It was a picture-perfect afternoon at the Hillsborough County Western Conference Championships — almost like a scene from a movie.
There was Gunnar, running as hard as he could for his Durant Cougars. Golden hair gleaming in the sunlight, tongue hanging out, legs churning as fast as his hips would allow.
Gunnar was faster than everyone on the Spoto High track that day and, better yet, faster than anyone in county history. Who knew it was a dog that would finally break a 10-year county record.
That’s right — Gunnar is a 2-year-old golden retriever.
The Cougars runners — led by cross-country star Julie Gaffney and discus thrower Fulton Reed — petitioned head coach and owner Adam Banks to include Gunnar on the official team roster before the season began, but only as a manager.
“Every high school team needs a manager,” distance runner Connie Moreau said. “He even loves getting water bottles out of the truck and bringing them to us.”
Gunnar appeared in team photos and, occasionally, rode to events with Banks.
But at the conference Friday, March 25, Gunnar didn’t want to watch from the sidelines.
“He came up to me, and the look in his eyes said it all,” Banks said. “He’s not exactly the most obedient dog.”
After glancing at the FHSAA rulebook and talking to officials, Banks got permission for his pup to run.
He passed the competitors to finish at a time of 3:45.54 in the 1,600, a full 25 seconds faster than the previous county record.
“It was incredible,” Banks said. “And a little embarrassing for the other runners. It’s a dog-eat-dog world.”
The big question of the day: did Gunnar’s time count?
“As of this time, the FHSAA has no rules that explicitly prevent animals from competing in high school sporting events,” FHSAA Director of Athletics Les Averman said. “We will look into amending our rulebooks at the end of the spring sports season.”
Gunnar was also allowed to run in the 3,200 (8:34.45) and helped the Cougars to times of 39.88 and 7.28.94 in the 4×100 and 4×800 relays, respectively.
Gunnar pawed away with some gold medals clasped to his collar and celebrated with a big steak dinner.
But not everyone was a fan of the real-life Air Bud.
“It’s just ridiculous,” Spoto coach Gordon Bombay said. “The FHSAA will most likely convene to discuss the records and rule against them. He’s an animal, not an athlete.”
Still, no one will be able to turn Gunnar’s drooling smile upside down.
“I don’t think he’d understand a rule change but, since he already got all that glory at counties, they can’t take that away from him,” Banks says. “He’s always happy, no matter what.”
GOTCHA!
Happy April Fools' Day.
Every year, it is a tradition to run an April Fools’ Day story — or two — to trick our readers. This year, April 1 landed on a publishing day, so we were able to create a fake cover with several stories and teasers that are in no way true.
We hoped you enjoyed our little prank. If so, tell us about it.
If you thought it was completely unprofessional and immature, we want to hear from you too.
Email Managing Editor Amber Jurgensen your comments and letters at ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com.