Bucksport teams sweep track meet Gunner Siverly wins four events

BUCKSPORT – On a blustery day that progressed from heavy overcast to bright sun to driving rain to bright sun … all in a span of 20 minutes, Nichole Pacheco discovered an age-old secret of track and field on Friday.

“Blankets,” the Bucksport High freshman said, huddling beneath a sizeable pile of them as the brief deluge passed.

And even though her track career’s just starting, Pacheco knows how to get her hands on the valuable commodity: None of the blankets she covered herself with were her own.

“People have to run,” she said with a sly grin. “Then you steal ’em.”

The Bucksport boys and girls track teams handled the weather – and their opponents – on Friday, throwing a blanket of their own over the competition in a pair of six-team meets.

The Bucksport boys piled up 258 points to turn back Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln (981/2), Sumner of East Sullivan (128), Searsport (36) and Penobscot Valley of Howland (3).

In the girls meet, Bucksport scored 1981/2 while Mattanawcook Academy had 981/2, Searsport scored 84, Penobscot Valley had 48, Sumner tallied 35 and George Stevens Academy of Blue Hill finished with 29.No matter which venue you were watching on Friday, one topic kept cropping up: The weather.

Bucksport junior Shaina Goode, who won the long jump with a best jump of 13 feet, 2 inches, admitted that her best efforts might have had a bit to do with fact that the sun finally peeked from behind the clouds before her winning leap.

“When the sun is shining, it makes you want to do better,” Goode said. “You feel better about running.”

Classmate Gunner Siverly, who won the 100, 200, 400 and anchored the victorious 1,600-meter relay, relied on good karma and credited his coach for one aspect of his victories.

When Siverly warmed up for the 100, it rained. When he ran, it was sunny, and the wind stopped. The same thing happened before the 200.

“I planned it,” Siverly said with a laugh. “I talked to my coach and I think he’s got something to do with the weather. He’s just moving the clouds out and bringing the sun in.”For the George Stevens Academy Eagles, just arriving at Bucksport High was a victory of sorts.

Three weeks ago, there was no GSA track team: A coach couldn’t be found.

The fact that GSA had also lost its indoor track season because a coach couldn’t be found played a part in Steve Connor’s decision to take over two weeks ago.

Connor, a self-employed construction worker, said the Eagles have proved willing to work through the obstacles.

“We’ve only had two weeks of practice and I actually ended up canceling the first two meets of the season because we weren’t ready,” he said. “It wasn’t gonna happen.”

Friday’s meet was the 2002 debut for GSA’s 11-member boys and girls squad.

That doesn’t mean Connor didn’t notice the weather, though. He just chose to ignore it.

“I was a little bit leery of coming up here with it being this cold, but they need [a meet], we’ve got to have it, and you can’t be picky,” he said. “We’ve got to take it where we can.”

Bucksport coach Chris Jones said the meet was a good stepping stone for his squads, who performed well despite the elemental challenges.

“I think it changes things only because the kids aren’t gonna be able to run their best,” Jones said. “It’s too cold. Their muscles are gonna tighten up.”

Jones told his team that they had a chance for victory on Friday, but pointed out that the real goal – a good effort at the Eastern Maine Class C championships – is in the future.

“I told the kids, ‘You’re gonna have hard workouts. You’re gonna have less recovery time. We’re building toward the big meet in May,” Jones said.