This weekend when Coach Kedge surveys the 3200 field at Rio Rancho's meet, maybe it won't be as chilly as it was last time. Photo by Blake Wood.
It's one busy week of track and field ahead for the state of New Mexico. There is a meet each today and Wednesday, but things begin in earnest on Thursday.
Why Thursday, you ask? Well, this is Holy Week and, in a lot of places around the state, things shut down pretty tight on Good Friday and don't resume anything resembling normal levels of activity until after Easter Sunday. Consequently, Thursday track meets are being held all across the state--in Clayton, Bloomfield, Jal, Lordsburg, Magdalena, Melrose, Lovington, Moriarty, Shiprock, and Tularosa.
There isn't anybody in New Mexico trying to hold a track meet on Friday. Tradition runs a little deeper in New Mexico than most parts of the nation.
On Saturday, however, there are a few meets taking place, mostly in or near Albuquerque. This week's set of twin invitationals at Milne and Wilson Stadiums are dubbed the APS Spring Invite. Last week was spring, and next week will still be spring, but this is the weekend of the Spring Invitationals. I can only imagine how much it stretches the imagination to come up with a slate of unique names for all the weekend invitationals at these facilities. Maybe the Albuquerque Public Schools could hold a naming contest? In any case, the meets this weekend figure to be somewhat more lightly attended than the meets in the same stadiums last weekend.
Also on tap for Saturday are the Rio Rancho, Cimarron, and Miyamura Invitationals. Rio Rancho may end up being the biggest meet in the state this weekend, but we'll wait and see what that looks like after the results come in.
But, we haven't taken this discussion a full week into the future, and there's good reason to take it out the full week.
You see, Eunice and Fort Sumner are hosting invitationals on Monday. Only there's a slight issue with Monday's Fort Sumner Fox & Vixen Qualifier. According to an entry list I have in front of me, Fort Sumner is going to be dealing with a split squad on Monday. It appears they have an athlete or two likely to be committed to another meet--something called the Marilyn Sepulveda Classic at the UNM track in Albuquerque. Hopefully, these athletes don't take too much of the coaching staff with them or Fort Sumner could find themselves a tad shorthanded for help at their own home invitational.
Fort Sumner's conflicts aside, yes, Monday is the date for the big-deal meet of the New Mexico invitational season. All eyes will be on Sepulveda.
Well, almost all eyes.
If you scan this year's list of entries and last year's set of results, you will notice a curious and nearly complete omission of somebody. Somebody big. That somebody would be the Cleveland Storm boys. Last year, the Cleveland boys were represented at the Sepulveda meet by a single individual, pole vaulter Chris Petro (and you can easily argue that pole vaulting is a case all unto itself where track and field events are concerned). This year, you will look in vain to find any Cleveland entries among the boys. Pretty clearly, coach Kenny Henry has things on his mind and targets in his sights other than making a big splash at Monday's meet. While some may rue the omission, it's difficult to argue with the strategy's record of success.
But, the Marilyn Sepulveda Classic will be oozing with talent, with or without Cleveland. A lot of fine athletes aren't going to make the cut for the field which comes down to a single heat or flight for each event, with no relays. It looks as if we will get the Galindo/Milks showdown (with FAT) in the 100, Shoaf/Moreno in the 300 hurdles, Duvall/Burgess in the pole vault, Ealey/Armstead in the 100, Kemp/Reese in the javelin, and so much more.
Given the nature of Monday's meet, don't expect to many of the athletes winning the Sepulveda lottery to be in action on Saturday. A few may be in action on Thursday, but these meets will more likely be opportunity for some other folks to shine. And, on balance, that's a good thing.