If you take a glimpse at the respective track complexes at Caribou and Presque Isle high schools, the thought that comes to mind is that the facilities are better suited for skiing than for running, jumping or throwing.

Despite having Mother Nature’s refuse scattered all over their tracks and fields, the Vikings and Wildcats, along with Maine’s other high school track and field teams, kicked off spring practices this week along with their baseball, softball and tennis counterparts.

While a number of the facilities around the Penobscot Valley Conference are fairly close to clear, Caribou’s and Presque Isle’s still resemble a winter wonderland.

“We are buried. I’ve never seen it like this, it’s unbelievable,” said Caribou athletic director Dave Wakana. “I’ve lived here pretty much my whole life and I’ve never seen this much snow.”

Wakana said Caribou’s track could likely be cleared within the next couple of weeks, as the Vikings snowblow their facility.

However, the field event areas likely won’t be suitable for practices anytime soon.

“That’s the problem. Where we throw the javelin is our soccer field and that’s going to be a soupy mess,” Wakana said.

For now, the Vikings’ sprinters, jumpers and throwers are doing drills in the high school gym while the distance runners are able to train outside.

Neither Caribou or Presque Isle is likely to lose any home meets. The Vikes’ first home competition is May 10 while Presque Isle is hosting the Aroostook County Championships May 20 and PVC Large School Championships May 31.

“We kind of set it up that way, realizing that Caribou can’t host a meet in April,” Wakana said.

Like the Vikings, Presque Isle is holding its practices in the gym and school hallways, but the Wildcats have FieldTurf on their infield, which has a formidable drainage system that may speed up the melting process.

At least boys coach Lori Googins hopes so.

“We’re hoping by maybe July 1st everything will be cleared out,” Googins quipped.

“Once things start to melt things should go quick because of the drainage. Once it’s melted, we’ll have the turf area to use,” said Googins.

Googins is optimistic the Wildcats will get on the track soon, as doing technique drills and speed work on tiled floors in the school hallways could eventually take its toll.

“The halls are hard on the athletes, a lot of problems we have in the beginning are shin splints and injuries because of the running surface in the halls,” she explained.

Some of Presque Isle’s throwers are able to do some technique work in the gym, but its not the same as being out on a regulation field.

“We do have indoor shots and indoor javelins, but it’s still not the same,” Googins said. “We don’t have the circle, don’t have the lines, the field isn’t the same. It’s just not the same as in the circle.

“We can work to a certain degree on technique but, personally, I don’t think it’s the same,” added Googins.

Cake, Favolise-Stant win Flat Top

Judson Cake and Anne Favolise-Stant were big winners at the Flat Top 5K road race in Lamoine last weekend.

Cake, a Bar Harbor native, recorded the fastest time in the three-year history of the race which honors the late Bill Pinkham, finishing in 15 minutes, 41 seconds.

Former Hampden Academy runner Chris Peverada, now living in Chicago, finished second while Tommy McWalters of Old Town was third, Andy Goupee of Ellsworth fourth and Tim Tunney, also of Ellsworth, fifth.

Favolise-Stant, a former Narraguagus of Harrington running star, finished 10th in the overall standings and clocked a 19:47. Another former HA runner, Chris Peverada’s sister Molly, took second while former Old Town runner Eliza Tibbits was third.

One-hundred five runners finished the flat and fast 5K.

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