Athletes Strike Gold At Big Sky Games

When Barnum & Bailey coined the phrase “The Greatest Show on Earth” for their circus, they hadn't attended a Big Sky State Games event.

With 10,000 participants participating in everything from horseshoes to ballroom dancing to clay pigeon shooting to pole vaulting and a plethora of other sporting events, these game big. Great big.

Christina Eike, a 10-year-old from Moore, sang the national anthem for the opening ceremonies on Friday. The torch was lit by 2010 winter Olympic bronze medalists Erin Pac and Elana Meyers (bobsled) and by silver medalist Johnny Spillane (Nordic combined).

Gary Wageman of Glasgow, a pretty fair pole vaulter, talked Monday morning about his achievement at the games.  He won gold in the “somewhat advanced in years” age bracket of 50 to 54 – setting a new state games record at 11 feet.  He told me it was a great thrill to stand on the podium with his young son, Tim, who also won gold in the 8- to 9- year old bracket.

Gary was seriously injured in a car wreck in 1998.  Broke both his legs and an arm.  He had surgery every year for the next five years to correct problems in his legs.  He is sending a picture of  himself and Tim on the winners podium to his orthopedic surgeon with the caption, “See what your good work has done.”

Wageman also talked about Cole Albus, an aspiring pole vaulter for the Hinsdale Raiders.  He said, “Cole is coming into his own and with a bit more self-confidence can become one of the better vaulters in the state.”  High praise indeed for Albus.  Cole didn't have the result he wanted at the games this year, having cleared 11-6 and missing his attempts at 12 feet, but he will be one to watch next season.

Two-time state champion pole vaulter and all-around good guy Kirk Capdeville won gold as well last weekend with a, for him, sub-par 14-foot vault falling short of his personal record by 1 foot, 2 inches.  As he was watching Bobby Biskupiak, 19 to 29 age bracket,  of Bozeman vault to 16-7 using a 17-foot pole, he turned to Wageman and said, simply, “I can do that.”  Local fans will be watching for Capdeville to do just that as he enters Minot State University in the fall.

For the shooting events in which the Albus brothers, Cole and Kyle, have excelled the past few years, Kyle came home with a gold medal for shooting the most clay pigeons in the sporting clay event.  In previous years, Cole had won that event as well as a couple or more events but as noted above opted for the pole vault this year.

Meanwhile, the  Nemont Beverage/Uncle Milt's co-ed softball team from Glasgow brought home the gold with a 5-1 record.  NB/UM player Arron Morehouse asked me, “Can you believe it? It was awesome.  We had to beat Haws-CarStar twice in the championship round and we did it.”  

Hannah Jones and Tori Arnold, both of Hinsdale Lady Raider fame, joined up with a basketball team from Glasgow but couldn't quite grab a medal. They had a respectable two wins along with two losses. Another Hinsdale product, Delaney Beil, competed on a Whitewater girls basketball team.

Yet another gold went to the Hi-Line Ballers, a team of fifth- and sixth-grade girls coached by Linda Hudyma and photographed by Melissa Lund-Hollum.  Said Hudyma: “We put together a bunch of cousins and a few other girls, and off we went.” 

The team went undefeated on its way to gold.  

“They did a great job” said Hudyma.