The Western NC Carnival is one of the best season-opening events in the nation. It combines a challenging course with multi-state competition in a fun environment, and as a result the meet always reveals several teams and individuals that are going to be difference-makers in the upcoming season. Now we can set aside the returning rankings and look at some hard, clear data from the 2018 season, and there is much to be learned! On the following slides, you can see the things that jumped out at me while watching the meet through my camera lens on Saturday.