Enjoying, clearing the snow

Posted by Alaskology

Posted: April 7, 2008 - 9:41 am

Dwyane Jones, left, and his family shovel snow off the running track at Service High School in Anchorage on Sunday. Several inches of snow fell across Anchorage on Saturday. Offically, 5.5 inches of snow fell at Sand Lake, near the Anchorage airport. Service high probably received closer to 10 inches of snow, and there was about 17 inches of snow at my house.

Gina and I took advantage of the fresh snow with a trip to the Hillside cross-country trails late Sunday afternoon. It might have been our last trip, but who knows?

As we finished up our loop, I spotted some activity on the Service High School track. But it wasn't what you’d expect to see in April.

Instead of a couple runners putting in a few miles of training, it was a family of four. They were packing snow shovels, and they were working hard. Dwyane Jones is the assistant track coach at Service. He, his wife, Gretchen, and two daughters were busy shoveling the snow off the track so that the team could practice today. That, in my mind, is a dedicated coach.

Jones said they started about 2:30. It was almost 6 p.m. when we talked, and it looked like they would be there a bit longer. Jones wanted to get enough snow off the track so there would be a lane or two for practice. And he said the high school runners might get in some additional "weight work" during today's practice. It sounds like they'll need running shoes and snow shovels

If you live in Alaska, adaptation is part of the game.

-- Steve

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