2020 Gorge Virtual Track & Field Invitational

Who is better, basketball’s Boston Celtics of the 1960s or Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls of the 1990s? In baseball, how about the early 1970s Oakland A’s or the late 1990s New York Yankees? Or in football, the Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970s, the 49ers of the 1980s, or the Patriots of the 2000s?

Who would win those matchups? We’ll never know for certain, but it can be fun to speculate.

Closer to home, what would happen if the best track and field athletes gathered for an all-time, Gorge invitational meet? What would be the outcome if the top runners, jumpers and throwers from each Gorge-area high school competed head-to-head? The stellar field would include a few daughter vs. mom, son vs. dad and sibling vs. sibling matchups. Track and field, because of its relatively standard distances, allows for somewhat of a level playing field when comparing athletes from different eras — giving rise to the possibility of a virtual meet.

“It’s no problem,” said Bob Thouvenel, long-time coach from The Dalles. “You would be looking at times and distances and just compare. You always have some people who compete under pressure better than others. But everything could be equal,” he said, emphasizing the word, could.

One thing is for certain, there have been plenty of great Gorge athletes over the years, producing some quality track and field marks: 6-feet, 11-inches in the boys high jump; 19-feet, 8-inches in the girls long jump; 200 feet in the boys discus; and many, many more.

But who is the best team? The Gorge virtual meet is one way to find out. It was recently contested on Hood River Valley’s — still relatively new — track, on a beautiful sunny and rare windless day (being virtual affords some liberties). As expected, the top two teams in the 14-school meet were HRV and The Dalles — by wide margins, though not as wide as one might expect in the boys competition.

On the other hand, eight of the 30 top individual marks were posted by athletes from smaller schools: Athletes like Jill Pimley, whose 37-8.75 triple jump in 1994 remains the best jump ever in Washington Class 2B state meet girls competition (and that mark isn’t even her personal best); Mary Ann Graves of Columbia High, who came within four inches of reaching 20 feet in the long jump in 2001; and more recently, Lyle’s Brandon Montoya, the only Gorge long jumper to surpass 24 feet.

The Gorge Virtual Track and Field Invitational meet was played out over a few days, similar to district and state meets. Face masks were optional for participants and spectators, though they would have come in handy for those affected by the pollen from the orchards surrounding the HRV track. Dr. Anthony Fauci, a one-time runner himself, was the meet’s honorary starter, though he respectively declined — allegedly so he could concentrate on finishing his latest book.

Each school was allowed three entrants in individual events and one relay. Athletic Timing Services handled the electronic timing, which was new to some of the athletes. More familiar to them, stop watches were used as a backup — and came in handy in a couple of instances. The distance races were contested over 1500 meters and 3000; there was no 4 x 200 relay. Shot put weights varied slightly, and either old or new javelins were allowed.

Editor’s note: Thanks to the many Gorge track and field coaches who helped compile entrants for the 2020 virtual meet. Apologies in advance to any athlete who was overlooked. Readers are invited (and encouraged) to send in corrections, all-time best additions, and comments to joepshow@aol.com.