Meet organizers praying for no rain

Jeff Tully

Daren Wolf is becoming quite the amateur meteorologist.

In the past few days, Wolf, the Burbank High track and field

coach, has been studying weather patterns in an attempt to find out

if it is going to rain today for the 30th annual Burbank

Invitational.

“Every [T.V.] channel I watch and every Web site I visit I get

different information about when, or if, it’s going to rain,” said

Wolf, the meet’s director. “I’m just hoping the rain holds off until

after 4 [p.m.], when the meet’s done.”

The event -- which will begin at 8:30 a.m. -- has a different

venue this year. For the first time, the meet will take place across

town at Burroughs High. Burbank can’t hold its own meet at its home

venue because a portion of the school’s track has been cordoned off

because of construction.

“There have been some minor problems moving the meet to Burroughs,

but we are dealing with it,” Wolf said.

One of the advantages of moving the meet to Memorial Field is the

Indians are participating, and are fielding full teams for the first

time in years.

“Burroughs hasn’t taken part in the meet for a long time now,”

Wolf said. “But because the meet is at the school, it’s easy for them

to compete in it.”

Along with the local teams, the meet will also feature Glendale,

Hoover, Van Nuys Birmingham, Inglewood Morningside, L.A. Loyola,

Saugus and Orange.

One of the premier events of the invitational should be the boys’

distance medley. Burbank, Loyola and Orange all have distance medley

teams that have run under 11 minutes.

Although the Bulldogs are defending boys’ and girls’ varsity

champions, Wolf expects the competition to be a little stiffer today.

“Birmingham should have a very good team,” he said. “So it is

going to be tough for us to repeat.

“But I think there is going to be some good competition.”