Culture change has Kennedy girls on the rise

CEDAR RAPIDS — Duane Wampole knows what he wants the Cedar Rapids Kennedy girls' track and field program to be.

And what he doesn't want it to be.

'When we talked about goals at the beginning of the year, we were in agreement that we don't want to be what we were last year,' said Wampole, the Cougars' first-year coach. 'So let's see what we can become.'

Kennedy's program staggered at the end of last season. Participation dwindled, and performance slid — the Cougars managed just 15 points at their regional meet.

An active figure in the Cedar Rapids Track Club for years, Wampole accepted the Kennedy job in January. After finishing last season with 34 girls, the roster this spring consists of 72.

One of the bottom teams in the Mississippi Valley Conference last year, the Cougars are securely in the middle of the pack now. They finished third at the Women of Troy Relays on March 29, then ran third at the Lion Invitational at Linn-Mar on Tuesday.

Sprinters Amarri Waller (a senior) and Cheyenne Mitchell (a freshman) captured the 100- and 200-meter races at Linn-Mar and were members of the Cougars' winning 400-meter relay. Kennedy also won the shuttle hurdle relay.

'The first thing I wanted to change was some of the core values, and it starts with teamwork,' Wampole said. 'I want everyone on the same page that the team comes first, and that the throwers should be cheering for the sprinters and the sprinters should be cheering for the distance kids.

'The kids are happy with their progress, but they're not satisfied. This program has been down, and they're hungry to turn it around. It's not going to happen this year, but in two or three years I want people to look at us the way they look at Pleasant Valley or Linn-Mar.'

Kennedy hosts the Draxton-Stiers/Wilkinson Invitational co-ed meet Saturday at Kingston Stadium.

COUNTDOWN TO DRAKE

Deadline for Drake Relays qualification is 11:59 p.m. next Thursday.

Sixteen boys' events and 16 girls' events are on the schedule — everything but the boys' and girls' 200- and 400-meter dashes and the girls' distance medley relay.

The number of qualifiers varies from eight (both 400-meter hurdles races) to 80 (both 400-meter relays). State leaders, area leaders and current Drake cutoffs can be found here.

The Drake Relays are April 28-30 at Des Moines.

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com