Last years bantam boys and girls team with coach Andre
Well it’s Tuesday March 31st and 3 days before we leave for the Phoenix Invitational in Phoenix Arizona. There are a few details to cover to and make sure of before we hit the road on Friday morning at 5am. This is our favorite Invitational of the year and we always drive.It is 6 hours and my family has a real good time on the road. We are meeting some friends there this year and one of my three sisters is also making the trip with her daughter for the first time. My Dad and Mom are traveling as well so this promises to be a very special meet.
Lauren is over the moon excited and happy to be running in the company of her cousin and friends from out of state.They are all in different age divisions so it make it extra fun to be able to watch them compete.
I plan to update results and all that is going on in my TrackMom world daily and on Monday afternoon a wrap up to round it all up for you.
JUST HOW DID THIS ALL GET STARTED?
I had the pleasure of talking to meet director Bob Flint last week and he shared with me just how this great meet began,
Circa 1964
According to Mr.Flint in 1964 at the then Phoenix College the meet was started to give girls a high level well run meet to participate in. Over the next couple of years the meet grew and some time in the next few years boys were added to the meet. Today boys and girls ages 7-13 participate in over 10 events in 2 days. Last year the total number of athletes was 1800. Teams from the southwest predominate the meet with California bring big numbers of teams . In all over 75 clubs participate from states as far east and tropical as Bahamas, mid west with a couple of Illinois teams and many closer like New Mexico,Colorado,Nevada, Washington.
History has shown the Phoenix Invitational is a western preview of the nations best athletes ,like Laura Panteau,The Youth National Long Jump,400 and 800m Champion( Phoenix 400m silver medalist,800, LJ gold medalist).
I asked Mr Flint why did he feel the meet had grown in prestige and size over the years. The answer was very simple.They love track and field and the desire to provide the best level of youth competition in the west. To make it all happen is a meticulously organized event that starts almost eleven months before the actual day of the meet. By the time my child and yours get on the field they have interfaced with many volunteers that have been involved with the meet for years and years.
All volunteers are trained well for the event or post they oversee, as well as each event area is run by an Arizona Association team that routinely year after year run a specific event. Over time they have become very proficient at that event and all the details to make for a smooth,efficient running event or particular job at the meet. With organization brings a rhythm of excellence and they as a volunteer team they are always looking to better theprevious year. Lastly he says that they employ a sense of urgency that causes promptness and staying on top of all aspects of the meet.
Thanks to Mr.Bob Flint for taking time to talk to me about this wonderful meet.
Until Next Time
We are looking forward to our first Phoenix Invitational!