Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — A good relay team needs speed, strength and a certain flow that helps them win the big races.

"It's got to be smooth. You can't just throw it together," junior sprinter Shea Hurley said. "You have to work together."

Last Saturday in Kremmling, Steamboat's athletes proved they had all those qualities by finishing first in three relay events and fourth in another. Steamboat placed second behind Eagle Valley in one of the Sailors' best showings at a meet this season.

Steamboat's 400-meter relay team, which placed first with a time of 45.98 seconds, lead the Steamboat results parade. That team was made up of Walker Hammond, Hurley, Tyler Johnson and Ryan Proffitt.

The coaches switched things up in the 800-meter relay, but the result was the same.

Steamboat's Lonny Radford, Hurley, Johnson and Marsh Gooding teamed up in the event to take first with a time of 1:37.

Steamboat also took top honors in the 1,600-meter relay as Hurley, Radford, Matt LeGrice and Gooding finishing in a time of 3:41.9.

Hurley said the Steamboat teams were able to build off one another as the day went on.

"When a relay team does well, it can really loosen you up," Hurley said. "It's like, 'Wow, we just won that one, so let's go out and do it again.'"

But the sprinters were not the only runners scoring points in Kremmling.

Sailors Mike Gleason, Sam Tarrant, Tyler O'Leary and LeGrice joined forces in the 3,200-meter relay to take fourth place with a time of 9:15.

There were also several top individual showings.

Steamboat swept the top two places in the 100-meter dash.

Johnson took first place with a time of 11.53 seconds and teammate Proffitt was second at 11.60. Hammond placed sixth in the event at 12.39.

Johnson was also second in the 200-meter dash and Matt Haltom took seventh in the 300-meter hurdles. Sailor Chris Lodge was eighth in the 110-meter low hurdles.

Chris Dombey took third place in the triple jump with an effort of 38 feet, 3 inches and he was also fifth in the long jump. Wade Chiestenson was fourth in the triple jump and seventh in the long jump.

Other top finishes included Tarrant's eighth in the 1,600-meter run. Gooding was also fifth in the shot put and Travis Hodo was seventh in that event.

After the meet, Reust credited much of his team's success this season, both the boys and girls, to the work of his assistants.

"They work really hard and the athletes relate to them very well," Reust said. "It's important that they know what they are talking about and it's even more important that the athletes believe in what they are saying."

This season, Lonn Clementson and Bruce Crowhurst are working with the throwers, Ron Schnackenberg and Christa Pearson have been working with the jumpers. Denise Pearson has been overseeing the hurdlers.

John Smith has been working with the distance runners while Mike McCannon and Pio Utu oversee the sprinters.

"I can't say enough about these coaches," Reust said. "They have us on pace to where we need to be."

--To reach John F. Russell call 871-4209

or e-mail jrussell@steamboatpilot.com