Ponies hoping Monday is the day

As a whole, the city of Havre has gotten a break from the snow in recent days. But all the damage that was done to the Havre Middle School track with record of levels of snow, is still being undone and in large part because of that, the Havre Lions track meet won't take place this weekend.

The annual track meet was scheduled for Saturday at the Havre Middle School track, but the surface just isn't ready for competition. It is the second time a meet that was supposed to be held in Havre has wound up being rescheduled. The other was the Cal Wearley Track Meet, which is scheduled for April 24 in Havre, after being postponed twice now due to weather.

"It really is extraordinary if you haven't been up to the track lately," HHS head coach John Ita said. "There is no way you can shovel that off. It's impressive. There is nothing that you can do. Maybe by the end of the next week, if the weather is nice, the track might get burned off, maybe. There is a still a lot of snow. I don't think people realize how much snow is up there. We are talking anywhere from a foot to three feet. There is probably only one area where there is about 80 meters of track that is open for about two and a half to three lanes. And that was on the home stretch. The rest of the track was just about covered."

While the Blue Ponies won't be able to compete this weekend or at the Cal Wearley next Wednesday, which was the original reschedule date, both Havre track teams will be in Glasgow Monday, followed by another meet in Belgrade next Saturday.

"It's hard on the kids," Ita said. "Let's be honest. It's hard on them to stay motivated. Really we are at the halfway point and we haven't been on the track yet. The other day a kid made a comment that this was like gym class. So it's hard to keep them motivated, but I think our coaches have done a good job. All we can do is keep plugging away."

Even though both Havre track teams have been unable to use the track yet this season, both have done as much as possible to prepare for upcoming events. According to Ita, time has been split between the high school and the swimming pool. It hasn't been ideal, but under the circumstances, the team hasn't had much choice.

"We are still trying to mix up hallways and the gym with the swimming pool," Ita said. "Just trying to keep the kids in shape and keep them motivated."

Ita has repeatedly said that the morale of his athletes is one of his biggest concerns, but at the same time, the long-time coach said he nas never seen anything quite like this, which makes it even more difficult to handle.

"I have been coaching athletics since 1982," Ita said. "I have never experienced anything like this. I feel bad for the kids. I feel especially bad for our seniors. I think it's hard to keep them motivated and focused. This is amazing. I have never seen anything like this before."

Both Havre track teams will compete for the first time Monday in Glasgow, before also traveling to Belgrade next Saturday. The Cal Wearley track meet is also scheduled for April 24 in Havre.