Lakewood runner’s hole fills a gap in school lore

LAKEWOOD — Mitchel Gogert made a hole in the wall at Lakewood High School, but he didn’t get in any trouble.

In fact, the high school senior had the blessing of school district leaders.

The avid runner’s senior project was to research how the school’s annual invitational cross country meet became known as the “Hole in the Wall” invitational and to actually build a hole in the wall for competitors to pass through.

The result of his handiwork is a 14-foot-wide and seven-foot-high opening that will be part of the course that cross country runners will follow next fall.

“I wanted to leave a lasting tribute,” said Gogert, who was part of Lakewood’s cross country team which won the fourth-place team trophy in the 2A state boys race last fall.

Cross country has been a major part of his life the past four years. He counts his teammates among his closest friends, “like a second family.”

Gogert said he always heard about the “Hole in the Wall” meet, but had no idea how it got its name.

He interviewed Mike Evans, a former Lakewood High School teacher and cross country and track coach now living in Arizona.

Evans explained to Gogert that he used to read about cowboys when he was a child. He learned about a canyon in Johnson County, Wyo., known as the Hole in the Wall that was used as a refuge by outlaws. The secluded spot was used for decades by the likes of Jesse James and Butch Cassidy.

“If you were to enter their hideout, it was through an arched opening in a rock face wall,” Evans explained in an e-mail.

The original cross country course included a four-foot wide hole in a cyclone fence, which has long since disappeared. It reminded Evans of the Hole in the Wall stories he read in his youth. Moreover, Evans wrote, “I also had a pretty wild gang I was coaching.”

Gogert, who is considering a mechanical engineering major at University of Idaho or Arizona State University, learned that building projects take more than muscle and leverage. They also require time, patience and paperwork.

He submitted his design to the district three times and needed to make revisions. He also took it to Everett to have it reviewed by Chris Covington, a professional engineer.

Smokey Point Concrete Inc. donated the layers of concrete molding that look like large rocks and Gogert and his father used a backhoe to stack each wall.

Gogert said he has worked alongside his dad, a building contractor, since early childhood. Both wanted to make sure the school project was done well, even if it meant redoing it.

“It was a little bit crooked,” Gogert said. “We had to take it all down and build it back up, but it was worth it. I’m just excited about the legacy it leaves.”

Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com.

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