On April 20, Parks track and field team held the Eric Jones Invite, welcoming schools in their conference onto the track to compete. Eric Jones was a former Park student and member of the track team, who graduated in the class of 2017. In 2019, he passed away as a result of a rare cancer. He is remembered today in the Park track and field community as a strong, talented and dedicated athlete whose spirit continues to carry on in the new generation of student athletes, and many future generations to come.
Boys head coach Kelson Mackenzie said holding a home meet to honor him and his legacy has become an annual event for the Park track and field program.
“The meets are dedicated to a former Park student athlete who passed away from cancer. We used to host an annual invite before (COVID-19), and the construction of our new track, so we had it on hiatus for a (while), but then when we brought it back, we chose to name it after Eric Jones from the class of 2017 with his family’s blessing,” Mackenzie said.
Middle schooler Ira Williams said her personal goals for the home meet were to achieve a personal record in her 300 meter race and try her hardest in her 100 meter race, and she said as a team goal, she hopes to see her teammates succeed and cheer each other on. She said this meet is important because the team gets to honor Jones in a setting that he loved.
“I want to see if I can PR in the 300 meter (race) and in the 100, just try my best. (As a team) we all want each other to succeed and be kind to everybody,” Williams said. “(This meet) brings the team together because I think we feel a little more connected at home, (and we get to) remember (Eric Jones) by something he loved, track.”
Junior Joe Minnick said hosting a home meet was enjoyable because Park got to welcome other schools onto the track and a lot of students were able to come, cheer and compete. Minnick said this particular meet being the Eric Jones meet is important because it allowed students to learn and reflect on the history of the program and learn about past Orioles such as Jones who shaped the team into what it is today.
“It’s nice to have a home invitational and it’s great to see a lot of people come out to our track, it’s a big environment, ” Minnick said. “(It’s important) to know who was here before us, and who built up this program ahead of us and who gave us this opportunity to have a good race and compete.”
According to Mackenzie, Jones was a very talented and dedicated athlete who worked hard and was able to showcase his talent in the state tournament, but even more so, Jones will be remembered for his positive spirit, dedication, strong values and Park pride.
“Eric was a successful student athlete, he made it to state in both the high jump and the triple jump, but more so than anything, he was just someone who led by example,” Mackenzie said. “Unfortunately, his life and his future were cut short, and those of us who remember coaching him just knew how much Oriole spirit he really embodied and we felt it was really, really important to highlight him and do something to carry on a legacy.”
Minnick said competing on the same track the team practices on is beneficial because students tend to feel more self-assured in the familiar environment and it’s good practice. He said the team community feels close during home meets because students are running on the same track they practice on and the space feels like home.
“(Hosting home meets) helps give a good feel of what it’s like running a race on our own track (because) we practice here, but running in a meet is different, and it also helps (give) us more confidence as well,” Minnick said. “Being able to cheer for each other in a space we’ve known the whole season is easy and we know how everything goes around here (is great).”
According to Mackenzie, the meet was successful, with student athletes being able to show off the skills they’ve been building up this season and working hard at bettering everyday at practice. He said friends, family and community members coming together and cheering for their loved ones brought the team a lot closer and he hopes to continue honoring Jones, as well as other student athletes for many years to come.
“When we have a beautiful day to come together and put our best athletes out there in some of their best events in front of a home crowd, (it) just really makes it feel like a whole community bringing a lot of people together to do something really special, so really proud to host that meet,” Kelson said. “We’re hoping that having (Eric Jones’s) name on this meet for hopefully for many, many, many years to come really helps the community understand that this is what Park is all about. It’s our hope as coaches that we continue to highlight student athletes all the way across the board. and we know that we can always do better.”
Parks track and field team will compete next on Wednsday, April 29 at the University of Minnesota at 2:30 p.m.
