, which begins with field events at 9:30 a.m. on Friday. The running events start at 10 a.m. During the meet, 1,222 girls (AA - 333; A - 468; B - 421) and 1,218 boys (AA - 342; A - 448; B - 428) will compete.
In the team races, the Rapid City Stevens girls will try and defend their title, trying to add its 18th crown. Rapid City Stevens, led by coach Paul Hendry, has won 14-of-15 since 1996, only broken by Dave Dolan's Rapid City Central crew two years ago. In Class A, Clark/Willow Lake looks to defend its title while Oldham//Ramona, who will have the services of their standout Carly Carper (injured at the Howard Wood Relays), tries for another B crown.
On the boys side, Rapid City Stevens, which has won 16 titles since 1969, is back to defend its title. Dell Rapids, which won the 1969 title in the first year of the three-class systems, looks for its third straight Class A crown. Philip, led by its standout field event specialist Jeff O'Connell (back to defend long and triple jump titles), will try for its second straight class B team title.
Taking a look back, we find that South Dakota high school track and field officially started in 1906, although the first organized track and field meet was held in 1903 at College Park in Yankton, in a boys-only competition.
In late December 1906, a meeting of superintendents and principals resulted in the establishment of the South Dakota High School Athletic Association. The group of educators agreed to organize an annual state boys track and field meet, according to "One Hundred Years of South Dakota High School Activities and Athletics (David Kemp/Tamra Zastrow)."
The first "official" state meet was held in on May 4, 1906 at Coates Field (Riverside Park facility) in Sioux Falls. Sioux Falls Washington won the first two meets and five of the first nine state meets contested.
From 1907-14, state meets were held at Dakota Field (later site of Inman Field and today where business and law schools sit) at The University of South Dakota before moving to Brookings and South Dakota State University from 1915-23, according to "One Hundreds Year of South Dakota High School Activities and Athletics (for a copy, order at http://www.mariahpress.com/). In 1917-18, state track meets were not held due to World War I.
From 1931-43, Sioux Falls Washington dominated South Dakota track and field by winning 11-of-13 crowns. In 1946, the SDHSAA moved to a two-class system, dictating that schools with enrollments 150 and larger compete in Class A and the smaller schools in Class B. During that period, Sioux Falls Washington was dominant in Class A winning nine straight titles from 1953-61. Then Sioux Falls Lincoln won seven of eight titles from 1969-76, a period that included all-time great Jim Rinehart, who later starred at Notre Dame. Since 1969, the boys meet has operated in a three-class system and has been dominated by Rapid City Stevens.
The girls state meets began in Yankton in 1969 with Tyndall, led by Sally Phihal, winning the first state team title in a competition that drew 140 competitors from 43 schools. Phihal led Tyndall to another title in 1970 in a meet at Mitchell. In 1971-72, the meet moved to Madison. In 1973, the SDHSAA transitioned the girls meet into two classes in a meet held at Watertown, which involved 189 South Dakota schools. Two years later, the SDHSAA transitioned the girls state meet to the current three-class system. Since the start of girls track, Rapid City Stevens has been dominant winning 17 titles. In Class, Jefferson also had a dominant run with five straight titles from 1981-85.
It is noteworthy that the boys and girls meets were held together for the first time in 1976 when Rapid City was awarded the meet. The competition was held on the campus of the School of Mines in Rapid City, as well as at Douglas High and Spearfish High School. It should be noted that the first meet held in western South Dakota and not in the eastern part of the state, occurred in 1948.
For more information about the state track meet, including lanes and heats, go to http://www.sdhsaa.com/Publications/Yearbook/Yearbook.asp. Additional history about South Dakota sports is available at http://www.sdsportshistory.com/
Comments
Post a Comment