By Alex Anderson

The heavy rain that poured on the Redwood Bowl exposed the gritty nature of Cal Poly Humboldt’s track & field athletes at the Green and Gold Invitational, a celebration of competition, recognition, and tradition. 

“We get used to doing things the hard way and having a good attitude about it,” said Sarah Ingram, head track coach. “I think that that’s something that’s been really sort of contagious throughout our program and forever, you know, our alumni are sturdy. It’s the same with our freshmen … they learn it pretty quickly. It’s a gritty bunch.” 

The event on Feb. 17 represented the start of the track & field outdoor season and allowed the athletes to come together, share some fun and break into the competition mindset. Track & field alumni were recognized for their achievements and contributions to the program as part of the day’s festivities. 

Coach Ingram saw the Invitational as a “rust-buster” for her athletes, a re-entry into the race season. Ingram’s main goal for the event was for the athletes to enjoy themselves and stay healthy. 

“Biggest goal of today, especially with the weather that we have, is having some fun getting exposure to the sport again,” Ingram said. “Being outside, getting exposed to that and dealing with it and staying healthy.”  

In typical Humboldt fashion, poor weather conditions set the tone for the event, as HSU track & field alumnus and current assistant coach Kate Eilers explained what makes Humboldt’s program special. Serving as the event’s main alumni honoree after her recent induction into Cal Poly Humboldt’s Hall of Fame, Eilers believes that the program is set apart from the rest. 

“There’s a lot of schools that will just recruit runners, and they’re either good or they’re not good, and they’re just seen as points on the board,” Eilers said. “Our Jack’s family builds athletes. We’re ‘Hum-built’ across the board in every sport, and I don’t think that’s typical in the college environment. We bring in athletes, we give people chances, we bring them into the family and we encourage their growth as a human being not, just as an athlete. You have to be the person capable of achieving your goals before you can achieve those goals. That takes a lot of character development beyond just the physical aspect of competing… Humboldt cares.”

Humboldt is indeed a special place for athletes, including pole vaulter Justin Vigna, who attributes Humboldt’s beauty and tight knit community to the program’s uniqueness.  

“It’s a little bit smaller of a team, so everybody can talk to each other,” Vigna said. “I see these people all the time, every day. We get to know each other and it’s really like a family.” 

The meet ended with a fun tradition, the infamous redwood log relay, where teams of about 5 athletes grab logs from the surrounding forest and race with them in hand. This year, one team brought up the rear, slowly making their way around the track with one of the biggest stumps out of all the teams. Dead last, the entire track & field team went back and ran alongside the last straggler, cheering him on all the way to the finish line, shirtless in the pouring rain. That’s Humboldt track & field.