Not even the worst Chautauqua County rain storm could keep the best track and field athletes of the eastern seaboard away from Strider Field on Saturday.
The USTAF Region 2 Championships remained on schedule, with nothing more than a minor hiccup keeping the athletes off the field.
''We were a little bit behind schedule and we took close to a two-hour break,'' Chautauqua Striders program and meet director David Reinhardt said. ''We were monitoring the weather all morning and knew it was going to come. We moved everyone to safety and put a plan in place.''
With 80 volunteers on hand to help Reinhardt and the rest of the Striders staff, the weather crisis was easily diverted.
In fact for some coaches in attendance, it wasn't much of a crisis at all.
''Strategy wise, I was able to re-adjust steps and get more conversational with all of my athletes,'' Next Dimension track coach Celeste Battle said. ''Track is very mental and that break can make or break you. Because they're only kids, they will model your reaction as the coach. As a coach, you have to have a positive outlook.''
Battle's team migrated roughly seven hours northwest from the southern tip of New Jersey to compete in this event. Although Jamestown's weather wasn't in the cards, the typical summer rain certainly helped at least one athlete on the Next Dimension squad.
''One of my long jumpers was sitting third or fourth with one jump remaining,'' Battle said. ''Then the rain hit. I made some adjustments to his steps and he was able to rest his legs.''
He finished with a jump of 18 feet and finished in second place.
As for the event itself, a minor weather delay didn't prevent youth athletes from competing at a high level. Many of them have traveled a long way for this USATF event and they were not going to let a rain storm deter their dreams of making it to nationals.
''As soon as the weather broke, the grounds crew did an excellent job getting the track ready,'' USA Track & Field National Youth Athletics Committee Chair Lionel Leach said. ''You will see some of the faster times now that the track is a little spongy.''
Leach just got into the city on Saturday after working at a track event in Detroit, but what he sees, he likes. Granted, it helps that he knows many of the athletes and track officials from other events around the country.
In his words, Leach knows them ''through the system.''
''This is one of the best facilities I've been too,'' Leach said. ''The town is great and everyone has been very cooperative.''
Cooperation is key during inclement weather delays and Reinhardt had his staff rearing to go. Confusion was avoided and the event went on as scheduled, despite a few hours of thunderstorms and rainfall.
Even Jamestown High School track coach Steve Sipior had a chance to step away from his volunteer post off the field to soak in a few minutes of live action.
''It's almost as good as it was this morning,'' he said of the conditions around 3 p.m. ''It's a very well-draining track. The athletes need to get re-warmed up and everything, but Savantuay (Boyette) did exactly what we wanted him to do in the 5k.''
Boyette's event was already in the books, but many athletes still needed to compete when the meet resumed at roughly 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.
For many of the coaches on hand from the the 88 track clubs in attendance, it was a chance to reconnect with their athletes. It was a chance to re-psych them into competing shape.
''Before the rain hit, all of my athletes were simultaneously working, just running and getting into their groove,'' Battle explained. ''Rain can break rhythm, but some athletes got a much needed rest.''
It's not too challenging to view the weather delay as a positive. Those athletes with events still remaining were able to refuel, relax and hit the track under sunny skies merely hours later.
All of the athletes still waiting to earn their spot in today's finals were able to hit the freshly squeegeed track surface after the rain. From there, destiny was in their own hands.
''Tomorrow there are a lot of finals,'' Reinhardt said. ''The weather looks great and the meet starts at 8 a.m. It will be a great day of track and field. We did a lot of preliminaries today, but tomorrow is the day.''
If Reinhardt says it's the day, then it's the day. The finals in most of the USATF events will be held throughout the day at Strider Field. The hopes and dreams of many Mid-Atlantic youths will be met with victories from today's events.
