Seek input and respect history

When I see Kenny Hoke he always waves and makes my day. Every time this happens, I think about the state championship basketball team he was on back in the days when the rim and net were real baskets.

Since Grand Coulee and Coulee Dam combined into the Grand Coulee Dam School District there has only been one Raider team that has won a state championship. That championship was in Track & Field. Raider Track & Field has won multiple team state trophies. It also has had more individual state champions and medalists over time than any other Raider sport.

Track & Field is a team sport. Individual athletes on the team help score points for the team. When our Raiders won the Track & Field State Championship as a team it took “maximum effort” from all the athletes involved. I clearly remember Coach Gordon Proctor (who could coach any event) coaching up our pole vaulter, Cecilio Wilson. They made key adjustments with poles, steps, technique and psyche until our vaulter was the champion. I can see Cecilio’s million dollar smile now. Once again, it took the best from all of our athletes involved and the points they accumulated as a team, but Cecilio sealed the deal. I was very fortunate and honored to be a part of this wonderful state title experience as a Raider Coach. I clearly remember the coaching staff reminding our athletes how hard they worked, to just have fun and enjoy the state experience. No pressure, whatever happens, happens and it worked out just fine. I bring up this wonderful story because I’m hearing that the GCDSD and possibly some others may be doing away with the pole vault. Most schools will have it and it will still be an event at state. I was on the Clear Risk Solutions Board for a couple of decades. This company insures school districts and other entities. They cover pole vault and other high-risk events and sports like football (tackling, concussion protocol) as long as coaches are properly trained. So, I know that doing away with the pole vault is not a liability issue. It also should not be an issue related to extra coaches because there are 18 events to cover in Track & Field.

Doing away with pole vault limits options for the individual athletes and the team. Coach Proctor’s son was a pole vaulter and went on to be a World Champion Bull Rider. There are various skills in sports he did as a youngster that helped him become a world champion. Gordon’s daughter holds the Raiders’ girls’ pole vault school record. She and many others were state medalists.

I remember giving Steven Flowers, his parents and Coach Kuiper a hug after Steven won the state championship in the shot put. What if someone had decided prior that the shot put event was no longer an option for our athletes?

Looking at the team aspect. Doing away with the pole vault is like telling the coach and other athletes that they’re doing their sport without a quarterback, pitcher or point guard (any position) and not fielding a full team of 11, 9 or 5. All of our sports teams need to field complete squads so the athletes have options to succeed as individuals and as teams. No coaches want their program to be downsized or gutted. Especially those who have developed successful programs with strong numbers. Track & Field always has the largest turnout of spring sports. Decreasing events will limit opportunities for success throughout the years.

From another angle, most of us remember Rob Williams. He was a top-tier Raider Track & Field thrower and a tremendous U of O football player who played in a Rose Bowl game. He worked hard and got the GCDSD a new set of pole vault pits. He was a phenomenal person and coach who loved Raider Sports.

Over the years, the Raider Track & Field program has been very successful and has an extensive network of followers. We all need to fully support programs that offer a wide variety of events for different athlete types. Share leadership — empower and support our coaches. Focus on the important stuff and work on improving strong support for all students and athletes.

Focusing on the present, huge accolades to our GCDSD Athletic Director Tim Rasmussen for getting our Raider Nation rolling again! Your passion and persistence have been amazing.

Thanks for listening,

John M. Adkins