LJ track: 5th Jim Cerveny Invitational at Mission Bay

Jim Cerveny (right), talking to one of the many

people in his network, on the infield at Mission Bay

High during the annual track meet named after him.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

Jim Cerveny (pronounced "serve-a-knee") was a friend of mine, in the years around 2010. I met him at church, then only later found out he was a track coach, primarily helping athletes at Mission Bay High. As things happen, we drifted away from contact in latter years, but Sat., April 15, I was at least able to get near him and take a photo (see above) as people waited in line to get to talk to him.

The head track coach at Mission Bay High wanted to honor a deserving person by naming a new track meet after them/him/her in 2017--this was before COVID. So, the meet has survived despite taking off the year of COVID (2020). That's good to see.

Jim Cerveny, as a high school athlete, competed for the Buccaneers, and in 1957 he won the state title in the 880 yards in 1:52.7, according to "Bucs' History" on the Mission Bay track website.

I'm sure the meet wasn't held in the spring of 2020, with COVID having hit the area March 13, 2020. The next year, 2021, was a tenuous year, at best, so apparently the meet hadn't recovered its footing by then.

So, after a clean streak of being held in 2017, the year of its founding, then 2018, and 2019, the Cerveny Invite made a comeback last year--April 16, 2022--followed by this year's event.