‘Twas a beautiful day for a track meet at Alexandria Area High School.  OK, 50-ish and blustery, but who doesn’t like all the sunshine?  It was the True Team Section Meet – I don’t know what the means?  It been been scheduled for Thursday but rain changed it to Friday.  That made it possible for me to finally do some Cub Reporting this spring (hadn’t been to a single sports event yet) – Thursdays are always overbooked.  Anyway, there were nine teams involved – a feeble attempt at naming them all is Alex, Moorhead, Monticello, St. Cloud Tech, Sauk Rapids, St. Michael-Albertville, Brainerd, Bemidji, and Buffalo.  I did it!  I don’t know how to cover a big track meet.  I don’t think you can individually.  It started at 3:00 and didn’t end until after 8:00 (I’m told) – I left a little after 6:00 after being on my feet for three hours.  I don’t know many of our athletes.  I tried to shoot anyone in an Alex jersey.  It began with the field events.  I found a spot in the southeast corner where with my head on a swivel I could see the long jump, the high jump, the shot put, and the discus.  I don’t know who won anything (a coach this morning said he thought the boys finished 3rd and the girls 4th).  I’ll leave the individuals unnamed if I don’t know them and maybe you readers can fill me in?

[Blustery – get under a blanket like a football game!]

Girls long jump

[Hair gets a little windblown.  Like the STMA jumper warming up by hopping on the sidelines.]

[These were all taken from the stands . . . ]

[All the head on shots had to be taken through a chainlink fence.  Hence, the blue-gray hue.  I’m trying to get a press pass to get on field privileges – apparently you actually need qualifications?]

Girls high jump

Girls long jump (again)

[In individual events, each of the nine teams likely has three performers and each performer gets three attempts.  Alexandria arithmetic teachers taught me that means 81 attempts in such as the long jump, et al, which under the theory of relativity means each of these event takes at least an hour and a half to complete.]

Girls discus

[Duck!!  Not really.  This is Cheyenne Hendrickson.  We know her from the basketball team.  She also puts the shot.  She’s very good at both, I’m told.]

Girls 100-meter hurdles

Girls 100-meter dash

[Kelby Olson-Rodel from the basketball team.]

[On the next flight, I caught the Tech runner in a false start.  That’s tough, an hour bus ride and then can’t compete because one false start and you’re out.]

Boys 100-meter dash

[She ran a really tight ship for all the running events.  🙂  ]

[Jaran Roste, having a pretty special sophomore year.  Starting quarterback in football, starting guard in basketball, and at 6’2″, 200 pounds, a sprinter in track.]

Girls 4 x 200 (I think)

Girls 1600-meter

[Megan Hasz and Kiyana Miller (basketballer) take their places.]

[The distance races are all about the Hasz sisters.  Megan won here in 5:01; she was hoping to finish under 5:00 but it was a strong head wind on the back stretch.  Bethany later won the 3200-meter.]

[Her fellow Cardinals also finished nicely.]

Boys 1600-meter

Girls 4 x 100

[Alex took 2nd.  I left then with a bit of a sunburn, the Super no doubt awaiting my arrival.]

Two people kissing always look like fish.  ~  Andy Warhol [Well, it is fishing opener.]

Up next:  Back to Europe.