Colby community gears up to host Div. III track nationals

Next week will be a busy and exciting one for the Colby College community and the community of Waterville as well.

Sunday is graduation day on the Mayflower Hill campus and, on Monday, 568 student-athletes begin arriving for the first National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III Outdoor Track and Field National Championship ever held outside the Midwest.

The nationals begin Wednesday and run through May 30. Except for finals in the pentathlon, heptathlon, and 10,000-meter runs, the first two days will be devoted to qualifying trials, with finals scheduled for Friday and Saturday. The three member schools of the CBB – Colby, Bates, and Bowdoin – will all be represented in the championship.

Including athletes, coaches, officials, tournament workers, and spectators, more than 1,000 people are expected to be on campus daily, making the championship the largest athletic event in Colby’s 179-year history.

Women’s track coach Deb Aitkin and men’s track coach Jim Wescott are co-directing the event.

The two started the process of bidding for the tournament a couple of months prior to last year’s nationals at Baldwin-Wallace College in Ohio, Aitkin said, and then made the presentation to the selection committee during the meet.

“We gave them an overview of the layout of our campus, explained how we would house students on campus, and presented a layout of our track facilities,” Aitkin said. “The committee was quite excited about the possibility the meet could come east for the first time ever and, in July, we were officially notified we had the bid.”

Location was not a negative factor, Aitkin said. “Many of the past meets in the Midwest involved an hour’s drive or more from the airport,” she said. “Distance was not a deterrent since we have two airports less than an hour away. I think part of the uniqueness of having the meet here is the athletes will get to see a little bit of Maine.”

Hosting a national championship takes total commitment from the college community, and much of that effort is volunteered, Aitkin said. “Everyone has to be involved, from those directing special programs, buildings, and grounds to food and dining halls.”

School being finished presented special problems, but they were easily overcome. “It meant getting extra help; hiring people to come in extra hours,” Aitkin said. “That week is normally vacation week for the grounds crew and dining services, so many schedules had to be changed.”

Financially, the NCAA meets part of the cost of the meet, but Aitkin said most of the 175 who officiate the championship are volunteers.

Manning registration tables and working the events will be Colby students, athletic department officials, and Colby staff members. “Everyone, in this category, is a volunteer,” Aitkin said. “Really, the entire event is pretty much run by volunteers.”

Asked if inclement weather would alter the championship, Aitkin said it goes as scheduled, rain or shine. Other than a delay for a thunderstom passing through during one meet a few years back, the meet goes on. The only situation that might be encountered at Colby, she said, is timing, since there are no lights, which means all events have to be conducted during daylight hours.

Registration takes place Tuesday afternoon. That evening the athletes will gather for a pasta dinner in Dana Hall, which will serve as the opening ceremony for the championship. “It’s an informational meeting,” Aitkin said. “We’ll familiarize them with the campus, and the seed sheets will be available.”

This is an exciting time for the whole campus, Aitkin said. “With graduation on Sunday, and the influx of student-athletes on Monday and Tuesday, this is a special time for everyone in the Waterville area.”