Just a few years ago the Star Valley High School Track and Field team was wearing “Planet Hoth Track Club” shirts as they peered down onto the track from their vantage point on top of several feet of snow. This year? Not so much. And that’s why the initial Hoback Hoedown looks like a great start to this season’s schedule.
Star Valley will host Jackson in a track duel beginning at 12 noon on Friday at SVHS. The two programs had something in the works last season but the weather was uncooperative.
“It’s pretty tough to fill the early season where we typically compete in Idaho and Utah so we were talking with Jackson and Coach Wiley and thought why not do our own,” replied head coach Ty Draney. “We thought it would be a fun thing to kick off the season and it’s a bit of an abbreviated schedule but we thought it would give us a chance to get us some marks before Spring Break.”
The duel will not have a full slate of events that you’ll see at the Dave Draney Invite in April. Field events such as the shot put, discus, long jump and high jump will begin at noon. Running events will include the 1600, 100, 400, 300 hurdles and the 4×100 and 4×400 relays.
This marks a rare opportunity for area track fans to see their local athletes potentially three times on the home turf. The Dave Draney Invite is scheduled for April 23 and SVHS is hosting the 4A West Regionals on May 15-16.
“Were hoping to get athletes out and have the most competitive team possible,” Draney said of the early season push. “Track is a numbers game so to be competitive there are a lot of challenges and we try and keep focused on the task at hand.”
