Getting closer

There is an old saying: “You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone.” When it comes to the Undeberg Invitational you could say you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s back, and back it came last Saturday in Ritzville.

With 28 teams and about 500 athletes this great track meet was a breath of fresh air starting with a little rain before the meet started and mild temperatures throughout the day with a slight breeze.

The last Undeberg Invite was held in 2019 and there were a lot of volunteers that could not wait to get back to a normal track meet this year.

I remember going to the track on the last Saturday in April, 2020. There were a handful of people that spent an hour or two walking the track imagining what it could have been like had the meet been held that day. The weather two years ago was a lot like it was on Saturday.

Last Saturday there were teams from Okanogan, Tonasket, Kettle Falls, Chewelah, Springdale and Wellpinit to the north and Columbia Burbank, Pomeroy, Dayton-Waitsburg and Colfax to the south and east.

As a volunteer with a couple of teammates from another era we manned the long jump/triple jump competition. The most impressive thing about the winning jumpers is that they were from 1B schools. And the triple jumper from Mary Walker in Springdale is a sophomore but his technique was spot on to outclass other jumpers by at least 2 feet. The long jumper from Wellpinit was another athlete that worked his routine for solid jumps which was fun to watch.

It is very enjoyable to meet these kids from Wilbur-Creston, Odessa, Davenport, Reardan and Liberty as well as several other schools. I enjoy the competitive nature of each individual athlete. I know the competitiveness of the LRS kids as I have watched them grow up and compete in other sports besides track and field.

The great thing about a meet like this is that everyone wants to give everything they’ve got to better their personal best for the season. The Undeberg is usually the very last meet in April as everyone is shooting for a chance to compete at State and this gives them an idea where they stand against some very good competition. May will usually bring warmer temperatures which will be welcomed by the athletes but I doubt there were any farmers that were complaining about having a bit of moisture on Saturday.

This meet is well run and LRS Athletic Director Greg Whitmore has a lot to do with it. He has been the Meet Director for a long time and his expertise is appreciated. And he has done a great job recruiting some very dedicated volunteers.

Former college track athletes John Kragt and Alan Field assisted in the meet. Field was the clerk and Kragt was the official starter. It’s great to have these two outstanding track athletes utilize their knowledge in these important capacities.

We can’t forget the memory of Harold Undeberg and what he meant to this track meet. He was an official starter for a number of years when the Invitational was held in Medical Lake prior to when the all-weather track was put in place in Ritzville. Unfortunately Harold passed away before he could start an event in Ritzville. But his memory will never go away. He was one of those guys that loved to watch young people compete and he considered them all winners. That is what made him special.

His family is still very involved with volunteering at the Undeberg. When I said that I was at the Ritzville track in 2020 so were several of his family members. They knew how important that day was to their family.

Things are looking up in this world as long as you don’t fret over the stock market. But for a lot of athletes Saturday was another part of getting back to normal and we seem to be getting closer each day.