KT Whatever

by Bryan Holmgren

Some late thoughts on the new KT Woodman – now the Pre-State Challenge (Classic?) (Invitational?). I think I heard all four names dropped at least once throughout the weekend. This changeover is a process, I guess.

WSU track coach Steve Rainbolt told me the name switch was in effort to up the profile of the annual high school track meet by linking it with the State meet, which has been held there each May for several years. Similar to Pre-Nationals in NCAA cross country, where athletes get an opportunity to sample the national championship site early in the year. Rimrock Farm (site of Kansas’ 5A and 6A cross country) does the same, drawing elite runners from all over, hoping to get a leg up by making an early run-through. The hope is track’s version of “Pre-State” will do the same.

The results were mixed in year one of the experiment, which also saw the creation of Elite divisions. The hope was to funnel the best athletes into the same heats (rather than have runners grouped solely by enrollment classes). I thought this turned out to be a great move, though not for reasons you might expect.
The elite heats, themselves, weren’t anything special. Mostly because the Easter weekend timing kept the number of teams and athletes down. That ended up being a blessing because it made the meet run a little faster and smoother (or maybe that was the improved weather).

The real advantage of the Elite section was that it allowed the “non-elites” to build a little confidence. KT Woodman/Pre-State Challenge (whatever you want to call it) is typically great for the upper-level athletes but can be a confidence crusher for younger kids. By taking the top performers out of the general pool, it allows the average kids to get a taste of success as well. Instead of finishing 10th out of 24, a jumper in the 1-3A pool might have finished 2nd or 3rd.

I know some coaches who have split their squads for this meet in the past, taking the big guns to KT Woodman and finding a smaller meet for their lesser performers. Now they can feel a little better about bringing everyone.