Deja Vu, All Over Again


Thank you, Yogi Berra, for your help with the title to this article.

And, it really did seem like watching a highlight reel--or at least the finish of the girls race did.

Before we get to that, though, let's talk a little about the bigger picture of this meet. The Eagle Valley Invitational is one of but a handful of western slope meets that regularly pulls Front Range teams over the Continental Divide.

Proximity is one factor that counts in the meet's favor. Going by I-70, it's a lot shorter trip to--and typically a faster one--for Front Range teams to get to this meet than nearly any other established western slope meet.

But, proximity isn't the only factor working in the meet's favor. Far from it. Despite a total hard surface component that exceeds what most teams would deem as optimum, the course covers a beautiful chunk of western slope scenery. The views to the aspens on nearby hillsides are almost breathtaking. The golf course setting is among the most attractive in the state.

It never seems excessively warm in Gypsum (likely because the race never runs in the afternoon--as Gypsum can get dreadfully warm on September afternoons). It's just a pleasant place to be. At least until noon or so, and that's all it needs.

And, evidently lots of teams share that opinion. The meet regularly pulls in the vicinity of 20 teams. By western slope standards, that's a very large meet.

We'll cover the boys and girls races on separate pages, but first a couple links you might find useful (feel free to come back to these after finishing the article):

RESULTS   |   PHOTOS   |   VIDEO INTERVIEWS