TIVERTON – Field of Dreams taught us, if you build it, they will come. True. But sometimes it takes them a while to show up.
A dozen years since the high school track was built and 34 years since the program was discontinued, the sport of track and field has returned to Tiverton High School. The numbers, understandably, are low – 12 boys, five girls as of Tuesday. But both the boys and girls Tigers are already 2-2 on the season, having beaten two other small teams (Shea and Tolman) while losing to big schools (Barrington and East Providence), on Monday in Barrington, R.I.
The school’s cross country coach, Brad Botvin, was encouraged by cross country parents to try to revive track and field so cross country team members runners would have opportunities to compete and improve after the fall. They brought their idea before the Tiverton School Committee, which gave its approval, contingent upon the raising of $5,000.
Helped by a Go Fund Me page, Botvin and company came up with the cash. Just last week, track and field equipment (netting, cushions, etc.) that had been sitting in original boxes since the middle of last decade, were unpacked. Starting blocks were found. Old javelins, too. Botvin is hoping to soon get some hurdles.
The biggest goal is to get even more participants. Director of Athletics and football coach Bob Murray, also a physical education teacher at the high school, is spreading the word in PE classes and beyond. He was at Tiverton when track and field was alive and he’s excited about its return. Before this spring, Tiverton was one of only two Rhode Island high schools without track and field.
“Yes, we’re trying to get more kids involved in our athletic program and give them further opportunities to be able to participate in an activity that you don’t see anywhere else,” Murray said. “I think it’s something that’s really good for the kids. It was one of our biggest programs going back in the 80s. Hopefully over the next two to three years, we can build it back into something we can be proud of.”
Botvin, head of security at the high school, is encouraging fall and winter athletes who are not involved in any sport in the spring to join the revival. He said athletes with little or no knowledge of track and field will be pleasantly surprised that the sport involves far more than running and that athletes are likely to find events like javelin, hammer, shot put and high jump to be anywhere from intriguing to fascinating.
“Anybody can come out, any time,” Botvin said. “They’ll benefit. They’ll get in shape. And they’ll work different parts of their body as far as the pliability stuff.”
Senior Tova Ibbotson, a senior, is excited to learn to high jump and she’s ready to compete in the sprints, as well. javelin, too. In fact, she sounds ready to tackle any event. “I want to try something new. I want to get out there, learn a new sport, and have fun,” she said. “A lot of people are afraid to join. They think it’s only running. And people don’t like running.”
Owen Cargile, a senior, is also part of the resurrected Tiverton track and field. He ran cross country and is interested in ending his scholastic athletics career by taking on new challenges, particularly the hammer and sprints. He’s never before seen a track and field hammer. “I’ll give it a shot,” he said. “Something new to try. I think it’ll go well.”
The program is already getting help. High school phys-ed teacher Grace Janes, who threw for the University of Rhode Island, is volunteering her time and, Botvin said, she is already impressed with the technique some of the javelin throwers.
So, one meet into the season, the early returns are promising. The the bus ride back to Tiverton following the meet in Barrington was, to say the least, upbeat.
“The kids were all singing and having a good time,” Botvin said. “I didn’t have the official results, but I told them we did great. It just encouraged them. They saw that they could actually participate against other schools, so their confidence level was up. And they saw they were beating kids from other teams.”
Email Greg Sullivan at gsullivan@heraldnews.com. Follow him @GregSullivanHN.