LARNED — Track and Field is not really a spectator sport.
It should be.
You should make it so.
Oh, I know all of the moms and dads are there and even some grandparents, but mostly, there is not much of a crowd gathered to watch our thinclads.
Folks are missing quite a show.
High school and middle school track and field athletes put on a dazzling show. They are exhibiting the athletic skills that make team sports so enjoyable only here, on the track and at the field events, you get to see each individual athlete personally compete against his/her peers.
There is no hiding.
It’s them against the world for all to see. You either do it or you don’t. There is no depending on someone else to “win the game.”  
Track and Field provides the “Agony and the Ecstacy” of competitive athletics!
To sweeten the pot, the Golden Belt area has some of the state’s most outstanding athletes.
Ellinwood High School’s Kyle Oglesbee in the distances joins teammate Devin Ramsey, who fashions top times in the hurdles and relays.
Brandon Ball of Hoisington and Isaac Seibert of Macksville are two of the top pole vaulters in the state.
Great Bend’s Jayce Brack is a frontrunner in the state in the shot put while Kaylie Doll, also a Lady Panthers athlete, is one of the leading triple jump contenders.
Larned’s  Delainee Gordon fashions some of the area’s best times in the girl’s distance races.
I’ve only mentioned a few and our area has plenty more so check your school’s schedule and get out and enjoy a Spring day at an area track and field meet.
Do your part to make it a spectator sport.
You won’t be disappointed!

CHALK TALK — Never fear you diehard basketball fans. The preseason collegiate rankings for the 2014-2015 season are already here. The rankings look an awful lot like this past year, and for that matter, a lot like every year! The same old Bluebloods with a sprinkling of new challengers ... Just a hint of criticism for the KC Royals and the Wichita State baseball team last week and KABLOOEY! Shades of Joe Dimaggio, they both go on winning streaks. The Shockers moved their record back to above .500 over the weekend and the Boys in Blue actually started pitching a little! How about a written tongue lashing about every week or so to keep these guys winning? ... Is it just me or has, once again, the entire media overdosed on this BOSTON STRONG thing? I mean two weeks of coverage for the Boston Marathon seems, well ... a little like a marathon! I get it that the media centers are mainly on the east coast but, gosh guys, there’s a whole lot of other stuff going on in the rest of the country AND the rest of the world. I guess we should feel fortunate that the Boston Celtics are not in the hunt for the NBA championship! ... Speaking of the NBA and the playoffs, if you catch a playoff game or two I think you will be pleased, as I am, to see most of the players playing with a little energy, especially on the defensive end, now that the games mean something. A warning though to new viewers: they still don’t call traveling in the NBA! ... I laugh when I see one of the NFL draft “gurus” questioning whether or not South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney will drop in the draft due to his supposed “questionable work ethic.” When you are 6-foot-6, 266 pouns and can run the 40-yard dash in 4.53 seconds you don’t need to work. As former college coach Sandy Buda once said about a player, “He’s tougher than nine miles of detour!” There are going to be a lot of pro running backs wanting to take a detour around Jadeveon Clowney! He’s like running into a brick wall that has arms!

Charles Tabler is a contributing writer from Larned.