BHS track gears up for meet

There may still be snow on the ground, but that isn't keeping Bigfork High School's track and field team from preparing for their upcoming season.

The 23 boys and 14 girls on the team spent the last two weeks training indoors. They ran the halls, participated in speed and agility drills and worked on strength training.

"I'm trying to keep them where they aren't bored, but am also trying to get them in shape," said BHS head track coach Sue Loeffler. "They've been working really hard."

Loeffler also has the help of assistant coaches Clayton Woll, Jim Epperly and Ryan Archibald. The coaches' job of getting the athletes in shape isn't too big of a task since most of the kids have been participating in sports during the fall and winter.

"It's a different kind of in-shape," Loeffler said of the condition the athletes need to be in for track. "It will be easy for them to get in to shape for track, though, because they've been playing other sports."

The team has a solid group of seniors to rely on this season as well. Jill Hamilton is the only senior girl who has been on the track team the last three years. She competes in the 100, 200, pole vault and 4 X 100 relay. Last year Hamilton's relay team went to state.

"I was surprised to see so many seniors coming out this year," Hamilton said. "We have small numbers, but we have a lot of potential."

Senior Christina Thompson is returning to track after taking a couple of years off, and will compete in the hurdles. Senior Roxy Thurman has decided to compete in track, rather than tennis, for the first time since middle school.

"We have some good athletes and we should compete really well," Hamilton said. "We have a lot of individual girls that do well in their events. Our sprinters are going to do really well. Kayla Carlson does great in distance and Mallery Knoll is really good at the hurdles."

The boys team has more depth when it comes to years of experience. Leading the boys in throwing will be senior Donny Tudahl, who placed third at state last year in the discus, an event he will compete in again this year, as well as the shot put.

"We don't have a lot of quantity, but we have quality," Tudahl said of his teammates. "They're all good athletes and I think everyone has really improved this year."

Other senior boys include Garrett Pewe, who runs the 400 and competes in the high jump, Phil Sandry, who competes in the 800 and triple jump, Zac Bruer, who throws the shot and discus and Kyle Hall, who runs the 100 and 200.

"I have strong senior leadership on the team this year," Loeffler said. "Even the younger kids that have been around the block are doing a good job of providing good leadership."

Loeffler credits the seniors, and some of her experienced underclassmen, for recruiting new members to the team. On the boys team there are seven freshmen and two upperclassmen that will be on the team for the first time.

"We have some new kids that will help us out running," Tudahl said. "We also have some kids that should be able to help us out with throwing. If they can get their form down they will be good throwers because they have the size and strength. We have a lot of new kids that should help us a lot with all of the field events."

On the girls team there are three freshmen and four upperclassmen that are new or returning to the track team after missing last season.

"Mrs. Loeffler is a really great coach," Hamilton said. "She can take someone who is new and turn them into a state champion, like she did last year with Roland Benedict."

Benedict won the state triple jump last year in his first season as a track athlete.

As for the upcoming season, Loeffler said things are looking good.

"With the girls we're pretty solid on the track," she said. "We have good coverage in all of the events there. We need to cover the field events, though. We have traditionally been weakest there with the girls, but I think that with some of our new recruits we are looking much stronger in those events than we have in the past."

As for the boys, coach Loeffler said that the team is strongest in the sprints and throwing events and will be looking to improve in distance races.

The team will have their first meet Saturday, April 4, in Columbia Falls.