Local track and field coach Rickey Field has been a busy man during the past few days.
Last week, he coached Riverdale High to another impressive showing at the TSSAA State Track and Field Championships at the Dean A. Hayes Track and Soccer Stadium on the MTSU campus.
“We did an outstanding job,” he said of the team’s performance. “It’s very tough to get there. We have some outstanding teams in our district.”
Some of their top performances included Ashley Henry finishing sixth in both the girls 100- and 200-meter dash and the girls’ 4 x200 meter relay team finished fifth.
This week he turns his attention to the best youth runners in the area.
On Saturday, he along with the rest of the county will have a chance to see the next stars of track and field. The Hershey’s Track and Field district meet will take place at Riverdale beginning at 10 a.m. Athletes qualified for this meet by finishing well at the local event on May 15.
“I’m very excited,” said Field, who has coached in youth athletics since he graduated high school. “I like watching future track and field athletes. It’s going to be an outstanding weekend.”
The athletes range in age from nine years to 14 years and it’s broken up into several divisions, nine-10, 11-12, and 13-14. Males and females will compete in separate events. The events that are contested include: 50 meter dash, 100 meter dash, 200 meter dash, 400 meter dash, 800 meter dash and 1,600 meter dash. The two field events are the standing long jump and the softball throw.
The winner in each contest will advance to the state meet on June 19, and they will have the home field advantage with the meet also taking place at Riverdale. The final step is the North American Final at Hershey, Pennsylvania in early August.
Last year, Murfreesboro native Joy Frierson, won the 100-meter dash in the 13-14 age group at the North American Final. She is one of many local athletics that have used the Hershey’s Track and Field program to help them advance their track career.
Field said it means a lot when they decide to continue their careers at the high school or college level, because of what they learned by competing at the Hershey’s.
“It means we have done our job,” said Field, Riverdale’s head coach since 1990.
Saturday’s admission is free. |
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