24th Annual Shoreline Track and Field Invite Saturday, April 30

from Don Dalziel, Director of Athletics, Shoreline School District

83 schools, over 1,000 athletes set to compete in largest all-boys track invite in the Northwest on Saturday, April 30, 2011, 12 noon at the Shoreline Stadium, NE 185 and 1st NE.

Shoreline Stadium will again host many of the best boys track and field teams and individuals from around the state in the 24th Annual Shoreline Invitational. Field events are scheduled to begin at 12 noon, while the first running event is slated for 1 p.m. The 2011 version also features two schools from British Columbia. St. George’s and Sutherland School from Vancouver.

Although it is marked as the 24th annual meet, the Shoreline Invitational has been in existence for more than 30 years. The meet first began in 1972 and continued through the late 1970’s. With the closing of Shoreline High School, the meet shut down as well. In 1985, the meet started up again under the name Thunderbird Invitational, and barring a few missed years, it has been going strong since. The name was changed back to Shoreline Invitational in 1994, with both Shoreline high schools (Shorecrest and Shorewood) supporting the meet.

Ticket Prices: Adults $7, Students W/ASB $5, Seniors and Children $4

You Pick ‘em: It is not too difficult to find some key outstanding individuals that will compete on Saturday. Picking the team favorite might be a bit more challenging. A number of teams will have a chance at top honors, which include, but may not be limited to: Auburn, Bothell, Garfield, Liberty (Issaquah) North Central, Skyline, Wenatchee, and St. George’s from BC. It truly could be any team’s meet, as many teams have the potential of placing multiple athletes in the same event. Last year North Central and Skyline tied for top honors with 51 team points, edging out Federal Way (46) and Wenatchee (44). For North Central it was their second straight team title. All of last year’s top 10 teams return (North Central, Skyline, Federal Way, Wenatchee, Auburn Riverside, Tahoma, West Seattle, Woodinville, and Eastlake).

State’s Best Enter Here: Of the 17 events that exist on the athletic.net state leader board, only three of the state leaders will be in attendance, however multiple events include 3 or more of the states top 10. The hot event to keep an eye on is the pole vault that includes six of the state’s top 10 participants, all with marks over 14 feet this season. Other events with three or more of the state’s top 10 are here: 4x400 relay (6,7,7,10), Javelin (4,7,10), Shot put (2,6,7), 100 Meters (2,6,8), 1,600 (1,2,5), 4x100 (3,5,6). In addition, the meet includes a few non-traditional events (Distance Medley, Sprint Medley), and adds its own flavor as the only meet in the area with a scored Frosh/Soph 1,600 meter run.