Giant meet to launch new track

Colfax will launch its brand new track March 25 with the first Bruce MacDougall Invitational meet. Former Colfax track coach Bruce MacDougall and wife Terry, who were both part of the Colfax track program for 30 years, will be honored.

Track coach Jason Cooper said 26 teams have been invited to participate at the meet. Among the teams will be Auburn Mountain View, a 4A school which is coached by the McDougalls' son, Joel, a Colfax High School grad.

Cooper's spouse, Jennifer MacDougall Cooper, an assistant on the track team, is the other member of the MacDougall family.

Coach Cooper noted many of the 26 teams on the invitational guest list plan to stay in Colfax. He said bringing them here is part of the school's pledge to "pay it back" to the community which supported the fund drive for the new track.

The overall revamping of the track and athletic field totaled $570,000 with the school district, the City of Colfax and grants paying the cost. Also in the mix was $57,000 in donations which were raised through the C-town fundraising project.

Work on the track commenced last summer and actually extended into football season when precautions were taken to protect the newly placed surface by moving home football games to Oakesdale.

Final work is still underway on the project with Mark Brown putting in hours of volunteer work to finish the shotput area on the southeast corner of the field. Brown has actually been pouring concrete under tarps to get the area finished before the big invitational meet.

Despite the rainy weather, 50 members of the Bulldog track team have been practicing for the start of the season. The team has been scheduled to travel to Lapwai for the Central Idaho meet on Saturday.

During the spring season Colfax will host three high school meets on the track. The new track will be the scene of the NE League championships May 2.

Opening ceremonies for the March 25 MacDougall Invitational will be at 10:30 a.m., and the first event of the full scale invitational meet will get underway at 11 a.m.