Whitney: Tradition lifts Dakota Relays' appeal

When legendary coach Howard Wood started the Dakota Relays in 1923, a day like Saturday was probably what he had in mind.

Blue skies, little wind, mild temperatures and more than 3,000 athletes running and jumping and throwing at the newly refurbished stadium bearing the name of the man known as the "Little General."

Such idyllic days are not the norm at Howard Wood Field, where the 2012 Dakota Relays were skipped because of construction and last year's event was cut short due to wet and cold conditions.

Meet organizers learned long ago to expect the unexpected on the first weekend in May, which means adhering to the Wood maxim to "bite down" and always come prepared.

That's where the redcoats come in.

They are everywhere at the Dakota Relays, an army of more than 250 red-jacketed volunteers supervising events, handing out awards, inspecting equipment and making sure the region's premier track meet puts athletes in position to shine.

"When college kids come back to compete and talk about what this meet meant to them, that's what we love to hear," says starter and assistant meet director Dean Mann, 82, whose connection to the Dakota Relays began when he won the sixth-grade shuttle run in 1944.

"They come back because they loved the experience, and so we try to make that experience as memorable as possible."

Mann ran track under Howard Wood at Washington High for two years and maintained his love for the sport, signing on as a Relays volunteer when he started teaching in Sioux Falls in 1957.

On Saturday, he stood near the starting line of a high school relay with an orange sleeve and starting gun, bantering with students who set up blocks for their competing classmates.

"Get those blocks set!" Mann snapped into his microphone before softening his tone. "OK, good job, setters. If I had any money, I'd pay you."

Sitting nearby was fellow track official Rich Hanson, who shares the duty of starting races with Mann and Terry Sudrla of South Sioux City, Neb.

Hanson has been a Dakota Relays volunteer for 50 years and was recognized Saturday with an Honorary Referee award.

A mainstay on the Sioux Falls athletic scene, he started working the high jump pit in 1964 and has served on the meet's board of directors for more than 30 years, earning a reputation as the most tenacious seller of tickets.

"Everyone on the board has the responsibility to sell tickets," shrugs Hanson. "I just have been able to sell a little bit more than most."

He and Mann became Dakota Relays starters when longtime officials Dewey Halford and Howard Connors stepped down, and they plan to fulfill their duties as long as they're able.

"We'll do it as long as we feel good," says Mann, perking up a little. "I'm 82 years old and I just bought a new boat. How's that for optimism?"

On the way to receive his award, the 78-year-old Hanson passes by head timer Ken Kessinger, stationed near the finish line with his trusty stopwatch. All timing is electronic at Howard Wood, but Kessinger sternly points out that "if that (system) goes haywire, we're in business."

Keeping track of his age is slightly easier, because it's the same number as the current edition of the Dakota Relays. "We're both 89," says the former Washington and Augustana athlete.

Like Mann, Kessinger competed under Howard Wood for the Warriors in the 1940s, when the track was located on East 10th Street and the coaching legend was on his way to compiling 16 state championships.

"He was pretty tough on us," recalls Kessinger. "He ran us all really hard, and I think it was for our own good. He had a knack for putting the right people in the right places."

The same could be said for Mark Meile, who has served as Dakota Relays meet director for 21 years. Part of his challenge is to get experienced volunteers to supervise the action for field events such as the long jump, triple jump, pole vault and hammer throw.

Of course, some of the redcoats have been working the same area for so long that others question whether it's possible to move up the ranks. At times, replacing a Dakota Relays official is like waiting to unseat a Supreme Court justice.

Larry Kelso won a state long jump title for Burke High School in 1958 and later was a two-time conference champion for USD, setting a school record in the process.

Saturday marked his 39th year of working the long jump and triple jump at the Dakota Relays, where his fondness and familiarity for the events keep him going.

"When I tell some of those kids that I once went (23 feet, 91/4) in the long jump, they look at me like I'm crazy," he says.

Interacting with athletes is also part of the appeal for volunteer Mickey Metcalf, a former Brandon Valley and Augustana sprinter who has worked the Dakota Relays high jump for 30 years.

"They put the shortest person at the highest event," says the diminutive Metcalf, who ran the show Saturday as Roosevelt's David Mulbah outdueled Yankton's J.J. Hejna to win the event after a prolonged battle.

"The high jump is fun because there can be a lot of drama," Metcalf adds. "A lot of times kids are going for school or personal records and you sort of say, 'OK, make the jump, make my day.' They'll come up and give me a high five, and I get some hugs. With the running events, you can't really do that."

A large crowd gathered around the high jump, part of the nearly 11,000 spectators who showed up over two days to watch the action amid favorable weather in an enhanced facility.

As Metcalf weaved through the masses to turn in her results, it was hard to escape the feeling that the meet's tradition was in good hands, that the redcoats were holding strong, and that Howard Wood himself would have been bursting with pride.

Argus Leader Media sports editor

Stu Whitney can be reached at swhitney@argusleader.com