BY BILL STEWART
Staff Writer
The conference championships are still about 10 days away but several teams will experience the big-meet atmosphere Friday at the annual Capital City Classic in Augusta.
The nine-team meet, which begins at 3:30 p.m., will feature hundreds of athletes representing schools in each class. Cony will host the meet, one of the few held under the lights in the season.
“We’re excited,” Cony co-coach Shawn Totman said. “The kids and the coaches get very excited about this one. It sets the tone. There’s a big meet feel to it.”
Maranacook, Gardiner, Erskine, Monmouth, Winthrop, Hall-Dale, Boothbay, and Lisbon are expected to attend. Coaches say the meet is a terrific tuneup for the championship meets.
“For us, we’ll get to see more Class C competition,” said Maranacook coach Ronn Gifford, whose boys team is the reigning Class C state champ. “It’ll be a good gauge for us. We see mostly the (Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference) teams. So it will be good to see what some of these teams have.”
Added Winthrop coach Ed Van Tassel: “It’s crazy because we’re already wrapping things up. In a lot of aspects we’re just starting to get going. This is always a great atmosphere. We look forward to this meet every year. All-around, it’s always a good time. It’s a real good test right before the conference meet.”
The meet will feature several intriguing events, from the sprints right through the throws and jumps. It also will provide athletes one of the final opportunities to qualify for the conference and state meets.
“We have a lot of kids on the cusp of qualifying,” Van Tassel said. “Friday will be the big day. It’s real motivating to hit the conference qualifying mark to make sure they extend their season.”
• • •
Cony junior Lindsey Folsom broke through a “mental roadblock” Monday night in Readfield when she cleared 11 feet, 2 inches in the pole vault.
“I haven’t made it past 11 in outdoor yet,” she said. “It felt good. I was getting frustrated. I have no doubt 11-6 will come soon.”
Folsom, the defending Class A state champ in the pole vault, first cleared 10-8 at a four-team meet at Maranacook. Then, she decided to go for 11-2 rather than have the bar set at 11 feet.
“It’s a mental roadblock,” she said, “So I went for 11-2. I got it on my third attempt.”
Folsom said her goal is to clear 11-6 in the next few weeks.
• • •
Gardiner was scheduled to host two meets this season but inclement weather wiped them both out. Neither meet was rescheduled rescheduled because the availability at Hoch Field is limited.
“We’ve had to share space with lacrosse,” Gardiner coach Eric Hall said. “It’s a balancing act. But it is hard when you miss two home meets. Mother Nature just had other plans for us.”
The Tigers last competed May 3.
“It’s been kind of tough,” Hall said. “Usually, after April vacation it all kind of comes together. But we haven’t been able to get a meet in. The Cony meet is the one we are really looking at now.”
• • •
The Winthrop boys and girls don’t have the depth needed to win a conference championship, but the Ramblers are poised to make an impact at the Mountain Valley Conference championship meet at Alumni Field in two weeks.
“I don’t think we’re in a position to win a conference meet,” Van Tassel said. “But we’ll have a bunch of kids seeded high in a lot of events. We have some talented kids.”
Kameron Souza (3,200, 800,) Dan Moody (long jump), Zach Nadeau (shot put) and Rachel Ingram (triple jump) should contend for individual titles.
“We’ll have some highlights,” Van Tassel said.
• • •
Skowhegan Area High School will host the eighth annual Community Cup on Friday.
Waterville has won the previous seven meets and is heavily favored to do so again.
“They are loaded,” Messalonskee coach Scott Wilson acknowledged. “(Waterville coach) Ian (Wilson) has a heck of a team. They are just strong in everything. But it’s still going to be a great meet. We’ll see some good times and scores.”
Still, the other four teams — Skowhegan, Lawrence, Messalonskee and Winslow — feature much-improved teams and should make things interesting in several events.
Bill Stewart — 621-5640
bstewart@centralmaine.com
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