Arcadia Invitational FINAL

Few attractions in Arcadia garner nationwide attention but several which do include the historic racetrack, luscious Arboretum, and the prestigious Arcadia Invitational. After its debut in 1968 when AHS Track Coach Doug Smith wanted to create a track meet for schools in the area, the Arcadia Invitational has since become one of the premier high school track meetings in the world. As a result, it attracts top athletes from all over the country and the world, with some students traveling as far as New Zealand, Australia, Mexico, Canada, and Ireland. The track meet has been nicknamed the “Home of National Records” due to the sheer number of records which have been set there, as it has seen 24 national records shattered. 124 US Olympians have also treaded the course and participated in the invitational for the past 44 years. For many AHS students, simply being present at the Arcadia Invitational was enough to inspire them to work harder as they saw the raw talent of those who performed. Around 15 students from AHS’ Track and Field team performed, and the team placed 1st place in the Seeded Boys 4x400.

AHS' Track and Field team does not transform into the largest outdoor high school meet in the US without some assistance. Over 200 students sacrificed their Spring Break in order to set up for the meet. For volunteer and Track member sophomore Celeste Utley, who helped set-up and monitor shot put, “The invitational was a great opportunity to see the best and most talented athletes in the nation. Although I didn’t get a lot of time to spend with my friends and family over the break, I got some great experience and a nice tan out of it!” Many other students shared the same sentiments as they saw their home turf being used by the fastest runners or the highest jumpers in the nation. For junior Preston Wu, who also volunteered as a member of Track, helping monitor the pole vault proved to be a interesting task as he “was able to spend some time observing the athletes in the exciting atmosphere of the meet.” While not everyone had such prime locations to volunteer, others contributed to the meet by helping sell food, distribute Gatorade, or other tasks. With between 8,000 to 10,000 people in attendance, the program required immense hard work from students and parent volunteers alike who kept the program running smoothly.

The competition itself swelled with talent, energy, and determination. The winning spirit was felt throughout AHS as images of feet moving as fast as a wind-up toy and students each with the strength of dozens put all the rest of us to shame. One of the star athletes was Devon Allen, a junior from Brophy Preparatory School (Brophy Prep) in Phoenix, Arizona. Allen was named the outstanding boys performer at the meet after competing in, and winning five events over two days (regardless of the fact that each performer is only limited to four). Allen ran in the second leg of Brophy Prep’s winning 4x100 relay team, finishing with a time of 41.15 sec., dominated the hurdles races, receiving 13.52 sec. in the 110s and 36.38 sec. in the 300s. Allen beat Arizona records with both of his hurdles races. He also left his competition in the dust by gaining an impressive 21.10 sec. in the 200m dash. On Friday, Apr. 6, Allen also competed in the hurdles relay, taking home the gold medal with his team even after crashing into the final barrier. Due to the four-event limit, Allen’s fifth event—the 200m—may have to be vacated from the records.

Many other stars of the track meet are much closer than Arizona, as close to 15 students from AHS’ Track and Field participated in the event, which was headed by Coach Schultz, who has been running the program as the Vice President of the Invitational Committee for 11 years now. He is very proud of the group, especially those who ran in the Boys Seeded, which “became the 4th fastest time in AHS school history.” For sophomore Roni Yamane, the event proved to be successful as "she learned how the competition runs and is looking forward to future years!" Many students competed in the invitational nationwide and the glory of many was restored.

Few attractions in Arcadia garner nationwide attention but several which do include the historic racetrack, luscious Arboretum, and the prestigious Arcadia Invitational. After its debut in 1968 when AHS Track Coach Doug Smith wanted to create a track meet for schools in the area, the Arcadia Invitational has since become one of the premier high school track meetings in the world. As a result, it attracts top athletes from all over the country and the world, with some students traveling as far as New Zealand, Australia, Mexico, Canada, and Ireland. The track meet has been nicknamed the “Home of National Records” due to the sheer number of records which have been set there, as it has seen 24 national records shattered. 124 US Olympians have also treaded the course and participated in the invitational for the past 44 years. For many AHS students, simply being present at the Arcadia Invitational was enough to inspire them to work harder as they saw the raw talent of those who performed. Around 15 students from AHS’ Track and Field team performed, and the team placed 1st place in the Seeded Boys 4x400.

AHS' Track and Field team does not transform into the largest outdoor high school meet in the US without some assistance. Over 200 students sacrificed their Spring Break in order to set up for the meet. For volunteer and Track member sophomore Celeste Utley, who helped set-up and monitor shot put, “The<the> invitational<capitalize (?)> was a great opportunity to see the best and most talented athletes in the nation. Although I didn’t get a lot of time to spend with my friends and family over the break, I got some great experience and a nice tan out of it!” Many other students shared the same sentiments as they saw their home turf being used by the fastest runners or the highest jumpers in the nation. For junior Preston Wu, who also volunteered as a member of Track, helping monitor the pole vault proved to be a<AN!> interesting task as he “was able to spend some time observing the athletes in the exciting atmosphere of the meet.” While not everyone had such prime locations to volunteer, others contributed to the meet by helping sell food, distribute Gatorade, or other tasks. With between 8,000 to 10,000 people in attendance, the program required immense hard work from students and parent volunteers alike who kept the program running smoothly.

The competition itself swelled with talent, energy, and determination. The winning spirit was felt throughout AHS as images of feet moving as fast as a wind-up toy and students each with the strength of dozens put all the rest of us to shame. One of the star athletes was Devon Allen, a junior from Brophy Preparatory School (Brophy Prep) in Phoenix, Arizona. Allen was named the outstanding boys performer at the meet after competing in, and winning five events over two days (regardless of the fact that each performer is only limited to four). Allen ran in the second leg of Brophy Prep’s winning 4x100 relay team, finishing with a time of 41.15 sec., dominated the hurdles races, receiving 13.52 sec. in the 110s and 36.38 sec. in the 300s. Allen beat Arizona records with both of his hurdles races. He also left his competition in the dust by gaining an impressive 21.10 sec. in the 200m dash. On Friday, Apr. 6, Allen also competed in the hurdles relay, taking home the gold medal with his team even after crashing into the final barrier. Due to the four-event limit, Allen’s fifth event—the 200m—may have to be vacated from the records.

Many other stars of the track meet are much closer than Arizona, as close to 15 students from AHS’ Track and Field participated in the event, which was headed by Coach Schultz, who has been running the program as the Vice President of the Invitational Committee for 11 years now. He is very proud of the group, especially those who ran in the Boys Seeded, which “became the 4th fastest time in AHS school history.” For sophomore Roni Yamane, the event proved to be successful as "she learned how the competition runs and is looking forward to future years!" Many students competed in the invitational nationwide and the glory of many was restored.

Few attractions in Arcadia garner nationwide attention but several which do include the historic racetrack, luscious Arboretum, and the prestigious Arcadia Invitational. After its debut in 1968 when AHS Track Coach Doug Smith wanted to create a track meet for schools in the area, the Arcadia Invitational has since become one of the premier high school track meetings in the world. As a result, it attracts top athletes from all over the country and the world, with some students traveling as far as New Zealand, Australia, Mexico, Canada, and Ireland. The track meet has been nicknamed the “Home of National Records” due to the sheer number of records which have been set there, as it has seen 24 national records shattered. 124 US Olympians have also treaded the course and participated in the Invitational for the past 44 years. For many AHS students, simply being present at the Arcadia Invitational was enough to inspire them to work harder as they saw the raw talent of those who performed. Around 15 students from AHS’ Track and Field team performed, and the team placed 1st place in the Seeded Boys 4x400.

AHS' Track and Field team does not transform into the largest outdoor high school meet in the US without some assistance. Over 200 students sacrificed their Spring Break in order to set up for the meet. For volunteer and Track member sophomore Celeste Utley, who helped set-up and monitor shot put, “the Invitational was a great opportunity to see the best and most talented athletes in the nation. Although I didn’t get a lot of time to spend with my friends and family over the break, I got some great experience and a nice tan out of it!” Many other students shared the same sentiments as they saw their home turf being used by the fastest runners or the highest jumpers in the nation. For junior Preston Wu, who also volunteered as a member of Track, helping monitor the pole vault proved to be an interesting task as he “was able to spend some time observing the athletes in the exciting atmosphere of the meet.” While not everyone had such prime locations to volunteer, others contributed to the meet by helping sell food, distribute Gatorade, or other tasks. With between 8,000 to 10,000 people in attendance, the program required immense hard work from students and parent volunteers alike who kept the program running smoothly.

The competition itself swelled with talent, energy, and determination. The winning spirit was felt throughout AHS as images of feet moving as fast as a wind-up toy and students each with the strength of dozens put all the rest of us to shame. One of the star athletes was Devon Allen, a junior from Brophy Preparatory School (Brophy Prep) in Phoenix, Arizona. Allen was named the outstanding boys performer at the meet after competing in, and winning five events over two days (regardless of the fact that each performer is only limited to four). Allen ran in the second leg of Brophy Prep’s winning 4x100 relay team, finishing with a time of 41.15 sec., dominated the hurdles races, receiving 13.52 sec. in the 110s and 36.38 sec. in the 300s. Allen beat Arizona records with both of his hurdles races. He also left his competition in the dust by gaining an impressive 21.10 sec. in the 200m dash. On Friday, Apr. 6, Allen also competed in the hurdles relay, taking home the gold medal with his team even after crashing into the final barrier. Due to the four-event limit, Allen’s fifth event—the 200m—may have to be vacated from the records.

Many other stars of the track meet are much closer than Arizona, as close to 15 students from AHS’ Track and Field participated in the event, which was headed by Coach Schultz, who has been running the program as the Vice President of the Invitational Committee for 11 years now. He is very proud of the group, especially those who ran in the Boys Seeded, which “became the 4th fastest time in AHS school history.” For sophomore Roni Yamane, who ran in the 4x800, the Distance Medley Relay, and the 3200m, the event was “a great experience filled with adrenaline and athletes from all over the world” and she “is excited about participating next year!" For many students, competing in the Invitational was an amazing learning experience which attracted worldwide competitors while giving Arcadia some local pride.