The
Mentor Cardinal Relays host many local teams that often feature state-caliber athletes.
The following is a summary of the history of the Mentor Relays that was provided by long-time Mentor track and field head coach
(1981-2007), Jim Green.
The Mentor Relays had its start in 1928 as the Lake County Relays with Mentor, Painesville, Willoughby and Fairport as the first teams to compete. At the conclusion of the meet, the directors changed the name to the Mentor Relays and they decided to hold this event annually. The Relays has run consecutively every year since except 1944. As the popularity of the Relays grew, it became necessary to divide the teams according to school size into class A and class B. This occurred from 1935 through 1952. There were so many teams and participants involved that the Relays became a two date sporting event and the field of teams grew to as many as 26 at one time and had as many as 500 participants.
MileSplit Ohio was honored to have the opportunity to interview Coach Green about his experiences with the Mentor Relays.
MileSplit Ohio: From your experience
as the head track and field coach at Mentor High School, how would you describe
the Mentor Relays?
Coach Green: The Relays started when Mentor was a small nursery and farm community and, as the Relays grew, it became a source of pride. It took many people to put on the meet and many of the same people ran the same field event or worked the finish line for decades. Businesses in the community donated the medals and trophies for the awards year after year. This source of pride was still present when I became the Mentor Track coach in 1981.
MileSplit Ohio: Most high school athletes are very unfamiliar with an invitational spanning two days. To the best of your understanding, please describe the length, magnitude, and flow of events of the Mentor Relays.
Coach Green: The meet started on Friday after school with the field events and the running of the four mile relay. Saturday was a continuation of the field events and the start of the running events. When the final race was finished at about 5 pm on Saturday, everyone was able to get home to watch the Kentucky Derby. The running of the Relays and the watching of the Running of the Roses was a Mentor tradition in the town that was once known as the world's largest producer of rose bushes.
MileSplit Ohio: In the early years of the Relays, you explained that only boys competed. Can you share your knowledge about the six Mentor Relays Queens who attended the event?
Coach Green: The Relay Queen and her court were nominated and voted on the week before the meet and the Court was crowned at an all-school assembly. The Queen and her five-woman court handed out the awards to the top six winners on the victory stand. When the Girls meet was started, the tradition was continued with a King and his Court. It was a big honor to be selected as the Queen or King. The girls meet was called the Cardinal Relays and occurred on Friday night under the lights. It quickly became as prestigious a meet as the Mentor Relays. However, it became difficult to staff and run two large meets back-to-back, so the two meets eventually combined into the Mentor Cardinal Relays.
MileSplit Ohio: Why do you believe the Mentor Relays has been sustainable as the oldest relay meet in Ohio? What special qualities does this meet present that others may lack?
Coach Green: The Relays became one of the most prestigious meets in Ohio because it was run very professionally by the same people year after year and it went like clock work. The Relay format was unusual and challenging for teams to compete in and it was fun. The large field of teams made it difficult to win the meet. If your school won the Mentor Relays, it was a great accomplishment. The awards were outstanding and every track athlete that competed in the relays coveted a Mentor Relays medal or trophy. Each event had a large trophy that was given to the winning team and they became highly desirable. Teams would enter the relays just to try to win one event and they would display the trophy proudly in their school trophy case.
MileSplit Ohio: What is your favorite memory of the Mentor Relays from all your years as an athlete, coach and now a fan?
Coach Green: When I became the Mentor track coach in 1981, Mentor had not won the Relays since 1972 and it was my goal to win the meet that first year. The kids did an outstanding job and they were able to win the meet that year. From that time forward, it was always my number one goal each year to win the Mentor Relays, Ohio's Oldest and finest track meet. One of the best performances was when the Mentor team won all five field event relays and the four mile relay in the morning before the final running events started. They scored 60 points in six events and the meet was essentially won, because it only took 70-80 points to win the Relays. That happened twice in my coaching tenure.
MileSplit Ohio thanks you for your time and your great historical information.
The Mentor Cardinal Relays continues to showcase great performances and athletes. Mentor's 4x800m relay broke East Tech's 1988 meet record (8:02.90) by running 8:02.20 at the 2016 Relays. The Mentor 4x800m team eventually took 3rd at the 2016 OHSAA State Track and Field Championship.
Shown below: Mentor's Robbie Seaton-todd hands off to Joe Brickman on route to their record setting finish.
2016 cross-country DII state champion and 2017 DII indoor 1600m state champion, Leah Roter, is shown competing in the Relays in the 3200m in 2016.
A large part of the Mentor track and field community is still involved in executing the Mentor Relays. Whether they compete, bring food, or help out in other ways, every Mentor track athlete contributes to the meet. Emma Lane, a Mentor High School senior and Michigan University commit, took time to explain her thoughts about the upcoming invitational.
MileSplit Ohio: Thank you for taking time answer these questions and to share about Mentor's Invitational. How is the Mentor Relays different from other invitationals on your schedule?