POULSBO — “Numbers” was the talk of the Viking track and field team as the North Kitsap High School spring sports season left the starting blocks Monday with the first day of practice.

“This is the most kids I’ve seen out,” said sprinters’ coach Joan Starr, who has been with the team for three years. “And the numbers are equally dispersed across the events.”

The team had a first day turnout of some 100 athletes, which has NK’s coaches excited because they are envisioning a few more athletes will also join in the upcoming days.

Not only do the increased numbers give the team a larger pool of points to draw from at meets, they will also play into the squad’s focus this year to come together as a team in order to do well in what largely boils down to an individual sport.

“We are really big on that it’s a team,” said throws leader and boys head coach Kaelea Makaiwi-Barreith, adding that through team success, individual accomplishments should flourish in what they hope to make a family atmosphere. “That starts with leadership. It starts with the coaches, then through our seniors and event leaders and on to the team.”

The Vikes have a decent dose of high-level experience returning from last year’s squad as three of the four of NK’s 2005 state contestants will be back in action this year.

Chelsea Pruiett is coming off a record setting season in 2005 when she set the bar for the girls pole vault at 9-feet. Though a slip at the district meet prevented her from competing in the vault at state, she made the trip to Pasco on the strength of her javelin throw. She is back this year to compete in both.

Also returning for the ladies from a state-qualifying 2005 campaign is KC Fossum, who was kept off the high jump medal stand by a clip of the heel. That was all it took to toss the bar on her final attempt at 5-feet 2-inches . Now she’s got the 2006 season to build on for a hopeful return trip to Pasco.

“We’ve got a lot of hopefuls — these kids are very talented,” said girls head coach Dave Snyder, adding that the majority of the team resides in the junior and sophomore classes.

Although only a handful of seniors were out for the first day of practice, the ones who were expected to be leaders by example throughout the season.

“Though their numbers may not be as high, they’ve got the knowledge,” Starr said of the team’s minimal senior crew. “Hopefully we can get that to trickle down to the juniors and sophomores.”

Will Cameron is the lone senior on the boys side with experience from the state meet, and though his 2005 performance in Pasco was dismal, he said he is counting on redemption in ‘06. As one of team’s leading distance runners, Cameron will be chasing the school record in the 800 meter run, which is set at 1:56.

Dak Kongela will also be one to watch for the boys as he missed out on the state meet last year due to the drag of a finger. Even though his feet had cleared the mark in the triple jump by a nearly a foot, he inadvertently dragged his finger to miss the qualifying mark by mere inches.

So early on this year, the team will be focusing on conditioning and technique in order to solidify those individual athletic bases, Makaiwi-Barreith said.

“If they get in shape, then we focus on technique, the foundation will be there and we can build on that,” she said.

Foundations are in place for much of the team as it is host to more than just track and field athletes.

“We’ve got a lot of multi-sport athletes,” Snyder said, noting NK soccer star Stephanie Skelly, wrestler Kyle Hollenbeck and Lady Viking hoopster Jade Niemeyer. “And, of course, that whole cross country team is out.”

Cameron and Greta Stickney are among North’s top distance runners coming in from the cross country squad, which last fall made its first run to the state meet in years. The experience of knowing what it takes to get to the finals should be a driving factor for the Vikings this spring.

“Last year, we just wanted just to win meets, and we did, so this year we want to place high in the league and get some respect for our program,” Makaiwi-Barreith said.