Darlington Redbird Preseason Practice

Tuesday, March 4, 2008 at Darlington High School



Watching a pre-season practice is a clinic in teaching methods as coaches break down the different event areas into the skills that athletes need to be competitive. Head boys and girls coach Todd Bastian [below right] is pictured outlining expectations for the Tuesday practice for the Darlington Redbirds


Athletes with State Meet experience are pictured above: L-R Ciarra Wiegel, Kelsi Blosch, Abby Wedig, Katie Martin, and Hana Miehe. Senior Abby Wedig ran 2:17.29 to place second in the D3 2007 WIAA State Track and Field Meet at La Crosse. Junior Ciarra Wiegel placed sixth in the 1600m at the 2007 State Meet by posting a time of 5:15.75. Hana Miehe was a State Qualifier in the D3 3200m run. Kelsi Blosch was a member of the seventh place 4x1 relay team. Martin, Blosch, Wiegel and Wedig were members of the runnerup 4x4 relay team. Wiegel, Hana Miehe and Wedig were on the sixth place 4x8 relay team. Blosch and Vanessa Schwartz [not pictured] and Kara Krahenbuhl [not pictured] finished seventh in the 4x1 relay competition at the 2007 State Meet.

Below left: Distance coach Arnie Miehe and his daughter Hana. Hana Miehe is a junior who was the conference champion in the SWAL 2007 cross country meet. Below right: Some of the distance runners prepare to tackle the frozen tundra of Wisconsin.


Darlington Redbird Drill Stations

Throwing coach Pat Riechling [right].

Korissa Prine [left].

Vault coach Steve Fitzsimmons [below left].

Jumps coach Tom Ingwell [below right]. Using a special pad on the tile floor saves the athletes legs as they perform various footwork and jumping drills.




All the athletes work together during the first part of practice before breaking up into specialty areas. Coach Miehe led the athletes in all their favorite warmups. During practice groups spent time in the weight room area.


Distance runners performed drills after their run that decreases the chance of hip [girls] and knee [boys] injuries and soreness. Bungee chords were used in stretching exercises.

Abby Wedig is pictured above at the 2007 WIAA State Track and Field Meet where she placed second in the D3 800m and helped the Redbird 4x4 relay team to a second place finish. Wedig and Ciarra Wiegel set school records during the 2007 season.

Darlington finished third in the D3 2007 State Meet team standings with 34 points. Shell Lake [43 points] and Whitehall [39 points] finished 1-2 in the D3 team 2007 competition.

Darlington is a member of the Southwest Wisconsin Activities League [SWAL] along with Boscobel, Cuba City, Fennimore, Iowa-Grant [Livingston], Mineral Point, Riverdale [Muscoda], and Southwestern [Hazel Green].