POULSBO — Looking around North Kitsap’s first home track meet Thursday, it was readily apparent that the Viking track squad needs one thing more than any other.
Time.
Though North Kitsap had little trouble dispatching the Knights of Bremerton, it was South Kitsap, using a combination of strength and size, that North couldn’t quite conquer.
But with a little more time and practice under their belts, anything could happen. And all over the field, NK’s athletes were recording personal bests.
“The kids are working harder and the attitudes have changed,” said girls’ coach Dave Snyder. “Their work is about finding a passion and working for it.”
“In the beginning, it was a little shaky,” said junior track athlete Miles Pendergraft. “But we’re binding together quite well.”
The Vikings soundly defeated the Bremerton Knights on both sides — 87-31 for the girls and 95-51 for the boys. But South’s Wolves proved to be formidable, using the team’s size in wins over the Vikes’ girls by a 73-63 count and the boys by a 81-66 margin.
Though North and South tied with eight first place finishes in the girls’ meet, the Wolves’ depth powered them to an overall team win.
Sophomore Kari Hoover, who was an inch off the high jump first place with a 4’6’’ jump, doesn’t believe that size has to be an issue.
“I think our team has strengthened a lot,” Hoover said. “Even though it’s small, we’ve got a lot of potential.”
Elsewhere on the girls’ side, junior Viking Kim Skelly won two events, taking the 200-meter dash with a 27.3 second time and the 400-meter dash with a 1 minute 2.9 second time. Senior Teammate Robyn Embrey also won two hurdle events, winning the 100 with a 17.5 and the 300 with a 48.8.
On the boys’ side, senior Viking Jeremiah Doehne won the 100- and 200-meter dashes, with an 11.2 time and a 23.3 time, respectively. North’s Will Cameron won the 800 with a 2:06.2 and Andrew Lawrence won the high jump with a 5’3’’ height.
In the 300-meter hurdles, senior Miles Hankins was able to pull away from all competition — despite an injured quadracep muscle — with a 42.7 time.
“It does keep me from going my maximum speed,” Hankins said.
He added that injury wasn’t his only hindrance — the weather was a bit too nice for his tastes in competing.
“The sun kills you,” he said. “I usually do a lot better in crappy weather.”
The Viking senior has been competing in the 300 hurdles, the 100 and the 4 by 100 relay. He, too, said there’s been a change in the attitude of the team lately, and credits the new-found success to a pep talk given by several of the track coaches prior in the week.
“Practice has gotten a lot more intense,” Hankins said. “I didn’t have any goals until two days ago.”
Head NK boys’ coach Tim Adams said running coach Tom Driscoll has made an impact with many of the runners, and has also seen a vast improvement in a short time.
“Driscoll’s really stepped in,” Adams said. “We’ve seen a lot more work this last week and (his advice) has hit home for a lot of the athletes.”
One athlete turning in improvement on the field — literally by leaps and bounds — is pole vaulter Pendergraft. In the event, the North Kitsap junior leapt to 10 feet.
“Not only a personal best for me,” Pendergraft said, “but a varsity letter.”
The requirement for a pole vault letter is 10 feet.
The event has grown in popularity at North this year, he added. In response, two volunteer coaches have come aboard to help the team.
North Kitsap ‘03 graduates Jason Mumford and Rachel Walters have both taken a course in coaching pole vault, and are using their new skills to help current athletes. Walters is no stranger to helping out in North Kitsap athletics; a freshman at Olympic College, she also volunteered with the Vikings’ gymnastics team this winter.
Junior Pendergraft’s goals do not end with attaining his personal best and a varsity letter, however.
“I want to hit 12 feet,” he said.
