After months of anticipation, the 2017 Delmore Decathlon finally arrived on Monday, March 20-21. The seniors analyzed potential draft picks for weeks before forming their teams. No mouth breathers were allowed entry.
Day one brought athletes from eleven teams through the 30m Sprint, Overhead Back Med Ball Throw (OHB), Basketball Throw from Knees, and Standing Long Jump events, before finishing with the grueling 20m PACER test. With athletes and coaches more familiar and more prepared the second time around, it was clear we would see some big scores after after day two. Highlights of Day One included Nick Stahl setting a new Delmore Decathlon overall record of 15.30m in the OHB, only to see the record shattered shortly afterwards (16.60m) by strength coach Zeb Miller (a huge pickup for the Coach/Alumni team). Other surprises included senior Devon Pope, who finished a close second overall in last year’s decathlon, winning the basketball throw with a new record of 29.50m.
In the team competition, Cinderella Story placed three boys and two girls in the top-ten to run away with the title at 3,099 points. Although their name might argue otherwise, the win was a convincing one for Cinderella Story, with only one other team over 2,800 points and three over 2,700. Quality depth was the key here for both the boy and the girl athletes of Cinderella Story. @TheRealDonaldTrump'sTweets, who many didn’t give a chance at the start, shocked even themselves with a second place finish. Hhhhhhhuge accomplishment for them! Trains and Heisler’s Heroes battled for third, while EL’z and Al+Pals rounded out the top-five. The Coach/Alumni team turned a number of heads after some high profile recruiting, but they lacked the depth to truly make an impact in the standings. They have already begun recruiting for the 2018 edition, which is the projected time the coaches’ bodies will stop hurting. Full scoring below:
In the boys individual competition, six athletes who placed in the top-ten in 2016 returned. Senior Devon Pope, runner-up last year, put up some massive scores and improved 27 points to 583 total points. Seniors Tyler Enerson (558 pts) and Peter Wysocki (521 (pts) also showed huge improvements, increasing their scores from 2016 by 113 and 66 points, respectively. Despite these great efforts, no one could catch George Nyanforh after his 109 point improvement. After placing 5th in 2016, George piled up a new Delmore Decathlon record 596 points. Placing in the top ten in all events (except the OHB), George displayed impressive speed, jumping ability, strength, agility, and endurance throughout the competition and received the top score in the 30m, Standing Triple Jump, and tied for the best Vertical Jump.
Boys Top-10 Overall:
On the girls side, freshman Grace Emineth outperformed fellow freshman Claire Leach and sophomore Mackenzie Severson (283-270) to claim the title. Emineth used top-ten performances in nine events, including the top girls result in the Standing Long Jump. Alex Richards, Shelby Frank, and Claire Anderson rounded out the top-five with strong performances. Compared to the boys, the girls scores had more parity, with only 64 points separating the winner from 10th place.
More important than team and individual winners, however, are the goals of this event. The Delmore Decathlon was created as a team bonding experience for the boys and the girls teams, a tool for identifying talent across event areas, a tool for providing baseline data to compare from year to year, as well as filling the need for an early-season competition. Finally, it’s a fun break from our daily practice routines and something athletes can look forward to early in the season.
The Red River Coaching Staff would like to send a big thank you to Paul Hoplin, Sarah Boese, Tyler Nelson, Chris Douthit, Jason Heydt, Katelyn Klefstad, Katie Ronkowski, Zach Relling, Zeb Miller, and Laurie Bakke for all of your help during the event!
RESULTS: Complete results (overall and event)-- CLICK HERE
RESULTS: Results by grade level--CLICK HERE
This great event would not be possible without the tremendous support from our sponsors! On behalf of the boys and girls track and field teams at Red River HS, we thank our sponsors so much for their generous donations and commitment to middle/high athletics and the sport of track and field. Your efforts go a long in ways in supporting healthy/active lifestyles in Grand Forks and building our program!
Thanks to the hugely talented Alex Holmes for creating this highlight video!