Snake River Valley Heat water polo club enters second year

Visited Wes Deist Aquatic Center bright and early for one of my first assignments of 2020 to speak with members of Idaho Falls’ newest water polo club. Had a bit of a scary moment while there–I wore too many layers inside by the pool and passed out from heat exhaustion and had to go home to rest–but managed to finish my interviews.

The club has 26 members, including seven girls.

Making a splash: Snake River Valley Heat water polo club enters second year

mhereford@postregister.com

Kaiden Dixon throws toward the goal during practice with the Snake River Valley water polo club Tuesday morning at the Wes Deist Aquatic Center. John Roark | jroark@postregister.com

While most of their high school classmates were sleeping, members of the Snake River Valley Water Polo Club were in the water by 5:45 a.m. Tuesday at the Wes Deist Aquatic Center for practice.

The water at the end of the pool nearest the water slide churned as players warmed up. From the deck, head coach Jake Bundy tossed out swim caps and balls while giving instructions.

The club was started by Bundy a year ago. Named ‘the Heat,’ the program won a handful of games last year and only played half a season. Now the program has 26 members, including seven girls, and has played in three tournaments this season. At their most recent tournament in late December, the Heat went 5-0 in Twin Falls.

Bundy said his core group of players who joined a year ago have grasped the basics of the sport, and they are learning that water polo combines elements of multiple sports.

“You don’t have to be the best swimmer to be a water polo player,” Bundy said. “You don’t have to be the best ball player to be a water polo player. The water is a great equalizer.”

Originally from St. George, Utah, Bundy started playing water polo at the club level as a high schooler and was working toward playing for an NCAA program before being deployed to Iraq. While his deployment ended his NCAA aspirations, Bundy was able to play at the club level for Texas Tech, including finding success at the national level. He still plays with some of those teammates today at the Masters level, allowing him the opportunity to maintain friendships and travel.

“I fell in love with water polo at that time,” Bundy said of his Texas Tech days. “We’ve already been to Georgia (this year). In February, I’m going to Austin, Tex. Last year, we got to play in Panama.”

Now he is coaching water polo at the level and age he originally started in the sport and he has a son on the team. He began building a program by recruiting area high school swimmers and securing practice times at Wes Deist.

The only practice slots available were early morning — 5:30 to 7 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and 6 to 8 a.m. Saturdays — and that deterred some potential recruits from joining. Two returning players from last year, Hillcrest senior Ashton Quinton and Idaho Falls junior Tayla Liddle, said trying the sport has been a fun venture.

Tayla Liddle picks up the ball during Tuesday morning’s practice with the Snake River Valley water polo club at the Wes Deist Aquatic Center. John Roark | jroark@postregister.com

Quinton was encouraged by his father, who is good friends with Bundy, to try out. Prior to joining the Heat, Quinton had no knowledge of water polo.

“I didn’t really have any expectations,” Quinton said. “I had no clue what it was about. I hadn’t even watched it before.”

Liddle, who knows Bundy because he is one of the coaches of her Voltage Aquatics club swim team, also had no prior knowledge or background in the sport. She played on the Heat’s boys team last year due to not enough players to field a complete girls team, and she occasionally plays on the boys team this year.

She said she has not been intimidated by playing against boys. Rather, the opposite has proven true in some situations where she has been underestimated.

“A lot of guys are intimidated by me because they think ‘she’s not that fast. I’ll take her out,’” said Liddle, a state record holder and multiple state champion high school swimmer who comes from a family of triathletes. “Then I swim right by them and take them out. I definitely think it built up my confidence playing with the guys.”

Sugar-Salem sweeps varsity DII titles at Bob Firman

Spent the weekend in Boise covering the annual Bob Firman Invitational for DyeStat and also spoke to local runners who competed there.

The varsity Division II titles went to 3A powerhouse Sugar-Salem, which had six individual top 20 finishes.

Sugar-Salem sweep highlights Bob Firman for District 6

mhereford@postregister.com

The Sugar-Salem girls with their Bob Firman Invitational Division II championship trophy. Photo courtesy of Janson Jardine.

Sugar-Salem head cross-country coach Brett Hill has built an impressive resume in his more than two decades of coaching high school cross-country in Idaho, but he experienced a rare first on Saturday.

The defending 3A state champion Diggers swept the varsity boys and girls Division II titles at the annual Bob Firman Invitational at Eagle Island State Park, a first for the program. The boys won their third Division II title in four years, 94-137 over Morgan (Utah), while the girls won their first Division II title since 2012, 65-109 over Star Valley (Wyo.). The Diggers had top 20 finishes from Sarenady Price (fourth in 19:44.4), Jaresa Jackson (16th in 20:15.5), Taya Brewer (18th in 20:24.8) and Jade Jackson (20th in 20:25.2) on the girls side and Kaysen Klingler (fourth in 16:11.9) and Parker Galbraith (10th in 16:38) on the boys side.

The Sugar-Salem boys with their Bob Firman Invitational Division II championship trophy. Photo courtesy of Janson Jardine.

Hill said the last time a program he coached swept team titles at Bob Firman was Firth 16 or 17 years ago, before the meet grew to what it is now. Between Soda Springs, Star Valley and former 3A District 6 team Shelley, a Sugar-Salem sweep fell just shy at previous meets. While Hill said he anticipated the girls, who have several returning runners from last year, to win, the boys’ prospects were more uncertain due to a more youthful team.

“We’ve always gotten first and second,” Hill said. “I think a lot of people thought Sugar would be a little bit down this year. This sends a message to the rest of the state. We’re going to be tough again.”

Also getting top 20 finishes in the varsity D-II races from District 6 were Snake River’s Lorenzo High (ninth in 16:27.5), West Jefferson’s Hyrum Spencer (11th in 16:39.6), North Fremont’s Max Palmer (17th in 16:51.6), Snake River’s Lincoln High (19th in 16:54.8) and West Jefferson’s Elizabeth Spencer (11th in 20:09).

The Medal Stand weekly column, July 26

We have officially reached the two year mark for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Speaking of summer Olympic sports…

I learned yesterday via a reader tip that incoming Idaho Falls High School senior and defending 4A cross-country state runner-up Zach Erikson made his marathon debut on Tuesday. He completed the Deseret News Marathon as part of his senior project, finishing in an impressive 2:39:42 for fourth overall and first in his age division.

The Medal Stand: I.F.’s Erikson makes marathon debut in 2:39:42

Incoming Idaho Falls High School senior and multiple state cross-country and track medalist Zach Erikson can check another accomplishment off the list this week.

Erikson competed in his first marathon Tuesday, completing the annual Deseret News Marathon in Salt Lake City in two hours, 39 minutes, 42 seconds to place fourth overall and win his age division. Breaking the elusive three-hour barrier was his goal, and he initially had his sights set on 2:50.

As the race progressed, however, he maintained an average pace of 6:06 per mile with a few sub-6 miles here and there.

“I knew I was capable of sub-3,” Erikson said. “Once things started going, I was like ‘I’m really enjoying it. I’m pretty much going as fast as I can.”

Erikson chose to complete a marathon for his senior project, and he chose the Deseret News Marathon due to its proximity to eastern Idaho and for how it fit into his summer schedule. He said he drew some inspiration from athletes like 2013 Bonneville graduate Kyle Baldwin, who completed the 40-mile solo division of the annual To Bone and Back Relay as part of his senior project, when choosing what to do for his own senior project.

“I’m a runner, I do high mileage in the summer,” Erikson said. “Stepping up to a marathon wouldn’t be too big of a jump. Honestly, I just thought it would be fun. I guess I just wanna show that running will be a big part of my life. I’ll keep doing it, hopefully run in college and be a big road racer and show that a lot of my time will be spent running.”

Erikson said he experienced much kindess and encouragement in his first marathon from other runners as well as spectators. The first 16 miles of the course did not have many spectators, but there were significantly more near the finish. Their enthusiasm, as well as the cheering from his mother Kathy, helped him finish strong.

“Once we got down to like the final four miles, there were people lining the streets for the parade afterwards,” Erikson said. “They were all cheering. That definitely pushed me along. It was a great experience.”

Wright, Erikson share Arcadia experiences

As promised in my last column, I followed up with Shelley’s Ty Wright and I.F.’s Zach Erikson on competing at the annual Arcadia Invitational over the weekend. Erikson competed Friday and Wright competed Saturday evening.

Wright, Erikson share Arcadia experiences
By MARLOWE HEREFORD
mhereford@postregister.com

Two District 6 track athletes traveled to the Golden State over the weekend to compete at the storied Arcadia Invitational and test themselves against some of the nation’s best high school athletes.

Shelley’s Ty Wright and Idaho Falls’s Zach Erikson, both juniors and Idaho state track medalists, competed a day apart at the 51st annual meet which draws nationally ranked talent and has produced 179 U.S. Olympic athletes. Erikson was the first to compete, running Friday evening under the lights in the boys rated 3,200 meters. He was in the first heat of three in the event, which ultimately had 92 finishers.

He compared the atmosphere to Nike Cross Northwest and Foot Locker West Regionals, which he competed in a month apart during cross-country season.

“Compared to track meets (I’ve been to), it’s way better,” Erikson said Wednesday by phone. “Nothing in track compares to Arcadia. I came into the race knowing that I may not have the fastest seed time or anything, but I was ready to race against some better people and throw down a fast time.”

Erikson moved into the top five of his heat within the first 400 meters, then into the top three and into the lead with 1,000 meters remaining. He said he would have preferred to have gotten off to a faster start – the lead pack went through the first mile in 4:44 – but the pace picked up and the second mile was completed in 4:37.

He was able to gauge his time upon seeing the first and second place runners from his heat cross the finish line. He finished in nine minutes, 21.97 seconds, putting him 31st overall in the final results compiled from the three heats and giving him a personal best by 13 seconds. That time is currently the fastest by an Idaho boy of any classification for the 3,200 thus far this outdoor season per athletic.net.

“They ran a 9:18 and I knew I was within five seconds of them,” Erikson said. “I knew it was a pretty quick time. I was really excited in my head, but the rest of my body was really tired.”

Erikson medaled in all three distance events with personal best times at last year’s 4A state track meet, and he is turning his attention to setting personal bests in the 800 and 1,600 by the end of this season. Competing in his first Arcadia Invitational, however, was an opportunity he won’t soon forget.

“I watch and read a lot about the top runners in the nation,” Erikson said. “Every year, Arcadia is just the No. 1 meet that these athletes go to. It’s always been a dream of mine to go.”

Wright also got his turn to compete under the lights in the boys invitational high jump finals Saturday evening. Two-time defending 3A state champion, Wright compared Arcadia’s atmosphere to other big meets he’s been to this year but with a few notable differences.

“It was super fun … All the Nike stuff and the announcing, all the great athletes there,” Wright said Wednesday by phone. “It was definitely a lot different than Idaho. The humidity was crazy. It was hot, but I like competing in the heat.”

The Medal Stand weekly column, April 5

Two local track athletes will be competing at the annual Arcadia Invitational this weekend, I.F.’s Zach Erikson and Shelley’s Ty Wright. I will follow up with them next week on how they did.

The Medal Stand: Two locals to compete at Arcadia

For the second year in a row, the annual Arcadia Invitational will have local representation.

Two eastern Idaho high school juniors, Zach Erikson of Idaho Falls and Ty Wright of Shelley, will be competing at the prestigious meet this weekend at Arcadia High School in Arcadia, Calif. Heat sheets were not posted on the official event website as of Wednesday afternoon, but based on Erikson’s and Wright’s respective event registration numbers, Erikson will compete in the boys rated 3,200 meters while Wright will compete in boys high jump. Erikson will race Friday at 10 p.m. Mountain Standard Time while Wright will compete at 6:15 p.m. Saturday.

Last year, Madison’s Rachel Morrin competed in the seeded girls 3,200 meters at Arcadia. In 2013, former Rigby sprinter Elsja Mecham competed in the 100 hurdles and 200 and 400 meters.

The official event website, where heat sheets, results and videos will be posted, is http://www.arcadiainvitational.org/.

Coming up locally

Grand Targhee Resort’s 18th annual cardboard box derby is 9:30 a.m. Saturday. The resort’s tentative closing date for the winter season is April 15. Fat bike trails are no longer being groomed at the resort (depending on weather) and the last snowshoe tour will take place Friday.

Sun Valley Resort’s Bald Mountain will close for the winter season April 15.

Youth track catching fire

No column this week as space was limited to a two-page sports section Thursday, but I did finally get around to a feature on eastern Idaho’s growing youth track scene. I attended Thursday’s four-team meet at Ravsten Stadium and am hoping to make it to the eastern Idaho championship meet next month in Rexburg if my schedule permits.

Abbie Scott, 11, competes in the high jump during the youth track meet at Ravsten Stadium on Thursday afternoon. Taylor Carpenter / tcarpenter@postregister.com

Youth track catching fire
Eastern Idaho has four teams participating in a six-week schedule this summer
By MARLOWE HEREFORD
mhereford@postregister.com

The sight of kids from four youth track clubs going from event to event on Thursday at Ravsten Stadium brought a smile to Doug Stutz’s face.

Stutz, the former Ricks College cross-country coach, created a youth track program in Rexburg called Life Active (now called Rexburg Track Club) two summers ago and created a six-week summer schedule of biweekly practices and four meets. Stutz had 71 kids from ages five to 14 join his program then — envisioning neighboring cities creating youth track clubs in years to come.

Last summer, Idaho Falls High School head track coach Jeremy Smith created the Idaho Falls-based High Five Flyers club and joined in on the six-week summer schedule.

This summer, Rigby became the newest eastern Idaho youth track program and joined the Flyers, Rexburg Track Club and Pocatello Track Club at the first meet of the summer on Thursday.

Stutz said he was pleased to see this come to fruition.

“If you keep talking (to coaches) they see that this is really worth doing,” Stutz said. “I hope it continues to build. I think next year we will be better. I’ve talked to Sugar. I’ve talked to Shelley. I.F. may be adding another team. It’s good for the kids and good for our sport to have so many involved at this early age.”

Like Stutz, Smith rarely stayed in one place for too long Thursday. In between coaching his athletes, he announced first, second and final calls for each event, showed athletes where to check in, fired the starting gun and directed his assistant coaches and student volunteers.

Last year, 43 kids joined High Five Flyers. Smith said his program has 80 kids this summer.

“I got started a lot earlier this year,” Smith said. “I visited sixth grade track meets to recruit and put up a lot of flyers. I want track in our area to explode.”

Contributing to the explosion of enthusiasm and neon colored Flyers jerseys at Thursday’s meet was Jessica Moss, who won the girls 800-meters in 2 minutes, 42 seconds and the girls 1,600 in 6:14.

An incoming eighth grader at Rocky Mountain Middle School, Moss said she is enjoying the extra practice time and opportunity to meet other athletes from around town in her first year with the Flyers.

“I really like it,” Moss said. “It’s helping me stay fit over the summer.”

A middle school cross-country and track athlete, Moss is participating in High Five Flyers this summer with younger brother Kyler. They are younger siblings of Stetson Moss, an incoming Bonneville High School sophomore who medaled in the 3,200 and 1,600 at the 5A state championships last month.
Moss said she has been running with her older brother since she was 11 and aspires to qualify for the USA Track and Field Hershey National Junior Olympic Track and Field Championships in July.

“I have to get a much faster time than today, though,” Moss said. “My fastest mile is a 5:42.”

The Medal Stand weekly column, Dec. 15

Swimming is the focal point for this week’s column. Andrea Pettula, an Idaho Falls High School junior and member of the Voltage Aquatics team, competed in the Speedo Winter Junior National Championships West last weekend. It was her first junior nationals appearance, and she set two personal records. Thanks to her parents, Eric and Sarah, for the head’s up about this.

The Medal Stand: Pettula swims in first junior nationals

Pettula

The last two months have made 2016 an especially memorable year for Andrea Perttula.

In November, the Idaho Falls High School junior contributed to I.F.’s 4A state championship (a program first). Last weekend, Perttula competed in her first Speedo Winter Junior National Championships West in College Station, Texas, and came away with two personal records. She qualified for junior nationals at the Arena Western Zone Senior Championships in August in Clovis, Calif.

Junior nationals took place on the Texas A&M University campus and featured the top 1,000 swimmers from west of the Mississippi River. Stepping into the venue for her first warm up was nerve-wracking.

“I was incredibly nervous,” Perttula said in a phone interview with the Post Register. “The amount of people just in the stands and around the pool deck, it was crazy. I was really unsure of what to do. Once I walked around the place, I went, ‘It’s just another pool.’ I became more comfortable as time went on. You have to push it behind you when you race.”

Perttula competed in the 100-yard breaststroke, swimming a personal record one minute, 4.86 seconds in the preliminaries. She swam two time trials and had a personal best in the 100-yard butterfly.

Perttula said she immediately felt relief when she saw her personal record times. She has dealt with recent injury and also had to adjust her training schedule for junior nationals when the Wes Deist Aquatic Center was closed for three weeks.

“Just seeing I was dropping times, it was like, ‘Thank you,’” Perttula said. “For the breaststroke, I was really happy because I have goals of much lower times. To keep stepping down is really what I wanted. For the 100 fly, it’s not my best event but I’ve improved quite a bit since high school season started.”

Perttula started swimming at age 4, which is no surprise considering her dad, her brother and sister all swim. She has competed for Voltage Aquatics, an all-eastern Idaho team that formed in 2013. Voltage has produced numerous college signees since its inception, and Perttula said it has been a good experience.

“I’m incredibly blessed to have found this team and to have found these coaches,” Perttula said.

Perttula’s next big competition is a National Club Swimming Association meet in March in Orlando, Fl., although she has been looking up Arena Pro Swim Series meets to possibly compete in before then. She trains year-round and hopes to compete in college.

“There are no breaks for swimming except for when your pool shuts down,” Perttula said. “Even then, we swim at the Apple (Athletic Club), and I drove the 30 minutes every morning to Rexburg or to Blackfoot to just swim in their pools. We never stop.”

The Medal Stand weekly column, November 10

Seems like I just recovered from state cross-country weekend and now it is time for Nike Cross Regionals at Eagle Island State Park. Although I won’t be able to staff it, I checked in with local coaches to find out who from our area will be running and I will write a follow-up once Saturday’s results are posted.

The Medal Stand: Nike X Regionals Saturday

The 2016 high school cross-country season is not quite over yet.

Several area runners will make the four-hour trip west on Saturday to the Nike Cross Northwest Regional Championships at Eagle Island State Park. The meet is one of eight regional qualifiers for Nike Cross Nationals, which take place December 3 at Glendoveer Golf Course in Portland, Ore.

As of Wednesday, 72 high school teams are listed on athletic.net as registered for Northwest Regionals. They represent five states and one Canadian province. Among the local teams sending runners to compete Saturday are Bonneville, Madison, Idaho Falls, Skyline, Salmon, Shelley, Sugar-Salem and Teton. The Post Register will have a follow-up in Sunday’s paper on how local runners fared if results are posted by deadline.

Team USA Updates

Three-time world all-around champion, defending Olympic all-around champion and five-time Olympic medalist Simone Biles shared her intentions Wednesday to train for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. The news was reported by USA Today’s Christine Brennan. The 19 year-old gymnast said she intends to take a year off before resuming training. In October, two-time Olympian Aly Raisman expressed her intentions to train for Tokyo also.

The U.S. men’s national soccer team plays Mexico on Friday in Columbus in hexagonal play in the final stage of World Cup qualifying.

Molly Huddle and Abdi Abdirahman were the top American finishers in Saturday’s New York City Marathon, placing third in the women’s and men’s races, respectively. Meb Keflezighi, a 41 year-old three-time Olympic marathon runner, shared Sunday that he will retire after next year’s New York City Marathon. Tatyana McFadden, who was voted Female Athlete of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games at September’s Team USA awards, added to an already accomplished year Sunday by winning the New York City Marathon women’s wheelchair division. She also won the division at the Boston, London and Chicago marathons earlier this year, the fourth consecutive year she has won all four.

Anthony Ervin, who won gold at Rio 2016 in men’s 50-meter freestyle 16 years after tying Gary Hall, Jr., for gold in the same event at Sydney 2000, shared with Nick Zaccardi of NBC Olympic Talk on Wednesday that he intends to continue competing through 2020. He said his ideal situation would be to make it to the finals of the Olympic Trials.

Picking up speed: Local youth track coaches hopeful programs will continue growth

Almost a year ago, I covered the Idaho youth track state meet in Rexburg and learned more about eastern Idaho’s newest youth track club, Life Active created in Rexburg by former Ricks College coach Doug Stutz. Now known by the name of Rexburg Track Club, it is one of two youth track programs in the Post Register’s coverage area this summer. The newest is High Five Flyers, started by Idaho Falls High School head track coach Jeremy Smith for athletes in the Idaho Falls area. Thursday’s meet at Ravsten Stadium–the first meet of the six-week season–drew 162 athletes from three clubs. Both Stutz and Smith have long-term goals for their programs and what they can do for eastern Idaho.

Pocatello Track Club’s Jade Huerta, center, tries to catch Rexburg Track Club’s Nicole Hipps, right, during the girls 10 and under 100 meter dash at the youth track club tri-meet on Thursday at Ravsten Stadium. Hipps finished first in her heat with Huerta taking second place. Pat Sutphin / psutphin@postregister.com

Picking up speed: Local youth track coaches hopeful programs will continue growth
By MARLOWE HEREFORD

High Five Flyers is a fitting name for eastern Idaho’s newest youth track club, as there were plenty of high fives to go around Thursday.

Enthusiasm was rampant at Ravsten Stadium as the Idaho Falls-based High Five Flyers began the summer season with a tri-meet with the Rexburg Track Club and the Pocatello Track Club. All sporting brightly colored jerseys, 162 athletes ages 5 to 14 had much to smile about regardless of finishes, times or marks.

Such was true for Flyers athlete Isabelle McJunkin, an incoming Taylorview Middle School eighth-grader who competed in the 100 meter hurdles, 800 and high jump. When she wasn’t competing, she was all over Ravsten cheering on her teammates.

“It’s so much fun,” McJunkin said. “The energy is so positive.”

Reactions like McJunkin’s are a big reason why Jeremy Smith started High Five Flyers. Idaho Falls High School’s head track coach, Smith was approached by Rexburg Track Club director Doug Stutz over the winter about starting a similar youth program in Idaho Falls. Smith said he was initially unsure if he could devote the necessary commitment to the six-week summer youth season immediately after high school track ended. The more he considered it, however, the more he realized the possibilities. He had completed a similar endeavor at age 15 in his home state of Maine, starting a Junior Olympics track team that he worked with for three years.

He went all in on High Five Flyers, spreading the word at schools around town.

“It is an opportunity to do more of what I love to do, which is coaching,” Smith said. “Being a track coach is being organized and excited. It’s something that I’m definitely looking long term and I hope to see it grow in a few years.”

This is the second year of Stutz’s program, which began last summer under the name Life Active and drew 71 members. Stutz said his program’s numbers are ahead of early last June, and he still hopes more local youth track clubs will form.

“I’m glad that Jeremy is taking up the torch,” Stutz said. “For us to have a competitive season so they can see other people, we need more local teams. In the future, that’s what I hope would happen.”

High Five Flyers sprint coach Bryce Frazee gives a good luck fist bump to Carson Chastain, 11, before he runs the 400 meter dash during the youth track club tri-meet on Thursday at Ravsten Stadium. Frazee is a 2015 Idaho Falls High School graduate and current sprinter at the Colorado School of Mines. Pat Sutphin / psutphin@postregister.com

Providing a summer outlet for track similar to travel programs for basketball, softball, baseball, soccer and volleyball was also a motivation for Stutz, as was coaching future high school athletes. Above all, however, is the goal he and Smith share of introducing kids to track.

“A lot of these kids that come out may not have had success in other things,” Stutz said. “Track is one of those sports where if you’re improving yourself, you’re having success. Most of the kids that we have right now really aren’t thinking forward that much to being a superstar. They just want to get out and have fun and learn something.”

Track has become the sport of choice for Christopher Zuck, an incoming Hillcrest freshman who edged Rexburg’s Michael Brugger to win the boys 13-14 800. He started track as a seventh-grader after a good experience with cross-country the previous fall.

“Before running, I did swimming and ballet,” Zuck said. “I didn’t like those very much. I finally settled down on cross-country from the first practice.”

A member of Life Active last summer, Zuck said being on High Five Flyers is as enjoyable this summer.

“It’s been so much fun to do the extra meets, hang out with friends and try new stuff,” Zuck said.

Brugger, the boys 13-14 400 winner, is in his second summer with Stutz’s program. Making new friends is not the only perk the incoming Madison freshman has gained from the club season.

“It’s nice because it helps keep you in shape,” Brugger said. “I do cross-country, too.”

Several current and former local high school track athletes shared in the enthusiasm by serving as coaches. One of them is High Five Flyers sprint coach Bryce Frazee, a 2015 Idaho Falls graduate and 2015 5A boys 400 state champion who now competes for Colorado School of Mines.

“This is a good opportunity for kids to come out and try it and get attached to it like I did,” Frazee said.

Although in his first year with High Five Flyers, Smith said he has big goals at the youth level. Ideally, meets like Thursday would be the norm.

“I would like to see it be a big summer track club with a lot of kids and a lot of certified coaches,” he said. “I would like to see cross-country grow the same way with a youth feeder program. Let’s make eastern Idaho the track mecca.”

The Medal Stand weekly column, May 11

The topic of today’s column was one I made several previous attempts to track down within the last year without much luck. I’ve wanted to get more details about the Idaho high school mountain biking league since I first heard about it last spring. I was able to get several questions answered Wednesday upon reaching two members of I.F.’s composite team. Although mountain biking’s season starts July 1, the races take place during the traditional preps fall sports season in Idaho.

The Medal Stand: Mountain biking, Idaho’s newest HS sport

As the Idaho Interscholastic Cycling League enters its second year, the coaches of the Idaho Falls Composite Team are working to continue spreading the word about one of the Gem State’s newest sports: mountain biking.

Through word of mouth and Try Out Mountain Biking events in the designated offseason, I.F. composite team coach Troy Clark and parent representative Jessica Leavitt try to bring new riders into the fold.

“We just can’t get the word out enough to the kids to let them know that this is available,” said Leavitt, who is training to be a coach. “It’s a high school sport just like cross-country, football and basketball. It’s just not state sanctioned just yet.”

Three years ago, an Idaho Falls based mountain biking team consisting of middle school and high school students competed in Utah because Idaho was not yet a member of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association. Clark, Dylan Gradhandt and Bart Miller then spent five months creating a bid to start an Idaho branch of the NICA. In fall 2014, Gradhandt was appointed chairman of Idaho’s league and it was announced that the inaugural season would take place in fall 2015. Miller now coaches the Madison High School team and Clark coaches the I.F. based team that includes students from Districts 91 and 93 as well as Rigby and Ririe. Each team’s coaches create practice schedules while Gradhandt creates race schedules for the entire state.

Clark said the response from the majority of eastern Idaho schools has been positive, and he and his team members have been supported in their efforts to promote the league. Ultimately, Clark hopes the sport will grow in numbers and opportunities.

“The long-term goal is actually to get a team in every junior high and high school in the state,” Clark said. “The goal is to get more kids on a bike and give them something they can enjoyit for the rest of their lives.”

New this year is a grant which allowed Idaho’s league to provide bikes and helmets to students who do not have the means to purchase their own. Clark said those bikes and helmets can be obtained by completing an application and sending it to Gradhandt, and similar applications are available for covering league and entry fees.

“The league is actually who provides the bicycle and a helmet to borrow for the season and then it is returned at the end of the season,” Clark said.

Sign-ups for the I.F. Composite Team for middle and high school student-athletes living in Bonneville District 93, Idaho Falls District 91, Rigby schools and Ririe schools will be 7 p.m. Wednesday in the upstairs training room at Smith Honda in Idaho Falls. July 1 is the official start of the season, with races taking place from late August to late October.

This column will be on hiatus next week to accompany state tournament previews for prep spring sports.

Coming up locally

The 10th annual Run to Break the Silence takes place Saturday at Freeman Park in Idaho Falls. Race-day registration is from 8:15 to 8:50 a.m., the 10k begins at 9 a.m., the 5k begins at 9:15 a.m. and the Silent walk begins at 9:15 a.m. Individuals participating in the silent walk will be provided ear plugs. Proceeds benefit the Hearing Impaired Kids Endowment (HIKE).