Another eventful year gone

Well, 2014 was an eventful year.

There were plenty of individual and team state championships, whether the first in school history or adding to an already full trophy case. Added to that usual display of excellence, the area also saw a handful of remarkable milestones set by a handful of even more remarkable athletes.

Dominance was marked by undefeated and untested seasons in basketball and football. There were national championships and near national championships.

Three kids finished a career sweep, winning four state championships in four years. Glacier’s Todd Ogden was just the second to do so in javelin in state history. Whitefish’s Marlow Schulz did so in more than one track event before running to New York City to compete in college.

Bigfork’s Makena Morley had a landmark year for a Montana athlete, not only becoming the fourth girl to win four cross country state championships, but setting school and state records in the process. She finished third at the national championships and is competing for Team USA later this month.

And she wasn’t the only area high schooler to represent Team USA. Whitefish’s Maggie Voisin suited up for the United States in the Winter Olympics, the youngest Olympian on the team.

With all the monumental things that happened last year, you’d think it’d be impossible to top.

But, as always, the best is yet to come.

With the ending of those journeys comes brand new ones that are just as fun to explore.

Columbia Falls wrestler Shonn Roberts is going for a career sweep of his own in February. He’ll be there at the state tournament in Billings with a crowd of hopefuls from the Northwest looking to start their own run of success.

This track season will feature another crop of talented athletes and the final laps of Makena Morley in a Bigfork uniform.

With that, new legacies are being built. The Columbia Falls girls and boys are again looking to be the first school to sweep the boys and girls basketball titles since 2009, while the boys look to repeat and the girls look for their first title since 1983.

Bigfork’s boys are looking to repeat as state champions with an experienced, yet completely retooled team. Other schools, unsung in the past will look to rise above the fray this winter and join the championship ranks.

New streaks are being formed for track athletes. Tennis teams will reform and attack titles again. Softball and baseball will return, joined by a professional team in Whitefish.

Golf. GOLF! I can’t wait until the world thaws out and my clubs become more than a hat rest.

Then there’s a whole new school year, which will bring even more things to look forward to and more championships, and more defended championships and more athletes with great stories.

So 2014 was great. It’s one for the history books.

Here’s hoping 2015 can be even better. Because if that happens, it’ll be a heck of a year.