Sometimes I get off the phone after an interview and I can’t wait to tell my husband about the story I have the privilege of writing. This was the case after I talked to Alaina Melander, a track and field assistant coach in Silver Bay.
This was the first year Alaina took on becoming the assistant coach. When Coach Rick Frericks reached out to see if she’d be interested in joining the coaching staff, she jumped on the chance. “I ran track in high school. I was a hurdler, so I told Rick I’d be more than willing to help,” Alaina said, adding how much fun she’s been having. “I enjoy it very much. It’s one of my favorite things.”
She reported that the team has been growing and growing. “We haven’t had this many kids in I can’t even remember how long,” said Alaina, who has two kids on the team. Valerie is a sophomore and Wade is a 7th grader.
Rick confirmed that the amount of participation this year was phenomenal. In fact, when I asked him for some season highlights, he wrote back, “One of the biggest highlights was the 38 athletes who participated in track and field this year. It was by far the most kids we have had in my 30 years of coaching track.”
He calls the larger numbers “a testament to the veterans on the team and the positive influence they have on their classmates.” He called out how well the kids got along with each other really well. “They were supporting and encouraging,” he added.
“They’re all very happy to be here,” said Alaina. “They love being part of a sport that is individually based as well as team based.”
I think the perfect example of how the two go together are the relay races. When it’s their time, they need to try to outrun their personal best while also relying on their teammates to do the same. Four dedicated girls this season not only beat their personal best, but they also broke a nearly 30-year-old standing school record for the 4×800 meter dash. That’s not even though whole story.
About halfway through the season, Genet Backman, Sophia Schut, Sierra Geatz, and Valerie Melander decided they would like to give the relay a shot. “They told Rick and even though he was skeptical, they decided to go for it,” Alaina said. They did okay at first, then really double-downed on training. The track moms brought the girls to Two Harbors on weekends, since Silver Bay does not have one for them to practice on.
Alaina and the team hope to have a track in town one day. “It would be so nice if we could get one of our own as the team is growing,” she said.
The girls had run the race around four times before subsections. When they traveled to Aurora to race, they likely had no idea that they were about to make history.
“The biggest highlight was our girls 4×800 relay team qualifying for the state meet and running very well at the state meet. Their 10:13.52 crushed the previous record of 10:28.55 set back in 1995,” said Rick. And that’s not even the whole story, either!
“Then they went to section finals. That was the best race of their lives,” Alaina said. “They had to make the top two out of the entire section. In order to do that, they would need to shave off 10 seconds of their time. 10 seconds is a lot.”
With Genet in the lead, followed by Sophia, followed by Sierra, and Valarie as the anchor, they ran their hearts out and accomplished what they set out to do and shaved 10 seconds off of their time.
“I get emotional thinking about it because they did it,” Alaina said, her voice catching for a second. “It was a huge, huge race to watch. It was so awesome.”
They weren’t done yet. “They followed Crosby-Ironton to the state,” said Alaina. “They broke their record again by 10 more seconds! It was incredible!”
The fabulous four were seeded last out of the state in 7A, but were able to beat two more teams AND shaved ANOTHER 2 SECONDS from their personal record.
“They ran with a lot of heart and courage,” said Rick.
“They broke their record three times this season,” said Alaina. “The best part is they still have 2 years left with these 4 girls. We’re all very excited to see what happens.”
The runners were able to bring two alternates to state, Elizabeth and Grace Swartz. “I can’t say enough good things about those two either,” Alaina relayed. “They never planned to race but they always trained like they were going to, and they always warmed up like they were going to. They were always very dedicated and just in case anything happened they were always ready to go. They were great alternates to have. The girls were very grateful to have them there.”
Though the 4×800 is a ginormous cherry on top for the Mariner track team’s season, the entire team had a terrific year. “Every single athlete set a personal best during the season. We also had 25 kids receive medals at the North Subsection Track Meet, and 13 qualify for the section meet,” Rick said. “At the section meet 6 boys and 4 girls won medals.”
With the growth of interest, participation, and dedication in Silver Bay’s track and field team, I’m sure there will be many more triumphs in the coming seasons, and I can’t wait to hear about them! Maybe we’ll have a headline next year about Re-Re-Re-Re Record Breakers!
Congratulations to the Silver Bay track and field team, the coaching staff, and the fans for a great season!
