Track and field has declined in popularity since I was a child. It used to be that track and field athletes were among the most widely-recognized names in sports.
Jesse Owens became a household name after winning four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin Jim Thorpe, a Native American, was considered one of the greatest athletes of all time and was best known as a 1912 Olympic champion in both the decathlon and the pentathlon.
Now, how many people remember who won gold medals in track and field at the 2008 Beijing Olympics? I‘m confident when I say not many.
The demise in track and field has filtered down to the high school level.
Participation in track and field at the larger schools in our area is, to put it bluntly, dismal among the boys teams. This is unfortunate because track offers opportunities for those who cannot participate in other sports. You don’t have to be big, tall or muscular. The only thing needed is a desire to compete and a willingness to work hard to achieve a goal.
Pojoaque used to produce quality boys track teams that included several state champions and a second place finish in the team standings at the 2003 state championship meet. But the Elks have fallen on hard times.
With the exception of distance runners Sam Roybal and James Viarreal, the Elks hardly ever earn points at meets this year. Last year was even worse, as the boys team rarely scored at track meets and did not have enough runners to compete in relays. The best showing the Elkettes have had at state in the last four years was 2008, when they scored nine total points in 19 events.
The Española Valley team has struggled even more. Since 2006, Española has scored a grand total of one point at the state meet. and has produced only two state champions in the school’s 35-year history.
This year, the Sundevils had not turned in a state-qualifying performance in any event until April 14 when C. J. Berryman ran the 110-meter hurdles in 15.3 seconds. It is an event he just started running. Berryman is a good example of how track and field offers an athlete willing to work hard and try different events an opportunity to excel. Maybe Berryman can set an example that others will follow at Española.
The Lady Sundevils have never won a state track and field individual championship, much less a team trophy. In four years they have not scored a point at the state meet.
The major bright spot in the area for high school track and field is the Pojoaque girls team. The Elkettes have enjoyed tremendous success recently, culminating in a state championship last season.
The Elkette track and field program’s success has attracted athletes from other schools. Marissa Martinez, Española’s best sprinter last season, is now at Pojoaque. She could bring back medals from this season’s state meet that she wouldn’t have if she had stayed at Española. The situation is also brighter at smaller schools which have shown they can hold their own against bigger schools. For example, the Escalante boys team took third place at the Jaguar Invitational this season, beating bigger schools such as Española and Pojoaque. At the Cuba quadrangle meet April 15, the Lobos beat Española in the team standings again.
Escalante has an enrollment of 129 students, but has 18 boys participating in track. A higher percentage of students also participate in track and field at smaller schools such as Mesa Vista (12), McCurdy (9) and Dulce (16)s. Española has 18 boys participating in track and field, but an enrollment of 996. If Española had a similar percentage of students participating, they’d have something like 100 team members. They’d also likely have a very good track and field team.
Mesa Vista, Escalante, McCurdy and Dulce have produced athletes — male and female — who have brought back medals from the state meet since 2006. I have heard athletes from Española complain it was easier for the smaller schools to qualify or say they could be state champions if they ran for smaller schools. That argument doesn’t hold water. So far this season only Berryman of Española has turned in a performance that would qualify for the Class AA state meet, much less win an event.
I’ve been following track and field closely for nine years. It has not been uncommon for athletes at Class A and Class AA schools to turn in some of the best performances in any class. Track and field offers athletes a chance to excel against the bigger kids on the block.