Last year Kaua’i had all the horses. Enough so that its track and field team cruised to the Kaua’i Interscholastic Federation title. But when the team got to the state meet, it faced a scene familiar to nearly all KIF
Last year Kaua’i had all the horses. Enough so that its track and field team cruised to the Kaua’i Interscholastic Federation title. But when the team got to the state meet, it faced a scene familiar to nearly all KIF championship teams.
“We were shell-shocked,” Red Raiders coach Ron Velasco. “Over here, we don’t see that kind of competition. We didn’t know what the state had to offer, and it kind of threw us back.”
The same thing happened to the Kapa’a girls, Velasco said. It is an issue of sheer numbers. KIF schools do not possess them; the rest of the state does for the most part.
And track is a bit like Wall Street: it’s a numbers game.
“You might not finish first,” Velasco said. “But if you come in second, third and fifth, you’re in pretty good shape points-wise.”
As for this year, Velasco thinks the Waimea boys, and perhaps girls, too, will put up the point totals to beat.
“On the boys side, Waimea’s got the sprinters and the jumpers,” Velasco said. “They’ve got a lot of football players out for track, so that helps them.
“I’m not as certain about the girls, but I think Waimea’s got the edge there, too.”
But he doesn’t rule out Kapa’a as a possible challenger, nor his own Kaua’i squad.
“Kapa’a always has good athletes in a lot of sports, so they could be tough,” Velasco said. “They always come on strong.
“And we’ll just see where we fall.”
Right now, Velasco is just hoping his kids will be competing after April 5, currently designated as the first official day of the pending teacher’s strike.
Every Friday since March 2, the KIF has been running practice meets at Vidinha Stadium. It has been a chance for athletes to post qualifying times for upcoming off-island meets and future KIF competition.
In addition, competitors also had the opportunity to earn berths in the state meet May 10 and 12 at War Memorial Stadium on Maui.
The Kaua’i County Invitational will be the next meet held on the island. The event is scheduled for March 27-28 at Vidinha Stadium. Qualifying will take place the first day, then finals.
