Great Falls' Memorial Stadium filled with history

This weekend, the old lady hosted scores of highly active teenagers inside her home.

In years past she has seen the likes of President John F. Kennedy within her spacious grounds and had Bison trample all over her carpets.

She has had enough “face lifts” to make even the most vane among the Hollywood crowd green with envy.

And yet at nearly 100 years old she continues to be active and loved by her community.

“She” is Memorial Stadium, the multi-purpose home to events of every sporting spectrum, tucked neatly into a residential neighborhood of southeast Great Falls.

And this past weekend, like so many weekends before, she has been the kindly old grandma to young athletes from throughout Montana.

“You probably played on that field when there was actual grass,” noted one of the officials of this weekend’s Montana Class B-C High School state track and field championships in response to a reporter’s statement that he played on the lawn 50 years ago. “This place has undergone a lot of changes over the years and has been used for lots of things.”

Originally built in 1930 and named in honor of veterans who served in World War I, Memorial Stadium once again left youngsters, all of whom hailed from small towns across the Treasure State, wide-eyed at the roomy hospitality here in what at one time was the largest city in Montana.

In the nearly century since the first spade of dirt was turned, Memorial Stadium has seen many changes, both functional and cosmetic that have kept it in the running as host of events of major importance to the Montana sporting world.

This past weekend, several thousand fans, parents and high school athletes stomped and cheered inside her hallowed confines as a multitude of track and field events played out over two days of success, near-success, heartbreak and joy.

No doubt there were more people in the grandstands, infield and on the adjoining athletic fields outside her walls than live in most likely all of the more than 30 Class B and C schools represented on the fields of play.

By late afternoon Saturday, teams from four of those schools had been crowned 2022 Track and Field champion in 17 different events played by both boys and girls who spent the Spring hoping to qualify for a “trip to state” and the dream of a being named a State Champion.

Over the course of the 48 hours of grueling competition, several were crowned as individual champions in more than one event. A prime example was Ridger Palma of Loyola Sacred Heart in Missoula, who stood atop the victory stand three times after sweeping the “sprint” events in the boys Class B competition. Palma won the 100 meters, 200 meters and 400 meters dashes, helping propel Loyola to a second place team finish.

Others were not so lucky, with several crashing to the all-weather track surface after expending untold amounts of energy thinking about, stressing about and putting out every ounce of energy they possessed in pursuit of athletic glory. Some limped away in the agony of defeat, while others celebrated the joy of victory in fist-pumping, flying high five style.

And there were repeaters among the group, winners of second or third state championships during their high school years, such as Superior’s Sorren Reese, who won her second state title in the girls Class C javelin with a personal best heave on her last throw.

Through it all Memorial Stadium, a few signs of aging not withstanding, took it all in and rewarded the participants and fans with a welcoming home for their two-day endeavor.

She may have some fading paint inside and parking issues outside, but none of that mattered to those who earned a coveted “trip to state”.

To them, this was big city. This was fancy facilities. This was their moment.

And you could almost feel “grandma” smiling.