THE FRONT ROW with MARK NELKE, May 22, 2014

Dona Larsen Park in Boise received rave reviews from North Idaho coaches after the new site - open for roughly a year and a half - played host to the state 5A and 4A track and field meets last weekend for the first time.

Of course, a little advance planning helped.

"The site was 50 meters from the hotel, and we were able to keep our kids cooled off," Coeur d'Alene coach Linda Lanker said. "It just made it so much more convenient; we weren't at the mercy of the bus."

Ah, the bus.

Because Dona Larsen Park only has some 65 parking spaces, fans had to either park at nearby Bronco Stadium and either walk or ride a shuttle bus to the park, or try to find a parking space near the park.

AFTER DECADES of having the state track meets in each classification at Bronco Stadium, the high school meets had to find a new home starting two years ago, because of expansion of the football seating at Boise State's stadium.

Two years ago, the state 5A meet was at Rocky Mountain High in Meridian. Last year, it was at Eagle High with the 4As. In 2012, the 4A meet was at Middleton High.

"As far as a facility, I loved it," Lake City coach Kelly Reed said of Dona Larsen Park. "It's never going to be like it was when it was at BSU, and we have to understand it's not going to be like that. But it felt way better than being at a high school.

"The facility, the atmosphere and the track is awesome," added Reed, whose team stayed at the same nearby hotel as the Vikings. "I know for the spectators the parking is suspect, but the alternative to being at a high school, it is way better. It should be about the athletes, and this is way better for the athletes, and if people have to walk, so be it."

MEANWHILE, THE state 3A, 2A and 1A meets were held at Middleton High for the second straight year.

In 2012, the 3A meet at Eagle High, the 2A meet was at Centennial High and the 1A meet was at Mountain View High in Meridian.

"To me, the closest thing to being a state track meet is if we're all together," Timberlake coach Brian Kluss said, referring to all five classifications at the same site. "Middleton is a fantastic facility, and if it's not going to be at Boise State, that's where I want it to be."

Kluss said he likes having the 2A and 1A meets also at the same place as the 3As, because it gives Timberlake a chance to watch some of the smaller schools from the North that the Tigers compete against during the season.

"Ideally, we'd like to have it like it was (all five classifications at Boise State)," Kluss said, "but that's not going to happen. I think this is a valid location for us; I can't see us getting any better than what it is. I have nothing but praise for the people at Middleton and how they run things."

The only thing Kluss would like to see tweaked - and this would be the case no matter the site - is for the competition to end earlier each day. On Friday, the meet started at 9 a.m. and ended around 8:30 p.m. Everybody was back at it Saturday morning, and the meet wasn't over until after 7 p.m.

"And how long is that drive home?" he said, noting Timberlake had to stop for the night in La Grande, Ore., on Saturday because the bus driver was out of hours for the day.

Kluss said organizers wanted to get the field events done before the prelims started on Friday, so athletes in particular from smaller schools didn't have to run from field events to prelims. "But by doing that, it is really lengthening out the day," he said.

Kluss said he'd be OK if the state wanted to go back to the old schedule used at BSU - where a few smaller-school field events were held on Thursday night, and the bulk of their meets were Friday and Saturday.

WHO KNOWS what the future holds for these state track meets. Lanker says she's heard rumblings that the 3As, 2As and 1As might get to use Dona Larsen Park in some years, and the 5As and 4As would be farmed out elsewhere.

If that was the case, "then they can come to the University of Idaho - even if it's just the 5As," Lanker said. "We're going to fight that it comes North."

Reed said the thing he's heard the most is the state may try to run all five meets at the same site again - doing at Dona Larsen what was done so successfully for years at BSU.

"It would be awesome, but it might be a bit of a stretch," he said.

Then again, if they stretch the meets out over three days again, with the 5As and 4As finishing up Friday night, leaving the stage on Saturday to the smaller schools, who knows - it could be worth a try.

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at CdAPressSports.