The high school sports season will be over after this coming weekend, but it’s going to be a jam-packed finale with two state track meets instead of one.
The state track meets are my favorite athletic events of the year, for one simple reason — at no other event will you see so many schools gathered in one place.
For me, it drives home the point that great athletes can come from anywhere in the state. Some of the best ones have come from small schools in the middle of nowhere.
Going back over 20 years, you’ll still find the names of Toni Brooks and Joey Hilburn, of Tatum, in the state record books. They were part of a string of powerhouse girls teams in the 1980s from that tiny town in southeastern New Mexico.
And they were just the beginning. There was Debra Bome, who wowed track fans despite being from the tiny town of Floyd. She went on to a standout career at Adams State University.
Sandy Fortner, who competed for both Tucumcari and Fort Sumner, still holds state records in the 300-meter hurdles, high jump and long jump. In the latter event, she holds the state record in Class A and Class AA. She now competes in the pentathlon for the University of New Mexico, and according to the Lobos website she is the “greatest multi-event athlete in the history of the University’s women’s track program.”
We have some great athletes locally in track and field, but they’re predominantly female. Pojoaque runners Kimberly Babicke and Dionna Montoya tear up tracks around the state, but shockingly, no male athletes from Pojoaque qualified for the state track meet. That doesn’t speak well for the ambition of Pojoaque’s boys.
The Elks have a solid history in track and field, including Aaron Trujillo’s state record in the 800-meter. Something’s seriously wrong if a school the size of Pojoaque can’t send even one male athlete to state. The program has fallen a long way, and it needs to be brought back.
As usual, Mesa Vista’s Ben Sandoval has done a good job of finding athletes at his small school, and the Trojans should bring back some state medals. I was encouraged by the performance of some of McCurdy’s young runners and I hope they stick with it — they could have a heck of a relay in a year or two.
Although Class AAAA Española still has low numbers, there are some good young runners who could shine someday. Coach Matthew Abeyta has done a good job in his first year as a Sundevil.
A well-run track and field program encourages wider participation and can accommodate a wide variety of skills.
In fact, some athletes could set their sights higher than just the state track meet. New Mexicans may be getting a glimpse of a future Olympic athlete in Curtis Beach, of Albuquerque Academy. Beach recently set a school record in the decathlon, and it wouldn’t surprise me if you see him at the Olympics someday.