MLK Indoor Invitational prepares to make its debut on Saturday
Organizers hope it becomes big event
Albuquerque youngsters as well as track & field have long been in Joe Powdrell’s heart. So has Martin Luther King Jr. Thus, when it came time to try and bring the three together — the city, the sport and the legacy of the man — it was a no-brainer that Powdrell was ready to help. As a result of the work of Powdrell, John Haaland, city mayor Richard Berry and others, the inaugural MLK Indoor Track Invitational is scheduled for Saturday at Albuquerque Convention Center.
A college meet, with six schools having been invited, is slated for 9 a.m. and a meet for high schoolers, younger kids and masters is scheduled for 4 p.m.
The 69-year-old Powdrell, a former track star at Albuquerque High and the University of New Mexico, said he thinks the meet could eventually be a major event in the city, and one to help the local economy. He said the date might make it tough to get a lot of competitors this year, because most colleges — like UNM — have not yet started the spring semester. But he said officials wanted to get the event off the ground this year and build it from there.
“I really see it as being a huge event in the future,” Powdrell said. “We should attract the highest level of athletes from Idaho, Arizona, Colorado — all over the region — but never losing site of the local. High school kids would love to run indoors on a track like this. UNM has one of the best tracks in the world.”
While the university is not part of the event, Powdrell said he has been in constant touch with Lobo track coach Joe Franklin about the event.
On Monday, UNM announced that it will not have any of its athletes competing in the MLK, but Haaland said other regional colleges, including New Mexico Highlands, Eastern New Mexico and Western New Mexico, do plan to compete.
Powdrell said that one of the goals of the meet is to spread the word of MLK.
“The mission of the MLK Commission of New Mexico, was to take this holiday (Monday) and diversify it; get everyone involved and arouse celebration around it,” Powdrell said. “It’s not just a holiday for those with black skin. It should be a celebration or all Americans. We want to spread Dr. King’s message. I’m a track man. I thought, ‘Why not have a track meet to help celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy?’ There’s a lot of potential here for that.”
Haaland said it’s an open meet, and he encourages track athletes of any age to compete.
“It’s our first year, and I believe we’ll have 100 to 150 athletes in the field.” Haaland said. “We know it takes a while to get a meet established. People need to put it on their calendar. With meets like this, coaches need to know about eight months ahead of time so they put it on their schedule.
“But we’re looking forward to getting it started this year, and I think we will have a good field of athletes.”
Visit www.greatsouthwestclassic.com for more information.
Anyone wanting to register to compete or help sponsor the meet should call Powdrell at 505-328-0552, or Haaland at 505-280-4931.
Haaland said admission for fans is $2.00
LOBO SEASON: The UNM Lobos’ first meet of the season will be the Cherry & Silver Invitational on Jan. 20-21 at the Albuquerque Convention Center.