Track season continuing in Rhinelander

Mike Webster Stadium was busy last Friday night with athletes running hurdles and sprints, jumping bars and throwing implements. 

That wouldn’t be an unusual sight in April or May, while the high school and middle school track seasons are in full swing. But this was in late June and the meet had a totally different vibe. 

    Paul Denis of Rhinelander competes in the pole vault during a Northwoods Track Club meet at Mike Webster Stadium Friday, June 27. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

Eighty-five athletes came out for the first ever Northwoods Track Club summer meet. While the event itself was pretty laid back — athletes signed up at the beginning of the night and could then decide whether or not to do an event minutes before it started — the opportunity to compete made it worthwhile for a number of athletes. 

“I think that’s fun because people get excited about track. You get all those people together and it’s just a happy track bubble,” said Jayme Wyss, who helped organize the event. 

Wyss and her husband, Andy, who both coached on the Rhinelander High School track and field staff this spring, organized the Northwoods Track Club. Though the club is in its inaugural season, the concept is nothing new to the Wysses. They ran the Three Eagle Track Club while coaching in Three Lakes, which morphed into the Hub City Track Club when the two moved and were coaching at Marshfield Columbus and has now come to Rhinelander under the Northwoods moniker. 

Each iteration has had slightly different head counts and demographics, based on the location. Twenty-six of those who registered, mainly from the Rhinelander and Three Lakes areas, put down the club as their affiliation, and there were serveral others who have been at club practices who were unable to take part on Friday. 

There were plenty of others in attendance, however, with some coming from Tomahawk, Minocqua, Crandon, Wausau, Stevens Point and even Somerset. There were even two kids vacationing from Ireland who competed. While the majority of athletes either compete at the collegiate, high school or middle school levels, there was a broad spectrum of ages with kids as young as 5 and adults as old as 64 taking part. 

“You never know who’s actually going to show up. That happens every time you put on an event,” Jayme Wyss said. “You look at your demographic, where you’re pulling from. It’s fun because we live in a touristy location. I know that Alec (Miller) was here from Marathon. He was a state (qualifying pole) vaulter. He was here because they were up at their cabin. Just in the vaulting you had Green Bay, Wausau, Marathon, Tomahawk, Three Lakes, Rhinelander, at least.”

While there have been a couple of meets, the majority of the time together has been spent two nights a week, practicing at Mike Webster Stadium in an open gym-style format. 

Jayme Wyss said, in this first year, she’s been surprised by the turnout — especially from those at the middle-school level. 

“That’s really exciting that we can have kids excited at that level,” she said. 

    Adley Wiedemeier of Tomahawk competes in the 50-meter hurdles during a Northwoods Track Club meet at Mike Webster Stadium Friday, June 27. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

The meet was the first of two that will be held by the club this year. The other will take place Friday, July 11. That will wrap up what has been a roughly five-week opening season for the club. 

Next Friday’s meet will have the same format. Registration is $10 per person, with a cap of $30 per family. Athletes can choose whichever events they want to participate in, and there’s no limit on the number of events. There is also an untimed 50-meter fun run for kids age 5 and under. 

“The meet’s only so long. It’s about two hours,” Jayme Wyss said. “It’s fun because you have some stuff for the little kids. I saw a bunch of kids trying new things. The biggest highlight is seeing it all come together. I always get nervous about volunteers and you get the track community (that always comes together). That’s the fun stuff.”

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].