{rtf1macansicpg10000cocoartf102

{fonttblf0fswissfcharset77 Helvetica;}

{colortbl;red255green255blue255;}

margl1440margr1440vieww13500viewh11000viewkind0

pardtx720tx1440tx2160tx2880tx3600tx4320tx5040tx5760tx6480tx7200tx7920tx8640qlqnatural

f0fs36 cf0 Elite meet to test runners, throwers, jumpers

Area schools head to Missoula for a 30-team invitational

By DIXIE KNUTSONThe Daily Inter Lake

Thirty teams.

One track.

One very long day.

But the Missoula County Invitational is also a chance for local athletes to get on a track with some of the top talent in the Northwest. For the local Class A schools, it'd5s a chance to compete at the venue at which the state track meet will be run 'd1 Missoula County Stadium at Big Sky High School.

Each team is allowed to enter four athletes in each event.

Field events begin at 9:30 a.m. and the first track competition 'd1 the boys'd5 3,200 'd1 is at 10 a.m.

Class AA will be made up of CMR, the three Missoula schools and Flathead. The rest of the competition will include a long list of Western Montana Class A, B and C schools.

'd2It'd5s a huge meet. We'd5ve had teams from Idaho and from the eastern part of Montana. It'd5s a very impressive meet,'d3 said Whitefish track coach Derek Schulz.

'd2When you round up that many teams and put that many programs together … it'd5s a pretty elite meet. We'd5re looking at a chance to compete against the best there is,'d3 he added.

'd2At this juncture of the season, exposing your kids to better competition can benefit your team when it matters,'d3 Schulz added.

'd2It'd5s a good track meet,'d3 agreed Flathead Braves coach Dan Hodge.

'd2We need to get our kids to these kind of meets. They are going to see all the competition they want,'d3 he added.

'd2Each team will have one or two competitors who are just excellent,'d3 Hodge said.

Other advantages include making the kids more self-reliant 'd1 coaches are spread out and might not be available for each and every event 'd1 and preparing the kids for a meet that lasts all day.

'd2I'd5m real excited to get there and see what'd5s going to happen with some of our kids,'d3 said Bravettes coach Jerry Boschee.

Boschee is looking forward to seeing how the Bravettes perform in field events.

'd2I think that'd5s one of our depths,'d3 he said. 'd2We'd5re pretty deep in the long, triple, high and javelin. It'd5ll be nice to see how we compare and how we compete down there,'d3 he said.

He'd5ll also be interested to watch the Flathead girls run the 800, 1,600 and 3,200.

'd2Are we going to watch the race go by us or are we going to get up and go? We definitely have the caliber of kids in every event that we can compete with the best of them … if we choose to,'d3 he said.

'd2That'd5ll be the fun part of this meet. There'd5s a ton of ability, but we'd5re young and inexperienced.'d3

Competing at a meet with 30 teams 'd2is just going to make us that much better,'d3 he said.

There are a couple of Class AA girls who may dominate their events 'd1 junior Melissa Jenkins of Big Sky has the state'd5s best times in both the 100 (12.5) and 200 (25.9), CMR senior Kelsey Hopkins has the best shot put (39-2) and the second best discus throw (128-5) in the state and Polson senior Danielle Rowe is tied for the best high jump (5-4).

But in most of the events, the competition will be excellent.

'd2Most events, there are just a few feet or a few inches separating athletes,'d3 Boschee said.

'd2Most events, it'd5s going to be a dogfight.'d3

The Polson Pirates have done well at both the meets they'd5ve attended this year 'd1 they won the Columbia Falls Invitational and were second only to Flathead at the time trials at Legends Stadium earlier this week.

But they'd5ve been hit with that most unfortunate of trials 'd1 illness.

Distance runner Chris Ogle missed at least two days of school this week and sprinter Bryce Picard went home early on Thursday.

'd2We kind of don'd5t know what to expect,'d3 said Polson coach Bob Gunderson. 'd2We'd5ve got some kids that can compete. It'd5s just a tough meet. But we'd5re looking forward to it,'d3 Gunderson said.

'd2Your top kids need that top competition,'d3 he said.

'd2I just hope we'd5re healthier than we were (Thursday),'d3 he said.}