Everything to do with high school is in
the past.
The mediocre SAT scores good enough for admission to Oregon are now just forgotten numbers.
But there’s no reason — other than a Thirsty Thursday hangover — why we members of higher education can’t revisit the days of jammed lockers, spitwads and ice cream-scooped mashed potatoes.
How, you ask?
Well, though none of the items mentioned above will be available, it just so happens that the 2005 Oregon Track and Field State Championships is in Eugene for Class 3A and 4A competitions. Hayward Field, which recently received a facelift in the form of a distinguished entrance, will hold the prep showcase today and Saturday.
This is where the cream-of-the-crop prep athletes can show that their talents extend beyond accurately tossing apples out of school bus windows and consuming mounds of concession-stand hot dogs.
“In high school, State is like what Nationals is to (collegiate athletes) now,” said Oregon thrower Bree Fuqua, who won five prep state titles in Montana. “State was always a really big deal. It was your last meet of the year and it’s where everything comes together.”
“When you sit down at the beginning of the year and write your goals, every kid writes down where they want to place in State. For the kids that are here this weekend, it’s probably a culmination of their entire season in that one meet, definitely for the seniors.”
That makes it sound like there’s a lot at stake, and there is.
“College coaches just look at the State results,” Fuqua said. “They just check all the State results and see how people competed at big meets, because it tells them a lot about what kind of competitor they are. It’s kind of a big deal in more ways than some of the kids think about, but hopefully it’s just fun for them and competitive.”
For those without the added pressure of trying to impress collegiate coaches, it’s the end of the road — their 15th minute. Oregon senior Sarah Malone has some advice for competitors at State: “Take it all in. For most athletes, it’s their last hoorah.”
For those wanting to advance to the next level: “Enjoy the easy ride while you can; it’s a lot different and a lot harder in college,” Malone said.
Malone competed at the State Championships all four years of high school. She said it was “a preview of what life was going to be like from then on.”
The Newberg High School graduate said she will be at Hayward Field this weekend to welcome two javelin throwers from her alma mater who will be filling her shoes. Seniors Rachel Yurkovich and Cyrus Hostetler both have plans to compete for Oregon next season. Yurkovich holds a 15-foot advantage as the state’s top female javelin thrower. Hostetler owns the third-best toss in the state and is only three inches off the top mark.
Plenty of other former Oregon prep champions are currently competing for the Ducks.
Sophomore Tommy Skipper earned three 4A individual titles and holds the state pole vault record at 17 feet,
7 inches. Redshirt sophomore Jordan Kent holds state records in the 100-meter dash, the 200, and the long jump. He collected a total of eight individual titles in his career. Freshman Galen Rupp holds the state’s 1,500-meter record while senior Eric Logsdon holds the 3,000 record.
On the women’s side, numerous athletes excelled at State in their senior years and earned 4A titles in their respective events, including seniors Laura Harmon and Malone, redshirt junior Elisa Crumley and junior Sarah Schaaf. Senior Rachael Kriz Wallace earned the 3A high jump state title in 2000, and her sister, Megan Kriz, won the 3A discus title in 2002. Junior Mandi Fitz-Gustafson was the 3A champion in the 3,000 from 1999-2001.
So to those prep athletes competing this weekend: Welcome, and good luck with what you’re currently trying to accomplish and everything your future holds.
To my fellow collegians: Enjoy watching kids younger than yourselves achieve more than you ever could, hung over or not.

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