The Panorama Panthers have a proud tradition in track and field. Two of the more accomplished track and field athletes from Panora include Olympic decathlete Kip Janvrin and  U. of Arkansas assistant coach Travis Geopfort. Activities Director Shane Arp talked to Raccoon Valley Radio following the April 2 running of the Kip Janvrin Relays and improvements to the track were among the topics. “Currently, the plan here at Panorama is to have a resurfaced eight lane track for the spring of 2015. The school board has already dedicated funds towards that, so after the spring season is over next year we’ll be able to dig it up and have it ready for the year after that. We’re excited.”

Panorama’s current all-weather track has seven lanes. The district had one of the first all-weather tracks in the area and for years hosted conference meets for not only their own league, but for other conferences that were without an all-weather facility. Over the years, Panora has also been the host site of district and regional meets involving large numbers of schools. With an increasing number of all-weather tracks in our area in the past 15-20 years, the Iowa High School Athletic Association and Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union have a lot more choices for host sites than in the past. One of the current requirements for hosting a State qualifying meet is that a facility have an eight-lane all-weather track.

The Kip Janvrin Relays also meant the debut of new shot put and discus throwing areas at Panorama High School. One of the unique features of the throws area is that they are back-to-back with one set of bleachers providing ample seating and a great view of both events simultaneously. The shot put ring faces east while the discus ring faces west.

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