GILROY
– The revival of Gilroy High track starts on Saturday with the
annual Avis Kelley Invitational, which this year brings a
competitive field of 15 area schools for the all-day event. “It’s
going to be a big day,” said Mustang head coach Guido Zvigzne, who
brought back the storied track meet tw
o seasons ago. “It’s a great tradition. I’m just trying to keep
it going and, hopefully, get the new facilities to make it blossom
again, and make track a big sport in Gilroy again.”
GILROY – The revival of Gilroy High track starts on Saturday with the annual Avis Kelley Invitational, which this year brings a competitive field of 15 area schools for the all-day event.
“It’s going to be a big day,” said Mustang head coach Guido Zvigzne, who brought back the storied track meet two seasons ago. “It’s a great tradition. I’m just trying to keep it going and, hopefully, get the new facilities to make it blossom again, and make track a big sport in Gilroy again.”
Live Oak High’s track and field squad will be one of the teams competing at the Gilroy High event.
The tradition is in the name, and that’s Avis Kelley, who coached some great Mustang track teams when the sport thrived throughout the 1970s and 80s.
“We want to make Avis Kelley proud,” Zvigzne said.
Although some runners on his own squad may not know the long history behind the garlic-town invitational, Zvigzne is well aware of the coaching legend of Gilroy High track and has been working hard to keep the meet going.
“I’m tired. It’s been real hard work, but we’ve got everything lined up,” said Zvigzne, who has the former track coach come out each year to visit his old stomping grounds. “Gilroy had a powerhouse track and cross country teams.”
The fourth-year coach upped the field this season and hopes to continue to increase the teams.
But unlike in years past when the Avis Kelley was the biggest of only a few track invitationals in the area, Zvigzne said he is competing against other track meets the same weekend.
“It used to be one of the biggest sporting events in South County,” Zvigzne said. “The competition (makes it) harder to get those big fields like they used to have. …We need the community to support this thing.”
In addition to Gilroy and Live Oak, this year’s field includes high schools from Santa Clara, Seaside, Aptos, Homestead, Oak Grove, Del Mar, Wilcox, York, Willow Glen, Pioneer, Alisal, Leland, and Gonzales, and a few more are expected to bring some individual participants.
Zvigzne is also hoping that discussions about building a new track surrounding an artificial grass football field at Gilroy High come to fruition.
“Ideally, I’d love to see Gavilan College get a track program,” he said. “If that got going, it would help to make this sport take off and make track a big sport like it was in ‘70s and ‘80s.”
