Valley teams invade The Dome for track meet

MAT-SU — Prep track and field athletes from across the Mat-Su Valley have been aching to get outside. Although today, athletes from a handful of Valley programs will find themselves back indoors.

But at least they’ll be in the climate controlled sports haven known as The Dome at Change Point.

Teams from Colony, Houston, Palmer and Wasilla will be among a bevy of squads slated to compete in the Big C Relays, hosted by Grace Christian School, at the inflated sports dome that shoots high into the south Anchorage skyline.

As eager as he has been to get his athletes outside, Wasilla head coach Gary Howell said it will be nice for his team to have the chance to compete in the comforts of The Dome.

“We’re looking forward to it,” Howell said Thursday afternoon. “The weather’s kept us in a lot.”

Howell said the Warriors have spent much of their preseason practice time pounding the hardwood of the Wasilla High gymnasium. The Warriors distance runners have been able to circle the school parking lot, but the remainder of the team has been locked inside.

“You just can’t run sprinters outside,” Howell said.

Much of the track is still under water or snow, or both. An abundance of snow even prevented Howell and his coaching staff from getting the track and field equipment that sits inside storage on the WHS campus.

“It wasn’t until three days ago that we could get into the Connex,” Howell said. “The snow was so tall we couldn’t even open it.”

Valley tracksters are typically at the mercy of Mother Nature for much of the preseason, but late-season snowfalls are causing many more headaches this year.

“It’s always kind of bad, but this is the worse that I can ever think of,” Howell said.

At Palmer High, the Moose track coaches plowed the track last weekend, only to soon see a fresh snowfall spoil their efforts. Most of the team enjoyed their first practice outdoors on Thursday.

“Today was the first day the whole team was outside,” Palmer head coach Dale Ewart said after his team’s practice on Thursday. “It’s pretty wet, but you can only run around so much inside before you get pretty bored.”

After this weekend, most of the local teams will have to endure another lull before getting the chance to compete again.

Wasilla is slated to compete in Seward on April 18, Howell said, and is planning on hitting the Skyivew Invitational the following weekend.

Palmer hopes to host a small informal meet on either April 17 or April 18, Ewart said, and will head to North Pole High School the following weekend.

Colony is scheduled to compete in the Anchorage Christian School Invitational April 10-11 and the Seward Invitational on April 18.

Houston is scheduled to also compete in Seward on April 18.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.