SPORTS
STORM CENTER COLUMN: Give it a fair start
The University Interscholastic League state track and field meet is one week away, and the anticipating is building.
Forestburg’s Skyler Sandusky will be Montague County’s first athlete to compete – on Thursday at 5 p.m. in the high jump.
Sandusky will compete again on Friday in the long jump and the 400-meter dash finals.
Bowie’s entrants are Addy Cook and Kamryn Cantwell, and those Lady Rabbits will hit the stage at Mike A. Myers Stadium on Saturday in the triple jump and 400 dash respectively.
There’s more than meets the eye what happens at a track and field meet, and there are many interlocking parts in this well-oiled machine.
And perhaps the most important role belongs to the starter.
“The starter has two roles,” said Jacksboro head track and field coach Joel Hood, who served in the same capacity at Bowie for the entire course of the 1990s.
“They can dictate that pace of a meet,” Hood said. “If they are active and on the ball, they’ll make sure the runners are ready to go.”
Hood said the other role is to make sure rules are adhered to.
“Athletes can feed off the attitude of the starter,” he said.
Starters must command a presence, and they need to speak from an authoritative position.
For the past few years, Hood has employed Fairfield-based Thomas Baxter as the starter. Baxter filled the role at Jacksboro’s regular-season meet as well as the District 3A-8 and Area 3A-7/8 meets.
Baxter brings along with himself his own public address system, which helps add clout to his official capacity.
“His experience as a starter makes him an invaluable part of the meet,” Hood said. “Another reason why I use him is he doesn’t have any local ties.”
That means the starter will have an unbiased, qualified, professional interpretation of the rules. Read more from this column in the May 6 edition.
Editor’s Note: The Storm Center column is the expressed written views of sports editor Eric Viccaro and not The Bowie News.
Thomas Baxter has worked as a starter at the Jacksboro Invitational, District 3A-8 and Area 3A-7/8 meets this year in Jacksboro. Baxter is certified through U.S.A. Track and Field. (News photo by Eric Viccaro)
Nocona got its new press box into place this week at Jack Crane Stadium. The old press box, which was in place for more than 60 years, was taken out in early June and moved to Indian Valley Raceway. The new press box was by the Southern Bleacher Company out of Graham. Athletic Director Black Crutsinger said they looked at a lot of press boxes and decided they liked the one at Lindsay High School and went with that model. Sean Hutson operated the crane from the Hurd Crane Service that put the press box up for Nocona.
Sunset native Cason Richey (right) and his team roping partner Beldon Cox from Weatherford repeated as the International Finals Youth Rodeo champions last weekend at Shawnee, OK. Richey and Cox won the previous year and were able to complete the repeat by catching three steers in a combined time of 16.6 seconds. Richey is expected to compete attend Texas Tech University this fall and compete on the rodeo team.
The Chisholm Trail Youth Rodeo had its awards ceremony this week, giving out plaques and buckles to the top competitors throughout the summer season.
There were four age categories with five events to compete in for the young athletes.
Along with the best results in each event, at the end the overall best cowboy and cowgirl in each age division was awarded as well.
The lead line division, in which an adult helps the young competitors, saw Rylee Stewart win the first in poles, barrel racing and mystery event on her way to win top cowgirl.
Hattie Snow got the fastest time in the flags event and Lany Shupak got the fastest goat time. Riggin Bishop got named the top cowboy in the division.
In the eight-and-under division, Whitley Goins won the top cowgirl and Trell Carpenter won top cowboy. Goins got the fastest times in barrel racing, flags and mystery event. Carpenter got the fastest time in poles and goats.
In the 9-12 age division, Sage Keck won the top cowgirl while Chisum Carpenter won the top cowboy. Keck got the fastest times in four of the five divisions. Only Layna Taylor getting the fastest goat time prevented her from winning in a clean sweep.
In the 13-18 age division, Tess Egenbacher won the top overall cowgirl award.
Kiley McCracken won both the barrel racing and flags event. Emma Strahan won the poles and mystery event. Hadlee Bryan won the goats event.
There was no top overall cowboy in the age division.
To see the times for the winners of each event in all four age categories along with pictures of all of the top cowboys and cowgirls, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.
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