Stories from 2022 that resonated with Montana Standard Editor Matthew Kiewiet

ENNIS — If you were to fly a drone from school to school around southwest Montana and take a quick overhead snapshot of track and field practices, they’d probably look mostly the same.

Runners stretch, set up hurdles, and of course, run around a track that encompasses a field.

Jumpers like Noah Wilson prepare their respective runways. Javelin thrower Shelbey Klein and her discus teammates head to the opposite end of said field, and shot putters retreat to their corner doing their thing.

Now zoom in for a closer look. As you compare, you might notice striking differences from one facility to another. Some schools have installed starkly colored all-weather tracks, while others continue to practice on the more muted tones of a dirt track with grayish green vegetation starting to come in around the edges.

Taking an even closer look from the bleachers during an early April visit to Class C Ennis’ Scully Field, the first thing that catches your eye is the picturesque landscape of snow-capped mountains lining the horizon, a Montana staple.

“Welcome to our humble abode,” said Mustangs’ fourth-year track and field coach Nick Burgess, as we both glanced at a modest pile of deer feces on the field before smiling and making eye contact with each other.

Across an alley and through the parking lot to the north is Town Pump, another Montana staple, and homes surround the other side of the fence that lines the school grounds.

Many of those homes have driveways and in some of those driveways, of course, are drift boats biding their time. From the bleachers, at least three boats are visible and soon enough this fly fishing Mecca will be crawling with more. Fishing on the Madison River is tough at the moment. Trout are biting but the water is low. Anglers, fly shop owners and ranchers alike are praying for some substantial late-spring precipitation – anything to help the concerning water levels.

If and when that precipitation comes, the Mustangs have one more thing to monitor during practice the next day. Enough snow or rain makes the south end of the track unusable until the mud dries out.

“It just holds water,” Burgess said. “So our kids will actually come in on that corner and they’ll come onto the field, and run on the field. And then they’ll turn back on the track over here until it dries out enough so that we can drag it, and then we can use it.”

No one complains. It’s just another quirk. Similar to the occasional animal droppings on the field, or having to measure and chalk the lanes by hand for relay baton exchange zones, it’s all part of the experience.

“We don’t line the whole track or anything. We just try to piece together the things we need,” Burgess said.

In fact, everyone is thrilled to be training outside. Burgess said he’s seen a steady uptick in both interest and participation during his time as coach. It’s easy to see why. The enthusiasm around practice was palpable.

“It’s fun. This is my favorite time of year,” Burgess said. “It is absolutely my favorite time of year.”

Obviously schools like Ennis would prefer to have an all-weather track with official, premeasured distances and an official FAT laser-timing system. But with probably six or seven rolls of measuring tape floating around during a given practice, the Mustangs make it work.

“It’s just a challenge of a dirt track,” Burgess said. “I think probably every school that has a dirt track deals with the same. We make it work; we absolutely make it work.”

With so many unique events, high school track and field teams attract an eclectic group of student-athletes. Some kids just love high-level competition, or use the training to supplement offseason football or basketball practice. For others, it might be the first time they compete in an organized sport.

Given the wide range of athletes on a roster, a fun-first mentality is often preached and embraced by coaches. Still, the desire to win for some athletes is undeniable and their competitive edge always emerges.

For those athletes, the goal becomes an opportunity to compete at the state meet, like Klein, a senior at Ennis, has done twice in her high school career and hopes to do again.

After Klein graduates, she’ll pack her bags for the University of Providence in Great Falls where she’s committed to play volleyball. Even though she’d tell you volleyball is her “main sport,” she considers track and field, especially throwing the javelin, to be an integral part of her training.

“A lot of the most important things about throwing is having proper form,” Klein said. “That’s what gets you really competitive. It’s the same thing for volleyball, like hitting and stuff, having proper technique, and proper form is really important.

“So I think personally, there’s a good correlation between, especially javelin and volleyball, a lot of the movements through your arm are very similar.”

Klein is no stranger to the state meet, which takes place in Great Falls this year for Class C. In 2019, the Mustangs’ thrower competed at state in the javelin and 4×100 relay. In 2021, she competed in all three throwing events (javelin, shot put and discus) as well as the 4×100. Klein would like nothing more than to cap her high school athletic career with another trip to state.

“If I keep on track with what I’m hoping to do this year, and what I want to achieve, I should be able to place in my events, which is really exciting,” she said. “That’s my end goal this year as a senior. That’s what I want to do.”

That is sometimes easier said than done, however, even with an athlete such as Klein who has already proven herself.

According to the MSHA: “An athlete who meets or exceeds the qualifying standard in a particular individual event at a regular season qualifying meet or at a district meet (Class B or C) and/or divisional meet (all classes) may enter that event at the state meet. …”

A qualifying standard is a predetermined time (runners) or measurement (throwers and jumpers) an athlete must reach or eclipse. If that standard is met – on a track equipped with an FAT timing system – the competitor essentially punches their ticket to their respective state meet over Memorial Day weekend.

Competitors can also qualify with a strong placing at the divisional meet, but where exactly they need to place in order to qualify isn’t determined until then. For example, if a number of athletes hit prequalifying marks before or during divisionals, that limits the number who can qualify without hitting those marks. But if, for example, by the end of the divisional meet only two athletes prequalify for an event, that leaves the remainder of the spots to be filled by – in the case of Western C – those who placed fifth or better.

Moral of the story: the safest way to secure a spot at state is to hit a prequalifying mark.

Class AA schools compete almost entirely on tracks which are equipped with FAT technology and verified measurements to make a state qualification possible. For example, prior to divisionals, members of the Butte Bulldogs have nine chances this season to earn state-qualification marks. By and large, AA schools also have more opportunities to train on the same or similar surfaces they’ll be competing on during a meet.

In comparison, Ennis only has seven meets scheduled before districts and trains on dirt and natural grass. So they adjust when transitioning to an all-weather track and a turf field.

It’s also worth noting that track meets canceled due to weather are rarely rescheduled. And typically, the first meet of the season is not a meet that sees many qualification marks because athletes are still easing into things after the conclusion of winter sports.

The Mustangs have had two meets canceled this season. They also had to complete other meets while fighting through a relentless, stiff wind, another Montana staple. These conditions are great for parachute runs during practice, but less than ideal for a thrower who needs to launch a javelin 120-plus feet.

“We don’t have a lot of meets this year, unfortunately, before districts, which is hard,” Klein said. “You want to have those meets before you have to perform your best and try to move on (to state). And so not having those meets is tough, so when you get a meet you’ve got to show up and do the best you can.”

In certain cases, a stellar state meet can have a life-changing impact. Just last season, Butte High’s Tanner Huff’s strong showing at the state track meet earned him a spot on the University of Montana football team. But whether it’s showing out for a college coach or just enjoying the camaraderie of competing against kids from across Montana, the state meet means a lot to those who want to get there.

“I just love that they mix (the meet) with other classes,” Klein said. “I mean, I love when we get to see AA schools compete.

“For me, it’s really cool, because it kind of just shows the competitiveness at different school levels. And it kind of shows you if you could compete with those people that are at such a larger school.. I just love seeing like all those amazing athletes in one spot and getting to watch like all the other events.”

Given the uncertain number of opportunities, getting those prequalifying marks out of the way earlier in the season is a huge relief. But the path to achieving those marks can vary from athlete to athlete or event to event.

Just ask Wilson, a junior who unexpectedly qualified with a 20-11 long jump on April 9 in Laurel during the Mustangs’ first meet of the season.

“It was definitely not my goal,” Wilson said. “I did not expect anything over 20 (feet).”

Wilson took ninth in the long jump and sixth in the triple jump in 2021, and was apparently still getting used to the muscle he added to his frame since then.

“He’s gotten a lot stronger,” Burgess said. “He’s worked out hard.”

Wilson played basketball during the winter before track in the spring. He said that for his senior year, he plans on putting all of his focus into track and joining an indoor league during the winter months rather than playing basketball.

“Track is kind of my strong suit, making it to state and everything,” he said. “So I decided that having an extra season in a year would be helpful for me.”

Wilson added that he doesn’t currently know a lot about the league, but since he wants to run track in college it makes sense to have that extra time to train and compete.

For now, though, Wilson is focused on being at the top of his game for this year’s state meet.

The Mustangs’ standout jumper pointed out that in addition to the earlier-than-expected prequalification being a weight off his shoulders, he could then also strategically plan how to approach the rest of his season.

“It’s definitely one of my goals now, to qualify for triple jump,” Wilson said during a mid-April interview. “Because now that long jump is pre-qualified, I can focus more on triple jump and my relays.”

Things went according to plan on April 30 when Wilson logged a triple jump of 44-5, earning him a second pre-qualification.

With a ticket punched to state in his two main events, Wilson will use the upcoming district and divisional meets to try to qualify for the 4×100 and 4×400 relays.

For Klein however, there is still some drama left to unfold. As the calendar flipped from April to May, she is still without a pre-qualifying mark. Snow and rain nixed meets scheduled for April 15 in Livingston and April 23 at Gallatin. During two other meets wind created sub-optimal conditions, especially for throwers.

“Sometimes the wind can work in your favor and sometimes it works against you,” Burgess said.

Klein’s next chance to qualify will be during Saturday’s district meet at Gallatin High School. As her opportunities dwindle, the pressure of each throw is magnified.