Track and field season is underway at Riverside Park as the Iola Mustangs begin preparing for the upcoming season.
With multiple Mustangs looking to make a return to the state championship meet come May, Iola coach David Daugharthy put his athletes through some early paces as they prepare for their March 31 debut in Chanute.
“It’s always good if you can get outside the first week, and we’ve been able to every day,” Coach Daugharthy said. “That’s a huge plus, just getting kids out, running and seeing basic development of skills and technique is always good.
“Track is a laid-back sport. It’s also very technical, so it’s been cool to see the kids be so receptive.”
Although having a few previous state qualifiers in tow, Daugharthy said every athlete started from stage one this week, working on foundational lessons in form and technique. 
He plans to build on the complexity of each lesson as the Chanute meet nears, but for now he plans to keep it simple as new athletes fill roles left by last year’s departing seniors.
“Those who have been active have a head start, and those who haven’t have been lifting during the winter,” Daugharthy said.
“For the most part, we should be hitting the ground running. We have a bunch of good athletes, but 3A track is very, very competitive. Just being able to get into state is something only great athletes can do and last year we were only able to get in one.”
Beau Foster, Iola assistant track and field coach, discusses triple jump technique with students Thursday.
To reinforce this focus, the Mustangs returned what they hope becomes a tradition, the Iola High School Olympics, which will run during practice Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
As part of the event, athletes will participate in multiple events as teams of five.
“Last year was the first year we had an Olympics,” Daugharthy said. “We have team themes and we all dress up and have a best dressed ceremony and several awards, but essentially it’s four events — javelin, long-jump, the 100 and the 800.”
Thursday, team leaders drafted the members of their IHS Olympics teams. However, by having five participants for boys and girls events, athletes take on events not typically in their repertoire. It also allows coaches to gauge athletes’ potential in other areas.
Iola track and field coach David Daugharthy works with his athletes while drafting teams for the upcoming Iola High School Olympics preseason competition.
“We get them out of their comfort zone. Besides trying new events, they’re also talking to people they don’t usually talk to,” Daugharthy said. “We usually like to do it early in the season because we have kids who get stuck thinking they’re only able to do one event like throwing the discus. This is a way to see potential talent while also making it fun for the kids.”
