Trending
The tagline has always been: "The ground will shake. Records will be broken. Athletes will fly."
I don't know that I've ever seen the ground shake, and athletes haven't flown -- at least not literally.
But, for the better part of two decades, The Alpena News Track and Field Honor Roll Invitational has remained a fun and phenomenal springtime event.
And, yes, plenty of records have been broken.
The invite commences for the 19th time on Tuesday, when athletes from all over Northeast Michigan will gather at Thunder Bay Junior High School to compete in one of the most entertaining meets of the season.
For many of the athletes competing, the Honor Roll Invite is a chance to test themselves ahead of the state finals, which are held just a few days later. For others, especially some of the seniors, the meet is a last hurrah, one final chance to compete before the end of their high school careers.
The group of schools competing presents a sort of David vs. Goliath scenario, but, whether an athlete represents a bigger school like Alpena or a smaller school like Rogers City, Hale, or Hillman doesn't matter. The meet was created to showcase the best of the best in Northeast Michigan competing against one another, and the athletes have proven time again to be up to the challenge.
That's what makes the meet a pleasure to cover and to watch. There have been photo finishes -- even in some of the distance events -- and the Athlete of the Meet honors -- given to the top male and female athlete of the meet -- have been awarded to a talented spectrum of athletes, from hurdlers and throwers to sprinters and endurance runners.
In fact, the Athletes of the Meet have been represented by eight different schools.
I've seen a lot in the 11 meets I've been a part of, and, just when I think I've seen it all, the current year's group of competitors puts together an impressive showing.
∫ Last year, Cooper Bright turned in a school record and meet record in the boys 400-meter dash.
∫ In 2019, distance runners shined on the big stage as Alpena's Maddy Boyd and Josh Smith combined for four individual wins in distance events.
∫ In 2012, a whopping 10 meet records fell. Fun fact: Nine of them still stand.
∫ Another fun fact: At least three schools competing next week are coached by former Honor Roll competitors.
In that same 11-year span, all but two of the meet records in the boys events have been broken and all but four girls events have seen new records set. There have also been school records broken and dozens of new personal records set.
Any way you slice it, that means there are a lot of superb athletes in our area.
We look forward to another exciting meet Tuesday and wish good luck to all participating athletes. You've worked hard all season and this is a spectacular showcase to reap the rewards of that hard work.
Time will tell if the athletes fly, the ground shakes, or records are broken, but one thing is sure: It's going to be an entertaining day.
James Andersen can be reached at 989-358-5686 or jandersen@thealpenanews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ja_alpenanews.