Steve Christilaw: Welcome to the spring track season

That was fast.

One second we’re on the verge of needing dog sleds to get to work and the next we’re staring spring full-on in the face.

Welcome to the REAL March Madness in the Pacific Northwest, where our motto is: “We Dare You to Take Off Those Snow Tires!”

Area sprinters are finally able to use their spiked shoes for something other than getting across the school parking lot and, for a change, high hurdles have nothing to do with a snow berm.

I like to think there was a little divine intervention with this year’s change of season.

It’s been five years since Hall of Fame coach Howard Dolphin passed away after nearly 60 years of coaching at both East Valley and West Valley, and there is absolutely nothing ironic about the fact that West Valley’s annual Howard Dolphin Invitational meet was held on a truly spectacular Saturday.

I like to think Howard had his thumb on the scale, especially now that he’s reunited with the love of his life, Mary Floy, who died March 18 at her home on Liberty Lake surrounded by her family.

Howard and Mary Floy Dolphin accomplished a tremendous amount in their time together. They raised a family and touched an amazing number of lives – especially in the world of track and field. Arranging for a warm, sunny day for an early season meet had to have been a snap.

It’s always interesting to watch the meet results begin to trickle in every spring. Seeing kids knock the rust off their competitive juices and get back to the serious business of competing once again.

The weather isn’t the only thing going fast around the state.

On the boys Class 4A side, it’s worth noting that Marlon Jones, a senior from Curtis High, has already turned in a sub-11-second 100 meters this spring. He ran a 10.97 personal best in a meet against Rogers of Puyallup. Blake Derringer, a senior from Camas, ran 11.01.

These two speedsters share the top mark so far in the 200, each running 22.30.

But at 3A there are three state runners with faster marks in the 100 than Jones. Dorien Simon of Lakes has run 10.67, Jurrian Hering of Gig Harbor 10.78 and Nolan Mickenham of Prairie 10.85.

The only sprinter from this side of the Cascades to crack the Top 10 in the Class 4A 100 is Jared McAlvey of Walla Walla, whose 11.23 has him with the 10th fastest time so far this spring. Arnaldo Cabrera of Kennewick is the lone Eastsider to break the Top 10 in the 3A 200, running 22.87.

Mt. Spokane’s Spencer Barrera is the only Class 3A runner to break 50 seconds in the 400, running 49.77 at West Valley on Saturday. North Central’s Mason Gifford set a personal best mark at the Eastmont Twilight Invitational at 51.09.

Ian Barville, the junior from University, caught my attention with his time in the 800 at the Howard Dolphin Invite. A year ago Barville turned in his personal-best time of 1:57.17 at the district meet at Spokane Falls – the only time he broke 2 minutes in his sophomore season.

Saturday he ran 1:59.33 – an eye blink off his personal best – to crack the state’s Top 10, breaking in at No. 9.

I’m impressed when kids from the East Side post state-best marks in the sprints early in the season. Especially when most of their spring has been either running sprints in the school hallway or running outside fighting a wind chill advisory.

That’s not the case with the distances. Our strength in cross country usually shines through early and often throughout the season.

Central Valley has two runners cracking the state Top 10. Evan Peters lowered his personal best in the 1,600 with a 4:25.46 in his first meet. A week later he ran 9:33.53 in the 3,200 at the Eastmont Twilight Invitational. Teammate Tyler Hunter was even faster, running 9:31.97 at the same meet.

Ferris hurdler Chris Homen has started his senior season by posting Top 10 marks in both the 110 and 300 hurdles, running 15.45 and 41.32, respectively.

It’s no surprise that North Central’s Allie Janke and Erin Hill are the two fastest Class 3A girls at 1,600 and 3,200. Janke has run a personal best 4:51.48 in the 1,600 at East Wenatchee, the fastest time in the event at either Class 3A or 4A. She is the only Class 3A runner to break 5 minutes. The sophomore ran 10:44.51 at 3,200 in her first meet of the season. Hill ran 10:59.36 in the 3,200 to be the only other girl to break 11 minutes. She ran 5:05.81 in the 1,600 in her first meet.

There are few things in life you can count on more than the fact that, when it comes to high school track, the times go down as the temperatures go up.

Unless someone jinxes it by taking off their snow tires.