This was the indoor venue that Aspen Hacker, Kyla Hacker, and Jayda Bushling competed at on Dec. 28-29..
Jayda Bushling, Aspen and Kyla Hacker got a chance to take a different track in their careers. They recently competed on Dec. 28-29 in Reno at the USATF Holiday Invite on an inside track.
This would be the first time ever these young ladies competed in an inside venue. The Hackers both competed in the 400m, the 800m, and the 1600m races, while Bushling ran the 55m, the 200m, and the 400m. She also took her turn at the long jump. A. Hacker and Bushling would compete in the 17-18 age group, while K. Hacker competed in the 15-16 age group. All three Lady Broncs would bring home medals from the meet. Most of the western states were represented at this high-quality meet.
A. Hacker was the top finisher as she ran to a first place in the 1600m. Her time was 5:48 to take the top spot. She crossed the line in second running the 800m with a time of 2:30, and finished off the day with a 17th in the 400m. She ran the race in a time of 1:06. On a side note, but in the running department, A. Hacker was third in the Kern County Runner of the year award according to the central section outlet. She was also named to the All Central Section second team for her achievements in cross country this past season.
Bushling leaped her way to a second place in the long jump. She jumped a distance of 16’ 5” to earn her medal. In the 55m, Bushling would finish fourth in a time of 7.38. In the 200m, Bushling was 11th in a time of 27.07. In her final event, she ran the 400m in a time of 1:04. This time gave her a 13th place finish.
The younger Hacker, Kyla would finish in the top 10 in all the events she competed in. K. Hacker collected a third place in the 1600m to grab a medal. This race was run in a time of 6:34. She ran the 800m in a time of 2:48 to cross the line in eighth place. Running the 400m K. Hacker would come in the 10th place. She ran this race in a time of 1:11.
Kenny Bushling who accompanied this group of athletes said, “This was the first experience for the trio to run in an indoor venue. It’s a little different as the track length in only 200M (half the distance of a normal outside track). The is a meet where the athletes run for a ‘track club’ or ‘unattached’ meaning it is not affiliated with CIF or high school competition. This was an excellent “kick off” meet to the 2025 track and field season. There is a short winter track club season in California, that has begun and will culminate in a California winter track championship February 8 in Arcadia for those who achieve qualifying marks. So, the girls plan to be competing in several meets over the next six weeks to achieve qualifying marks for the California winter championships. The girls had a great time and it was a good experience for each of them. The meet was able to give the girls times to work on prior to our official high school track season.”
Coach Bushling also commented, “If anyone wants more information on the California winter track season, they can contact me. There is competition for the grade levels up to high school levels.”
