Superior Bobcats meet the competition in Ronan
Adam Robertson/Mineral Independent | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 11 years, 5 months AGO
<p>Wyatt Zylawy, Nathan Lapinski and Bridger Lapierre jump between holes in a rope ladder during warm ups before a practice session for Superior's track and field team.</p>
SUPERIOR – In the ancient tradition of the Greeks, the Superior Bobcats opened their track and field season with a meet in Ronan.
The team had a small presence at the meet. Of the 20 athletes on the team, only five participated. According to Head Coach Jamie Toivenen, most of the kids had not met the 10 practice requirement to compete. A few others had left for spring break early or had other engagements.
“I would say about three fourths of our team didn’t actually participate and we held a couple for injuries,” Toivenen said.
Toivenen wished there could have been more kids competing in the meet. Those who did compete did well. The coach said the throwers had an especially strong day.
Sophomore Emily Riddle almost qualified for the finals in discus but came just short of qualifying. Senior Alex Billet was also noted for his performance with the shot put and discus. The other competitors did well but did not make it to the finals.
The javelin competition was cancelled due to safety concerns. According to Toivenen, Ronan had lots of rain the night before and the field had large pools of standing water in places. It was decided not to risk anyone’s safety by throwing javelins on slippery grass.
“We don’t want them to get hurt this early in the season,” Toivenen said. “Especially when we know they can potentially make it to state and stuff.”
The competition was a little intimidating. Toivenen said the kids needed a moment to get over the nerves. She recalled there were approximately 14 teams at the competition, some of which had lots of athletes. The athlete’s anxiety is expected to get better as the season progresses.
The coach said she was pleased with how the first meet went. She said the team was young but had some good experience.
The boy’s team has a number of juniors and seniors who almost went to state last year. While the girl’s team did go to state, they also lost a number of strong athletes, including all their state competitors. The loss was not enough to slow the coach down.
“I’m expecting some great things out of them this year,” Toivenen said. “They have some big shoes to fill but we have some great athletes and I expect all of them are going to do good throughout the season.”
In the two weeks leading up to the next meet, the Superior team will continue to practice their skills across the board. Toivenen was confident the team would be at full strength by the competition.
Because the school is on spring break, Superior’s next meet will not be for two weeks. The next competition will be in Hot Springs on Thursday, April 10. Then, on Saturday April 12, they will go to Kellogg Idaho for another meet. Toivenen was looking forward to this competition because Idaho has different track and field events than Montana. She felt it would be fun to try something new.
ARTICLES BY ADAM ROBERTSON/MINERAL INDEPENDENT
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The new St. Regis Senior Center was dedicated to Maxine Flemming, a member of the center since 1983. Her name and picture appears on a plaque to be displayed in the new center.
Icy highways lead to a weekend of accidents
MINERAL COUNTY – As blizzard-like conditions swept through the area late last week Interstate 90 became an ice rink and accident reports flooded in as traffic tried to navigate the hazardous roads. The heavy snows began on Thursday, Feb. 27, and only let up periodically over the next few days. According to Mineral County Sheriff’s Office dispatch, approximately 12 accidents occurred between Thursday and Sunday, March 2. Most of these were cases where vehicles slid off the road or spun out. According to Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Charles Burton, they were almost all caused by people driving too fast on the slick roads. “The weather has definitely been a factor,” Burton said. “People need to slow down a bit.” Burton also responded to an accident where a vehicle with a trailer hit some ice and the trailer fell over. On Friday, Feb. 28, Mineral County Sheriff Ernie Ornelas and the Mineral County Sheriff’s Deputies were kept busy for most of the day assisting with the flood of calls. While there were no investigations opened, the sheriff’s office was on hand to help with the accidents. While the Superior ambulances were also busy responding to calls, there were very few serious injuries. According to Mineral Community Hospital personnel, the hospital did not see many people with injuries resulting from the conditions. Burton said the Montana Department of Transportation was doing the best they could to keep Interstate 90 and the state highways clear. It was a daunting task as the cold temperatures and heavy snow kept the roads slick. The Montana Highway Patrol recommends everyone drive safely and go a safe speed for the road conditions.
Bobcats
Tucker Smith moves to block a Hot Springs player during a Superior home game earlier this season.