Six members of the Flathead track team dashed ahead of the competition by attending the Simplot indoor track games in Pocatello, Idaho, Feb. 13-15. According to those athletes, the games were a great way for the team to prepare to be successful.
"I thought that (the games were) a tremendous experience and showed me who was out there to compete against," said junior Renee Aczas. "It was great preparation for the track season."
On Feb. 13, six Kalispell runners and one Columbia Falls runner left to compete in the three-day event. The team was accompanied by their two coaches, Mike McLean of Upward Bound and Bill Brist of Universal Athletics.
"The Simplot games are the largest high school meet west of the Mississippi for indoor track," said McLean.
The team, dubbed "The Plains Phantoms, was made up of freshman Kevin Cleary, juniors Chris Hanson and Renee Aczas and seniors Tia Rhodes, Matt Radel and Keegan Rumsey. Senior Camas Key joined the team from Columbia Falls.
The Simplot games "get you more motivated when you see how fast other girls run," said Rhodes. "You know that you can run that fast with practice."
Everyone in the team competed in a relay except Hanson, who competed in the 3,200 meter race. Cleary placed first in his heats for the 1,600 meter and 3,200 meter races. Aczas competed in the 200 meter.
Said McLean: "I hope the meet helped the athletes expand horizons, hopes and goals."