Madeline Leavitt
Sports Editor
2,100 high school track and field athletes from 19 different states, Canada, Australia and Norway descended on Holt Arena last weekend to compete against each other in the 40th Annual Simplot Games.
The event brings in former Olympians to watch and interact with the high school athletes who compete in the games. Former U.S. Olympians Butch Reynolds, Dick Fosbury, Andre Phillips, and Stacy Dragila were all in attendance this year, as well as Paralympian Tyson Gunter.
Fosbury has been attending the Simplot Games on and off for a number of years and became an honorary chairman in 2004.
Fosbury, who is a 1968 Olympic gold medalist has watched the games grow over the years. He says that today, the games have grown into a global success.
“It’s a really good mix of ability and it gives athletes the opportunity to test themselves and their training and techniques,” Fosbury said. “They can see how other athletes are doing from across U.S. and across the Pacific Ocean. It’s a unique experience for these athletes.”
The Simplot Games is different from many track and field competitions because it is an all-comer meet, meaning that anyone can register and compete if they believe they have the skills to do so. Normally, a qualifying mark or time is needed to compete in a meet that’s as big and as competitive as the Simplot Games.
Fosbury sees the games continuing in the future and has even toyed with the idea of brining another element to the games. He said he wants to make the event more inclusive and bring in athletes who may have limited abilities or be impaired, adding that he would like to see at 1600-meter wheelchair race.
Phillips on the other hand, has been attending the games for 17 consecutive years, and won gold in the 1988 Olympic Games in the men’s 400-meter hurdles.
Phillips states that economics is the reason he did track.
Growing up, he was one of ten kids, so there wasn’t a lot of extra money for sports gear that’s required for football and baseball. But he had tennis shoes, meaning he could run, so he did track.
He said that his favorite part about the Simplot Games is the opening ceremonies because it gives the athletes a chance to do something that many are probably not used to.
Gunter, a former Paralympian, who was also in attendance at the games, graduated from ISU.
He obtained a marketing degree from the College of Business in 2012 and enjoyed many sports growing up, but got a scholarship for track and field. Gunter really liked football but one of the reasons he stuck with track was because of his impaired vision. Track was the easiest sport he could do because it’s an individual sport.
Throughout his career, Gunter has won two silver medals in men’s high jump at the World Championships, as well as making an appearance in the 2016 Paralympics in the 400-meter. Now, he and his wife are with their two and half month-old baby and Gunter is hoping to get ready for the 2020 Tokyo Games.
“One thing about track and field is it’s an individual sport,” Phillips said. “If you truly love running or jumping, keep trying keep working at it. Only compare yourself to yourself before you start giving up so keep working and training and competing and hopefully you’ll find yourself with the elite.”
