Warming up the track
EV coach, team battle elements as they prepare for season, first meet in Lewiston
In yet another case of seasonal déjÀ vu, the spring high school sports season dawned at the same time that March was busy roaring in like a lion.
“It’s crazy, isn’t it?” East Valley girls track and field coach Shane Toy laughed. “When we had our first practice Monday and we still had ice on our track. We got that cleared off Tuesday and had our first real workout (Wednesday).”
And then, Thursday, the lion roared again and a snowy white mane enveloped the area once again – with at least a week of wintry weather popping up in the forecast.
“It’s just something you have to deal with,” Toy said. “You look out at the baseball field next to our track and it’s covered with snow. You just have to deal with it.”
Toy’s Knights, like most teams at the dawn of the spring season, adapt their early-season workouts to the conditions. Weight training and road work help improve the team’s strength and stamina and lay the groundwork for future workouts. The Knights use plyometrics, an exercise science designed to improve explosive movements – movements like a sprinter coming out of the starting blocks, a jumper on takeoff or a thrower launching a shot put, discus or javelin.
And, of course, stretching. Lots and lots of stretching muscles still feeling the effects of winter.
It helps, he said, that more than half of his squad took part in the winter conditioning program.
“We had 30 or 35 girls take part in our winter conditioning program,” Toy said. “And we have a lot of girls who either play basketball or do club volleyball or soccer and stay in shape that way.
“But we do have some who are starting from scratch and we have to be careful to bring them along slowly. Over the years you learn that the kids who develop things like shin splints are the ones who didn’t take part in the conditioning program.”
Starting from scratch or not, the Knights have a history of starting the season with some remarkable performances – usually at the first meet of the season in Lewiston.
“I heard that the Lewiston coach has said that there isn’t room for any more teams – he’s full,” Toy said. “It’s always a great meet down there and most of the teams from the Greater Spokane League go down for it.
“We do always seem to have some eye-opening performances down there. We always seem to perform well at that meet, but there are always one or two that just grab your attention and make you go, ‘Wow!’ ”
Events like the Lewiston meet are a testament to the quality of coaching the GSL boasts.
“We had a few of our kids attend a clinic out at Eastern Washington University that Linda Lanker runs,” Toy said. “She’s a terrific coach, but that’s true of just about everybody in the GSL. You can go down the line and I think every team will tell you that about the kinds of assistant coaches and event coaches we have.”
That kind of coaching earns the league a great deal of respect, he said.
“Look at the quality programs we have here,” Toy said. “I don’t think a lot of people realize what an accomplishment the North Central boys cross program made this year – they were ranked No. 1 in the country. That’s incredibly impressive.
“And it’s not just this year. We see things like this all the time.”
Toy’s not making any predictions for this season, but he expects to see more than a few surprises.
“We’re going to be very young this year,” he explained. “I have 23 freshmen out this year and I think they’re going to be strong, especially in the throws.”
Having a stable full of young colts is nothing new for Toy, who got his coaching start training horses at Playfair Race Track.
“They really do remind me of the 2-year-olds you get at the track,” he laughs. “They always surprise you. You just never know what’s going to happen when you turn them loose.”