The Olympic spirit abounds

The Olympics this year already are delivering plenty of drama — and the games are only in their first week.

Many of us probably are spending more time than we expected catching up on sports we never knew we were interested in (water polo and beach volleyball come to mind). But that’s the nature of the Olympics. There is just something riveting about competition at the highest level of achievement, and millions of us are loving it.

At the next Olympics in 2016, the Flathead Valley may have our own local favorite to follow as well!

Alana Townsend, 18, has her sights set — literally — on the Games that will take place in Brazil.

The recent Glacier High School graduate has a dream of being on the U.S. Olympic shooting team. She’s got a good start, since the national junior team member ranks 10th in the nation and recently placed second in the national junior championships.

Here’s hoping she takes the next step up and we can be cheering for her competing in Rio in four years.

THEY MAY NOT be Olympians, but two long-distance achievers deserve some mention for Olympic-quality feats recently.

On July 22, Mark Gilbertson dove into the water of Flathead Lake and didn’t stop until just over six hours later when he had swum a six-mile stretch from Yenne Point to Woods Bay.

Two factors make Gilbertson’s achievement noteworthy: He is 70 years old and had triple bypass heart surgery just five years ago.

Another athlete with a lot of heart is Ben Laster of Kalispell.

On Tuesday, Laster ran the length of the Bob Marshall Wilderness — in a single day.

Laster never stopped for more than five minutes in his epic 75-mile run that lasted 15 hours.

The Olympic fanfare may not sound for Laster or Gilbertson, but it should.

IN MORE sports news of big local impact, let’s also take a minute to acknowledge the timely demise of the Flathead/Glacier Booster Club!

That’s no insult. When the combined booster club began in 2007, it was a much-needed program. Flathead High School had years of support and thousands of alumni who were not just boosters, but avid boosters. Glacier High School was the new kid on the block and needed a real boost to be sure of not being overwhelmed by the enthusiasm that already existed for Flathead. Donations to the club were divided equally between the two schools, creating an even playing field that made perfect sense.

But now, the rivalry between the two schools has matured, and so has the base of support for Glacier. It’s time to let the community choose sides, or to choose to support both schools equally, as both schools and their activities are richly deserving.

From now on the Flathead Booster Club and the Glacier Booster Club will go their separate ways, creating a healthy rivalry off the field that will match the one on the field.